From sufi movement to statehood: the Mahdi uprising in the Ottoman Sudan, 1881-1885

Abstract

This thesis examines the four year rebellion period of the Mahdi movement started by the Sudanese Sheikh Muhammad Ahmad bin Abdullah in 1881, and lasting until the state period, which began with his capturing Khartoum in 1885. The question of how this religious-based uprising, which occurred in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, was perceived in the Ottoman Empire is answered, and the transition of the Sufi movement to a military power, and then to state administration is narrated. In this thesis, the efforts of the Ottoman statesmen and intellectuals to convince the public about the necessity to obey the caliphate of Sultan Abdülhamid II and about the falsehood of Muhammad Ahmad’s mahdiship are examined via the written risales on the one hand, and the arguments of the Sudanese Mahdi used to defend himself in his letters are studied on the other. One of the claims of this thesis is that the intellectual debates, which occurred within the context of caliphal authority and Mahdi salvation, denoted “the struggle for legitimacy” for both sides. This thesis examines both how the Ottoman state perceived a revolt carried out by a Muslim community living in a region distant from the capital, and what kinds of precautions were taken against the efforts of expansion of the Sudanese Mahdi, who targeted a wide area. It also aims to contribute to the literature on the Sudanese Mahdi by discussing the Ottoman perception on this issue.