Khartoum is the capital of Sudan. Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile, flowing west from Lake Tana in Ethiopia. Khartoum is derived from an Arabic word, Al-Khurṭūm which means “Elephant’s Trunk”. Khartoum remains as a dark memory in the minds of many people. The North-American bombings, in 1998, associated Sudan with international terrorism in the front pages of newspapers. But visiting today is quite an interesting experience, as this is now a different country and it has fewer tourists. The country’s capital is actually a group of three cities, Khartoum, Bahri, and Omdurman. Bahri is an industrial and residential area, closer to what a suburb feels like. As for Omdurman, where you’ll find Sudan’s most famous souk, it has an atmosphere closer to what you’d expect to see in the Middle East, with narrow and secluded streets.
Spice market in OmdurmanKhartoum is commonly known as a major trade and communications centre, with rail lines from Egypt, Port Sudan, and Al-Ubayyiḍ, river traffic on the Blue and White Nile rivers, and an international airport. It is served by Khartoum International Airport, and Khartoum New International Airport is under construction. The City is connected through buses that are privately owned. Architecture of Khartoum cannot be identified by one style or even two styles; it is as diverse as its culture. The older part of the city lies beside the White Nile while the newer parts, such as Al-Amarat and Khartoum Two, spread out to the south, across the railway line and the ring road, and around the airport runway. The city, both the old part and its newer extensions, is laid out mostly in a grid. Among the places of worship, they are predominantly Muslim mosques. There are also Christian churches and temples ; religion in the city is diverse. You can tell there is freedom of worship. Read more
