Mahdi's Revolt Begins

June 29, 1881

In Sudan, a Dongolawi Sufi named Muhammad Ahmad declared himself the Mahdi - the messianic figure expected by Muslims at the end of the age - and called for holy war against Egyptian and Turkish rule. Within three years his armies would hold most of Sudan; within four, Khartoum. The Mahdist state lasted until Omdurman, in 1898.