Anglo-Egyptian Sudan revolt culminated in the fall of Khartoum and the death of the British General Charles George Gordon (Gordon of Khartoum) in 1885. Tewfik's forces and those of the United Kingdom were forced to withdraw from almost all of Sudan with Abdalla establishing a theocratic state. Abdalla's religious government imposed traditional Islamic laws upon Sudan and stressed the need to continue the armed struggle until the British had been completely expelled from the country and all of Egypt and Sudan was under his Mahdiya. Though he died six months after the fall of Khartoum, Abdalla's call was fully echoed by his
Khartoum (; ') to the west. The city is the capital of the state of Khartoum. The origin of the word, "Khartoum", is uncertain. One theory argues that "khartoum" is derived from Arabic "khurṭūm" ( '), probably referring to the narrow strip of land extending between the Blue and White Niles. Dinka scholars argue that the name derives from the Dinka words "Khar-tuom" (Dinka-Bor dialect) or "Khier-tuom" as is the pronunciation in various Dinka Diaelects. These translate to a "place where rivers meet". This is supported by historical accounts which place the Dinka homeland in central Sudan (around present-day Khartoum) as