ABSTRACT
The rule of Amir Mahu Bey marks stage in the advance of Khartoum to the status of a capital. It was his habitual residence, and he stationed his troops at Qubbat Khujali, across the Blue Nile. Then Mahu Bey ordered Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir to be brought forward, and he presented him with his own hand to Khurshid Agha, saying, 'If islam desire the prosperity of the country, then act according to the opinion of this man.' Khurshid's new deal was devised with the assistance of Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir, who was instructed to convoke an assembly of notables, and draw up a list of the villages, showing whether they were inhabited or lying waste. The picture of political stagnation in years is repeated in the field of economic history. Muhammad 'Ali began with an optimistic view of the resources awaiting development and exploitation in the Sudan.
