Area Sections
Omdurman
Other Definitions
omdurman (enc)
omdurman (dict)
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Omdurman Omdurman is the old city. It has a market that is well worth a visit. In 1998 spices were still piled in conical heaps but nowadays they are in polythene bags, though the market is no less colourful. You can buy the traditional incense, called al-bukhoor there, which even in its most ordinary form contains things like gum arabic, the local red seeds called 'eye of the bride', crystals that melt when the mixture is burnt. You can also buy the traditional black, red and yellow containers it is burnt in. Bukhoor acts as an insect repellent as well as scenting the air. The market has clothes, traditional Sudanese coffee pots, henna, jewellery, household goods, food, beautiful wooden carvings and all manner of other interesting things. The tomb of the Mahdi is also in Omdurman. It isn't impressive architecturally, but the monument represents an important part of modern Sudanese history: the Mahdi led the Sudanese revolution in 1881. The best way to get there is by taxi.
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