"Khartoum" a Khartoum Travel Page by uglyscot

When I first arrived in Khartoum airport it was like stepping into an oven. Riding through town I saw everything in a sort of monochrome brown.Like an old sepia photograph. Where were the brilliant bougainvillaeas, the bright tobes of the women? It took some time for my eyes to adapt to the bright sun, and see colour again.

Khartoum itself was laid out by the British in the shape of The Union Jack. There are some remains of the pattern visible, though many changes have taken place.
On the banks of the Nile lies the Republican Palace, and along the embankment are mahogany and other shade trees as well as hotels like the Hilton , Khartoum Hotel and The Grand Hotel [ now renamed the Grand Villa Hotel ]. Many ministries are also to be found here.

On the banks of the White Nile was a forest where picnics were held, but [2007] this area is being developed to have a golf course and apartments.

The Republican Palace is a large white building built by the British in the 1800s. Its history includes being the place where General Charles [Chinese] Gordon met his death on the palace steps. He was speared to death by one of the Mahdi's followers.
Ouside stand guards on sentry duty.
Inside the walls are splendid gardens.

The centre of Khartoum used to be the market. There was the vegetable market, the bus station for transport within the three towns, and the main market. Much of this has been destroyed or removed elsewhere to the suburbs. However the cloth market, the gold market and some dry goods traders still operate from here.
Tailors sit in the verandahs in the cloth street , sewing jellabiyas and shirts.
Outside the mosque sellers of books, especially religious books, spread their wares.