couple of blocks south of the Blue Nile. It is said that around, or maybe later, than 1646, the Sheikh Hamad was born on Tuti Island. He was a part of the religious order and a student of the El Agyed. For reasons not known, the Sheikh moved to settle on the western shore of the white Nile. We see that his village and settlement on the white Nile as the first settlement of Omdurman. Sheikj Idiris wad Muhammad el Arbab was one of the first Mahas fukahaa to serve as a religious advisor in the region. He is seen as the founder of the Qadriya tariqa, or way, in Sudan. He was considered to have magical powers that aligned with curing the sick, restoring youth, and curing sterility. He was famous for giving out roughly sixty plates of food to his followers who were in need every day. Because of his generous and exuberant reputation, he was awarded the acres of land that now constitute the Eilafun region in Khartoum. References External links http://www.spicey.demon.co.uk/Nubianpage/mahas.htm The Mahas Survey Nile Nubians in Sudan Sudanese people of Beja descent