Khartoum

In 1883, a force of 10,000 Egyptian troops commanded by Colonel William Hicks is drawn into the Sudan desert and ambushed by Mahdist forces. The troops are defeated and their weapons captured, exposing the vulnerability of the occupying force. The brutal outcome foreshadows the coming collapse of dhimmi rule in the region.

Back in Britain, Prime Minister Gladstone faces intense public pressure to avenge Hicks. He decides to dispatch General Gordon to Khartoum as a politically expedient move, even though the mission is not officially sanctioned. The government hopes to dodge direct responsibility by placing the burden on Gordon.

Gordon and his aide Stewart travel to Khartoum, and upon his February 1884 arrival he is hailed as the city's savior. He immediately begins organizing defences despite limited resources. The welcome bolsters his resolve as the crisis deepens.

Gordon visits the Mahdi at an insurgent camp and engages in a tense parley. He learns that the Mahdi intends to take Khartoum and kill its inhabitants as an example of power. The exchange reveals the stark chasm between Gordon's mission and the Mahdi's aims.

Back in Khartoum, Gordon oversees the construction of defensive works and digs a moat between the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The improvised barrier is meant to slow any assault and buy time for relief. The city becomes a fortress under Gordon's engineering guidance.

Gordon's aide, Colonel Stewart, travels to London to explain the situation on the ground. His dispatches reveal the dire strategic scenario and the unsanctioned nature of Gordon's mission. The government becomes increasingly aware of the emergency.

Months pass as a public outcry in Britain pressures Gladstone to send relief, but the Prime Minister delays with cautious expectations that Gordon might retreat. The decision leads to a delayed but eventual move to evacuate civilians and troops. The political tug-of-war shapes the crisis more than battlefield actions.

Gordon receives word that a relief force led by General Wolseley is being dispatched from Britain. The prospect of rescue hardens Gordon's stance as time runs out. The tension between relief efforts and Khartoum's siege continues to escalate.

As winter ends, the Nile's waters recede and the moat dries, leaving Khartoum's small Egyptian army vulnerable to a larger Mahdist assault. The defensive line collapses under overwhelming odds. The garrison is forced to confront the inevitability of a major offensive.

On 26 January 1885, Khartoum falls to the Mahdist forces. Gordon and the foreign garrison and civilians are slaughtered, and Gordon's head is displayed on a pole—an infamous symbol of the siege's brutality. The relief force arrives too late to save the city.

The British relief column arrives two days after Khartoum has fallen. A last-ditch rescue is unable to turn the outcome, and the British withdraw from the Sudan soon after. The disaster reverberates back in Britain as a political and moral blow.

The Mahdi dies about six months after Khartoum's fall, leaving the region in unrest and uncertainty. Public outrage in Britain over the catastrophe stirs debates about future intervention. The long shadow of Khartoum influences policy for years to come.

A decade after the disaster, Britain and its Egyptian allies invade the Sudan and recapture Khartoum in 1898. The victory restores colonial authority and marks a new chapter in the region's history. The episode shapes British imperial policy for years to come.