The cities of Sudan are naturally built on the banks of the Nile. Among them is Khartoum, located at the confluence of the White and Blue Niles in the heart of Egyptian government territory. Muhammad Ali Pasha built it, as previously mentioned, after he defeated the Bedouins in 1830 and organized trade relations, making Khartoum its center. It wasn't long before a palace for the governor, a barracks (qishla) for its garrison of soldiers, and an arsenal were erected there. It thus became a hub for the trade of ivory, gum arabic, ostrich feathers, cotton, livestock, and slaves. Before the Mahdist uprising, Khartoum had between fifty and sixty thousand inhabitants, half or more of whom were foreigners. Its houses were more solidly built and better maintained than those in other Sudanese cities, with some built of stone. It also housed a community of foreigners from Egypt, Syria, Greece, and Armenia. However, Europeans frequently moved away due to the climate not agreeing with them, nor was it suitable in winter.

Following Khartoum in importance along the Nile route to Egypt is the city of Kosti, located about two hundred miles from Khartoum. Its population ranges between five and ten thousand. Its buildings are made of sun-dried brick, like those of other Sudanese cities. It is a center for Sudanese trade, and from it, via the Tarbagh branch, one route leads to Kordofan. Abu Had is a humble village that would not have been remembered in history were it not for the fact that in 180, about 80 Bashi-bazouks were killed there after a fierce battle with the Basharin Arabs. The Arabs pursued them like gazelles, so much so that those who escaped the sword drowned in the rapids, and they all perished. The other route leads to Suakin, the most famous port of the Sudanese lands on the Red Sea coast, and from it...