Muhammad Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Fahal was a Sudanese religious and political leader. In 1881, he claimed to be the Mahdi, and led a war against Ottoman-Egyptian rule in Sudan which culminated in a remarkable victory over the British in the Siege of Khartoum, while also slowing and defeating the British during their unsuccessful Nile Expedition to resupply the Khartoum Garrison. He created a vast Islamic state extending from the Red Sea to Central Africa, and founded a movement that remained influential in Sudan a century later.
Artistic representation of Muhammad Ahmad
A depiction of the British square at the Battle of Abu Klea, during the Mahdist War, 1885
The rebuilt tomb of Muhammad Ahmad in Omdurman
The Mahdi is a prominent figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the End of Time to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad, who will appear shortly before Jesus and will lead the Muslim Ummah to rule the entire world.
The Al-Askari Shrine in Samarra, Iraq, stands where the house of the 11th Twelver imam Hasan al-Askari and the Mahdi once used to be.
Jamkaran Mosque in Qom, Iran, where Hassan ibn Muthlih Jamkarani is reported to have met the Twelver Mahdi
The Egyptian capital city of Cairo in 2014, where Abu'l-Qasim al-Tayyib, son of Fatimid Caliph Al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah, was born. Pictured are the Sultan Hasan and Al-Rifa'i Mosques.
Gold dinar of the first Fatimid caliph, Abd Allah al-Mahdi Billah, 910/911