The grave of al-Mahdi lies beneath the large Mausoleum in the background of this picture; the compound of his former home is in the foreground. Domed tombs are customarily built over the remains of venerated holy men. Born Muhammad Ahmad ibn Abd Allah, he assumed the title of al-Mahdi in 1881. His crowning victory in his campaign to purify Islam and destroy the governments that defiled it was the capture of Khartoum on 26th January 1885 and the killing of the British Commander, Major General Charles Gordon (Chinese Gordon), during the final assault on the capital.