Colonial and World War I · 1898

Battle of Omdurman

Machine guns and artillery cut down the Mahdist army: around 12,000 Sudanese were killed in a morning, against fewer than 50 on the other side. Sudan came under British and Egyptian rule.

The site of the battle on the 1923 map. Shaded: Republic of Turkey, 1923, French mandate, British mandate or occupation, British protection or influence.

Key facts

When: 1898
Where: Omdurman, Sudan
Sides: Anglo-Egyptian army vs the Mahdist state
Commanders: Herbert Kitchener vs Abdallahi ibn Muhammad (the Khalifa)
Result: Anglo-Egyptian victory
Type: Colonial and World War I
Chapter: 5. The Ottomans

The wider picture: The end of the caliphate

The Ottomans entered the First World War on Germany's side and lost. Britain and France divided the Arab lands under the Sykes-Picot agreement and the mandates that followed, and British troops entered Jerusalem in December 1917. In Anatolia, Mustafa Kemal won the war of independence and declared a republic in October 1923.

See the 1923 map Read chapter 5

More colonial and world war i battles

All 14 colonial wars and world war i battles · Battle explorer

Spotted a mistake on this page? Tell us