Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, nineteenth century

Battle of El Obeid

Battle of El Obeid was a battle fought on 3 November 1883 at El-Obeid, in what is now Sudan; it lasted 2 days. It was part of the Mahdist War, which ran from 1881 to 1899. The recorded result: Mahdist victory. Recorded strength: ~40,000 irregulars against ~8,000 infantry; ~1,000 cavalry; ~100 irregulars; 14 cannon; 6 machine guns.

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The army of Hicks Pasha on the march. Engraving published in The Graphic in 1883.
The army of Hicks Pasha on the march. Engraving published in The Graphic in 1883.. Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought3 November 1883lasted 2 days
WhereEl-Obeid, Sudan13.183N, 30.217E
OutcomeMahdist victory
BelligerentsMahdist StateagainstEgypt Egypt
Casualties and losses~280 killed; ~600 injuredand~7,000 killed; ~2,000 captured
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 El Obeid, 1883
20 placed engagements of the Mahdist War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date3 November 1883
to 5 November 1883
PlaceEl-Obeid, Sudan
13.183N, 30.217E
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength~40,000 irregulars~8,000 infantry; ~1,000 cavalry; ~100 irregulars; 14 cannon; 6 machine guns
Casualties and losses~280 killed; ~600 injured~7,000 killed; ~2,000 captured
Commanders
  • Muhammad Ahmad
Battle of El ObeidBattle of El ObeidUmm Ruwaba100 km13.183N, 30.217E
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 1883

Battle of El Obeid 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 Q478597, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Shaykan, revision 1370589187, 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.