Draft:El Matamma

El Matama (Arabic: المتمة) is a city located in the Nile River State in northern Sudan, at an altitude of 379 meters (1,243.43 feet ) above sea level and 152 kilometers (94.44 miles ) away from the capital, Khartoum.

Meaning of the name

Hormuzd Rassam, the British ambassador to the court of the Emperor of Abyssinia Yohannes IV, who travelled to El Matama in November 1865 AD, mentioned that “Al-Muttamah” is an Arabic word derived from the word Al-Muttamimah (by including the first meem and stressing the second meem with a kasra), which means the completion, that is, the conclusion or the end., to indicate that the place is the end of the territory of the Ja'al rulers, that is, the last point in Dar Ja'al, which used to start from the Abu Hamad area and end at the sixth cataract near the Sudanese Mutama. As for the Ethiopian tumah ( in Amharic, መተማ), in which the body of Mecca Nimr lies, the name was given to it after the Sudanese tumah.

History

The modern history of El Matama is closely linked to the history of the rule of Mecca, Nimr bin Muhammad al-Jaali al-Saadabi, the invasion of Ismail Kamel Pasha, son of Muhammad Ali Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt, and the campaigns of Muhammad Bey al-Daftar, the house of Muhammad Ali Pasha’s son -in-law and Prince Mahmoud Wad Ahmed, commander of the Mahdist army in northern Sudan. Al-Matma was the seat of the rule of the Nafi'ab, who disputed the rule with their cousins ​​the Sa'dab, the largest branch of the Ja'alites, who were in Shindi, during the period 1558 to 1821 AD.

Main article: Muhammad Ali Pasha's campaign against Sudan

In 1821 AD, when the forces of the Ottoman governor of Egypt invaded the country of Sudan, led by his son Ismail Pasha, and surrendered to him Dongola, Berber, the Kingdom of Shayqia, and other tribal kingdoms in northern Sudan, the Pasha summoned the King of the Ja’alites, Mec Nimr, to Shendi to offer loyalty, but Mec Nimr sent his son. On his behalf, which raised doubts about the Pasha’s loyalty, he ordered his presence and accompanying him on his march towards Sennar, the capital of the Funj, who were ruling Sudan at that time when their kingship was at its worst state of weakness. After the fall of Sennar, Ismail Kamel Pasha asked Mek Nimr to provide a heavy tax that included slaves, livestock, and grains. When Mek Nimr objected to the huge amount of tax, the Pasha insulted him severely, which led Mek Nimr to plot a trick in which the Pasha was killed by burning in his tent. The incident led to campaigns of revenge, killings, and torture that claimed the lives of thousands of Sudanese, led by the people of Al-Muttama, where Muhammad Bey Al-Daftar, the house of Muhammad Ali Pasha’s son-in-law and the leader of those campaigns, wreaked havoc, destruction, and killing. Then he went to chase the king Nimr, who decided to flee to Abyssinia and established a new capital for his kingdom on the Abyssinian-Sudanese border under the name of Matama.

Main article: Mahmoud Wad Ahmed

Al-Matma was subjected to another incident of killing and devastation during the Mahdist era, when Prince Abdullah Wad Saad, the leader of the Jaalites, refused to submit to the orders of Caliph Abdullah Al-Taayshi to evacuate Al-Matma so that the forces of Prince Mahmoud Wad Ahmed, the leader of the Mahdia in northern Sudan, who were preparing to meet the Anglo-Egyptian invasion army led by them, could camp there. General Kitchener. After Wad Saad sought the help of General Kitchener to confront the Ansar army, a fight took place between them and him, ending with his defeat and the killing of large numbers of his forces and supporters, while Prince Wad Ahmed was defeated in the Battle of Atbara and was captured by the invading army.

Geographic location and topography

Matama is located in the southwestern part of the Nile River State, between latitudes 16 degrees south and 17 degrees north and longitudes 32 degrees west and 40.33 degrees east. It extends along the Nile River strip from the western side to Al-Damer locality, which it borders on the north side from the village of Bagrosi on the left bank, up to the borders of the northern state. To the west, Al-Matma is bordered by Merowe Locality and North Kordofan State, to the east by the course of the Nile River and Shendi Locality, and to the south by Khartoum State to Al-Wefaq and the Sixth Cataract.

Topographically, Al-Matma is located within the Nubian Basin, which is rich in groundwater resources. The river constitutes its most important surface water resource, along with the valleys.

Area

The area of ​​Matama is approximately 11,723 km (7,284.33 square miles)

Management

Administratively, Al-Matma was a governorate until 1991, then it became, according to the Local Government Law of 2002, a locality affiliated with the Nile River State.

Al-Matma locality consists of three administrative units:

1. The unit of completion (city)
2. North Matama Unit (Taybat Al-Khoud)
3. South Matama Unit (Wad Hamed and Hajar Al-Tair)

Villages and valleys of Matama

the South:

Al-Jikaika, Wad Hamed, Al-Salwaab, Salwa,

Al-Hubaji, Tabqa, Al-Kamar, and Wadi Al-Dabi

North:

Al-Sayal Al-Kabir, Al-Sayal Al-Saghir, Al-Kurda, Al-Rahmaab, Al-Kumayr, Al-Jawir, Al-Nurab, Al-Safar, Al-Maghawir, Taiba, Al-Khawad, Al-Harirab, Al-Jalab, Goz Badr, Goz Bara, Goz Merv, Al-Shabatab, Kali, Al-Farra Hussein, Umm Sidra, Al-Abidab, Al-Makniyah., Al-Katiyab, Al-Jabrab, Al-Aqeedah, Saqadi, and Baqrousi.

Population and demographics

The population of Al-Mattama locality is 192,053 people, according to the global rate of increase (2.5%). According to the 2008 census, the number is 156,778 people, while the number of villages and Al-Furqan (al-Bawadi) is 118 villages. The Jaali people constitute the majority of its population, along with other tribes, including the Shaiqiyya, Fadniyah, Hassaniyya, Hawawir, Ababda, and other Sudanese tribes and ethnic groups.

Economic activity

Agriculture is the main occupation of the local population, with 90% of its workforce, followed by trade in markets, including weekly markets in villages and large towns such as Al-Nourab and Wad Hamed. Then grazing, animal husbandry and animal production, in addition to some other small craft activities and various services.

The arable land in Al-Matma is estimated at about 4 million acres, of which about 200 thousand acres are currently being exploited and are cultivated with crops such as onions, legumes, vegetables, fruits of various types, grains, and fodder.

Climate

There is a dry, semi-desert climate with extreme temperatures and little rainfall.

temperature

The temperature ranges between 32 and 43 °C (89.6 and 109.4 F ) in summer, and between 11 and 30 °C (51.8 and 91.4 F) in winter. The temperature peaks in June at 34°C (93.3°F) and drops in January to 22 ° C ( 71.1 ° F), with an annual average of 30°C (°F).

Rain

The rainfall rate ranges between 100 millimeters (3.9 inches ) south of Al-Matma and 1 millimeter (0.039 inches) north of it per year, which makes the average rainfall reach 8.2 millimeters (0.32 inches) annually, and the highest rainfall is recorded in the month of August, reaching To 1.8 millimeters (0.07 inches), while rain falls in September at a rate of less than 0.6 millimeters (0.23 inches).

Wind

The average wind speed is 7.08 kilometers per hour (4.4 mph ) annually, the highest in June at 8.36 kilometers per hour ( 5.2 mph) and the lowest in October at 3.8 kilometers per hour (6.11 mph ). ).

Humidity

The humidity rises in August to 38% and decreases in April to 16.6%, bringing the annual average relative humidity to 26.6 %.

Public services

Electricity

Al-Matma became connected to the national grid after the construction of the Merowe Dam, and electricity was extended to some government projects such as the Kli Al-Dawab, Al-Kamir Taiba, Medini, Al-Matma, and Al-Sial projects.

Education

Academic public education institutions are widespread at all levels: basic, secondary, and university.

Health

• Al Matama Teaching Hospital
• Al-Hassan Bakli Hospital
• Martyr Al-Zubair Hospital in Jkika
• Alia Specialized Hospital in Al Matama

There are 41 health centers and units.

Security and defense

There are police stations in Al-Mutamama, in addition to the Abu Talih garrison of the Sudanese Armed Forces.

Sports

There are several sports teams in Al-Matma and one sports stadium for matches, competitions and practices for local sports teams and the teams hosted by the city.

Banks

There are two banks in the locality:

• Family Bank
• Agricultural Bank

Tourism

The most important tourist attractions in the city are:

• Site of the Battle of Abu Talih
• The house of the infidel
• Wild forest
• Extension of the irrigated city

Transport and communications

Al-Matma is connected by paved roads to the large cities in Sudan, including the capital, Khartoum, and by seasonal roads to villages and remote areas. Khartoum International Airport is the closest international airport to it, located 151 kilometers away. Its IATA code is (KRT) and ICAO ( HSSS), followed by New Merowe Airport, 250 kilometers away, and its international IATA code is (MWE)