Osama bin Laden's house in Khartoum
Encyclopedia
Osama bin Laden's house in Khartoum is a pink and beige brick-and-stucco three-storey house on Al-Mashtal Street in the affluent Al-Riyadh
quarter of Khartoum
, Sudan
, where Osama bin Laden
lived between 1991 and 1996.
's ruling family over their support for the United States in the Gulf War
against Iraq
. He purchased this property and another in Soba
, a one storey unfurnished mud house on the western bank overlooking the Blue Nile
where he spent many weekends with his family. He lived in Sudan with his four wives, four sons and daughter. Although extremely wealthy, both houses were described as very modest on purpose to adhere to his ideals of humble living. During his time in the country he heavily invested in the infrastructure and in agriculture and businesses. When he lived there he was more known as a "walking bank" than a successful organizer of terrorist operations. Hassan al-Turabi
allowed bin Laden to live in Sudan on the condition that he would invest in Sudan. It is estimated that he may have invested US $50 million in Sudan. His investments consisted of a bank, trading firm and construction industry, all of these activities he managed with his nine-room office manned by veteran business men supported by 400 Sudan
ese men at a salary of $200 a month.
Although the house was heavily guarded with guards armed with machine guns on the ground floor, bin Laden once missed an assassination attempt at this house attempted by Takfiri
s, an ultra extremist group who considered bin Laden's ways as heretic
. Following this attack his house was made more secure with more guards and trench
es dug in front and back of the house. This caused inconvenience to his neighbours who then wished that bin Laden would leave their neighbourhood. After living in Sudan for more than 4 years, he left Sudan in May 1996, bitterly disappointed with political developments in the country he had invested so much in. The property has remained vacant since bin Laden was expelled from the country in 1996 because tenants feared that the United States might bomb it. However, it is also reported that China made it their Embassy.
The house was secured with a compound wall, painted pink but faded. At the sides of the house are a series of walled-in compounds. This house was much more spacious and comfortable than the houses he lived in Afghanistan
and Pakistan
and bin Laden kept his office on second floor. He would even meet people in the open yard in front of his house. He also owned guest houses across the street which he purchased as homes for his top officers.
It is also said that bin Laden lived a very simple life. He owned no vehicles, and used no modern home appliances such as a refrigerator
or air conditioner. He was reportedly also involved in experimental farming. Today, the gate to bin Laden's old house is tightly shut, and the unkempt garden and wild tree branches growing over the wall stand out in such a wealthy, well-maintained part of the city.
15°34′54"N 32°34′22"E
Al-Riyadh
Al-Riyadh is a Saudi Arabian football club based in Riyadh that is currently playing in the Second Division .Although it can be known by their football team, Al-Riyadh also have squads playing at other sports....
quarter of Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
, 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...
, where Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
lived between 1991 and 1996.
Background
Bin Laden arrived in Sudan in 1991 after falling out with Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
's ruling family over their support for the United States in the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
against Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. He purchased this property and another in Soba
Soba (city)
Soba is the name of the capital of Alodia. E. A. Wallis Budge identified it with a group of ruins on the Blue Nile 12 miles from Khartoum, where there are remains of a Meroitic temple that had been converted into a Christian church. This would place Soba in the modern-day Sudanese state of Al Jazirah...
, a one storey unfurnished mud house on the western bank overlooking the Blue Nile
Blue Nile
The Blue Nile is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. With the White Nile, the river is one of the two major tributaries of the Nile...
where he spent many weekends with his family. He lived in Sudan with his four wives, four sons and daughter. Although extremely wealthy, both houses were described as very modest on purpose to adhere to his ideals of humble living. During his time in the country he heavily invested in the infrastructure and in agriculture and businesses. When he lived there he was more known as a "walking bank" than a successful organizer of terrorist operations. Hassan al-Turabi
Hassan al-Turabi
Dr. Hassan 'Abd Allah al-Turabi , commonly called Hassan al-Turabi , is a religious and Islamist political leader in Sudan, who may have been instrumental in institutionalizing sharia in the northern part of the...
allowed bin Laden to live in Sudan on the condition that he would invest in Sudan. It is estimated that he may have invested US $50 million in Sudan. His investments consisted of a bank, trading firm and construction industry, all of these activities he managed with his nine-room office manned by veteran business men supported by 400 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...
ese men at a salary of $200 a month.
Although the house was heavily guarded with guards armed with machine guns on the ground floor, bin Laden once missed an assassination attempt at this house attempted by Takfiri
Takfiri
A Takfiri is a Muslim who practices Takfir, which is to accuse other Muslims of apostasy. The term Takfir derives from the word kafir and is described as when "...one who is, or claims to be, a Muslim is declared impure." Those to whom Takfir is applied are considered excommunicated in the eyes...
s, an ultra extremist group who considered bin Laden's ways as heretic
Heretic
A heretic is a person who commits heresy.In literature:* Heretic, an autobiography of Peter Cameron* Heretic , the third volume in The Grail Quest series by Bernard CornwellIn music:...
. Following this attack his house was made more secure with more guards and trench
Trench
A trench is a type of excavation or depression in the ground. Trenches are generally defined by being deeper than they are wide , and by being narrow compared to their length ....
es dug in front and back of the house. This caused inconvenience to his neighbours who then wished that bin Laden would leave their neighbourhood. After living in Sudan for more than 4 years, he left Sudan in May 1996, bitterly disappointed with political developments in the country he had invested so much in. The property has remained vacant since bin Laden was expelled from the country in 1996 because tenants feared that the United States might bomb it. However, it is also reported that China made it their Embassy.
Description
Richard Miniter describes the house as follows:"On El Meshtal Street, a visitor finds bin Laden's walled compound. The exterior walls are pink and faded to filth. The house is not the most opulent in this Sudanese version of Bel Air. It is a vaguely Art DecoArt DecoArt deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
affair, three stories high, with a ridge running up its front. Everything about the exterior of the house indicates comfort. An aluminium-frame walkway topped with thin wooden slats assures shade from the driveway to the front door. Air conditioners hum."
The house was secured with a compound wall, painted pink but faded. At the sides of the house are a series of walled-in compounds. This house was much more spacious and comfortable than the houses he lived in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and bin Laden kept his office on second floor. He would even meet people in the open yard in front of his house. He also owned guest houses across the street which he purchased as homes for his top officers.
It is also said that bin Laden lived a very simple life. He owned no vehicles, and used no modern home appliances such as a refrigerator
Refrigerator
A refrigerator is a common household appliance that consists of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump that transfers heat from the inside of the fridge to its external environment so that the inside of the fridge is cooled to a temperature below the ambient temperature of the room...
or air conditioner. He was reportedly also involved in experimental farming. Today, the gate to bin Laden's old house is tightly shut, and the unkempt garden and wild tree branches growing over the wall stand out in such a wealthy, well-maintained part of the city.
External links
15°34′54"N 32°34′22"E