Named for General Charles George Gordon of the British army, who was killed during the Mahdi uprising in 1885, it was officially opened on 8 November 1902 by Kitchener himself.

[1] In 1924 the college commenced vocational courses for Sharia, Engineering, Teachers' Training, Clerical Work, Accounting and Science.

There were strong links between courses and Sudan government departments where it was anticipated students would work after graduation.

[4] Ismail al-Azhari, the first prime minister of Sudan, studied at the Gordon Memorial college but graduated from the American University of Beirut.

[5] Palestinian scholar Ihsan Abbas also began teaching at the College and continued on after it became known as the University of Khartoum.