Slavery in the Mahdist State [1885–1898]

Abstract

The Mahdist state, known as the Mahdiyya, pertaining to its founder Mohamed Ahmed ibn Abdallah who claimed to be al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar (the awaited guided one), reigned during the last quarter of the nineteenth-century. It was the first Sudanese state to have comprehensive and complete documentation of its history. That documentation, in some parts, was superior to the documentation of other states that owned, by the standards of that time, modern media, updated equipment, and qualified specialized human resources in Cairo and London that made thorough documentation easier. Perhaps Mahdiyya’s superior documentation was a result of its ability to harness what it had of media, equipment, and qualified human resources.