Travel Guide El-Obeid الأبيض‎

An economic and political heart of Kordofan Central Region, El Obeid had developed specifically through the slave trade, but also with the Arab gum trade (see box).In the th century, Egyptians install their most southerly base camp in El Obeid, which they developed considerably through trade. While in the north Hostels loses power to Khartoum, El Obeid strengthens its Trade Prestige. It was at this time that Christian families began to settle. During the mahdiste surge, this is where the inspiration of the movement will find among its most loyal supporters. In 1883, the Battle of El Obeid deprived the Anglo-Egyptians of their advanced position in Upper Nile and Darfur. The city goes and joins the Mahdi in its conquest of the region by supplying arms and food. A punitive expedition sent by London will end in disarray, and this failure will open the way to Khartoum, 600 km away. They will be less than two years later.El-Obeid is the main base camp in UNMIS (the United Nations Mission in the Sudan, whose main task is to coordinate humanitarian assistance and the return of refugees and internally displaced persons) for its operations towards transitional zone and southern Sudan.El-Obeid is in some way the last Afro-Arab city before the Nuba Mountains, then Southern Sudan. It is therefore a good step on the south road or in the mountains. For tourists and backpackers, unfortunately, she lost - temporarily, hopefully - her status as a city-stage to Darfur via the town of the desert of En-Nahoud.