The Michael and Cathryn Borden Memorial Book of the Day.*

Speaking of the Mahdi, here is the story of one man who actually pulled it off...for a while...

Dervish: The Rise and Fall of an African Empire (Wordsworth Military Library) by Philip Warner

From War-Art.com:

Dervish is the story of the rise and fall of an African Empire. It began in the Sudan in the 1880's with a localised 'Holy War' fought against 'decadent' Turkish/Egyptian overlords. It was led by Mohammed Ahmed Ibn Al-Sayid Abdullah - the Mahdi - and was soon to engulf a million square miles of arid territory. It forced the hand of a reluctant British Liberal Government, which was then approaching the zenith of its imperial power, and led to the disaster of the infamous Hicks expedition and the death of General Gordon at Khartoum.

Using first hand accounts and diaries of participants, the author brilliantly describes the growth of the Mahdist movement and the extraordinary devotion and discipline of the Dervish troops. set against them, with stoic endurance, were the British, Egyptian and Sudanese soldiers. The resulting fierce engagements inspired amazing feats of courage and daring on both sides. The Dervish Empire survived the death of the Mahdi by 13 years, ending at the Battle of Omdurman and Kitchener's reconquest of Sudan.

* Huh? Look here.