Khasso
Khasso or Xaaso is a region and former West African kingdom of the 17th to 19th centuries, occupying territory in what is today the Kayes Region of Mali. From the 17th to 19th centuries, its capital was at Medina until its fall. Khasso straddles both banks of the upper Senegal River roughly from Kayes to Bafoulabe, in a strip at most 60 km wide. It is located at the transition point between the mountains to the south and the arid plans to the north, and between the Senegambia region and the Niger river valley. History Over two thousand years ago, Khasso was populated by the Serer. The Khassonke people, however, were originally FulasIn ; in . who immigrated to the area and integrated with the local Malinké and Soninké populations. Initially oppressed by their hosts, the Fula revolted and in 1681 under the leadership of Yamadou Hawa they won their independence in battle at Toumbifara, near Bafoulabe. They elected Séga Doua (r. 1681 - 1725), Yamadou's son, as the first ' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Médine, Mali
Médine is a village and principal settlement (''chef-lieu'') of the commune of Hawa Dembaya in the Cercle of Kayes in the Kayes Region of south-western Mali.. The village is located 12 km east of Kayes on the left bank of the Sénégal River just downstream of the Félou Falls. The site of the village was historically important as the falls were the furthest point up the Sénégal River from Saint Louis that could be reached by boat. Navigation was only possible after the rainy season when the river was in flood. History Beginning in 1800 Medina became the capital of Dembaya, one of the small kingdoms that had split from Khasso after a civil war. Rising French Power France at this time was struggling to create a West African empire to rival the holdings of its powerful neighbor England. The previous year, the French legislature had voted the first funds for what would become the Dakar-Niger railway line, a key transportation system to link France's colonies. As t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Siege Of Medina Fort
The siege of Fort Medina took place in 1857 at Médine, on the left bank of the Senegal River in present-day Mali. The Toucouleur forces of Omar Saidou Tall unsuccessfully besieged native and French colonial troops commanded by Paul Holle. After 97 days of siege, a relief force under French Governor Louis Faidherbe lifted the siege and forced the Toucouleur army to retreat. Background Although France had been present on the coast of what is now Senegal since the 17th century with Saint-Louis and Gorée, it had never attempted to expand outside of these two settlements. In 1854 however, Colonel Louis Faidherbe was appointed Governor of Senegal and soon began an expansion of French interests into Waalo and up the Senegal River, alongside which the French began establishing a series of forts. The army moved troops, cannon and other supplies by steamship where possible and overland where not. In 1848, Omar Tall launched his jihad against neighboring Malinké regions. By 185 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Umar Tall
Hadji Oumarûl Foutiyou Tall (ʿUmar ibn Saʿīd al-Fūtī Ṭaʿl, , – 1864 CE), born in Futa Tooro, present-day Senegal, was a Senegalese Tijani sufi Toucouleur Islamic scholar and military commander who founded the short-lived Toucouleur Empire, which encompassed much of what is now Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea and Mali. Lapidus, Ira M. (2014) ''A History of Islamic Societies''. 3rd ed., New York: Cambridge University Press, pp. 472–473. Name Omar Tall’s name is spelt variously: in particular, his first name is commonly transliterated in French as ''Omar'', although some sources prefer ''Umar''; the patronymic, ''ibn Saʿīd'', is often omitted; and the final element of his name, ''Tall'' (), is spelt variously as ''Tall'', ''Taal'' or ''Tal''. The honorific ''El Hadj'' (also ''al-Hajj'' or ''el-Hadj''), reserved for a Muslim who has successfully made the Hajj to Mecca, precedes Omar Tall's name in many texts, especially those in Arabic. Later he also took on th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kayes Region
Kayes Region ( Bambara: ߞߊߦߌ ߘߌߣߋߖߊ tr. Kayi Dineja, ) is one of ten first level national subdivisions in Mali called Regions. It is the first administrative area of Mali and covers an area of . Its capital is the town of Kayes. The province was historically part of the Ghana Empire and the Mali Empire. Geography The region of Kayes is bordered to the north by Mauritania, to the west by Senegal, to the south by Guinea and to the east by the region of Koulikoro. In 2009 the region has a population of 1,996,812 inhabitants. Ethnic groups of the area include Soninkés, Khassonkés, Malinkés, Dialonkés, and Fulas (; ). Several rivers cross the region: the Baoulé, the Bafing, and the Bakoy which join at the town of Bafoulabé to form the Sénégal River. The Falls of Félou (15 km from Kayes), the Falls of Gouina (60 km to the south-east of Kayes on the Sénégal River), Talari Gorges, Lake Magui and Lake Doro are located in the region. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kaarta
Kaarta, (Also known as Ka'arta or the Massassi State) was a Bambara kingdom that arose after the fall of the Songhai Empire in what is today the western half of Mali and lasted until its destruction by Umar Tall in the 1850s. History Early history According to legend, Sounsan the first capital of Kaarta was founded near Mourdiah around 1635 by Sunsana, son of Niangolo. His son Massa was famously productive both on the farm and in the bedroom, expanding his power and holdings by marrying his many daughters to men who would come fight for him and raiding his neighbors. In 1710 rule passed to his son Benefali (r. 1710-1745), who fought a long war against the rising power of Bitòn Coulibaly and the Segou Empire. Benefali's son Foulakoro (r. 1745-1754) besieged Mourdiah, whose inhabitants begged for aid from Coulibaly. He came to Kaarta with an army, defeated Foulakoro, and captured him. The ''faama'' of Kaarta soon died in captivity. Re-Founding Kaarta was re-established by Sey B ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gajaaga
Gajaaga, also known as Galam, was a Soninke kingdom in on the upper Senegal river that existed from before 1000CE to 1858. The kingdom was mainly located in present day Senegal and some parts of Mali. It was sometimes referred to as the Land of Gold, which it exported in large quantities, and 'Galam' in fact means 'gold' in Wolof. In the middle of the 17th century, Gajaaga was perhaps the most powerful state in the upper Senegal river region. It controlled both banks of the river from the area of Kayes downstream to Bakel. Galam was a vassal of the empire of Jolof and Takrur kingdoms. History The Bacili dynasty established a successor state to the Ghana Empire, preserving the traditional snake cult of Wagadu. They came to the region from the Inner Niger Delta sometime between the 8th and 11th centuries CE and conquered the native 'Gaja' Soninke people, but their control was only truly cemented in the 13th century. At some point Gajaaga became a tributary of the Mali Empire, re ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Malinké
The Mandinka or Malinke are a West African ethnic group primarily found in southern Mali, The Gambia, southern Senegal and eastern Guinea. Numbering about 11 million, they are the largest subgroup of the Mandé peoples and one of the largest ethnolinguistic groups in Africa. They speak the Manding languages in the Mande language family, which are a ''lingua franca'' in much of West Africa. They are predominantly subsistence farmers and live in rural villages. Their largest urban center is Bamako, the capital of Mali. The Mandinka are the descendants of the Mali Empire, which rose to power in the 13th century under the rule of king Sundiata Keita, who founded an empire that would go on to span a large part of West Africa. They migrated west from the Niger River in search of better agricultural lands and more opportunities for conquest. Nowadays, the Mandinka inhabit the West Sudanian savanna region extending from The Gambia and the Casamance region in Senegal, Mali, Guinea and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Louis Faidherbe
Louis Léon César Faidherbe (; 3 June 1818 – 29 September 1889) was a French general and colonial administrator. He created the Senegalese Tirailleurs when he was governor of Senegal. Early life Faidherbe was born into a lower-middle-class family in Lille. He was the fifth child of Louis César Joseph Faidherde, a hosier who had volunteered as a Republican in the revolutionary war, and his wife, Sophie Monnier. His father died in 1826 when he was seven and he was brought up by his mother. In primary school, he displayed a talent for drawing and mathematics. He was a hard-working student and later received his military education at the École Polytechnique and then at the École d'Application in Metz. From 1843 to 1847 he served in Algeria, then for one year in Guadeloupe, and again from 1849 to 1852 in Algeria. West Africa In 1852 he was transferred to Senegal as sub-director of engineers, and in 1854 was promoted '' chef de bataillon'' and appointed governor of the col ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bambuk
Bambouk (sometimes Bambuk or Bambuhu) is a traditional name for the territory in eastern Senegal and western Mali, encompassing the Bambouk Mountains on its eastern edge, the valley of the Faleme River and the hilly country to the east of the river valley. It was a formally described district in French Sudan, but in 1895, the border between French Sudan and Senegal was moved to the Faleme River, placing the western portion of the district within Senegal. The term is still used to designate the region, but there is no formal administrative area with that name. Bambouk is primarily home to the Malinké people, and a distinctive dialect of the Maninkakan language is spoken there. History According to Martin Meredith, the Carthaginians used Berber nomads to establish a packhorse trade route across the Sahara between Lixus and "the goldfields of Bambuk in the Senegal River valley roughly 6th century BC to 2nd century BC." The Diakhanke established Diakha-ba and became Mu ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kouniakary
Kouniakary or Koniakari is a town and urban commune in the Cercle of Kayes in the Kayes Region of south-western Mali. The town is located approximately 65 kilometres from Kayes city. In 2009 the commune had a population of 8135. Koniakary was the capital of the kingdom of Khasso, and was sacked by Kaarta in 1800. In 1855, El Hadj Umar Tall constructed a tata at Koniakari to protect against the soldiers of French Colonel Louis Archinard Louis Archinard (11 February 1850 – 8 May 1932) was a French Army general at the time of the Third Republic, who contributed to the colonial conquest of French West Africa. He was traditionally presented in French histories as the conqueror an ...; the ''tata'' still stands today, and has become a tourist attraction. References *This article began as a translation of the corresponding article from the French Wikipedia, accessed December 17, 2005. Communes of Kayes Region French West Africa {{Kayes-geo-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kayes
Kayes ( Bambara: ߞߊߦߌ tr. ''Kayi'', Soninké: ''Xaayi'') is a city in western Mali on the Sénégal River with a population of 127,368 at the 2009 census. Kayes is the capital of the administrative region of the same name. The city is located northwest of the capital Bamako. Toponymy There are multiple possible etymologies of the name 'Kayes', all derived from the Soninke language. These include: the word "kharré", which describes a low humid place that floods in rainy season; the word 'kayé', a type of grass; 'khayé', the Soninke name for the rhun palm. History The area around Kayes was historically a part of the Soninke states of Diarra and Gajaaga. The important trading center of Goundiourou, known in Arabic sources as Ghiyaru, was just across the river, and was later rebuilt just south of the modern city.Charles Monteil ‘Le Site de Goundiourou’, Bulletin du Comité d'études historiques et scientifiques de l'Afrique occidentale française, Larose (Paris) ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |