Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, nineteenth century

Battle of Abu Klea

Battle of Abu Klea was a battle fought on 17 January 1885 at Khartoum, in what is now Sudan. It was part of the Mahdist War, which ran from 1881 to 1899. The recorded result: British victory. Recorded strength: 1,400 against 14,000 (3,000 engaged in the battle).

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Bataille d'Abu Klea. Huile sur toile.
Bataille d'Abu Klea. Huile sur toile.. William Barnes Wollen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought17 January 1885
WhereKhartoum, Sudan16.983N, 33.300E
OutcomeBritish victory
BelligerentsUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; British RajagainstMahdist State
Casualties and losses74 killed; 94 woundedand1,100 killed, unknown wounded
Part ofMahdist War1881 to 1899

Where it sits in the Mahdist War

Battle of Aba, 1881Battle of El Obeid, 1883First and Second Battles of El Teb, 1884Siege of Khartoum, 1884Battle of Tamai, 1884Battle of Abu Klea, 1885Battle of Tofrek, 1885Battle of Ginnis, 1885Battle of Dufile, 1888Battle of Suakin, 1888First Battle of Agordat, 1890Second Battle of Agordat, 1893Battle of Kassala, 1894Battle of Rejaf, 1897Battle of Abu Hamed, 1897Battle of Fachoda, 1898Battle of Omdurman, 1898Battle of Gedaref, 1898Battle of Umm Diwaykarat, 189918811899Battle of Abu Klea, 1885
20 placed engagements of the Mahdist War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date17 January 1885
PlaceKhartoum, Sudan
16.983N, 33.300E
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength1,40014,000 (3,000 engaged in the battle)
Casualties and losses74 killed; 94 wounded1,100 killed, unknown wounded
Commanders
  • Herbert Stewart
  • Muhammad Ahmad
Battle of Abu KleaBattle of Abu KleaBattle of OmdurmanBattle of OmdurmanAtbarahAd-DamirShendiBerber100 km16.983N, 33.300E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1885

Battle of Abu Klea is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 25 in present-day Sudan.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1288821, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Abu Klea, revision 1375012830, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.