The Mahdist War (1881-99) in Sudan was led by the inspirational Muhammad Ahmad, an Islamic holy man who declared himself the Mahdi (the Messiah). The Mahdists wanted to overthrow Ottoman-Egyptian rule in Sudan and spread a new form of Islam both in Sudan and elsewhere. Famously laying siege to Khartoum and killing the British national hero General Gordon, the Mahdists were finally defeated by an A...