The Turco-Egyptian Administration in the Sudan (1821-1885): The Turkish Impact on the Formation of the Sudanese Nationalism and Culture

The primary factor influencing Sudanese nationalism in the 19th century was the Turco-Egyptian administration, which was characterized by exploitative economic policies and governance under the rule of Muhammad Ali Pasha, the ambitious Khedive of Egypt from 1805 to 1848. The conscription of Sudanese and the establishment of authority over the Sudan’s resources, including gold, slaves, and agricultural goods, caused widespread resentment. Egyptian administrative officials disrupted traditional power structures by imposing excessive taxation on agriculture and participating actively in the slave trade. The widespread corruption of the government, which enriched officials, economic hardship resulting from these policies, and increasing cultural and ethnic divisions between Muslims in the north and non-Muslims in the south led to the emergence of the Mahdist movement in the 1880s, a vital turning point in Sudanese history in terms of nationalism and collective resistance. The movement that emerged under the guidance of Muhammad Ahmad who proclaimed himself the Mahdi, a messianic figure in Islamic theology, resulted in the overthrow of the Turkish-Egyptian administration in 1885; however, the short-lived elimination of external control by the Mahdist state failed to prevent internal ethnic and religious conflicts or external pressures like the Anglo-Egyptian conquest in 1898, which foreshadowed everlasting challenges to Sudanese nation-building and stability in both the short and long run. By challenging Eurocentric perspectives that neglect nationalist movements before the imperial expansion of Britain, this paper critically examines the complex relationship between Muhammad Ali Pasha's exploitative governance and the rise of the Mahdist movement as an embodiment of nationalist resistance.