Original Item: One-of-a-kind. In the 1880's the SUDAN the vast land just south of Egypt was ruled by the Khedive from Cairo. Sudan was basically occupied by native Africans in the south and Arab traders in the north. The coming of the Muslim religious leader known as the "Mahdi" unified the population into an uprising against Egypt.

Britain assisted and allowed General Charles Gordon to become the Governor of Sudan on behalf of the Egyptian Khedive. The result was that after a long siege the entire Khartoum garrison, including General Charles Gordon, was butchered leading to much embarrassment for the British Government. It took 14 years, until 1898, for General Gordon to be avenged with the complete destruction of the Muslim Army at the Battle of Omdurman.

These wide headed spears were typical of North East Africa at the time of the Mahdi uprising, and were good weapons, however no match for the rifles and machine guns the British possessed.

Mounted on a matured bamboo haft measuring of 46", the massive iron head is 19 inches in length, giving an overall length of 65".  The broad iron head measures 5" across and leaf shaped, with a nice edge with little denting. Evident in the Newspaper etched illustrations of the period, these War Spears were often carried back by British Soldiers as mementos of participating in the the great Battle of OMDURMAN in 1898 under General KITCHENER.

Ready to display.

The Sudanese Wars are famously remembered in the movies too: Charlton Heston in "KHARTOUM" and in at least two productions of "THE FOUR FEATHERS". The close of the Victorian era was the height of the Great British Empire. A British soldier's bring back souvenir from his times on the front line.