Gallabat
Coordinates: 12 ° 58 ' N , 36 ° 9' E
Gallabat ( Arabic القلابات, DMG al-Qallābāt ; also al-Qallab ) is a place in the state of al-Qadarif in Sudan .
location
Gallabat is on the border with Ethiopia . Metemma is on the other side of the border . It is the only border crossing between the two countries open to international travel. The road connects the Sudanese city of Gedaref with Gonder in Ethiopia and serves as a transit route to cross East Africa.
history
In 1870 an Egyptian garrison was established in Gallabat in the course of the Egyptian conquest of Sudan. From 1881 the Mahdi uprising took place in Sudan . The Mahdists captured Gallabat in 1886 and were attacked by Ethiopian troops here in 1887. Thereupon they reinforced their troops here under the command of Hamdan abu Anja . This invaded Ethiopia with 100,000 men and was able to take the city of Gonder . In March 1889, the Ethiopians attacked Sudan under the leadership of their emperor Yohannes IV . The Battle of Gallabat took place near Gallabat on March 9th . 150,000 Ethiopians attacked 80,000 Mahdists. A victory for the Ethiopians seemed to be on the horizon when the emperor was fatally hit by a stray bullet. The Ethiopian troops then withdrew, were persecuted and crushed. From July 1940 to February 1941 it was occupied by Italian troops from the colony of Eritrea .
literature
- Gallabat . In: Encyclopædia Britannica . 11th edition. tape 11 : Franciscans - Gibson . London 1910, p. 412 (English, full text [ Wikisource ]).