Khartoum was founded in 1821 by Muhammad Ali, the ruler of Egypt, as an outpost for the Egyptian army. Modern Khartoum is stated to have begun when Sheikh Arabab al Agayed inhabited Khartoum in the 17th century. Khartoum grew rapidly in prosperity during the boom years of the slave trade, between 1825 and 1880. In 1834 it became the capital of the Sudan, and many explorers from Europe used it as a base for their African expeditions. The Mahdists besieged and destroyed the town in 1885, killing Charles George Gordon, the British governor-general. Khartoum was restored as the capital after the British forces seized Omdurman and Khartoum on 1 September 1898. In 1899 Khartoum became capital of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan and, with the independence of Sudan in 1956, the capital of the new country.
Khartoum, which is located in the Semi- desert climate zone, enjoys mild winters, with sunny days and cool evenings. At Khartoum temperatures of more than 38°C (100°F) can be recorded during any month of the year. In May-June daily temperatures reaching 49°C (120°F), often accompanied by dust storms (haboobs). The haboobs continue into September, and heavy rainstorms may also blow through July-September. Winter starts on October and lasts up to March, it is endowed with a beautiful to moderate, dry and healthy weather, the average temperature drops between 15°C (59°F) and 20°C (68°F). Humidity is generally low all year around, and nights are always cooler than days.
Khartoum is an administrative, economic, trade and commercial centre for the whole of Sudan. Petroleum products are now produced in the far north of Khartoum state, providing fuel and jobs for the city. Among the city's industries are printing, gum and food processing, tiles, textile, cotton, knitwear and glass manufacturing.
Khartoum is home to the largest airport in Sudan, Khartoum International Airport. The public transport system in Khartoum and Omdurman is cheap and fairly regular. The cheapest way to get around the city is by bus, but the most common transport is the "hafla" or minibus. There are also some new microbuses that are quite comfortable, as well as taxi, and "rickshaws" services.
The educational system of modern Sudan is rooted in the Islamic culture of the northern riverain Arabs, and influenced by previous British imperial policy and the Mahdist nationalist sentiment prior to the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium era. It consists of 6 years of primary education, and 3 year of junior secondary schools. Primary education was begun by the British in the northern Sudan after 1898, and secondary education began in 1913. Higher education is provided by universities, both public and private, and institutes and colleges of technical and professional education. All universities are autonomous and government financed. Khartoum has 3 universities, the University of Khartoum, Nilayin University (formerly a branch of Cairo University) and Sudan University of Science and Technology.
Khartoum consists of three cities: Khartoum (administrative capital), Omdurman (national and legislative capital) and Khartoum Bahri (industrial capital). Khartoum is famous for its location on the “Mogran” the confluence of the White and Blue Niles, visited by people from all over the world. Khartoum is home to several museums, including the Sudan National Museum, The National Museum for Ethnography, Natural History Museum, and the Khalifah House Museum, plus others.
The Sudan National Museum contains so many antiquities that are shown according to their succession from the prehistoric ages towards the advent of the Islamic era. The museum consists of two main sections: the first is an outdoor garden of lush greenery, transgressed by a water channel symbolizing the Nile; the second section is comprised of a two-story building, which accommodates a huge collection of rare archaeological artefacts. Artifacts on display in the museum include Egyptian and Nubian objects of antiquity like amulets, faience, scarabs, statues, bronze cut throat razors, a luggage label made of wood and the earliest fragment yet found anywhere of a pile rug. It also comprises some of the temples that were separated during the UNESCO Nubia Campaign.
