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 | Omdurman Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 22 |  |
Popular Things To Do | Miscellaneous Things To Do Tips | All Tips (22)  | |  |  | The Whirling Dervishes of Hamd en-Nil | Tip Rating:    |  |  | |  |
On Fridays, take a bus to an area called Hamd en-Nil, and jump off when you reach a big cemetary. A couple of hours before sunset, members of a Sufi order gather together to sing, chant and whirl in the dust wearing colourful patchwork clothes. All the men stand in a huge circle, mostly wearing white jellabiyas, and sway to the chanting which gets faster and faster. In the middle of the circle are the darawish, those who have abandoned the modern way of living and dress in green-coloured rags. As the tempo increases, they begin to whirl, spin, jump, leap, roll...a spectacular sight. It is not uncommon for believers to suddenly become carried away with emotion and break into the circle for a whirl themselves.
Now when I went, there was a largeish group of khawajas taking photos indiscreetly (actually, they got in the way on more than one occasion) and tempers flared slightly...this is not really a tourist attraction, although tourists are tolerated if they stay very much in the background. Leave a Comment Directions: In Omdurman, head for Hamd en-Nil, leaving the bus at the cemetary and following the crowds.
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| | | | The Mahdi's tomb | Tip Rating: | | | | |
The Mahdi was the 'saviour' of the Sudanese people at the end of the 19th century and led one of the world's most successful anti-colonial uprisings, against the Anglo-Egyptian forces aiming to control much of the Sudan. Gathering support from Kordofan and the West of Sudan, he united the country and even got the support of the Southern tribes by promising (falsely) to end slavery. Seen by some as a new prophet, he led his army to Khartoum (basing himself in Omdurman) and famously defeated General Gordon, who even more famously had his head chopped off (not by the Mahdi). Several years later the increasingly bloated Mahdi was succeeded by the Khalifa, before Lord Kitchener came up the Nile (slightly too late for Gordon!) to reclaim the city for Britain. Far from being the supposed civilised avengers, Kitchener massacred much of the opoosition in cold blood and desecrated the Mahdi's tomb and body.
His tomb is one of those things that every visitor should make the effort to see but, to be honest, 'seeing it' is pretty much all you can do. The striking silver dome dominates the building and the surrounding skyline and you can wander around the grounds but it's highly unlikely non-Muslims will actually be allowed in. Some claim to have got in but most don't manage it - I guess it depends who's on the gate. You can generally take photos inside the grounds - although ask permission (which may or may not be given). Having never been inside it I can't really comment, but have a look at the outside anyway. Leave a Comment Directions: If coming from Khartoum, take a bus that terminates at Shuhada. You'll see the silver dome from a distance - it's easy to find and walking distance from Shuhada or the Nile.
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After the dervishes, when the sun sets, the place to hang out on a Friday night in Omdurman is Omdurman Park. You won't be too surprised to find out that there's not really much here, but nonetheless it's one of the city's main nightspots. There are lots of people hanging about on the grass, talking and eating, or playing football, and there's also a fairground. There are bumper cars (dodgems), rides and even a rollercoaster. You can even buy candyfloss from the stalls - I wouldn't recommend eating it though! Entry costs (to the best of my memory) 500 pounds. Leave a Comment Directions: Take a bus to Thawra, stay on a while past Shuhada station, and it's a big walled area on a corner with lots of people outside.
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