Khartoum - Khartum

Sunset Khartoum.jpg
Khartoum · ‏الخرطوم‎
StateCharṭūm
Residents
5.345.000 (2018)
height
382 m
no tourist info on Wikidata: Add tourist information
location
Location map of Sudan
Reddot.svg
Khartoum

Al-Chartum or Khartoum, Arabic:الخرطوم‎, al-Charṭūm, „the elephant trunk“Is the capital of the republic Sudan. It is located in the northeast of the country at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile opposite its sister cities Omdurmān and al-Charṭūm Baḥrī (Chartum North).

background

Map of Khartoum

getting there

Entry formalities

For entry you need a valid passport and a valid visa and you have to show the possession of 500 US- $.

Foreigners must apply for a three-day period to register to let. This can be done by the hotels for a commission. The registration office, the Aliens Registration Bureau, is located in Shari 'al-Sahafa Zat near the University of Science and Technology. The registration fee is 110 SDG (as of 3/2010). The waiting time is about three hours.

Free Photo permits can be obtained from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in the Shari 'al-Mashtal, al-Riyadh east of the airport.

By plane

The Khartoum International Airport (KRT) is located almost directly in the center of the city. Numerous international airlines fly to Khartoum, including connections via Istanbul with Turkish Airlines, via Cairo with Egypt Air or via Dubai with Emirates.

By train

As Wādī Ḥalfā and Port Sudan can be reached by train. The trains only run a few days a month.

By bus

In the street

By boat

mobility

taxi

Taxi.

minibus

Tourist Attractions

Mosques

  • Great mosque
  • Faruq mosque. Erected at the time of the Egyptian king Faruq.
  • Tomb of the Mahdi, Omdurman.

Churches

There are numerous churches in Khartoum. Many of them are large and can be recognized as such in the cityscape from afar. One example is the Roman Catholic Cathedral on the banks of the Blue Nile (at the Mak Namir Bridge).

St. Matthew's Cathedral viewed from the northwest
  • 1  St. Matthew Cathedral, Shariʿ al-Mek Nimr. St. Matthew's Cathedral in the Wikipedia encyclopediaSt. Matthew's Cathedral in the Wikimedia Commons media directorySt. Matthew's Cathedral (Q1411286) in the Wikidata database.The Roman Catholic cathedral with its patrons, the evangelist Matthew and the two patron saints of the Catholic Church in Sudan, St. Daniele Comboni (1831–1881) and the saints St. Bakhita (1869–1947), is also the seat of the Archbishop of Khartoum. The three-aisled church, which with its pointed towers is somewhat reminiscent of a fairy tale castle, was built as a replacement for the 1847 and in the 1880s by the Mahdists destroyed predecessor church in neo-romantic Style with a free-standing bell tower (Campanile) from 1908 under the patronage of the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I. built and consecrated in 1933. There is a short transept in front of the chancel in the form of an apse. The octagonal Crossing has a dome. There are galleries above the aisles, while the side walls themselves are unadorned. The half-dome above the apse shows Christ with four sheep on either side. Below are five high windows, with the four archangels in between. There is one on the west side of the church Rose window. Services are held in the morning on Sundays and on Holy Holidays.(15 ° 36 '38 "N.32 ° 32 ′ 2 ″ E)

In the Amarat district there is a church of the "Khartoum International Church (KIC)" (which can hardly be recognized as such). As a sight, it doesn't look like much. However, the services of the international congregation (held in English) are interesting. The majority of the congregation consists of whites who live and work in Khartoum, but some black Christians also attend church services on a regular basis.

Buildings

  • Palace of the Caliph, Omdurman.

Monuments

Museums

  • 2  National Museum (‏متحف السودان‎, Sudan National Museum) (next to the Friendship Hall, near the Burj el-Fatih Hotel). Archaeological Museum. Contains, among other things, the archaeological finds saved during the construction of the Aswan Reservoir.Open: Mon-Fri, with lunch break from 12 noon to 3 pm.Price: Entry 1 SDG.(15 ° 36 '22 "N.32 ° 30 ′ 30 ″ E)
  • 3  Ethnological Museum (Sudan Ethnographic Museum), al-Gamaa St. (on the corner of Al Gamaa St. and mak Nemir Avenue). Illuminates everyday life in the different regions of Sudan.(15 ° 36 ′ 29 ″ N.32 ° 32 ′ 3 ″ E)

Streets and squares

The most important street is the Shari 'al-Nil (Arabic:شارع النيل), The Nile Strait.

Parks

  • zoo
  • Tuti Island

Changing of the guard

This ceremony takes place every month on the first Friday near the south gate of the Presidential Palace.

activities

Cultural institutes

  • Center Culturel Français, Ali Dinar St..
  • Iranian Cultural Center, Al-Amarat St..

Clubs

  • German club
  • Greek club, Mak Nimir Ave, Khartoum 2.
  • Indian club, Omdurman.
  • Coptic Club

Festivals

  • Khartoum International Music Festival

Sports

  • Nubian wrestling matches. Fridays at 4 p.m. in Bahri.

shop

Classic markets

  • Sūq Omdurman. Biggest market in the city.
  • Sūq ʿarabī
  • Saad Gishra, Bahri.

Department stores

  • Afra Mall
  • Al-Amarat Center

kitchen

Cheap

Burger shops

In the city center of Khartoum around the "Souq al Arabi" there are countless nameless stalls where you can find almost the same offer at the same prices:

Burger with egg (200 to 300 SD) - goulash rolls: (150 SD) - chilled juice (50 SD, large: 100 SD) - freshly squeezed juice of grapefruit or orange (100 SD)

Kosher shop

So far it seems to be the only shop in Khartoum (*) that sells the koshery known to travelers to Egypt. (Mixed dish of pasta, rice, lentils with tomato sauce and chickpeas). The portion (there is only one size) costs 200 SD. You can also drink freshly squeezed sugar cane juice for 100 SD here.

The store can be found as follows:

From the Shell petrol station in the city center (“Souq al Arabi”) go west (the Nile is north for orientation). Take the second right. You can find it relatively at the beginning on the right-hand side. (Opposite there is an internet cafe marked “Net Coffee”.) From the outside, the shop looks like everyone else. In case of doubt, it is worth visiting the shops and looking for Koshery.

(*) Another shop is on the upper floor of the AFRA Center outside. There, however, the portion costs 400 SD.

medium

Upscale

nightlife

Cheap

medium

  • Cafe Ozone, located in Amarat at the Coca-Cola roundabout. An elaborate system of finely sprayed water all around ensures a pleasantly cool atmosphere in the open, park-like café.Price: A wide selection of cakes and coffee for 400 SD, fresh orange juice (0.5 liters) for 600 SD. Very good ice cream (3 scoops for 400 SD).
  • Cafe and Restaurant Solitaire, located in Amarat near the Swiss embassy. Nice decor, very good service, very good food at (by European standards) low prices. Free wireless LAN hot spot! Medium selection of pretty good cakes. Good coffee specialties.Price: Beefsteak with French fries and grilled vegetables for approx. 3200 SD. Cheese and mushroom omelette made from three eggs with fries and tomatoes for approx. 1000 SD. One of the few ways to get real sparkling water (soda) (400 SD for 0.33 liters).

Upscale

accommodation

With the construction of new luxury hotels on the Nile front, Khartoum has received enormous bed capacities in recent years. Nobody has to fear any longer that they will not find adequate accommodation.

The range of cheap hotels in the downtown area is large, the rooms are often of good quality, although it makes a difference in the assessment whether you arrive directly from Europe by plane or overland from other African countries.

Most of the hotels are labeled with Latin letters. Generally speaking, good to excellent English is spoken.

Prices from around 400 SDG (2017 around 22 USD). In very simple hotels even below. There are also some hotels in the 4-star segment that offer rooms from around USD 60-70. Travelers on a very tight budget will find 2 campsites, including one at the Blue Nile Sailing Club right on the Nile.

A youth hostel is also available (with a bad reputation).

There is also plenty of choice in the upper segment. The 5-star hotels are all on the Nile. Among other things, the classic Grand Holiday Villa offers good quality at competitive prices (from around 120 USD).

Cheap

Numerous, also larger hotels in downtown.

medium

Some larger hotels in downtown, e.g. the Regency Hotel and others.

  • 2  German Guesthouse, 839 Block No. 22, Al-Tail, Khartoum. Tel.: 249 (0)915 367 916, Email: . A small hotel with 24 rooms in Riyadh, run by Germans. The hotel has a small garden with swimming pool and bar, TV room, book and DVD library. The rooms are equipped with a private bathroom, air conditioning and free wireless internet. An overnight stay costs between 72 and 86 euros including full board, airport shuttle, laundry service and taxes.(15 ° 34 '5 "N.32 ° 33 '50 "E)

Upscale

Learn

Work

security

Khartoum is generally considered to be the safest big city in Africa, and not without good reason: You hardly hear of assaults and violent crimes, you can move around on the street (even if you are white) unmolested. Nevertheless, caution is advised. The chaotic traffic and meter-deep holes in the pavement (sewer system) represent a greater danger.

health

In Khartoum you can get almost anything in pharmacies as long as you know the name of the active ingredient. Some of the drugs are much cheaper than in Germany (e.g. an N1 pack of the broad-spectrum antibiotic ciprofloxacin costs only 450 SD)

Practical advice

General

Sudanese are usually very friendly people. The traveler is almost always helped, hospitality is taken for granted as everywhere in the Islamic world.

Embassies

miscellaneous

post

General: The postal system had serious shortcomings in the past. Letters to Germany often disappeared or arrived very late. Lately, however, it seems to have improved. However, it is still advisable to make copies of (important) letters. (Can be made cheaply at the numerous copy shops.)

Poste restante items: To Khartoum without any problems. Letters and parcels can be picked up at the main post office free of charge (near the “Palace of the Republic”). Packages are e.g. Partly chargeable. Reliable storage. Information about poste restante items to other cities is not available. The item should be marked as follows:

FIRST NAME SURNAME
C / O POSTE RESTANTE
MAIN POST OFFICE
KHARTOUM
SUDAN

An underlined first name and neatly written block letters make it much easier to find the item again.

Postage to Germany: Letter 400 SD, Postcard 200 SD

telecommunications

Cellular:
2017: Virtually every Sudanese has a mobile phone. SIM cards with internet are also easy to get for foreigners in the main branches of the large telephone companies MTN, Zain and Sudatel. Passport presentation required. A 2.5 GB bundle (per month) costs around 60 SDG (approx. 3.50 EUR). The mobile network works very well across the country (with data transmission), even in the desert! The Internet can be a little weak during rush hour.

Telephone booths: The green Sudatel telephone booths are widespread in Khartoum, but often do not work. At certain times (especially late in the evening) you also don't seem to be able to make calls. There are cards e.g. for 800 SD, which is for approx. 5 minutes to Germany is enough.

Telephone shop: A good alternative to the telephone booth is the telephone shop, in which, after the end of the call, the owner only has to pay for the time actually telephoned. Often you can also find telephones at kiosks or in the “hole in the wall” shops.

Telephone calls to Germany currently (April 2006) cost 250 SD per minute. Alternative: Net 2 Phone.

Net 2 Phone (Internet telephony): Many Internet cafés and telephone shops in Khartoum offer telephoning over a DSL line. Equipment, connection quality and prices are very different and range from headset telephoning with a long time delay ("radio feeling") for 100 SD per minute to telephoning with normal landline devices without any significant time delay for 50 SD.

Internet

In Khartoum there are many internet cafes with different connection quality (150 - 200 SD per hour).

Net Coffee

From the Shell petrol station in the city center (“Souq al Arabi”) go west (the Nile is north for orientation). Take the second right. Relatively at the beginning on the left side you will find a telephone shop on whose glass wall "Net Coffee" is written. There the hour costs 200 SD but the connection is usually very good.

trips

in the Sudan Riding on trucks or their cargo is very popular. It is customary to pay for it money that is negotiated in advance. In the urban area Khartoum, Omdurman, Bahri (Khartum North) conventional (free) hitchhiking with the numerous pickups is very possible. The best way to stop the car is to “wave down” (with an arm bent and the whole hand or the Arabic “come on” gesture.)

literature

Article draftThe main parts of this article are still very short and many parts are still in the drafting phase. If you know anything on the subject be brave and edit and expand it to make a good article. If the article is currently being written to a large extent by other authors, don't be put off and just help.