THE ADVANCE ON OMDURMAN.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 10131, 2 September 1898, Page 3

THE ADVANCE ON OMDURMAN.

DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY. ' THE KHALIFA'S LAST TRENCH. For months past—one might say for years, for the whole of the recent military operations in the Soudan have been directed to one conclusion—Sir H. H. Kitchener, with his mixed force of British and' Egyptian troops, has been slowly and surely moving on Omdurman, the Dervish stronghold, and the end is now very near. With the fall of Omdurman, tho rule of the Khalifa will pass away, and the provinces which have been for so many years experiencing all the decivilising and barbarous influences of that rule will once more become part of Egypt. Gordon will at last be avenged., and that alone will make Englishmen breathe more easily, for the tragic death of that heroic man who so bravely faced the fearful odds to the bitter end, has lain heavily on the nation's conscience. The following description of Omdurman, together with a map of the locality, will be of general interest: — At Omdurman, the Khalifa concentrated all his power, stored up all his ammunition, and gathered under bis personal surveillance all those whom he suspects, obliging them to say five prayers daily in his presence, and listen to his ministrations. It is said that the walls of the citly are 12ft in thickness, and that it is well fortified. Not more than twelve years ago it was but a village lying opposite to Khartoum, and inhabited only by ; _a fe;w. But the Khalifa decided that it was fo m the Sacred City-of the Mahdi, and he has hardly left its precincts for upwards of ten years. From a description of the town given by Slatin Pasha —than whom none should be more competent to speak—it appears that from north to south the new city covers a length of about six English miles. The southern extremity lies almost opposite the south-west end of Khartoum. At first everyone wanted to live as near the river banks as possible in order to facilitate the drawing of water, consequently the breadth of the city is considerably less than its length, and it is in no place more than three miles in width. At first it consisted of thousands and thousands of straw hutsj and the mosque was originally an oblong enclosure surrounded by a mud wall 460 yds long and 350 yds broad, but this has now been replaced by one made of burnt brick, and then whitewashed over. After this the Khalifa began building brick houses for himself and his brother, then for other relatives, whilst the Emirs and most of the wealthy people followed his example. Above the apex of the dome of the mosque are three hollow brass balls, one above the other, connected together by a lance, the head of which forms the top ornament of the structure. People often say, according to Slatin, that the Khalifa erected this spear tio show that he is perfectly prepared to declare war against the heavens if his wishes '' are not carried out. Occasionally he. shuts himself up for hours in this mausoleum, probably with the object of obtaining some special inspiration, but since the execution of the Mahdi's relatives, his visits have been much less frequent, and it is generally supposed that he dreads to be alone with the body of his dead master, whose tenets and influence he has, not in words but in deeds, so persistently overturned. South of the tomb and adjoining the great mosque lies the enormous enclosure of the Khalifa. It consists of a high wall built of red bricks, which is subdivided into several smaller courts, all of which are in communication with each other, and nearest to the mosque are his own private' apartments, to the east of which are those of his wives, the stables, the store houses,