Khartoum << kahr TOOM >> (pop. 1,410,858) is the capital of Sudan. It stands at the junction of the Blue Nile and White Nile. The city has many modern buildings and treelined streets. Places of interest include the governor general’s palace, churches, mosques, and museums.
Khartoum serves as a trading and communications center in a rich cotton-growing area. Rail lines connect the city with other parts of Sudan and with Egypt, and boats carry cargo between the main towns of the Blue and White Nile. Egyptian leader Muhammad Ali conquered Sudan, and founded Khartoum in the 1820’s. In 1830, Khartoum became the capital of Sudan. Muhammad Ahmad, a Muslim leader called the Mahdi (divinely appointed guide), destroyed much of the city in 1885 in his revolt against the Egyptians who ruled it. British Lord Kitchener occupied Khartoum in 1898 and rebuilt it.
