Shendi, also known as Shandi, is a small city located in northern Sudan within the River Nile state. It is situated on the southeastern bank of the Nile River, approximately 150 km northeast of Khartoum and about 45 km southwest of the ancient city of Meroë.
The city serves as an important historic trading center and is the historical capital of the Ja'alin tribe, a powerful Sudanese Arab group to which most of its residents belong. A major traditional trade route across the Bayuda Desert connects the city's principal western suburb, Matamma, to Merowe and Napata, located 250 km to the northwest.
The village of Hosh Bannaga, which is the hometown of former President Omar al-Bashir, is situated on the outskirts of Shendi.