Omdurman << `om` dur MAHN >> (pop. 1,849,659) is the largest city in Sudan. It lies on the west bank of the Nile River, across the river from Khartoum, Sudan’s capital.
Omdurman is a regional market. It is also a religious and cultural center for Sudanese Muslims. The tomb of Muhammad Ahmad, a Muslim leader called the Mahdi (divinely appointed guide), stands in the city center. Muhammad Ahmad founded the city in 1885. Near the tomb is a large market area called the suq. Many people who work in Khartoum live in Omdurman. Omdurman has modern apartment buildings and houses. It also has small houses made of sun-dried mud-brick. Tents and shacks on the outskirts of the city provide shelter for many refugees from western and southern Sudan and nearby countries.
