town, east-central Sudan. It is situated about 120 miles (200 km) southwest of Kassalā town. Located at an elevation of 1,975 feet (608 metres), it is a commercial centre for the cotton, cereals, sesame seeds, and fodder produced in the surrounding area. The Gash Irrigation Project is located to the northeast of Al-Qaḍārif. Light industries include cotton ginning and spinning mills and soap factories. Al-Qaḍārif is linked by road and railway with Kassalā. The population, mainly Arab or Nubian Sudanese, includes the indigenous Beja. Pop. (1993) 234,622.