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Ali Dinar

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Ali Dinar
Ali Dinar after his death in battle in 1916
Sultan of Darfur
Reign21 March 1899 – 6 November 1916
PredecessorPosition re-established
SuccessorPosition abolished
Born1856
Died6 November 1916(1916-11-06) (aged 59–60)
Jebel Juba, Darfur
DynastyKeira dynasty
FatherZakariyyā b. Muḥammad al-Faḍl

Ali Dinar (Arabic: علي دينار, romanizedʿAlī Dīnār; c. 1865 – 6 November 1916) was the last sultan of Darfur and ruler from the Keira dynasty.

Ali Dinar first succeeded to the throne of Darfur in 1891 after his cousin, the "shadow sultan" Abū’l-Khayrāt, was killed by his slaves.[1] Shortly afterwards, Ali Dinar began negotiating with the Mahdist amīr Maḥmūd w. Aḥmad (commander-to-be at the Battle of Atbara) for his surrender. Ali Dinar officially surrendered in Mahdist occupied al-Fāshir on October 13, 1891.[2]

After briefly being sent to Omdurman, Ali Dinar entered the service of amīr Ibrāhīm al-Khalīl, Mahdist commander of jihādiyya. In 1896 Ali Dinar accompanied Ibrāhīm al-Khalīl to fight in the Nuba Mountains.[3]

As the Battle of Omdurman approached Ali Dinar planned his desertion back to Darfur. Just before or during the battle he put his plan into effect, taking with him many notables of the old sultanate.[4] Returning to Darfur, Ali Dinar reestablished the Darfur Sultanate.[5]

A sword owned by Ali Dinar, heir to the throne of the Sultanate of Darfur. He was killed in action during the Anglo-Egyptian Darfur Expedition in 1916, with the sword being on display at the British Museum.

In 1915 Ali Dinar declared his support to the Ottoman Empire in the First World War, which led the British government to dispatch the invasion of Darfur, in which he was killed in action, after which his sultanate was incorporated into Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.[6]

Further reading

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References

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  1. ^ O'Fahey, R.S. (2008). The Darfur Sultanate: A History. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 283–284. ISBN 978-0-231-70038-2.
  2. ^ Theobald, A.B. (1965). 'Alī Dīnār, Last Sultan of Darfur, 1898–1916. London: Longmans. p. 29. OCLC 25827495.
  3. ^ Kapteijns, Lidwien; Spaulding, Jay (1990). "Gifts Worthy of Kings: An Episode in Dar Fur - Taqali Relations". Sudanic Africa. 1: 63. JSTOR 25653176 – via Jstor.
  4. ^ O'Fahey, Darfur Sultanate, 286. Theobald, 'Alī Dīnār, 30-31 n 4.
  5. ^ The process is detailed on O'Fahey, Darfur Sultanate, 286-297.
  6. ^ Gillan, J.A. (1939). "Darfur, 1916". Sudan Notes and Records. 22 (1): 1–25. JSTOR 41716312 – via Jstor.