Editing El-Obeid (section)

== History and overview ==
El-Obeid was founded by the [[pasha]]s of [[History of Ottoman Egypt|Ottoman Egypt]] in 1821. It was attacked by the [[Muhammad Ahmad|Mahdist]]s in September 1882, and, after capitulation, was subsequently destroyed in 1883. It was then rebuilt on a modern plan in 1898, following the fall of the Mahdist empire.<ref name="EB1911">{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=El Obeid|volume=9|page=297}}</ref>

In 2008, its population was 340,940. It is an important transportation hub: the terminus of a [[railroad|rail line]], the junction of various national roads and [[camel]] [[Camel train|caravan]] routes, and the end of a [[pilgrim]] route from [[Nigeria]]. As regional commercial centre, it is known for products such as [[gum arabic]], [[millet]], oilseeds, and livestock.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Al-Ubayyiḍ {{!}} Sudan|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Ubayyid|access-date=2020-12-23|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref>

The population of El-Obeid today is majority Muslim, with a small Christian presence. The town is the site of an [[El Obeid Airport|airport]] and an oil refinery. El-Obeid is home to the [[University of Kordofan]], one of the largest universities in [[Sudan]], established in 1990.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.fuiw.org/en/universites_membres.php
 |title       = Member Universities
 |publisher   = Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World
 |access-date  = 2011-09-17
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110930125830/http://www.fuiw.org/en/universites_membres.php
 |archive-date = 2011-09-30
}}</ref> Since 1989, the city also has been home to a French Association ([[Alliance française]]) that serves as a Sudanese-French cultural centre in cooperation with the university's French language department.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hassan|first=Faiz|title=The French Center in El Obeid: 30 Years of Cultural Programming|url=https://www.andariya.com/post/the-french-center-in-el-obeid-30-years-of-cultural-programming|access-date=2020-12-25|website=Andariya}}</ref>

The [[United Nations Mission in Sudan]] established its Logistics Base there.<ref>[http://www.unmis.org UNMIS homepage]</ref>

Due to the repair and paving of asphalt roads and the emergence of several private bus companies, transport became easier between the town and the Sudanese capital Khartoum. The {{convert|500|km}} journey takes about nine hours by tourist coach, and another three hours from El-Obeid to [[Um Kadada District|Um Kadada]] in [[Darfur]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Khartoum to Darfur – a road trip of rediscovery for Radio Dabanga|url=https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/khartoum-to-darfur-a-road-trip-of-rediscovery-for-radio-dabanga|access-date=2020-12-25|website=Radio Dabanga|language=en}}</ref>

During the [[Sudanese civil war (2023–present)|Sudanese civil war]], the [[Siege of El Obeid (2023)|city has been under siege]]. In early September 2023, the [[Sudanese Army]] recaptured the city. Tensions remain high at the grand market<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-06-14 |title=Sudan: North Kordofan's El Obeid Besieged but Electricity Restored |language=en |work=Dabanga |url=https://allafrica.com/stories/202306140111.html |access-date=2023-06-17}}</ref>