Abdallahi ibn Muhammad
Encyclopedia
Abdullah Ibn-Mohammed or Abdullah al-Taaisha, also known as "The Khalifa
" was a Sudanese Ansar
General and ruler.
around 1846 and was trained and educated as a preacher and holy man.
He became a follower of Mohammed Ahmed "the Mahdi
" in the 1870s and was named Khalifa
by the Mahdi in 1881, becoming one of his chief lieutenants.
The other Kalifas were Ali wad Hilu
and Muhammad Sharif
.
He was given command of a large part of the Mahdist army, and during the next four years led them in a series of victories over the Anglo-Egyptians.
He fought at the Battle of El Obeid, where William Hicks
's Anglo-Egyptian army was destroyed (November 5, 1883), and was one of the principal commanders at the siege of Khartoum
, (February 1884 - January 26, 1885).
He had to suppress several revolts in 1885-1886, 1888-1889, and 1891 before emerging as sole leader.
At first the Mahdiyah was run on military lines as a jihad state, with the courts enforcing Sharia law and the precepts of the Mahdi, which had equal force.
Later the Khalifa established a more traditional administration.
The Khalifa invaded Ethiopia
with 60,000 Ansar troops and sacked Gondar
in 1887.
He later refused to make peace.
He successfully repulsed the Ethiopians at the Battle of Metemma on March 9, 1889, where the Ethiopian emperor Yohannes IV
was killed.
He created workshops to maintain steam boats on the Nile and to manufacture ammunition.
In the 1890s his state became strained economically, and suffered from crop failures. The Sudan became threatened by Italian, French and British imperial forces which surrounded it. In 1896, an Anglo-Egyptian army under General Herbert Kitchener began the reconquest of the Sudan.
in September 1896, then Berber and Abu Hamed to Kitchener's army in 1897, the Khalifa Abdullah sent an army that was defeated at the battle of Atbara
River (April 8, 1898), afterwards falling back on Omdurman
.
At the Battle of Omdurman
on 2 September 1898 his army of 52,000 men was destroyed. He then fled south and went into hiding with a few followers but was finally caught and killed by Sir Reginald Wingate's Egyptian column at Umm Diwaikarat
in Kordofan on November 25, 1899.
Devout, intelligent, and an able general and administrator, the Khalifa was unable to overcome tribal dissension to unify Sudan
, and was forced to employ Egyptians to provide the trained administrators and technicians he needed to maintain his self-proclaimed Islamist military dictatorship.
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
" was a Sudanese Ansar
Ansar (Sudan)
The Ansar , or followers of the Mahdi, is a Sufi religious movement in the Sudan whose followers are disciples of Muhammad Ahmad , the self-proclaimed Mahdi....
General and ruler.
Early years
Abdullah was born into the Ta'aisha Baqqara tribe in DarfurDarfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
around 1846 and was trained and educated as a preacher and holy man.
He became a follower of Mohammed Ahmed "the Mahdi
Mahdi
In Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will stay on Earth for seven, nine or nineteen years- before the Day of Judgment and, alongside Jesus, will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny.In Shia Islam, the belief in the Mahdi is a "central religious...
" in the 1870s and was named Khalifa
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
by the Mahdi in 1881, becoming one of his chief lieutenants.
The other Kalifas were Ali wad Hilu
Ali wad Hilu
Ali wad Hilu was one of the three Kalifas or lieutenants of Muhammad Ahmad , who styled himself the Mahdi, the others being Muhammad Sharif and 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad....
and Muhammad Sharif
Muhammad Sharif, Kalifa
Sayyid Muhammad Sharif was one of the three Kalifas or lieutenants of Muhammad Ahmad , who styled himself the Mahdi, the others being Ali wad Hilu and Abdallahi ibn Muhammad....
.
He was given command of a large part of the Mahdist army, and during the next four years led them in a series of victories over the Anglo-Egyptians.
He fought at the Battle of El Obeid, where William Hicks
William Hicks
Colonel William Hicks , British soldier, entered the Bombay army in 1849, and served through the Indian mutiny, being mentioned in despatches for good conduct at the action of Sitka Ghaut in 1859....
's Anglo-Egyptian army was destroyed (November 5, 1883), and was one of the principal commanders at the siege of Khartoum
Battle of Khartoum
The Battle of Khartoum or Siege of Khartoum lasted from March 13, 1884 to January 26, 1885. It was fought in and around Khartoum between Egyptian forces led by British General Charles George Gordon and a Mahdist Sudanese army led by the self-proclaimed Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad...
, (February 1884 - January 26, 1885).
Mahdist leader
After the unexpected death of the Mahdi, Abdullah succeeded as leader of the Mahdists on the death of the Mahdi in June 1885, declaring himself "Khalifat al-Mahdi", or successor of the Mahdi.He had to suppress several revolts in 1885-1886, 1888-1889, and 1891 before emerging as sole leader.
At first the Mahdiyah was run on military lines as a jihad state, with the courts enforcing Sharia law and the precepts of the Mahdi, which had equal force.
Later the Khalifa established a more traditional administration.
The Khalifa invaded Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
with 60,000 Ansar troops and sacked Gondar
Gondar
Gondar or Gonder is a city in Ethiopia, which was once the old imperial capital and capital of the historic Begemder Province. As a result, the old province of Begemder is sometimes referred to as Gondar...
in 1887.
He later refused to make peace.
He successfully repulsed the Ethiopians at the Battle of Metemma on March 9, 1889, where the Ethiopian emperor Yohannes IV
Yohannes IV of Ethiopia
Yohannes IV , born Lij Kassay Mercha Ge'ez, was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1872 until his death.-Early life:...
was killed.
He created workshops to maintain steam boats on the Nile and to manufacture ammunition.
In the 1890s his state became strained economically, and suffered from crop failures. The Sudan became threatened by Italian, French and British imperial forces which surrounded it. In 1896, an Anglo-Egyptian army under General Herbert Kitchener began the reconquest of the Sudan.
Defeat and death
Following the loss of DongolaDongola
Dongola , also spelled Dunqulah, and formerly known as Al 'Urdi, is the capital of the state of Northern in Sudan, on the banks of the Nile. It should not be confused with Old Dongola, an ancient city located 80 km upstream on the opposite bank....
in September 1896, then Berber and Abu Hamed to Kitchener's army in 1897, the Khalifa Abdullah sent an army that was defeated at the battle of Atbara
Battle of Atbara
The Battle of Atbara took place during the Second Sudan War. Anglo-Egyptian forces defeated 15,000 Sudanese rebels, called Mahdists or Dervishes. The battle proved to be the turning point in the conquest of Sudan by a British and Egyptian coalition....
River (April 8, 1898), afterwards falling back on Omdurman
Omdurman
Omdurman is the second largest city in Sudan and Khartoum State, lying on the western banks of the River Nile, opposite the capital, Khartoum. Omdurman has a population of 2,395,159 and is the national centre of commerce...
.
At the Battle of Omdurman
Battle of Omdurman
At the Battle of Omdurman , an army commanded by the British Gen. Sir Herbert Kitchener defeated the army of Abdullah al-Taashi, the successor to the self-proclaimed Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad...
on 2 September 1898 his army of 52,000 men was destroyed. He then fled south and went into hiding with a few followers but was finally caught and killed by Sir Reginald Wingate's Egyptian column at Umm Diwaikarat
Battle of Umm Diwaykarat
The Battle of Umm Diwaykarat on November 25, 1899 marked the final obliteration of Muhammad Ahmad's short-lived Sudanese empire, when Anglo-Egyptian forces under the command of Lord Kitchener wiped out what was left of the Mahdist armies under the command of the Abdallahi ibn Muhammad, known as the...
in Kordofan on November 25, 1899.
Devout, intelligent, and an able general and administrator, the Khalifa was unable to overcome tribal dissension to unify Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, and was forced to employ Egyptians to provide the trained administrators and technicians he needed to maintain his self-proclaimed Islamist military dictatorship.