Atbara

Atbara (sometimes Atbarah) (Arabic: عطبرة‎ ʿAṭbarah) is a town of 111,399 (2007) located in River Nile State in northeastern Sudan. It is located at the junction of the Nile and Atbara rivers. It is an important railway junction and railroad manufacturing centre, and most employment in Atbara is related to the rail lines. It is known as the "Railway City' and The National Railway Company's headquarters are actually located here in Atbara.

History

The confluence of the Nile and its most northern tributary, the Atbara (Bahr-el-Aswad, or Black River) was a strategic location for military operations. In the Battle of Atbara, fought on 8 April 1898 near Nakheila, on the north bank of the river, Lord Kitchener's Anglo-Egyptian army defeated the Mahdist forces, commanded by Amir Mahmud Ahmad. Kitchener's strengthened position led to a decisive victory at the Battle of Omdurman on 2 September 1898, giving the British control over the Sudan.

The first trade union in Sudan formed in 1946 among railroad workers in Atbara. The city also is home to one of Sudan's largest cement factories (Atbara Cement Corporation). The town was the centre of the Sudanese railway industry. Few trains are made here now and rail traffic is much reduced. The original station and unusual dome-shaped houses of railway workers remain.

Atbarah River

The Atbarah River (Arabic: نهر عطبرة‎; transliterated: Nahr 'Atbarah) in northeast Africa rises in northwest Ethiopia, approximately 50 km north of Lake Tana and 30 km west of Gondar. It flows about 805 km (500 mi) to the Nile in north-central Sudan, joining it at the city of Atbarah (17°40′37″N 33°58′12″E / 17.677°N 33.970°E / 17.677; 33.970). Its tributary, the Tekezé River, is perhaps the true upper course of the Atbarah, as the Tekezé follows the longer course prior to the confluence of the two rivers (at 14° 10' N, 36° E) in northeastern Sudan. The Atbarah is the last tributary of the Nile before it reaches the Mediterranean.

For much of the year, it is little more than a stream. However during the rainy season (generally June to October), the Atbarah rises some 18 ft (5 m) above its normal level. At this time it forms a formidable barrier between the northern and central districts of the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Besides the Tekezé, important tributaries of the Atbarah include the Shinfa River which rises west of Lake Tana, and the Greater Angereb which has its source north of the city of Gondar.