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Mail in the Mahdist State
The modern postal system was introduced to Sudan during the rule of the Pashas and Khedives. This important and sensitive facility received significant attention from Muhammad Ali Pasha and his successors who ruled Sudan from 1821 until the liberation of Khartoum in January, 1885.
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The Mahdist State
(1302-1316 AH / 1885-1898 AD)
The modern postal system was introduced to Sudan during the rule of the Pashas and Khedives. This important and sensitive facility received significant attention from Muhammad Ali Pasha and his successors who ruled Sudan from 1821 until the liberation of Khartoum in January, 1885. One of the important factors that contributed to the development of the postal system in Sudan was its expansion during the reign of Khedive Ismail, who is regarded a pioneer of modernization in Sudan. He worked to connect all regions of Sudan through a network of modern postal and telegraph services. He also connected all ports on the Red Sea, such as Zilea, Berbera, HarYeahar, and Massawa, with Sawakin, which represented the centre and hub of these East African ports with Alexandria and Cairo. Inside Sudan the network was extended to various regions such as Darfur, Bahr al-Ghazal, Equatoria, and Eastern Sudan, which were linked by a telegraph network to the capital Khartoum and from there to Cairo. At the time, this was the longest network of telegraph lines on the continent.
As a result, telegraph offices spread across many cities and towns such as Halfa, Dongola, Berber, Khartoum, Kasala, Sawakin, Gadarif, White Nile, El Fashir, Wau and other large cities. In addition to the telegraph, there was a great need to connect different parts of Sudan via postal services, which were significantly facilitated by camels, horses, river boats, and vessels. The postal service received considerable attention from the succession of governors who ruled Sudan, as it represented one of the vital means for disseminating news about trade, merchants, foreigners, and various daily government transactions. This service contributed to facilitating and connecting different parts of Sudan.
After the liberation of Khartoum in January 1885 by the forces of Imam Al-Mahdi, the Mahdist regime showed a great interest in postal services due to the important and active role it played in managing the state and delivering documents and letters to various regions. This is evidenced by the Khalifa Abdullah’s attention to postal matters and his assignment of specific scribes, whom he called the ‘secret scribes’ to each amir or prince. He also worked on selecting the best men characterized by honesty, trustworthiness, and confidentiality to transport the state’s mail to its various regions. Additionally, he allocated the best camels and horses for the mail carriers and ordered that they be provided with the necessary facilities by the emirs and leaders of the Mahdist state in the different areas through which the mail passed. He gave them written orders to facilitate their tasks in case any of them needed to request assistance from the governor of the specified area or from the general public.
The Khalifa Abdullah assigned four scribes to draft his various letters and correspondences to leaders, princes, and sheikhs, and they were called the "El-Makhsoussin," meaning the private writers for Khalifa Abdullah’s letters. Due to the importance of mail to the Khalifa, he dedicated a specific time each morning to reviewing incoming messages from the different regions, which were accompanied by an oral report from the mail carrier, serving as a supplement to the content of the letter. The Khalifa relied on the oral report alongside the written one in making his decisions, as he could not visit the various regions of the state. In addition to the scribes of the letters, there were specific scribes for amir Yaqub (jorab el-Ray), the second man in the state after the Khalifa, and each amir, or regional governor, had their scribes as well. Military leaders also had their own scribes.
For letters and messages to be officially recognized in the Mahdist state, they had to be sealed with their owner’s seal, as the seal was proof of the authenticity of the message. Thus, seals appeared in the Mahdist state, with Imam Al-Mahdi having four seals, one of which bore the inscription “la Illah ila Allah Mohamed Rasoul Allah, Muhammad Ahmad, Mahdi Abdullah 1292 AH,” considered the first seal of Imam Al- Mahdi. The Khalifa Abdullah’s seal was oval-shaped, inscribed with the phrase “Hasbona Allah wa nim alwakil.” In addition to the Mahdi and the Khalifa, each amir , leader, and official in the Mahdist state had their own seal, and they were not allowed to replace it or create another in case of loss without written permission from the Khalifa Abdullah.
In order for the Mahdist state to continue carrying out its written tasks, it relied on the paper obtained from the previous Pasha and Khedive rule in Sudan. However, despite the large quantities of paper at the outset these began to dwindle and they were soon faced with a shortage. Therefore, orders were issued by the Khalifa and Amir Yaqub to all amirs, leaders, and workers in the various departments, instructing them to rationalize the use of paper and not to write on paper except for important matters that warranted it.
By tracking the postal system in the Mahdist state, it becomes evident that groups of individuals belonging to specific tribes worked in postal service, including the Ababda, the Jaaliya, the Taaisha, and the Hadandawa. To develop this important and sensitive institution in the Mahdist state, the treasurer Ibrahim Wad Adlan (1302-1307 AH / 1885-1889 AD) presented an important proposal aimed at improving and increasing the effectiveness of the postal system in the state, but his proposal was not accepted by the Khalifa, who preferred to continue with the traditional postal system.
In general, there are a number of tasks that the postal service successfully accomplished in the Mahdist state, including; connecting the various regions of the state to the capital, Omdurman; facilitating the Khalifa Abdullah’s access to information in various ways; enabling him to monitor the amirs, leaders, and workers in their districts and increasing the effectiveness of the intelligence system in the Mahdist state.
Artwork designed by Hind Abdelbagi
The Mahdist State
(1302-1316 AH / 1885-1898 AD)
The modern postal system was introduced to Sudan during the rule of the Pashas and Khedives. This important and sensitive facility received significant attention from Muhammad Ali Pasha and his successors who ruled Sudan from 1821 until the liberation of Khartoum in January, 1885. One of the important factors that contributed to the development of the postal system in Sudan was its expansion during the reign of Khedive Ismail, who is regarded a pioneer of modernization in Sudan. He worked to connect all regions of Sudan through a network of modern postal and telegraph services. He also connected all ports on the Red Sea, such as Zilea, Berbera, HarYeahar, and Massawa, with Sawakin, which represented the centre and hub of these East African ports with Alexandria and Cairo. Inside Sudan the network was extended to various regions such as Darfur, Bahr al-Ghazal, Equatoria, and Eastern Sudan, which were linked by a telegraph network to the capital Khartoum and from there to Cairo. At the time, this was the longest network of telegraph lines on the continent.
As a result, telegraph offices spread across many cities and towns such as Halfa, Dongola, Berber, Khartoum, Kasala, Sawakin, Gadarif, White Nile, El Fashir, Wau and other large cities. In addition to the telegraph, there was a great need to connect different parts of Sudan via postal services, which were significantly facilitated by camels, horses, river boats, and vessels. The postal service received considerable attention from the succession of governors who ruled Sudan, as it represented one of the vital means for disseminating news about trade, merchants, foreigners, and various daily government transactions. This service contributed to facilitating and connecting different parts of Sudan.
After the liberation of Khartoum in January 1885 by the forces of Imam Al-Mahdi, the Mahdist regime showed a great interest in postal services due to the important and active role it played in managing the state and delivering documents and letters to various regions. This is evidenced by the Khalifa Abdullah’s attention to postal matters and his assignment of specific scribes, whom he called the ‘secret scribes’ to each amir or prince. He also worked on selecting the best men characterized by honesty, trustworthiness, and confidentiality to transport the state’s mail to its various regions. Additionally, he allocated the best camels and horses for the mail carriers and ordered that they be provided with the necessary facilities by the emirs and leaders of the Mahdist state in the different areas through which the mail passed. He gave them written orders to facilitate their tasks in case any of them needed to request assistance from the governor of the specified area or from the general public.
The Khalifa Abdullah assigned four scribes to draft his various letters and correspondences to leaders, princes, and sheikhs, and they were called the "El-Makhsoussin," meaning the private writers for Khalifa Abdullah’s letters. Due to the importance of mail to the Khalifa, he dedicated a specific time each morning to reviewing incoming messages from the different regions, which were accompanied by an oral report from the mail carrier, serving as a supplement to the content of the letter. The Khalifa relied on the oral report alongside the written one in making his decisions, as he could not visit the various regions of the state. In addition to the scribes of the letters, there were specific scribes for amir Yaqub (jorab el-Ray), the second man in the state after the Khalifa, and each amir, or regional governor, had their scribes as well. Military leaders also had their own scribes.
For letters and messages to be officially recognized in the Mahdist state, they had to be sealed with their owner’s seal, as the seal was proof of the authenticity of the message. Thus, seals appeared in the Mahdist state, with Imam Al-Mahdi having four seals, one of which bore the inscription “la Illah ila Allah Mohamed Rasoul Allah, Muhammad Ahmad, Mahdi Abdullah 1292 AH,” considered the first seal of Imam Al- Mahdi. The Khalifa Abdullah’s seal was oval-shaped, inscribed with the phrase “Hasbona Allah wa nim alwakil.” In addition to the Mahdi and the Khalifa, each amir , leader, and official in the Mahdist state had their own seal, and they were not allowed to replace it or create another in case of loss without written permission from the Khalifa Abdullah.
In order for the Mahdist state to continue carrying out its written tasks, it relied on the paper obtained from the previous Pasha and Khedive rule in Sudan. However, despite the large quantities of paper at the outset these began to dwindle and they were soon faced with a shortage. Therefore, orders were issued by the Khalifa and Amir Yaqub to all amirs, leaders, and workers in the various departments, instructing them to rationalize the use of paper and not to write on paper except for important matters that warranted it.
By tracking the postal system in the Mahdist state, it becomes evident that groups of individuals belonging to specific tribes worked in postal service, including the Ababda, the Jaaliya, the Taaisha, and the Hadandawa. To develop this important and sensitive institution in the Mahdist state, the treasurer Ibrahim Wad Adlan (1302-1307 AH / 1885-1889 AD) presented an important proposal aimed at improving and increasing the effectiveness of the postal system in the state, but his proposal was not accepted by the Khalifa, who preferred to continue with the traditional postal system.
In general, there are a number of tasks that the postal service successfully accomplished in the Mahdist state, including; connecting the various regions of the state to the capital, Omdurman; facilitating the Khalifa Abdullah’s access to information in various ways; enabling him to monitor the amirs, leaders, and workers in their districts and increasing the effectiveness of the intelligence system in the Mahdist state.
Artwork designed by Hind Abdelbagi
