yunus al dikaym

Mahdist amir and cousin of the Khalifa Abdallahi. Born c. 1816, he was an elephant hunter in youth. Later, during the Mahdist Revolution (1881-1885), he joined the Mahdi at Jabal Qadir. He was assigned small posts under the Mahdi, such as winning over the Rizayqat shaykhs Ujayl w. al-Janqawi and Ahmad Sulayman or the killing of Muhammad Yasin agha. Took part in the siege of al-Ubayyid, battle of Shaykan, and siege of Khartoum. Was made amir by the Mahdi shortly before the latter's death on 22 June, 1885. Under the Mahdi's successor, the Khalifa Abdallahi, Yunus gained a more prominent position. He was amir of the Jazira in 1886-1887 and amir of Dongola for the periods of Feb. 1889-Apr. 1890 and Apr. 1891-June 1895. Was later breifly made governor of Berber but recalled in June 1897 with amir Mahmud w. Ahmad being made supreme commander of the north. At the battle of Karari (2 Sept., 1898) Yunus would remain with the Khalifa in his headquarters and later accompanied him to Umm Dibaykarat (24 Nov., 1899). Yunus was one of the few notable Mahdists to survive the latter battle; he would live until 16 July, 1935, dying at an alleged 120 years old.

References:

Obituary printed in Sudan Monthly Report, new series, no. 78 (June-July 1935), 1-2. SAD.

J.A. Reid, "The Mahdi's Emirs" SNR 20, no. 2 (1937), 309.

Richard Hill, Biographical Dictionary of the Sudan, 2nd edn (1967), 385 s.v. "Yunus al-Dikaim."

P.M. Holt, The Mahdist State in the Sudan, 2nd edn (1970), 143, 170-173, 178-179, 195, 198, 213, 232.

Ibrahim Fawzi, The History of the Sudan Between the Hands of Gordon and Kitchener, trans. Khalid J.D. Deemer and Zohaa El Gamal (1997), 147.