Atlas of Battles

battle, major, nineteenth century

Battle of Omdurman

Battle of Omdurman was a battle fought on 2 September 1898 at Omdurman, in what is now Sudan. It was part of the Mahdist War, which ran from 1881 to 1899. The recorded result: British–Egyptian victory. Recorded strength: 8,200 British,; 17,600 Egyptians and Sudanese; Total: 25,800 against 35,000–50,000.

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The charge of the 21st Lancers at Omdurman. Source: Uploaded form the German Wikipedia :de:Bild:21lancers.JPG
The charge of the 21st Lancers at Omdurman. Source: Uploaded form the German Wikipedia :de:Bild:21lancers.JPG. Edward Matthew Hale (1852-1924). Original uploader was Raoulduke47 4 January 2007 (original upload date) at en.wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought2 September 1898
WhereOmdurman, Sudan15.752N, 32.520E
OutcomeBritish–Egyptian victory
BelligerentsUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; Khedivate of EgyptagainstMahdist State
Casualties and losses47–48 dead; 382 woundedand12,000 killed; 13,000 wounded; 5,000 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 Omdurman, 1898
20 placed engagements of the Mahdist War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date2 September 1898
PlaceOmdurman, Sudan
15.752N, 32.520E
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength8,200 British,; 17,600 Egyptians and Sudanese; Total: 25,80035,000–50,000
Casualties and losses47–48 dead; 382 wounded12,000 killed; 13,000 wounded; 5,000 captured
Commanders
  • Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
  • Hector MacDonald
  • Abdallahi ibn Muhammad
Battle of OmdurmanBattle of OmdurmanSiege of KhartoumBattle of Abu KleaSiege of KhartoumBattle of Abu KleaShendi100 km15.752N, 32.520E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Omdurman
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Omdurman today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-04-21. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 388 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 370 to 447 m, 77 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 52% bare ground, 16% built-up, 16% cropland.

bare ground: 52%built-up: 16%cropland: 16%water: 10%tree cover: 4%bare ground 52%built-up 16%cropland 16%water 10%tree cover 4%
west to east, 10.0 km370 to 410 mnorth to south, 10.0 km381 to 410 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1898

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: MAHDISTSDefender: BR ARMY
Strength55,00025,800
Casualties30,700 (55.8%)482 (1.9%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1049
Outcomedefender won
Duration1 day
Front width3.2 km4.4 km
Attacker advanced-2.7 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 234), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

Battle of Omdurman 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 Q1137302, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Omdurman, revision 1384635766, 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.