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20-590: The river flows through Sudan's Kurdufan and Darfur regions and forms part of the border between Darfur and the region of Bahr el Ghazal in northwestern South Sudan. For centuries the Bahr al-Arab has marked the boundary between the Dinka and Baggara ethnic groups. The river has served as a frontier and zone of conflict between the Baggara and Dinka peoples since their oral traditions began. The name "Bahr al-Arab"

40-730: A short distance east to join the White Nile in the Sudd wetlands. The Lol River joins the Bahr al-Arab from the south, just above the Jur River confluence. The Bahr al-Arab has the largest drainage basin of any river in the Bahr el Ghazal region. But compared to the rivers to the south, the Bahr al-Arab has very little water and it flows sluggishly. During the Second Sudanese Civil War Bahr al-Arab's location on

60-540: A significant number of people in southern Kordofan and are unique to the region, as are the Kadu languages , but Arabic is the main and most widely spoken language in the greater Kordofan region. About the beginning of the 16th century, Funj from Sennar settled in the country; toward the end of that century, Kordofan was conquered by Sulayman Solong , Sultan of Darfur . In 1779, Sultan Adlan II of Sennar sent Sheikh Nacib, with two thousand cavalry, to take possession of

80-796: Is Arabic for "Sea of the Arabs" (possibly from "Nahr al-Arab", Arabic for "River of the Arabs"). The Dinka people call it the "Kiir River". The Bahr al-Arab arises from several tributaries that drain the Bongo Massif and Marrah Mountains in Darfur, close to Sudan's border with Chad and the Central African Republic . The Adda and Umbelasha flow east from the Bongo Massif to join the Ibrah (Wadi Ibra), which flows south from

100-614: Is almost completely dry, with very low humidity. As of 2015, the Sudanese Premier League team Al-Hilal SC (Al-Ubayyid) plays in El-Obeid. The town is predominantly Muslim . However, it is also the seat of a Roman Catholic Diocese , which is the only other one in Sudan next to Khartoum since the partition in 2011, and of an Anglican Bishopric . The Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of Africa in El-Obeid

120-548: Is home to the University of Kordofan , one of the largest universities in Sudan , established in 1990. Since 1989, the city also has been home to a French Association ( Alliance française ) that serves as a Sudanese-French cultural centre in cooperation with the university's French language department. The United Nations Mission in Sudan established its Logistics Base there. Due to the repair and paving of asphalt roads and

140-506: Is largely an undulating plain, with the Nuba Mountains in the southeast quarter. During the rainy season from June to September, the area is fertile, but in the dry season, it is virtually desert. The region's chief town is El-Obeid . Traditionally the area is known for production of gum arabic . Other crops include groundnuts , cotton and millet . Originally Kordofan was inhabited by brown-skinned- Nubian -speaking peoples, and

160-579: Is the capital of the state of North Kurdufan , in Sudan . El-Obeid was founded by the pashas of Ottoman Egypt in 1821. It was attacked by the Mahdists in September 1882, and, after capitulation, was subsequently destroyed in 1883. It was then rebuilt on a modern plan in 1898, following the fall of the Mahdist empire. In 2008, its population was 340,940. It is an important transportation hub:

180-687: The Defturdar, with about 4,500 soldiers and eight pieces of artillery, to subject Kordofan to his power. The monopoly enjoyed by the Egyptian governors in Kordofan impeded trade and stifled entrepreneurial activities. From 1837 to 1839, the country was explored by Ignaz Pallme . The Mahdi captured El-Obeid in 1883. The Egyptian government dispatched a force from Cairo under the British General William Hicks , which

200-713: The Marrah Mountains. Formed from these tributaries, the Bahr al-Arab flows east along the border of the Darfur and Bahr el Ghazal regions, then through a southern part of the Kurdufan region. According to some sources, the Bahr al-Arab's confluence with the Jur River marks the source of the Bahr el Ghazal River . Other sources say the Jur joins the Bahr el Ghazal before the Bahr al-Arab does. The Bahr el Ghazal flows

220-537: The SPLA throughout the 1980s. By the end of the decade the land along the Bahr al-Arab was devastated and the population decimated. 9°2′N 29°28′E  /  9.033°N 29.467°E  / 9.033; 29.467 Kurdufan Kordofan ( Arabic : كردفان Kurdufān ) is a former province of central Sudan . In 1994 it was divided into three new federal states : North Kordofan , South Kordofan and West Kordofan . In August 2005, West Kordofan State

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240-653: The border of Northern and Southern Sudan made it a military front and an area of conflict. In the early 1980s western Sudan suffered several droughts and crop failures. As various peoples shifted southward the Baggara moved south of the Bahr al-Arab and came into conflict with the Dinka . The Baggara were supported by the Sudanese military in an attempt to make headway against the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). The Baggara militias, known as murahileen , battled

260-407: The country, which remained for about five years under the government of Sennar. There followed a considerable immigration of Arab tribes and native people from Sennar and Dongola (see old Dongola ) into the country. The Sennari however suffered a decisive defeat in 1784 and thereafter under Darfur viceroys the country enjoyed prosperity. The inhabitants lived in peace and were not troubled with taxes;

280-547: The emergence of several private bus companies, transport became easier between the town and the Sudanese capital Khartoum. The 500 kilometres (310 mi) journey takes about nine hours by tourist coach, and another three hours from El-Obeid to Um Kadada in Darfur . During the Sudanese civil war , the city has been under siege . In early September, the Sudanese Army have recaptured the city. Tensions remain high at

300-517: The grand market El-Obeid has a hot semi-desert climate ( Köppen : BSh ), bordering upon a hot desert climate ( BWh ), despite receiving over 400 millimetres or 16 inches of rain, owing to the extremely high potential evapotranspiration. Temperatures are coolest in December and January and are hottest from April to June. A wet season lasts from June to September with moderate rainfall and relatively high humidity. The period from November to April

320-614: The merchants were exempt from duties, and the tribute paid was a voluntary present to the Sultan of Darfur. Bara, the second commercial town of importance in the country, was built by the Dongolavi. Commerce extended in all directions. Caravans brought products from Abyssinia and Egypt into Lobeid and Bara, from which the greater part was again transported on to other parts of Africa. This prosperity ended in 1821 when Muhammad Ali Pasha , Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt sent his son-in-law, Mahommed Bey

340-959: The region's name may be derived from the Nubian word Kurta meaning 'man', but by the 14th century Arabs from Egypt began expanding southwards into Kordofan, amalgamating with some of the indigenous population and driving remnants of the indigenous population to the hills. Most of the inhabitants of Kordofan are Arabs . The main tribal groups of Arab tribes, include the Dar Hamid, Kawahla, Hamar, Bedairiah, Gawamaah and Rekabeiah. In Northern Kordofan there are large grazing areas used and inhabited for hundreds of years by Arabic -speaking, semi-nomadic Baggara and camel-raising Kababish tribes. Other ethnic groups that inhabit Kordofan are Nubians , Daju , Beja , Zaghawa , and Funj people. Nilotic tribes, Nuba , Shilluk and Dinka , also inhabit parts of Kordofan. The Kordofanian languages are spoken by

360-417: The terminus of a rail line , the junction of various national roads and camel caravan routes, and the end of a pilgrim route from Nigeria . As regional commercial centre, it is known for products such as gum arabic , millet , oilseeds, and livestock. The population of El-Obeid today is majority Muslim, with a small Christian presence. The town is the site of an airport and an oil refinery. El-Obeid

380-613: Was abolished and its territory divided between North and South Kordofan States, as part of the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement . West Kordofan was reestablished in July 2013. Kordofan covers an area of some 376,145 km (146,932 miles²), with an estimated population in 2000 of 3.6 million (3 million in 1983). It

400-880: Was ambushed and annihilated at Sheikan to the south of El Obeid. Following British reoccupation in 1898, Kordofan was added to the number of provinces of the Sudan. In 1973 it was split into the provinces ( mudiriya ) of North Kordofan and South Kordofan , which became states ( wilayat ) in 1994. In 2011, armed conflict in South Kordofan broke out in June 2011, ahead of independence for South Sudan . Fighting has since involved rebel groups in Darfur and has expanded into North Kordofan. 13°N 28°E  /  13°N 28°E  / 13; 28 El-Obeid El-Obeid ( Arabic : الأبيض , al-ʾAbyaḍ , lit.   "the White"), also romanized as Al-Ubayyid ,

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