View source for Khartoum

{{short description|Capital of Sudan}}
{{about|the capital city of Sudan}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Khartoum
| native_name        = الخرطوم
| native_name_lang   = ar
| nickname           = "Triangular Capital"
| settlement_type    = [[Capital city]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image 
| border = infobox  
| perrow = 1/2/2 
| total_width = 300 
| align = center
| image1 = ©Nile-Project -Sari Omer 0025.jpg
| caption1 = Night view of Khartoum and of the [[White Nile]]
| image2 = Khartoum Mosque.jpg
| caption2 = Khartoum Mosque
| image3 = University of Khartoum 001.JPG
| caption3 = [[University of Khartoum]]
| image4 = Elmek Nimir Bridge.jpg
| caption4 = [[El Mek Nimr Bridge]]
}}
| image_shield       = 
| image_seal         = Khartoum locality.png
| image_flag         = 
| image_map          = 
| mapsize            = 
| map_caption        = Khartoum's location in Sudan
| pushpin_map        = Sudan#Africa
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Sudan and Africa
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|Sudan}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[States of Sudan|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Khartoum (state)|Khartoum]]
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = 
| area_footnotes     = <ref>{{cite web |title=Khartoum, Sudan - Population Trends and Demographics |url=https://www.city-facts.com/khartoum/population#:~:text=Area%20of%20Khartoum%2C%20Sudan,322.7%20km%C2%B2 |website=city-facts.com |year=2015 |access-date=4 April 2025}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 322.7
| area_urban_footnotes = <ref name="khartoum-urban">{{cite book |title=Demographia World Urban Areas |date=August 2023 |url=https://demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf#page=24:~:text=Sudan,Khartoum |page=24 |publisher=Demographia |edition=19th |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250401154004/http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf#page=24:~:text=Sudan,Khartoum |access-date=4 April 2025 |archive-date=1 April 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| area_urban_km2     = 1031
| area_metro_footnotes = 
| area_metro_km2     = 
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name="watlas">{{cite web |title=Where is Khartoum, The Sudan? |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/af/sd/kh/where-is-khartoum.html#:~:text=It%20is%20located%2015.55%20latitude,381%20meters%20above%20sea%20level. |website=WorldAtlas.com |date=2 October 2015 |access-date=4 April 2025 |archive-date=29 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129140409/https://www.worldatlas.com/af/sd/kh/where-is-khartoum.html#:~:text=It%20is%20located%2015.55%20latitude,381%20meters%20above%20sea%20level. |url-status=live }}</ref>
| elevation_m        = 381
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_footnotes = <ref name="khartoum-population-census">{{Cite web |title=Sudan: States, Major Cities, Towns & Agglomeration - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/sudan/ |website=CityPopulation.de |date=1 July 2018 |access-date=4 April 2025 |archive-date=12 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412232811/https://www.citypopulation.de/en/sudan/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
| population_as_of   = 2008
| population_total   = 1,410,858
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref name="khartoum-population-est">{{cite web |title=Sudan Cities by Population 2025 |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/cities/sudan#:~:text=Khartoum,1%2C974%2C647 |website=WorldPopulationReview.com |year=2025 |access-date=4 April 2025}}</ref>
| pop_est_as_of      = 2025
| population_est     = 1,974,647
| population_rank    = 1
| population_urban_footnotes = <small> (est. 2023)</small><ref name="khartoum-urban" />
| population_urban   = 7,155,000
| population_metro_footnotes = 
| population_metro   = 
| population_note    = 
| population_demonyms = Khartoumese, Khartoumian <small>(the latter more properly designates a Mesolithic archaeological stratum)</small>{{Clarification needed|date=November 2023}}{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}
| timezone           = [[Central Africa Time|CAT]]
| utc_offset         = +02:00
| coordinates        = {{coord|15.6|N|32.5|E|format=dms|region:SD_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes = <ref name=watlas/>
}}
'''Khartoum''' or '''Khartum'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|k|a:r|'|t|u:|m|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Khartoum.wav}} {{respell|kar|TOOM}};<ref>{{cite news |website=Dictionary.reference.com |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Khartoum |title=Khartoum |access-date=28 November 2012 |archive-date=6 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121206061759/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/khartoum |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |website=TheFreeDictionary.com |url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Khartoum |title=Khartoum |access-date=28 November 2012 |archive-date=10 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910094940/http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Khartoum |url-status=live }}</ref> {{langx|ar|الخرطوم|al-Khurṭūm}}, pronounced [[Help:IPA/Arabic|[al.xur.tˤuːm]]]}} is the [[capital city]] of [[Sudan]] as well as [[Khartoum State]]. With an estimated population of 7.1 million people, Greater Khartoum is the largest urban area in Sudan.<ref name="khartoum-urban" />

Khartoum is located at the [[confluence]] of the [[White Nile]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-10-01 |title=Khartoum - ACRC |url=https://www.african-cities.org/khartoum/ |access-date=2024-11-19 |language=en-GB}}</ref> – flowing north from [[Lake Victoria]] – and the [[Blue Nile]], flowing west from [[Lake Tana]] in [[Ethiopia]]. Divided by these two parts of the Nile, the Khartoum [[metropolitan area]] is a tripartite metropolis consisting of Khartoum proper and linked by bridges to [[Khartoum North]] ({{lang|ar|الخرطوم بحري}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|al-Kharṭūm Baḥrī}}) and [[Omdurman]] ({{lang|ar|أم درمان}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|Umm Durmān}}) to the west. The place where the two Niles meet is known as ''al-Mogran'' or ''al-Muqran'' ({{lang|ar|المقرن}}; English: "The Confluence").

Khartoum was founded in 1821 by [[Muhammad Ali of Egypt|Muhammad Ali Pasha]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-10-01 |title=Khartoum - ACRC |url=https://www.african-cities.org/khartoum/ |access-date=2024-11-19 |language=en-GB}}</ref> north of the ancient city of [[Soba (city)|Soba]]. In 1882 the [[British Empire]] [[Anglo-Egyptian War|took control]] of the Egyptian government, leaving the administration of Sudan in the hands of the Egyptians. At the outbreak of the [[Mahdist War]], the British attempted to evacuate Anglo-Egyptian garrisons from Sudan but the [[Siege of Khartoum]] in 1884 resulted in the capture of the city by [[Mahdist State|Mahdist]] forces and a massacre of the defending Anglo-Egyptian garrison. In 1898 it was reoccupied by British forces and was the seat of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan's government until 1956.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Khartoum|title=Khartoum {{!}} Location, Facts, & History|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=2020-04-28|archive-date=26 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626182639/https://www.britannica.com/place/Khartoum|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1956, the city was designated as the capital of an [[Republic of Sudan (1956–1969)|independent Sudan]]. Three hostages were killed during the [[attack on the Saudi Embassy in Khartoum]] in 1973.

In 2008, the [[Justice and Equality Movement]] engaged in [[2008 attack on Omdurman and Khartoum|combat]] in the city with the [[Sudanese Armed Forces]] as part of the [[War in Darfur]]. The [[Khartoum massacre]] occurred in 2019 during the [[Sudanese Revolution]]. Between 2023 and 2025, the city saw [[Battle of Khartoum (2023)|extensive combat]] during the [[Sudanese civil war (2023–present)|civil war]] involving the armed forces and the [[Rapid Support Forces]] (RSF), affecting [[Khartoum International Airport]] and other critical sites.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leiro |first=Roberto |date=2023-04-15 |title=Sudan's RSF Clashes with Army in Khartoum Airport |url=https://airwaysmag.com/sudans-rsf-clashes-with-army-in-khartoum-airport/ |access-date=2023-04-16 |website=Airways |language=en-US |archive-date=16 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416183624/https://airwaysmag.com/sudans-rsf-clashes-with-army-in-khartoum-airport/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2025, the [[Sudanese Armed Forces|Sudanese armed forces]] recaptured Khartoum from the RSF, leaving widespread destruction.<ref>{{cite news |title=BBC team reaches Khartoum and finds overwhelming destruction |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0l1s375 |work=Global News Podcast |publisher=BBC News |date=1 April 2025 |access-date=1 April 2025}}</ref>

Khartoum is an economic and trade center in [[North Africa]], with rail lines from [[Port Sudan]] and [[El-Obeid]]. It is served by [[Khartoum International Airport]] with the [[New Khartoum International Airport]] under construction. Several national and cultural institutions are in Khartoum and its metropolitan area, including the [[National Museum of Sudan]], the [[Khalifa House Museum]], the [[University of Khartoum]], and the [[Sudan University of Science and Technology]].

==Etymology==
The origin of the word ''Khartoum'' is uncertain. Some Scholars posit that the name derives from the [[Dinka language|Dinka]] words {{lang|din|khar-tuom}} (Dinka-Bor dialect) or {{lang|din|khier-tuom}} (as is the pronunciation in various Dinka dialects), translating to "place where rivers meet". This is supported by historical accounts which place the [[Dinka people|Dinka]] homeland in central Sudan (around present-day Khartoum) as recently as the 13th-17th centuries A.D.<ref>{{cite book |last=Room |first=Adrian |date=2006 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M1JIPAN-eJ4C |title=Placenames of the World |edition=2nd |publisher=McFarland |isbn=0-7864-2248-3 |page=194 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-date=19 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219022556/https://books.google.com/books?id=M1JIPAN-eJ4C |url-status=live }}</ref>

One [[folk etymology]] is that it is derived from [[Arabic]] {{transliteration|ar|ALA|khurṭūm}} ({{lang|ar|خرطوم}} {{gloss|trunk}} or {{gloss|hose}}), probably referring to the narrow strip of land extending between the Blue and White Niles.<ref>{{cite book |title=Sudan's Blood Memory: The Legacy of War, Ethnicity, and Slavery in Early South Sudan |last=Beswick |first=Stephanie |page=39 |date=2013 |publisher=University Rochester Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r61i6BD0Vw0C&q=damadim+ancient+nubia&pg=PA39 |isbn=9781580461511 |access-date=14 November 2020 |archive-date=19 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419233116/https://books.google.com/books?id=r61i6BD0Vw0C&q=damadim+ancient+nubia&pg=PA39 |url-status=live }}</ref> 

Captain [[James Augustus Grant|J.A. Grant]], who reached Khartoum in 1863 with [[John Hanning Speke|Captain Speke]]'s expedition, thought the name was most probably from the Arabic {{transliteration|ar|ALA|qurṭum}} ({{lang|ar|قرطم}} {{gloss|safflower}}, i.e., ''[[Carthamus tinctorius]]''), which was cultivated extensively in Egypt for its oil to be used as fuel.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Walkley |first1=C. E. J. |title=The Story of Khartoum |year=1935 |journal=Sudan Notes and Records |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=221–241 |publisher=University of Khartoum |jstor=41710712}}</ref> Some scholars speculate that the word derives from the [[Nubian language|Nubian]] word {{transliteration|nub|Agartum}}, meaning "the abode of [[Atum]]", Atum being the Nubian and Egyptian god of creation. Other [[Beja people|Beja]] scholars suggest ''Khartoum'' is derived from the [[Beja language|Beja]] word {{lang|bej-Latn|hartoom}}, "meeting".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://quod.lib.umich.edu/p/passages/4761530.0004.006/--beja-scholars-and-the-creativity-of-powerlessness?rgn=main;view=fulltext |publisher=University of Michigan Library |work=Passages |title=Beja scholars and the creativity of powerlessness |access-date=13 January 2016 |archive-date=16 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316081810/http://quod.lib.umich.edu/p/passages/4761530.0004.006/--beja-scholars-and-the-creativity-of-powerlessness?rgn=main;view=fulltext |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first=Hasan |last=Shukri |title=Khartoum and Tuti 'Shreen Munz Qarnan |journal=Khartoum |volume=1 |number=11 |date=August 1966 |page=23}}</ref> Sociologist Vincent J. Donovan notes that in the [[Nilotic languages|Nilotic]] [[Maa languages|Maa]] language of the [[Maasai people]], {{lang|mas|khartoum}} means "we have acquired" and that the geographical location of Khartoum is where Maasai oral tradition claims that the ancestors of the Maasai first acquired [[cattle]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Donovan |first1=Vincent J. |title=Christianity Rediscovered: An Epistle from the Masai |publisher=Orbis Books |year=1978 |page=45}}</ref>

==History==
{{see also|Timeline of Khartoum}}

===19th century===
[[File:Slave market Khartoum 19th c.png|thumb|right|In the [[slave auction|slave-market]] at Khartoum]]
In 1821, Khartoum was established {{cvt|15|mi|km|order=flip}} north of the ancient city of [[Soba (city)|Soba]], by [[Isma'il Kamil Pasha]], the third son of Egypt's ruler, [[Muhammad Ali of Egypt|Muhammad Ali Pasha]], who had just incorporated Sudan into his realm. Originally, Khartoum served as an outpost for the [[Egyptian Army]]. Egypt shifted the seat of the colonial government from [[Wad Madani]] to Khartoum in 1823, which became a permanent settlement and underwent rapid development in the next decades. With its elevation to capital status, Khartoum quickly grew into a regional center of trade, serving as a [[rest area]] on the caravan route from [[Ethiopia]] to [[Egypt]], but also becoming a major focal point for the [[slavery in Sudan|slave trade]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: Volume 3: He-N |date=2008 |pages=392}}</ref><ref>Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLIO, USA, 2013, p. 139</ref>

A significant change took place in 1854, when most of the city was destroyed by heavy rains and floods. It was rebuilt with houses made out of mud and stones, replacing those made out of thatch and straw. Khartoum also became the seat of several European consulates and the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Khartoum|Apostolic Vicariate of Central Africa]]. European pressure and influence forced Egypt to close the city's public slave market in 1854, although slaves continued to be sold and trafficked in large numbers, specifically from the [[Blue Nile State|Blue Nile]] region and the [[Nuba Mountains]], as well as down the [[White Nile]] (the [[Dinka people|Dinka]] and [[Shilluk people|Shilluk]] territories).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: Volume 3: He-N |date=2008 |pages=392}}</ref> According to the British explorer [[Samuel Baker]], who visited Khartoum in 1862, slavery was the industry "that kept Khartoum going as a bustling town".<ref>{{cite book|author=Jok, Madut Jok|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wqzvlWdxThwC&q=War+and+Slavery+in+Sudan&pg=PA1|title=War and Slavery in Sudan|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|year=2001|isbn=0-8122-1762-4|page=5}}</ref> 

On 13 March 1884, troops loyal to the [[Mahdi]] [[Muhammad Ahmad]] began the [[siege of Khartoum]] against the Egyptian garrison led by the British General [[Charles George Gordon]]. Despite being fortified by trenches and a wall connecting the Blue and White Niles, the city was conquered by the Mahdists on 26 January 1885 and the entire garrison was annihilated. Many of the inhabitants were massacred or enslaved and the survivors were deported to the newly established [[Omdurman]], while Khartoum was largely destroyed and abandoned.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hammond |first=Peter |title=Slavery, Terrorism & Islam |publisher=Christian Liberty Books |place=Cape Town, South Africa |year=2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: D-Ha |date=2003 |pages=392}}</ref> 

With the reconquest of Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1898, Khartoum was established as the capital of [[Anglo-Egyptian Sudan]]. [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|Herbert Kitchener]] became [[Governor-General of the Sudan]] in September 1898, and began a programme of reconstruction, Khartoum was rebuilt according to a street plan in the shape of the [[Union Jack]]. Khartoum Bahri was established as a garrison comprising a dockyard and a railhead to [[Egypt]], while Omdurman, remained the most populous part and largely kept its old shape. He ordered the mosques of Khartoum rebuilt and guaranteed freedom of religion to all citizens. He also prevented Christian missionaries from trying to proselytize the local Muslims.<ref>Britannica,
[https://www.britannica.com/place/Khartoum Khartoum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626182639/https://www.britannica.com/place/Khartoum |date=26 June 2015 }}, britannica.com, USA, accessed on 30 June 2019</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: Volume 3: He-N |date=2008 |pages=392}}</ref>

===20th century===
[[File:Die Gartenlaube (1888) b 617.jpg|thumb|Khartoum in 1888|left]]

The city rapidly grew and developed under British administration. Under [[Reginald Wingate]] (1899–1916), the [[Republican Palace, Khartoum|Governor-General's Palace]] in Khartoum was rebuilt using red bricks, with sandstone used for the corners. The buildings in Khartoum proper were modeled after Victorian architecture, with a distinct Middle Eastern influence as well as Mediterranean-style windows and balconies. The Gordon Memorial College (now the [[University of Khartoum]]) was opened in 1903, and a new railway to [[Port Sudan]] was completed in 1919. These developments prompted large migration from rural areas, resulting in an increase in the city's population. By 1930, Khartoum was estimated to have a population of over 50,000.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lobbard |first1=Richard |title=Historical dictionary of the Sudan |pages=154}}</ref>
Khartoum continued to grow after it was declared the capital of the newly independent [[History of Sudan (1956–1969)|Republic of Sudan]] in 1956. Within the following years, the [[Khartoum Stadium|Municipal Stadium]], the [[Khartoum American School]] and the [[Bank of Sudan]] would be established. This large scale development would spurred rural to urban migration, by 1964 Khartoum's population had ballooned to 185,000. In the 1973 census Khartoum would have a population of 334,000 inhabitants.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lobbard |first1=Richard |title=Historical dictionary of the Sudan |pages=154}}</ref>

In 1973, the city was the site of a [[Attack on the Saudi Embassy in Khartoum|hostage crisis]] in which members of [[Black September Organization|Black September]] held 10 hostages at the Saudi Arabian embassy, five of them diplomats. The US ambassador, the US deputy ambassador, and the Belgian ''chargé d'affaires'' were murdered. The remaining hostages were released. A 1973 [[United States Department of State]] document, declassified in 2006, concluded: "The Khartoum operation was planned and carried out with the full knowledge and personal approval of [[Yasser Arafat]]."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/documents/organization/67584.pdf |title=The Seizure of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Khartoum |website=U.S. Department of State |access-date=2014-01-28 |archive-date=2 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802205255/https://2001-2009.state.gov/documents/organization/67584.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1977, the first oil pipeline between Khartoum and [[Port Sudan]] was completed.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vQiPecYNgPYC&q=In+1977%2C+the+first+oil+pipeline+between+Khartoum+and+the+Port+of+Sudan+was+completed.&pg=PA174 |title=Minerals Yearbook |date=1995 |publisher=Bureau of Mines |language=en |access-date=14 November 2020 |archive-date=19 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419233115/https://books.google.com/books?id=vQiPecYNgPYC&q=In+1977%2C+the+first+oil+pipeline+between+Khartoum+and+the+Port+of+Sudan+was+completed.&pg=PA174 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Organisation of African Unity|Organization of African Unity]] summit of 18–22 July 1978 was held in Khartoum, during which Sudan was awarded the [[Organisation of African Unity|OAU]] presidency.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Harris |first=Gordon |title=The Organization of African Unity |publisher=Transaction Publishers |year=1994 |isbn=9781412830270 |location=London, United Kingdom |pages=29}}</ref>
[[File:Sudan Khartoum Palace 1936.jpg|thumb|Government House (1936); now the Presidential Palace]]

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Khartoum was the destination of hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing conflicts in neighboring nations such as [[Chad]], [[Eritrea]], [[Ethiopia]] and [[Uganda]]. Many Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees assimilated into society, while others settled in large slums on the city's outskirts. Since the mid-1980s, large numbers of refugees from [[South Sudan]] and [[Darfur]] – fleeing the violence of the [[Second Sudanese Civil War]] and [[Darfur conflict]] – have settled around Khartoum.

In 1991, [[Osama bin Laden]] purchased [[Osama bin Laden's house in Khartoum|a house]] in the affluent [[Riyad, Khartoum|al-Riyadh]] neighborhood of the city and another in [[Soba (city)|Soba]]. He lived there until 1996, when he was banished from the country. Following the [[1998 U.S. embassy bombings]], the United States accused bin Laden's [[al-Qaeda]] group and, on 20 August, launched [[cruise missile]] attacks on the [[al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory]] in [[Khartoum North]]. The factory's destruction created diplomatic tension between the U.S. and Sudan. The factory ruins are now a tourist attraction.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cybriwsky |first=Roman Adrian |title=Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2013 |isbn=9781610692489 |pages=140}}</ref>

In November 1991, the government of President [[Omar al-Bashir]] sought to remove half the population from the city. The residents, deemed [[Squatting in Sudan|squatters]], were mostly southern Sudanese whom the government feared could be potential rebel sympathizers. Around 425,000 people were placed in five "Peace Camps" in the desert an hour's drive from Khartoum. The camps were watched over by heavily armed security guards, many relief agencies were banned from assisting, and "the nearest food was at a market four miles away, a vast journey in the desert heat". Many residents were reduced to having only burlap sacks as housing. The intentional displacement was part of a large urban renewal plan backed by the housing minister, Sharaf Bannaga.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Me against my brother : at war in Somalia, Sudan, and Rwanda : a journalist reports from the battlefields of Africa |author=Peterson, Scott |date=2000 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0415921988 |location=New York |oclc=43287853}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1992/0331/31041.html |title=Khartoum Squatters Forcibly Displaced |date=1992-03-31 |work=The Christian Science Monitor |access-date=2019-03-21 |issn=0882-7729 |archive-date=21 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321211536/https://www.csmonitor.com/1992/0331/31041.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/09/world/sudan-is-undeterred-in-drive-to-expel-squatters.html |title=Sudan Is Undeterred in Drive to Expel Squatters |last=Miller |first=Judith |date=1992-03-09 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2019-03-21 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=2 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200902063209/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/09/world/sudan-is-undeterred-in-drive-to-expel-squatters.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:whiteandblueniles.jpg|thumb|left|Khartoum with White and Blue Niles]]

=== 21st century ===
The sudden death of [[Sudan People's Liberation Army|SPLA]] head and vice-president of Sudan [[John Garang]] in late July 2005, was followed by three days of violent [[Riot|riots]] in the capital. Order was finally restored after southern Sudanese politicians and tribal leaders sent strong messages to the rioters. The death toll was at least 24, as youths from southern Sudan attacked northern Sudanese and clashed with security forces.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4734517.stm |title=World {{pipe}} Africa {{pipe}} Riots after Sudan VP Garang dies |work=BBC News |date=1 August 2005 |access-date=27 June 2010 |archive-date=23 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061223055919/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4734517.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[African Union]] summit of 16–24 January 2006 was held in Khartoum;<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |title=Decisions & Declarations of the Assembly; African Union |url=https://au.int/decisions/assembly |access-date=2020-07-01 |website=African Union |archive-date=11 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711080952/https://au.int/decisions/assembly |url-status=live }}</ref> as was the [[Arab League]] summit of 28–29 March 2006, during which they elected Sudan the Arab League presidency.<ref>{{cite book |author=Hiro, Dilip |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ty0uAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT96 |title=A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Middle East |publisher=Olive Branch Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-1566569040 |access-date=1 July 2020 |archive-date=19 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419233115/https://books.google.com/books?id=ty0uAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT96 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 10 May 2008, the [[Darfur]] rebel group [[Justice and Equality Movement]] attacked the city with the goal of toppling [[Omar al-Bashir]]'s government. The Sudanese government held off the assault.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article27076 |title=Curfew in capital as Sudanese army clash near Khartoum with Darfur rebels |work=Sudan Tribune |date=10 May 2008 |access-date=13 May 2008 |archive-date=4 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104081817/http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article27076 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7394033.stm |title=Sudanese rebels 'reach Khartoum' |work=BBC News |date=10 May 2008 |access-date=13 May 2008 |archive-date=18 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418094122/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7394033.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article27077 |title=PHOTOS: Sudan capital after today's attack from Darfur JEM |work=Sudan Tribune |date=10 May 2008 |access-date=13 May 2008 |archive-date=16 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416090457/http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article27077 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On 23 October 2012, an [[Yarmouk munitions factory explosion|explosion at the Yarmouk munitions factory]] killed two people and injured another person. The Sudanese government claimed that the explosion was the result of an Israeli airstrike.<ref name="aj25">{{cite news |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/10/20121024142531802810.html |work=Al Jazeera |date=25 October 2012 |access-date=25 October 2012 |title=Khartoum fire blamed on Israeli bombing |archive-date=14 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414231902/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/10/20121024142531802810.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 3 June 2019, Khartoum was the site of the [[Khartoum massacre]], where over 100 dissidents were murdered (the government said 61 were killed), hundreds more injured and 70 women [[rape]]d by [[Rapid Support Forces]] (RSF) soldiers in order to forcefully disperse the [[2018–19 Sudanese protests|peaceful protests]] calling for a civilian government.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Burke |first1=Jason |last2=Salih |first2=Zeinab Mohammed |date=2019-07-13 |title=Sudanese protesters demand justice following mass killings |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/13/sudanese-protesters-demand-justice-after-mass-killings |access-date=2020-07-01 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=24 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200624140646/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/13/sudanese-protesters-demand-justice-after-mass-killings |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 1 July 2020, activists demanded that al-Zibar Basha street in Khartoum be renamed. [[Al-Zubayr Rahma Mansur]] was a slave trader and the al-Zibar Basha street leads to the military base where the 2019 Khartoum massacre took place.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Burke |first1=Samuel Okiror Jason |last2=Salih |first2=Zeinab Mohammed |date=2020-07-01 |title='Decolonise and rename' streets of Uganda and Sudan, activists urge |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jul/01/decolonise-and-rename-streets-of-uganda-and-sudan-activists-urge |access-date=2020-07-01 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=4 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704012141/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jul/01/decolonise-and-rename-streets-of-uganda-and-sudan-activists-urge |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 26 October 2021, the city was locked down following [[2021 Sudanese coup d'état|a military coup]] that left at least 7 dead, triggering protests and calls for a general strike. Prime minister [[Abdalla Hamdok]] was arrested during the coup, and held along with other cabinet members in an unknown location.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Sudan's capital locked down after coup triggers deadly unrest |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/sudan-s-capital-locked-down-after-coup-triggers-deadly-unrest-1.4710621 |access-date=2021-10-26 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en |archive-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920173715/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/sudan-s-capital-locked-down-after-coup-triggers-deadly-unrest-1.4710621 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 15 April 2023, [[Sudanese civil war (2023-present)|fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF]] broke out across Sudan, [[Battle of Khartoum (2023)|including in Khartoum]]. Fighting was reported at the presidential palace, the RSF's headquarters, [[Khartoum International Airport]] and [[Merowe Airport]], which the RSF claimed to have captured. The Sudanese Armed Forces regained full control of Khartoum on 26 March 2025.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2g0ppj9lyo | title=Sudan army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan tours recaptured presidential palace in Khartoum | date=26 March 2025 }}</ref>

{{wide image|Khartoum panorama-1 - by ScubaBeer.jpg|1200px|align-cap=center|Panorama of Khartoum}}

== Geography ==
[[File:River_Nile_map.svg|thumb|left|Khartoum (''center'') is near the middle of the Nile river system]]

=== Location ===
Khartoum is located at the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zerboni |first1=Andrea |last2=Brandolini |first2=Filippo |last3=Mariani |first3=Guido S. |last4=Perego |first4=Alessandro |last5=Salvatori |first5=Sandro |last6=Usai |first6=Donatella |last7=Pelfini |first7=Manuela |last8=Williams |first8=Martin A.J. |date=2021-07-28 |title=The Khartoum-Omdurman conurbation: a growing megacity at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile Rivers |journal=Journal of Maps |volume=17 |issue=4 |pages=227–240 |doi=10.1080/17445647.2020.1758810 |bibcode=2021JMaps..17..227Z |s2cid=219435266 |doi-access=free|hdl=2434/729918 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> 

Khartoum is relatively flat, at elevation {{cvt|385|m}},<ref name="dto">{{cite web |title=Khartoum Elevation (385m) |website=distancesto.com |url=https://www.distancesto.com/elevation/sd/khartoum/history/14508.html |date=2018 |access-date=2018-01-28 |archive-date=29 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129141724/https://www.distancesto.com/elevation/sd/khartoum/history/14508.html |url-status=live }}</ref> as the Nile flows northeast past Omdurman to [[Shendi]], at elevation {{cvt|364|m}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Shendi Elevation (364m) |website=distancesto.com |url=https://www.distancesto.com/elevation/sd/shendi-latitude-longitude/history/49674.html |date=2018 |access-date=2018-01-28 |archive-date=29 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129141549/https://www.distancesto.com/elevation/sd/shendi-latitude-longitude/history/49674.html |url-status=live }}</ref> about {{cvt|163|km}} away.

===Climate===
Khartoum features a [[hot desert climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''BWh'') with a dry season occurring during winter, typical of the Saharo-Sahelian zone, which marks the progressive passage between the [[Sahara Desert]]'s vast arid areas and the [[Sahel]]'s vast semi-arid areas. The climate is extremely dry for most of the year, with about eight months when average rainfall is lower than {{cvt|5|mm}}. The very long dry season is itself divided into a warm, very dry season between November and February, as well as a very hot, dry season between March and May. During this part of the year, hot, dry continental [[trade winds]] from deserts, such as the [[harmattan]], sweep over the region; the weather is stable and very dry.

The very irregular, very brief, rainy season lasts about 1 month as the maximum rainfall is recorded in August, with about {{cvt|48|mm}}. The rainy season is characterized by a seasonal reverse of wind regimes, when the [[Intertropical Convergence Zone]] goes northerly. Average annual rainfall is very low, with only {{cvt|121.3|mm}} of precipitation. Khartoum records on average six days with {{cvt|10|mm}} or more and 19 days with {{cvt|1|mm}} or more of rainfall. The highest temperatures occur during two periods in the year: the first at the late dry season, when average high temperatures consistently exceed {{cvt|40|C}} from April to June, and the second at the early dry season, when average high temperatures exceed {{cvt|39|C}} in September and October. Temperatures cool off somewhat during the night, with Khartoum's lowest average low temperature of the year, in January, just above {{cvt|15|C}}. Khartoum is one of the hottest major cities on Earth, with annual mean temperatures hovering around {{cvt|30|C}}. The city also has very warm winters. In no month does the average monthly high temperature fall below {{cvt|30|C}}. This is something not seen in other major cities with hot desert climates, such as [[Riyadh]], [[Baghdad]] and [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]].<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf |title=Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification |first=M. C. |last=Peel |author2=B. L. Finlayson |author3=T. A. McMahon |journal=Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |volume=11 |issue=5 |year=2007 |pages=1633–1644 |bibcode=2007HESS...11.1633P |doi=10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 |doi-access=free |access-date=30 November 2017 |archive-date=29 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229181440/http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{Weather box
|location = Khartoum (1991–2020)
|metric first = y
|single line = y
|Jan record high C = 42.7
|Feb record high C = 42.5
|Mar record high C = 45.6
|Apr record high C = 46.5
|May record high C = 47.5
|Jun record high C = 46.5
|Jul record high C = 44.7
|Aug record high C = 44.0
|Sep record high C = 45.3
|Oct record high C = 43.5
|Nov record high C = 41.5
|Dec record high C = 39.5
|year record high C = 47.5
|Jan high C = 31.0
|Feb high C = 33.7
|Mar high C = 37.0
|Apr high C = 40.6
|May high C = 42.1
|Jun high C = 41.5
|Jul high C = 38.8
|Aug high C = 36.9
|Sep high C = 38.9
|Oct high C = 39.5
|Nov high C = 35.6
|Dec high C = 32.1
|year high C = 37.3
|Jan mean C = 23.6
|Feb mean C = 25.9
|Mar mean C = 29.1
|Apr mean C = 32.8
|May mean C = 35.0
|Jun mean C = 34.9
|Jul mean C = 32.7
|Aug mean C = 31.1
|Sep mean C = 32.7
|Oct mean C = 32.9
|Nov mean C = 28.8
|Dec mean C = 25.0
|year mean C = 30.4
|Jan low C = 16.1
|Feb low C = 18.0
|Mar low C = 21.1
|Apr low C = 24.9
|May low C = 27.9
|Jun low C = 28.2
|Jul low C = 26.7
|Aug low C = 25.4
|Sep low C = 26.5
|Oct low C = 26.4
|Nov low C = 22.0
|Dec low C = 18.0
|year low C = 23.4
|Jan record low C = 7.5
|Feb record low C = 8.4
|Mar record low C = 12.5
|Apr record low C = 16.0
|May record low C = 18.5
|Jun record low C = 20.2
|Jul record low C = 17.8
|Aug record low C = 18.0
|Sep record low C = 17.7
|Oct record low C = 17.5
|Nov record low C = 14.5
|Dec record low C = 10.4
|year record low C = 7.5
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 0.0
|Feb precipitation mm = 0.0
|Mar precipitation mm = 0.0
|Apr precipitation mm = 0.4
|May precipitation mm = 4.7
|Jun precipitation mm = 3.4
|Jul precipitation mm = 24.9
|Aug precipitation mm = 53.1
|Sep precipitation mm = 24.5
|Oct precipitation mm = 9.1
|Nov precipitation mm = 0.3
|Dec precipitation mm = 0.0
|year precipitation mm = 120.4
|precipitation days =
|Jan precipitation days = 0.0
|Feb precipitation days = 0.0
|Mar precipitation days = 0.0
|Apr precipitation days = 0.0
|May precipitation days = 0.7
|Jun precipitation days = 0.6
|Jul precipitation days = 2.8
|Aug precipitation days = 4.8
|Sep precipitation days = 2.3
|Oct precipitation days = 1.1
|Nov precipitation days = 0.0
|Dec precipitation days = 0.0
|year precipitation days = 12.4
|Jan humidity = 26
|Feb humidity = 21
|Mar humidity = 16
|Apr humidity = 14
|May humidity = 19
|Jun humidity = 26
|Jul humidity = 42
|Aug humidity = 53
|Sep humidity = 44
|Oct humidity = 30
|Nov humidity = 25
|Dec humidity = 29
|year humidity = 29
|Jan sun = 316.2
|Feb sun = 296.6
|Mar sun = 316.2
|Apr sun = 318.0
|May sun = 310.0
|Jun sun = 279.0
|Jul sun = 269.7
|Aug sun = 272.8
|Sep sun = 273.0
|Oct sun = 306.9
|Nov sun = 303.0
|Dec sun = 319.3
|year sun = 
|Jand sun = 9.8
|Febd sun = 9.8
|Mard sun = 9.7
|Aprd sun = 9.8
|Mayd sun = 8.9
|Jund sun = 8.2
|Juld sun = 7.3
|Augd sun = 7.4
|Sepd sun = 8.3
|Octd sun = 9.5
|Novd sun = 10.0
|Decd sun = 9.9
|yeard sun = 9.1
|source 1 = [[World Meteorological Organisation]],<ref name="WMO" >{{cite web |url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Sudan/XLS/Khartoum_62721.xlsx |title=World Weather Information Service – Khartoum |access-date=6 May 2010 |publisher=World Meteorological Organization |archive-date=6 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206080422/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Sudan/XLS/Khartoum_62721.xlsx |url-status=live }}</ref> NOAA (extremes and humidity 1961–1990)<ref name= NOAA>{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/SU/62721.TXT |title=Khartoum Climate Normals 1961–1990 |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419233117/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/SU/62721.TXT |archive-date=2023-04-19 |url-status=dead |access-date=16 January 2014 }}</ref>
|source 2 = [[Deutscher Wetterdienst]] (sun, 1961–1990)<ref name = DWD>{{cite web |url=http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_627210_kt.pdf |title=Klimatafel von Khartoum / Sudan |work=Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world |publisher=Deutscher Wetterdienst |language=de |access-date=22 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305012728/http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_627210_kt.pdf |archive-date=5 March 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|date=August 2010
}}

==Demographics==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! rowspan="2" |Year
! colspan="2" |Population
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! style="width:100px;"| City
! style="width:100px;"| Metropolitan area
|-
| 1859<ref>[[Theophilus Waldmeier|Waldmeier, Theophilus]] (1886) ''Ten Years in Abyssinia, and Sixteen Years in Syria, being the Autobiography of Theophilus Waldmeier.'' S.W. Partridge & Co, London. p.7</ref>
| style="text-align:right;"| 30,000
| style="text-align:right;"| n.a.
|-
| 1907<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Khartum |volume=15 |page=773}}</ref>
| style="text-align:right;"| 69,349
| style="text-align:right;"| n.a.
|-
| 1956
| style="text-align:right;"| 93,100
| style="text-align:right;"| 245,800
|-
| 1973
| style="text-align:right;"| 333,906
| style="text-align:right;"| 748,300
|-
| 1983
| style="text-align:right;"| 476,218
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,340,646
|-
| 1993
| style="text-align:right;"| 947,483
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,919,773
|-
| 2008 Census Preliminary
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,639,598
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,274,321
|}

Almost 250,000 Syrians lived in Khartoum as of 2019, representing 5% of the total population of the city. Most are young men who have fled war in Syria. Sudan was the only country in the world to accept travelers carrying a Syrian passport who lacked a visa.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tobin |first1=Sarah A. |title=The New Lost Boys of Sudan |url=https://pomeps.org/the-new-lost-boys-of-sudan |website=The Project on Middle East Political Science |date=13 November 2019 |access-date=4 December 2020 |archive-date=4 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804032250/https://pomeps.org/the-new-lost-boys-of-sudan |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Strato en Ĥartumo (Sudano) 003.jpg|thumb|Development in Khartoum in 2009, with the [[PDOC Headquarters]] on right and the under-construction [[GNPOC Tower]] on left]]

After the signing of the historic [[Comprehensive Peace Agreement]] between the Government of Sudan and the [[Sudan People's Liberation Movement]] (SPLA), the Government of Sudan began a massive development project.<ref name=ST_ECON>{{cite news |title=Sudan and UNDP launch Millennium Goals project |url=http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?page=imprimable&id_article=11484 |publisher=[[Sudan Tribune]] |date=5 September 2005 |access-date=28 June 2008 |archive-date=4 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604101651/http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?page=imprimable&id_article=11484 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=BBC_ECON>{{cite news |title=Khartoum booms as Darfur burns |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6573527.stm |publisher=BBC |date=24 April 2007 |access-date=28 June 2008 |first=Joseph |last=Winter |archive-date=19 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719185217/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6573527.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2007, the biggest projects in Khartoum were the [[Al-Mogran Development Project]], two five-star hotels, a new airport, [[El Mek Nimr Bridge]] (finished in October 2007) and the [[Tuti Bridge]] that links Khartoum to [[Tuti Island]].

In the 21st century, Khartoum developed based on Sudan's oil wealth (although the independence of [[South Sudan]] in 2011 affected the economy of Sudan negatively<ref name="eisourcebook">{{Cite web |url=http://www.eisourcebook.org/cms/February%202016/sudan-south%20sudan%20authorities%20mgt%20ch6.pdf |title=Country Analysis Brief: Sudan and South Sudan |date=2014-09-03 |website=US Energy Information Administration |pages=13–14 Oil refineries |access-date=2010-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319140658/http://www.eisourcebook.org/cms/February%202016/sudan-south%20sudan%20authorities%20mgt%20ch6.pdf |archive-date=19 March 2016 |url-status=usurped}}</ref>). The center of the city has tree-lined streets.<!---a little out of place--> Khartoum has the highest concentration of [[economic activity]] in the country. This has changed as major economic developments take place in other parts of the country, like [[oil exploration]] in the south, the [[Giad|Giad Industrial Complex]] in [[Al Jazirah, Sudan|Al Jazirah]] state and White Nile Sugar Project in Central Sudan, and the [[Merowe Dam]] in the North.

Among the city's industries are printing, glass manufacturing, food processing, and textiles. Petroleum products are now produced in the far north of Khartoum state, providing fuel and jobs for the city. One of Sudan's largest refineries is located in northern Khartoum.<ref name="eisourcebook" />

===Retailing===
[[File:Khartoum, Africa road tunnel.jpg|thumb|Africa road tunnel near the [[Khartoum International Airport]]]]

The [[Souq al Arabi]] is Khartoum's largest open air market. The [[souq]] is spread over several blocks in the center of Khartoum proper just south of the Great Mosque (Mesjid al-Kabir) and the minibus station. It is divided into separate sections, including one focused entirely on gold.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.world-guides.com/africa/north-east-africa/sudan/sudan_shopping.html |title=Sudan Shopping and Districts (Sudan, SD, North-East Africa) |date=2016-06-07 |website=World Guides |publisher=TravelSmart Ltd. |language=en |access-date=2017-07-14 |archive-date=15 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215122348/http://www.world-guides.com/africa/north-east-africa/sudan/sudan_shopping.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Al Qasr Street and Al Jamhoriyah Street are considered the most famous [[High Street|high streets]] in [[Khartoum State]].

Afra Mall is located in the southern suburb of Arkeweet. The Afra Mall has a supermarket, retail outlets, coffee shops, a bowling alley, movie theaters, and a children's playground.

In 2011, Sudan opened the Hotel Section and part of the food court of the new, [[Corinthia Hotel Khartoum|Corinthia Hotel]] Tower. The Mall/Shopping section is still under construction.

==Education==
{{main|Education in Khartoum}}
[[File:University of Khartoum 002.jpg|thumb|The [[University of Khartoum]]]]

Khartoum is the main location for most of Sudan's top educational bodies. There are four main levels of education:
# [[Kindergarten]] and day-care. It begins in the age of 3–4, consisting of 1-2 grades, (depending on the parents).
# Elementary school. The first grade pupils enter at the age of 6–7. It consists of 8 grades, after which, at 13–14 years old, students are ready to take the certificate exams and enter high school.
# Upper second school and high school. In these three the school methods add some main academic subjects such as chemistry, biology, physics, and geography. There are three grades in this level. The students' ages are about 14–15 to 17–18.
# Higher education. There are several universities and colleges in Khartoum, including the [[University of Khartoum]]<ref>{{cite web |title=University of Khartoum |url=https://uofk.edu/ |website=University of Khartoum |access-date=17 June 2024 |archive-date=26 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926001447/https://uofk.edu/en/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[Sudan University of Science and Technology]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Sudan University of Science and Technology |url=https://www.sustech.edu/ |website=Sudan University of Science and Technology |access-date=17 June 2024}}</ref>

==Transportation==
[[File:Khartoum public transportation.jpg|alt=Khartoum Public Transportation|thumb|Khartoum public bus]]
Khartoum is home to the largest airport in Sudan, [[Khartoum International Airport]]. It is the main hub for [[Sudan Airways]], Sudan's main carrier. A new airport was planned for the southern outskirts of the city, but with Khartoum's rapid growth and consequent [[urban sprawl]], the airport is still located in the heart of the city.

Khartoum's transportation is limited to the vehicular road system, with buses and personal vehicles comprising the main types of vehicles. As with many cities in the continent, parts of Khartoum are connected through privately owned buses.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bannaga |first=Sharaf Eldin Ibrahim |date=April 11, 2018 |title=Revitalization of Greater Khartoum Urban Transportation System |journal=Future Cities and Environment |language=en |volume=4 |issue=1 |article-number=10 |doi=10.5334/fce.2 |issn=2363-9075|doi-access=free|bibcode=2018FutCE...4...10B }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=November 17, 2019 |title=Public transport crisis bothers citizens in Sudan's capital |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-11/17/c_138560848.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191117023505/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-11/17/c_138560848.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 November 2019 |access-date=2021-10-04 |website=[[Xinhua]]}}</ref>

[[File:The Blue Nile in Khartoum.jpg|thumb|A boat on the [[Blue Nile]] before the [[Al Mansheiya Bridge]].]]
Khartoum has a number of bridges across both tributaries of the Nile. The [[Mac Nimir Bridge]], the [[Blue Nile Road & Railway Bridge]], the [[Cooper Bridge]] (also known as the Armed Forces Bridge), and the [[Elmansheya Bridge]] span the Blue Nile, connecting Khartoum to Khartoum North. The [[Omdurman Bridge]], the Victory Bridge, and the [[Al-Dabbasin Bridge]] span the White Nile, connecting Khartoum to Omdurman. The [[Tuti Bridge]] connects Tuti Island with Khartoum. Prior to the construction of the Tuti Bridge in 2008, residents of Tuti Island relied on [[water taxi]]s to cross the Blue Nile into Khartoum.

Khartoum has rail lines from [[Wadi Halfa]], Port Sudan on the [[Red Sea]], and [[Al-Ubayyid|El Obeid]]. All are operated by [[Sudan Railways]].

==Architecture==
The architecture of Khartoum reflects the city's history since the early 1820s and is marked by both native Sudanese, Turkish, British and modern buildings. In general, the [[architecture of Sudan]] reflects a wide diversity in its shapes, materials, and use.

Since independence, the people of Sudan have introduced new infrastructure and technology, which has led to new and innovative building concepts, ideas and construction techniques.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archnet.org/library/places/one-place.jsp?place_id=1823&order_by=title&showdescription=1archnetr |title=Archnet |website=archnet.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007153505/http://archnet.org/library/places/one-place.jsp?place_id=1823 |archive-date=7 October 2012}}</ref>

==Culture==
[[File:Sudan National Museum (8625532907).jpg|thumb|[[National Museum of Sudan]]]]

===Museums===
The largest museum in Sudan is the [[National Museum of Sudan]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.musicinafrica.net/directory/sudan-national-museum |title=Sudan National Museum; Bio |last=Shumba |first=Ano |date=2015-10-28 |website=Music in Africa |access-date=2017-07-14 |archive-date=26 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326051104/http://musicinafrica.net/directory/sudan-national-museum |url-status=live }}</ref> Founded in 1971, it contains works from different epochs of Sudanese history. Among the exhibits are two [[Egyptian temple]]s of [[Buhen]] and [[Semna]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/173 |title=The Rescue of Nubian Monuments and Sites |date=2017 |website=UNESCO |access-date=2017-07-14 |archive-date=7 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207212136/http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/173/ |url-status=live }}</ref> originally built by Pharaoh [[Hatshepsut]] and Pharaoh [[Tuthmosis III]], respectively, but relocated to Khartoum upon the flooding of [[Lake Nasser]].

The [[Republican Palace Museum, Khartoum|Republican Palace Museum]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.presidency.gov.sd/eng/page/the-museum |title=Palace Museum |date=2016 |website=Presidency of the Republic of Sudan |access-date=2017-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707022818/http://www.presidency.gov.sd/eng/page/the-museum |archive-date=7 July 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> opened in 2000, is located in the former Anglican All Saints' cathedral<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.architecture.com/image-library/ribapix/image-information/poster/designs-for-the-cathedral-church-of-all-saints-khartoum-west-elevation-and-transverse-section-lookin/posterid/RIBA94025.html |title=Designs for the Cathedral Church of All Saints, Khartoum... |date=2017 |website=RIBApix |access-date=2017-07-14 |archive-date=5 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105221254/https://www.architecture.com/image-library/ribapix/image-information/poster/designs-for-the-cathedral-church-of-all-saints-khartoum-west-elevation-and-transverse-section-lookin/posterid/RIBA94025.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> on Sharia al-Jama'a, next to the historical [[Presidential Palace]].

The Ethnographic Museum<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sudanembassy.org/index.php/museums-in-sudan |title=Museums in Sudan |website=The Embassy of the Republic of Sudan |access-date=2017-07-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170721202931/http://www.sudanembassy.org/index.php/museums-in-sudan |archive-date=21 July 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> is located on Sharia al-Jama'a, close to the Mac Nimir Bridge.

===Botanical gardens===
Khartoum is home to one of the oldest botanical gardens in Africa, [[Sudan National Botanical Garden|National Botanical Garden]] in the Mogran district of the city.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Two Ichneumonid Parasitoid Wasps Affecting Ficus sycamorus (L.) Fruits in Khartoum State (Thesis) |last=Jibreel |first=T. J. O. |publisher=University of Khartoum department of Zoology |year=2010 |location=Khartoum, Sudan |pages=20–22 |chapter=2 - Materials and Methods, Site of collection |chapter-url=http://khartoumspace.uofk.edu/bitstream/handle/123456789/631/Jibreel_2010_2.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y |access-date=14 July 2017 |archive-date=19 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119132620/http://khartoumspace.uofk.edu/bitstream/handle/123456789/631/Jibreel_2010_2.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y |url-status=live }}</ref>[[File:Jami el kebir,Khartum.jpg|thumb|Great Mosque]]

===Clubs===
Khartoum is home to several clubs, including the [[Blue Nile Sailing Club]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.melik.org.uk/articles/nile-gunboats/the-blue-nile-sailing-club/ |title=The Blue Nile Sailing Club |last=Uloth |first=Tony |date=2011-01-18 |website=The Melik Society |access-date=2017-07-13 |archive-date=29 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629195440/http://www.melik.org.uk/articles/nile-gunboats/the-blue-nile-sailing-club/ |url-status=live }}</ref> social clubs such as the German Club, the Greek Club, the Coptic Club, the Syrian Club and the International Club,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL7340156.html |title=Reuters.com |publisher=Africa.reuters.com |date=2009-02-09 |access-date=2014-05-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130201094621/http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL7340156.html |archive-date=1 February 2013}}</ref> as well as football clubs [[Al Khartoum SC]]<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/30521763 |title=Former Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah takes over at SC Khartoum |date=2014-12-17 |work=BBC Sport |access-date=2017-07-14 |language=en-GB |archive-date=22 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222053041/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/30521763 |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Al Ahli SC (Khartoum)|Al Ahli Khartoum]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/live-scores/clubs/club=sudan-al-ahli-khartoum-2000005021/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215171729/https://www.fifa.com/live-scores/clubs/club=sudan-al-ahli-khartoum-2000005021/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 December 2018 |title=Al Ahli Khartoum |date=May 2017 |website=FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) |access-date=2017-07-14}}</ref>

===Places of worship===
The [[places of worship]] in Khartoum primarily consist of [[Islam|Muslim]] mosques.<ref>{{cite web |title=::مساجد السودان:: |url=http://www.sudanway.sd/features_mosques.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507031209/http://www.sudanway.sd/features_mosques.htm |archive-date=7 May 2015 |access-date=2016-04-04}}</ref><ref>Britannica,
[https://www.britannica.com/place/Sudan Sudan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510172804/https://www.britannica.com/place/Sudan |date=10 May 2020 }}, britannica.com, USA, accessed on 7 July 2019</ref> There are also [[Christianity|Christian]] churches and temples: [[Copts in Sudan|Coptic Orthodox Church]], [[St. Matthew's Cathedral, Khartoum]], [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Khartoum]] ([[Catholic Church]]), [[Sudan Interior Church]] ([[Baptist World Alliance]]), the [[Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, Khartoum|Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation]] and [[Presbyterian Church in Sudan]] ([[World Communion of Reformed Churches]]).

==In popular culture==

===Literature===
Khartoum's unique history and cultural significance have inspired literary works that explore its past, present, and future. For example, in "Reading Khartoum", the city is depicted as a space shaped by movement, political instability, and socio-cultural changes, resulting in underlying layers of meanings and ambiguity. Arabic-written poetry also offers a personalized glimpse of the city, reflecting its distinct cultural appearance and setting it apart from other Arab and African cities.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wanni |first=Nada Hussein |date=2005 |title=Reading Khartoum |journal=Politique Africaine |volume=100 |issue=4 |pages=302–314 |doi=10.3917/polaf.100.0302 |issn=0244-7827|doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Movies===
* [[Song of Khartoum]] (1955)
* [[Khartoum (1966 film)]] (1966)
* [[Khartoum Offside]] (2019)

==Notable people ==

* [[Sara Berkai]], Eritrean and British [[social enterprise]] founder and [[Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics|STEM]] educator, born in Khartoum<ref>{{Cite web |title=Technology and Maths geniuses |url=https://100faces.universitiesuk.ac.uk/technology-and-maths-geniuses |access-date=2025-06-23 |website=100 Faces – First in my family |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Notes==
{{noteslist}}

==Bibliography==
{{See also|Timeline of Khartoum#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Khartoum}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
*[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/05/captured-in-darfur-south-sudan Kidnapped, tortured and thrown in jail: my 70 days in Sudan] The Guardian, 2017
*{{Cite web |last=Werner |first=Louis |date=April 2018 |title=Khartoum: A Tale of Two Rivers |url=https://www.aramcoworld.com/Articles/March-2018/Khartoum-A-Tale-of-Two-Rivers |website=AramcoWorld}}
{{Geographic location
 |Centre    = Khartoum
 |North     = [[Khartoum North|Khartoum Bahri]], [[Shendi]], [[River Nile State]]
 |Northeast = [[Blue Nile]], [[Khartoum North]]
 |East      = [[Kassala]], [[Kassala State]], [[Port Sudan]], [[Red Sea State]]
 |Southeast = [[Al Qadarif]], [[Al Qadarif (state)|Al Qadarif State]]
 |South     = [[Wad Madani]], [[Al Jazirah (state)]]
 |Southwest = [[Ed Dueim]], [[White Nile State]]
 |West      = White Nile, [[Omdurman]], [[North Kordofan]]
 |Northwest = [[Omdurman]], [[Northern, Sudan|Northern State]]
}}

{{List of African capitals}}
{{Capitals of Arab countries}}
{{Districts of Khartoum}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Khartoum| ]]
[[Category:Capitals in Africa]]
[[Category:Cities in Sudan]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1821]]
[[Category:Populated places in Khartoum State]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Nile]]
[[Category:State capitals in Sudan]]