Siege of Khartoum stores dwindled and starvation began to set in for both the garrison and the civilian population. Communication was kept through couriers while Gordon also kept in contact with the Mahdi, who rejected his offers of peace and to lift the siege. On 16 September an expedition sent from Khartoum to Sennar was defeated by the Mahdists, which resulted in the death of over 800 garrison troops at Al Aylafuh. By the end of the month, the Mahdi moved the bulk of his army to Khartoum, more than doubling the number already besieging it. As of 10 September 1884, the civilian
St. Matthew's Cathedral, Khartoum in the neo-Romanesque style, featuring three naves and a high tower. St. Matthew's Cathedral, Khartoum St. Matthew's Cathedral is a Christian religious building in Khartoum, which is the capital of Khartoum State and Sudan. The cathedral is located on the bank of the Blue Nile, next to the Mac Nimir Bridge. It is the seat of the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Khartoum, under the patronage of Saint Matthew the Apostle. This building almost resembles a fairy-tale castle with its various turrets, slender spires and a large rose window. The Apostolic Vicariate of Sudan or Central-Africa was erected here in