The Sudanese Republican Palace (, ) complex is the official residence of the President of Sudan, located in the capital city of Khartoum. It mainly consists of the Old Republican Palace built in 1830 and the New Republican Palace built in 2015. The Republican Palace has historical and cultural significance in Sudan. The palace is not open to the public, but there is a museum located behind it that visitors can explore.
The Republican Palace is a political symbol in Sudan. Postage stamps and banknotes have carried its image. The Palace name is given to the main street leading to it from the south, which was formerly known as Victoria Street. The Republican Palace is considered one of the main architectural landmarks in Khartoum, and it overlooks the southern bank of the Blue Nile River, near the confluence of the Blue and White Niles.
Ceremonies for presenting credentials to ambassadors of foreign countries and official country ceremonies take place in the Palace. The Republican Palace has a history full of historical events, starting with the killing of Charles Gordon, the ruler of British Sudan, during the Turco-Egyptian colonisation of Sudan at the hands of the supporters of the Mahdist revolution, up to the first celebration of Sudan’s independence from the Anglo-Egyptian colonisation and the lowering of the flags of the colonial administration and the raising of the flag of the Sudanese Republic in January 1956.
Location
The Republican Palace complex can be found on the south side of the Blue Nile river. It is bordered to the north by Nile Street, to the south by University Avenue, to the east by Abusin Street, and to the west by the Street of Mihera Bint Abboud. The city planners of Khartoum intended for the Republican Palace to serve as a way to divide the city into two parts, with government buildings and offices, commercial institutions, and other important institutions built around it.
History
Sudan fell under the rule of Turkish-Egyptian colonisation in 1821 after Muhammad Ali Pasha seized control. Egypt governed Sudan during this period, with a governor known as the Hakimadar ruling the region. The capital of Sudan was moved from Funj Sennar (1504-1821) to Wad Medani during the reign of Hakimadar Osman Bey Jarkas (September 1824 to May 1825). He made Khartoum his seat of power and gradually shifted the state's offices from Wad Madani to Khartoum. Khartoum eventually became the capital of Sudan in 1830, marking the final transition of power.
Hakimadaria Palace (Saraya al-Hikmadar) During the reign of Hakimadar Mahu Bey Urfali (May 1825 to March 1826), the first mud-built Palace was constructed in a rectangular as the main office for the administration of Sudan. The palace was situated on the southern bank of the Blue Nile, at a distance of under one kilometer fromintersection of the White and Blue Niles. It was named Saray al-Hakimadaria or Hakimadaria Palace, and the Hakimadar's residence was located there. Al-Saraya is a word of Persian origin, meaning castle or palace. It was used extensively during the Ottoman Empire (in Turkish, Seray), with the same meaning.
In 1834, during the rule of Hakimadar Ali Khurshid Pasha (March 1826 to June 1838), some improvements and additions were made to the Hakimadaria palace, and the province's building was established. The offices and interests of the State Administration were transferred to it, and Hakimadaria Palace remained the Hakimadar's residence.
In 1851, during the reign of Hakimadar Abd al-Latif Pasha (1849 to January 1851), the mud Hakimadaria Palace was destroyed and rebuilt using bricks. The bricks were carried from two different sources: the remnants of the ancient city of Soba, which was the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Alodia, and certain structures in Abu Haraz located on the eastern bank of the Blue Nile. The new palace consisted of two flats, made of stones from the outside, and had a separate pavilion for male and female visitors. It was surrounded by gardens with various types of trees such as palm trees and grapes. The Hakimadaria Palace remained the Hakimadar's seat until the Mahdist revolution.