Dongola (also spelled
Dunqulah or
Dunqula and formerly sometimes known as
Al 'Urdi) is the capital of the state of
NorthernNorthern is one of the 26 wilayat or states of Sudan. It has an area of 348,765 km² and an estimated population of approximately 600,000 . Dongola is the capital of the state. The town of Wadi Halfa, a headquarters of the British in the late nineteenth century, is located in the north of the...
in
SudanSudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest country in Africa and in the Arab World, and tenth largest in the world by area...
, on the banks of the
NileThe Nile is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world....
. It should not be confused with
Old DongolaOld Dongola is a town in Sudan, on the east bank of the Nile opposite the Wadi Al-Malik. It is 50 miles upstream from Dongola. Old Dongola was the departure point for caravans west to Darfur and Kordofan....
, an ancient city located 80 km upstream on the opposite bank.
Dongola was also a province of Upper
NubiaNubia is the region in the south of Egypt, along the Nile and in northern Sudan. Most of Nubia is situated in Sudan with about a quarter of its territory in Egypt...
on both sides of the
NileThe Nile is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world....
and a centre for Nubian civilization as manifested by its many archaeological remains from the Makurian and Islamic periods.
Dongola (also spelled
Dunqulah or
Dunqula and formerly sometimes known as
Al 'Urdi) is the capital of the state of
NorthernNorthern is one of the 26 wilayat or states of Sudan. It has an area of 348,765 km² and an estimated population of approximately 600,000 . Dongola is the capital of the state. The town of Wadi Halfa, a headquarters of the British in the late nineteenth century, is located in the north of the...
in
SudanSudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest country in Africa and in the Arab World, and tenth largest in the world by area...
, on the banks of the
NileThe Nile is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world....
. It should not be confused with
Old DongolaOld Dongola is a town in Sudan, on the east bank of the Nile opposite the Wadi Al-Malik. It is 50 miles upstream from Dongola. Old Dongola was the departure point for caravans west to Darfur and Kordofan....
, an ancient city located 80 km upstream on the opposite bank.
Dongola was also a province of Upper
NubiaNubia is the region in the south of Egypt, along the Nile and in northern Sudan. Most of Nubia is situated in Sudan with about a quarter of its territory in Egypt...
on both sides of the
NileThe Nile is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world....
and a centre for Nubian civilization as manifested by its many archaeological remains from the Makurian and Islamic periods. The remains of the revered Baqt Treaty are to be found in Dongola. The province of Dongola was part of the
MakuriaThe Kingdom of Makuria was a kingdom located in what is today Northern Sudan and Southern Egypt. It was one of a group of Nubian kingdoms that emerged during the decline of the Aksumite Empire, which had dominated the region from approximately 50 AD to AD 950...
kingdom, which later became part of
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia...
after Muhammad Ali Pasha ordered for the invasion and occupation of
SudanSudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest country in Africa and in the Arab World, and tenth largest in the world by area...
in 1820 after which it was designated as a seat of a
pashaPasha or pacha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries...
.
Dongola is a small, multicultural town, which has given its name to numerous other towns, particularly in the USA.
The
Nile ExpeditionThe Nile Expedition, sometimes called the Gordon Relief Expedition, was a British mission to relieve Major-General Charles George Gordon at Khartoum, Sudan. Gordon had been sent to the Sudan to help Egyptians evacuate from Sudan after Britain decided to abandon the country in the face of a...
of 1884–1885 to relieve Gordon at
KhartoumKhartoum is the capital of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
passed through the area. Regiments were challenged to race up the river by boat, and this gave rise to the English
regattaA regatta is a term used to describe either a boat race, or series of boat races. Although the term typically describes racing events of unpowered water craft, some powerboat race series are also called regattas. Most commonly, a regatta is either a series of rowing, sailing, gondola races or...
competition of
dongola racingDongola racing is a popular event in traditional local regattas, especially on the River Thames in southern England and was first competed at Maidenhead in 1886. Competitors use wide punts and a team of people with single-bladed paddles, facing forwards and kneeling, normally with one leg up...
.
It was also the scene of a victory by General Herbert Kitchener over the indigenous Mahdist tribes in 1896. Dongola Road in the
BishopstonBishopston the name of both a council ward of the city of Bristol, England, and a suburb of the city that falls within that ward. Bishopston is situated around the Gloucester Road , the main northern arterial road in the city. The ward includes St Bonaventures and Ashley Down parishes, as well as...
area of
BristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London, and east of Cardiff.With an estimated population of 416,400 for the unitary authority in mid-2007, and a surrounding urban area with an estimated 561,500 residents, it is England's sixth, and...
was named after this event. So was Dongola Road in Tottenham, North London which runs next to Kitchener Road.
The town is served by
Dongola Airport.
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