Preface
Abbreviations
Chapter One: Towns in the Sudan
Chapter Two: The Creation of a City
The Rise of Omdurman
The Peopling of the City
The Population of Omdurman
Chapter Three: Governing the Mahdi’s City
Authorities and Structures
The Khalıfa, Ya’qūb and the Ansār
Institutions and Omdurman Society
Issues of Health and Safety
Chapter Four: The Mahdist Social Order and Omdurman
Towards an Ideal Society
The Khalifa Between Ideal and Reality
The Bayt al-Māl and the Social Order
Chapter Five: Social Relations in the Mahdi’s City
Settlement Patterns
Economic Activities
The Integration of the Elite
A Society in Transition
Chapter Six: The Omdurman Experience
Notes
Appendices
Informants to the Study
Maps of Omdurman
Bibliography
Index