A witness to the killing of Gordon Pasha, the independence of the country, and the hiding of the leader of the coup against Nimeiri in the corridors

Sudanese Presidential Palace. An architectural masterpiece and historical value threatened by the fire of battle

  • A painting depicting the murder of Gordon. Archival

  • Gordon Pasha. Archival

  • The Presidential Palace during its stages of development. Archival

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Sudanese intellectuals and media expressed their fears of the possible impact of the ongoing war in Sudan on the Republican Palace, after it became vulnerable to both sides of the conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, and noted that the palace, in addition to its political and official value, has historical value as it is a witness to key stages of Sudan's history, whether the Khedive stage or the killing of the former ruler of Sudan, Gordon Pasha. It acquires importance because the independence of the Sudan took place on its steps, and it represents an artistic and architectural value with its sections, museum and garden.

The Sudanese journalist writer, Abdul Jalil Suleiman, told "Emirates Today" that the establishment of the palace was historically and architecturally linked to the development of the establishment of the Sudanese capital, as the capital was in Sennar when the Turkish army entered Sudan, and in 1821 the Khedive government chose to have its new capital Wad Madani, and this situation lasted 4 years, and due to the large number of mosquitoes in Madani because it is located between the White and Blue Nile, and for considerations related to river supplies, the capital turned to Khartoum, which was just a small village at that time, at the same time. The moment of decision-making. Suleiman added that «the prominent improvement of the palace occurred in 1851, so it was rebuilt with red bricks, and new wings were added to it, such as the visitors' wing and the women's wing».

Suleiman added that «the Mahdist movement when it opened Khartoum in 1885 refused to use the palace at that time as it includes colonial symbolism, and although the Mahdia demolished many buildings of those that were for the English or Khedive era, it is for a reason we do not know, they left it as it is and transferred the seat of government to Omdurman, which was also similar to a small village, but the most important event in the history of Sudan and the history of the palace at that stage remains the killing of Gordon Pasha on its stairs on January 26, 1885».

Suleiman noted that with Kitchener's campaign, and the beginning of what was known as the Anglo-Egyptian dual rule, the palace had its second leap, as the English ruler Sir Wengt put him the general plan in 1906, which formed the features that were associated with it later, as it was raised to become two-storey, and new spaces were added to it to include three wings, after the palace witnessed a previous leap during the reign of Khurshid Pasha, 1825-1838, where spaces and offices were included in it.

Suleiman pointed out that the palace witnessed an important boom in the era of former President Jaafar Mohamed Nimeiri, where he added new spaces to it in 1971, and witnessed another shift in the era of the Salvation Government, as it was rebuilt in agreement with China starting in 2007, and it is sad for every Sudanese to see today all this history under bombing and surrounded by the dangers of destruction and vandalism.

Suleiman concluded by saying that the palace has acquired several names such as Sardariyya, the Palace of the Governor General and the Republican Palace, and represents a symbol of sovereignty as it was the seat of the ruler, the headquarters of what was known as the Sovereignty Council in democratic eras, and the seat of the additional Council of Ministers, and it has its scientific value, as it includes a documentary library that chronicles all eras of governance, administration and the development of the national movement in Sudan, and its artistic and architectural value with its wings and garden.

For his part, the historical researcher Taj al-Din Swar said that the historical value of the palace is summarized in being the scene of pivotal events in the history of Sudan, most notably the killing of Gordon on its stairs and the shattering of his legend after a siege that lasted for 317 days, and Gordon was one of Britain's military heroes, described by the English historian Dominic Soludo in the Telegraph newspaper as the most famous generals of the Victorian era, as he succeeded in the Second Opium War in China and suppressed its revolution, and occupied Beijing and was then named Gordon Chinese, after leading a division He called it the "Forever Victorious Squad." Gordon's death in Khartoum after these victories came as a shock, and Queen Victoria fell ill as a result. Swar pointed out that «the murder of Gordon Pasha, was immortalized in a well-known international painting of the English artist George William Joy carried the name (The Last Stop of Gordon), and is currently displayed at the Leeds City Art Gallery, and a film was produced about him in 1966 entitled (Khartoum) starring Charlton Heston».

The second important incident in the history of the palace was the declaration of independence of Sudan in January 1956 from its land, and the raising of the Sudanese flag in its three colors blue, yellow and green as a symbol of independence, he said.

The third pivotal incident of the palace is its prominence in the attempted communist coup against Nimeiri in 1971, Nimeiri's success in escaping the captivity of the putschists and his return to power, and the rumors that the leader of the Sudanese Communist Party, Abdul Khaliq Mahjoub, who was leading the coup, as head of the party, was hiding inside its walls steps away from Nimeiri's office.

The historical value of the palace is that it is the scene of pivotal events in Sudan's history, most notably the killing of Gordon on its stairs and the shattering of its legend after a 317-day siege.

With Kitchener's campaign, and the beginning of what was known as the Anglo-Egyptian dual rule, the palace had its second leap, as the English ruler Sir Wenget put him the general plan in 1906, which formed the features that he was associated with later, as it was raised to become two-storey, and new spaces were added to it to include 3 wings, after the palace witnessed a previous leap during the reign of Khurshid Pasha, 1825-1838, where spaces and offices were included in it.