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Women in Mahdya
The following texts on women during the Mahdiya period in Sudan were prepared as part of the women’s exhibition at the Khalifa House museum in Omdurman that was reopened after extensive renovation in 2023, two months before the current war broke out.
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The following texts on women during the Mahdiya period in Sudan were prepared as part of the women’s exhibition at the Khalifa House museum in Omdurman that was reopened after extensive renovation in 2023, two months before the current war broke out.
The existing Khalifa House museum was converted into a community museum, which meant that it was necessary to cater for the local community and their interests. Thus a contemporary viewpoint of history of the Mahdiya meant the inclusion of sections on the city, markets, economy and events as a way to create a snapshot of life during that time. The exhibitions also followed the original purpose of the rooms of the house which was the Khalifa’s residence and administration building. The women’s section of the house therefore became the women’s exhibition to showcase women’s objects and their stories from the era.
This proved quite a challenge and many questions needed to be answered; from what is a women’s object to how could this be distinguished from everyday household items? Another difficulty was trying to uncover stories on prominent women at the time. Many records from the Mahdiya did not include women’s names, merely referred to them as the daughter of such-and-such or that person’s sister.
That is why we were determined to create a parallel exhibition for women, one followed a similar pattern to in the other rooms of the museum thus creating sections for women and economy, how they used the city, their role in politics and fashion. The exhibition attempted to contextualise household items as part of an economic system.
One way to fill in the gap of information is to try and imagine how life was for women during the Mahdiya based on the scarce facts available. Sudanese author Leila Aboulela has done this in her recently published book, River Spirit, which tells a fictional story set during the Mahdiya based on some known historical figures. The book manages to paint a very plausible world in which women are seen as characters in their own right and whose influence on men and on events is detailed and powerful.
Women in the revolution
Women’s participation in the Mahdist revolution (1888 – 1899) took various forms. They donned the patchwork Jibba worn by the men and fought side-by-side with them in battle and also followed the main armies with provisions. Women provided water to the thirsty, tended to the wounded soldiers, and even helped dispose of wounded enemy soldiers. Some well-known figures include Sitt al-Banaat Umm Saif, Khadijah Bit-Surkatty, and Fatima Bint Umm al-Hassan.
On his migration to Qadir, the march from Obeid to Khartoum, there was a significant female constituent among the Imam Mohammed Ahmed al-Mahdi’s followers. Women also played a strategic role in The Mahdi’s victories, mainly through intelligence operations. They would discreetly gather information on the enemy and their defences, women like Rabiha al-Kinania who ran from Mount Fungor to Mount Qadir (15km more than a marathon, as the crow flies) to warn The Mahdi of Rashid Bey Ayman’s ambush.
During the liberation of Khartoum in 1885, it was the women who disclosed plans of Gordon’s defences around Khartoum to The Mahdi’s forces and aided in its siege and eventual liberation.
Women’s market
Commercial activity was considered to be one the main features of Mahdist society in Omdurman. The country was constantly in a state of war and all the men were away for war or trade. The city of Omdurman became a women’s city and the deteriorating situation forced women to work in the market.
The State allowed women to work if their husbands were at war and they needed to make a living. Older women, who could work in the market place, had a designated space where they sold commodities like oil, animal fat, fruit, spices, medicines, sorghum, dates, yeast, water and slaves. Darfuri women were especially skilled in making mats with glass beads woven into their folds, giving them a distinct lustre, and women from Al-Gezira, Barbar and Dongola specialised in producing fabrics, mats and pottery.
The following texts on women during the Mahdiya period in Sudan were prepared as part of the women’s exhibition at the Khalifa House museum in Omdurman that was reopened after extensive renovation in 2023, two months before the current war broke out.
The existing Khalifa House museum was converted into a community museum, which meant that it was necessary to cater for the local community and their interests. Thus a contemporary viewpoint of history of the Mahdiya meant the inclusion of sections on the city, markets, economy and events as a way to create a snapshot of life during that time. The exhibitions also followed the original purpose of the rooms of the house which was the Khalifa’s residence and administration building. The women’s section of the house therefore became the women’s exhibition to showcase women’s objects and their stories from the era.
This proved quite a challenge and many questions needed to be answered; from what is a women’s object to how could this be distinguished from everyday household items? Another difficulty was trying to uncover stories on prominent women at the time. Many records from the Mahdiya did not include women’s names, merely referred to them as the daughter of such-and-such or that person’s sister.
That is why we were determined to create a parallel exhibition for women, one followed a similar pattern to in the other rooms of the museum thus creating sections for women and economy, how they used the city, their role in politics and fashion. The exhibition attempted to contextualise household items as part of an economic system.
One way to fill in the gap of information is to try and imagine how life was for women during the Mahdiya based on the scarce facts available. Sudanese author Leila Aboulela has done this in her recently published book, River Spirit, which tells a fictional story set during the Mahdiya based on some known historical figures. The book manages to paint a very plausible world in which women are seen as characters in their own right and whose influence on men and on events is detailed and powerful.
Women in the revolution
Women’s participation in the Mahdist revolution (1888 – 1899) took various forms. They donned the patchwork Jibba worn by the men and fought side-by-side with them in battle and also followed the main armies with provisions. Women provided water to the thirsty, tended to the wounded soldiers, and even helped dispose of wounded enemy soldiers. Some well-known figures include Sitt al-Banaat Umm Saif, Khadijah Bit-Surkatty, and Fatima Bint Umm al-Hassan.
On his migration to Qadir, the march from Obeid to Khartoum, there was a significant female constituent among the Imam Mohammed Ahmed al-Mahdi’s followers. Women also played a strategic role in The Mahdi’s victories, mainly through intelligence operations. They would discreetly gather information on the enemy and their defences, women like Rabiha al-Kinania who ran from Mount Fungor to Mount Qadir (15km more than a marathon, as the crow flies) to warn The Mahdi of Rashid Bey Ayman’s ambush.
During the liberation of Khartoum in 1885, it was the women who disclosed plans of Gordon’s defences around Khartoum to The Mahdi’s forces and aided in its siege and eventual liberation.
Women’s market
Commercial activity was considered to be one the main features of Mahdist society in Omdurman. The country was constantly in a state of war and all the men were away for war or trade. The city of Omdurman became a women’s city and the deteriorating situation forced women to work in the market.
The State allowed women to work if their husbands were at war and they needed to make a living. Older women, who could work in the market place, had a designated space where they sold commodities like oil, animal fat, fruit, spices, medicines, sorghum, dates, yeast, water and slaves. Darfuri women were especially skilled in making mats with glass beads woven into their folds, giving them a distinct lustre, and women from Al-Gezira, Barbar and Dongola specialised in producing fabrics, mats and pottery.
