The original settlement was the largest in the area of the Nile confluence before the Egyptians established Khartoum as their military garrison and administrative centre in the 1820s.

However, Khartoum North began to grow again as the southern terminus of the Sudan Military Railroad, completed in 1899.

[2] The Blue Nile was bridged in 1910, and the line extended to Sennar, but Khartoum North continued to serve as the central railroad station and yard.

Khartoum North trades in cotton, grains, fruit, and livestock; industries include tanning, brewing, brickmaking, textile weaving, and food processing.

[citation needed] A wealthy suburb emerged towards the eastern part of the neighbourhood, along the Blue Nile.