Babikr Bedri was a Mahdist Sudanese warrior and social activist who laid the foundations for women's education in Sudan. Bedri began with a small school for his own daughters. Over time, the school moved to Omdurman and formed the basis for today's Ahfad University for Women in Sudan.
Babikr Bedri
Street sign in downtown Khartoum (2018)
The Mahdist War was a war between the Mahdist Sudanese, led by Muhammad Ahmad bin Abdullah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Islam, and the forces of the Khedivate of Egypt, initially, and later the forces of Britain. Eighteen years of war resulted in the creation of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (1899–1956), a de jure condominium of the British Empire and the Kingdom of Egypt in which Britain had de facto control over Sudan. The Sudanese launched several unsuccessful invasions of their neighbours, expanding the scale of the conflict to include not only Britain and Egypt but also the Italian Empire, the Congo Free State and the Ethiopian Empire.
Depiction of the Battle of Omdurman
Muhammad Ahmad, the self-proclaimed Mahdi
This banner is a declaration of faith and allegiance into Allah, and was carried into battle by the Sudanese Mahdist Army. The color of the banner identifies the fighting unit. From Omdurman, 1898. The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, UK. Given by Miss Victoria MacBean, 1929.
Charles Gordon as Governor of the Sudan