Today, Omar came to take me to visit some interesting
historical sites. We drove to Omdurman,
stopping briefly to see a British gunship which was dredged up from the Nile a
few years ago. It is in remarkably good
condition. There is a backdrop of
reconstructed mud bunkers and huts to give an idea of the Mahdist defences.
 |
| Gun boat |
The Mahdi was an Islamic leader who is
considered the first African opponent of colonisation. He defeated Gordon but died soon
afterwards. I did not enter the tomb,
which is considered a very important Islamic site. We then visited the house of his successor,
Khalifa Abdullah, which is just across the road. It is a lovely house with beautiful
woodworked ceilings. The Khalifa lived
and governed from this house. General
Kitchener was sent to avenge Gordon’s death.
There is a collection of Mahdist armaments, which show clearly how
easily Kitchener must have defeated them.
According to my guidebook, British losses were 48 with 434 wounded. By contrast the Mahdist army lost 10,000 men. According to Churchill, who served in the Battle of Omdurman, the Mahdist army looked as though they had stepped straight off the Bayeau Tapestry, with their spears and patched tunics.
Afterwards, we went to a lovely fish restaurant for lunch
and had beautifully fresh deep-fried Nile fish with salad and bread. There was far too much, so I had enough fish
and bread for my next meal. This proved
to be just as well: soon after I arrived back at the flat I had a message from
Becca, the SVP coordinator, to say that we should all stay at home and avoid
going out if possible as there were serious demonstrations at the British,
German and American Embassies due to some fool putting up an inflammatory anti-Islamic
video on YouTube.
Since I last wrote, I have been told that I will be leaving for
Ed Damer on Monday following a meeting at the Ministry of Education which will
take place on Sunday.
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