Battle of Shaykan
1883 · Shaykan Forest (south of El Obeid, North Kordofan, modern Sudan) · World · Modern
The Egyptian expeditionary force was almost entirely annihilated, and Hicks and all his European officers were killed in battle.
Belligerents
Mahdist army
- Commanders
- Muhammad Ahmad al-Mahdi, Khalifa Abdallahi
- Strength
- Tens of thousands
Egyptian army
- Commanders
- William Hicks
- Strength
- c. 8,000–10,000
Background
In early 1883 al-Mahdi captured El Obeid, the capital of Kordofan. The Egyptian government hired Hicks, a retired British officer, to raise an expeditionary force and crush the uprising in one stroke.
Course of the battle
- Advancing deep into arid landThe expeditionary force left the Nile and marched west into Kordofan; its guides were unreliable and water was severely short.
- Harassed along the wayHarassed by the Mahdist army all along the way, the expeditionary force advanced slowly and its morale sank.
- Ambush in the Shaykan forestIn early November the expeditionary force was besieged from all sides in Shaykan Forest; its square was broken and the entire force was annihilated.
Outcome at a glance
| Date | 1883 |
|---|---|
| Place | Shaykan Forest (south of El Obeid in today's North Kordofan State, Sudan) |
| Result | The Egyptian expeditionary force was almost entirely annihilated, and Hicks and all his European officers were killed in battle. |
| Winner | Mahdist army |
| Casualties | Only several hundred of the Egyptian army survived; no reliable record of Mahdist army losses |
| Territorial change | Kordofan and Darfur fell to al-Mahdi one after the other, and the United Kingdom decided to have Egypt withdraw from Sudan. |
Impact
The Battle of Shaykan was the turning point of the Mahdist uprising: it gave al-Mahdi large quantities of guns and artillery and control of most of Sudan, and it led directly to Gordon being sent to Khartoum.
See the world in 1883 on the map →