Abstract:
Sudan suffers a serious shortcoming in the field of studying the history of cities despite of its vast geographical area and diversified natural and human resources. However, the study of cities history plays a key role in the development and growth of the cities by revealing the civilization of a city through the man and his social, cultural, economical or political activities that contribute to the development of the cities in all developmental spheres Sudanese history has been crystallized shaped through the ages according to the different historical events and which has a major role in the formulation of the Sudanese personality and identity by the emergence of the customs and traditions of Sudan that reflect the kind of cultural and ethnic groups. Umm Rawaba is a famous city and perhaps may be one of the well-known cities locally and globally because of its reputation as a commercial and economical city which established a wide range of relations with other cities through business and education. The above mentioned characteristics push the researcher to choose Um Rawaba, as a historical city, to study its history in depth. However, the study considers the history of the city during the Anglo-Egyptian rule and the role of non-governmental authority toward the city.
There are those who say that the British style of Um Rawaba may be the main reason for the lack of development of the country and there are those who believe the opposite. The researcher aims to study the role of the British administration in the city to find out truth.
The shift in the administrative style of Um Rawaba came with the British colonialism in the city and imposed new policies which are quite different from previous policies, hence, appeared the modern civil aspects of life even in habits and traditions of the man of Um Rawaba.
This study is entitled “Political, economic, social and cultural history of Um Rawaba in the period between 1912 –1956” to see the impact of the new system on the city and highlight the role of the national movements against the British colonialism and how the British colonialism handled with those movements.
