Atlas of Battles

siege, notable, nineteenth century

Siege of Khartoum

Siege of Khartoum was a siege conducted on 13 March 1884 at Khartoum, in what is now Sudan; it lasted 10 months. It was part of the Mahdist War, which ran from 1881 to 1899. The recorded result: Mahdist victory. Recorded strength: 30,000 to 50,000 troops against 7,000 troops; 9 gunboats.

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Siege of Khartoum
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought13 March 1884lasted 10 months
WhereKhartoum, Sudan15.610N, 32.530E
OutcomeMahdist victory
BelligerentsMahdist StateagainstKhedivate of Egypt
Casualties and lossesSmallandEntire force destroyed
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, 189918811899Siege of Khartoum, 1884
20 placed engagements of the Mahdist War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date13 March 1884
to 26 January 1885
PlaceKhartoum, Sudan
15.610N, 32.530E
KindSiege, nineteenth century
Territorial changeFall of Turco-Egyptian Sudan; Temporary withdrawal of British forces from Sudan
Strength30,000 to 50,000 troops7,000 troops; 9 gunboats
Casualties and lossesSmallEntire force destroyed; ~4,000 civilians dead, many others enslaved
Commanders
  • Muhammad Ahmad
  • Charles George Gordon
Siege of KhartoumSiege of KhartoumBattle of OmdurmanBattle of OmdurmanMedaniShendi100 km15.610N, 32.530E
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 1884

Siege of Khartoum 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 Q815159, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Khartoum, revision 1382105848, 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.