Nyamina is a small town and rural commune in the Cercle of Koulikoro in the

Koulikoro Region Koulikoro Region ( Bambara: ߞߎߟߌߞߏߙߏ ߘߌߣߋߖߊ tr. Kulikoro Dineja) is a region in western Mali. It is the second administrative area of Mali and covers an area of 90,120 km2. Its capital is the city of Koulikoro. Geography The ...

of south-western

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

. The commune lies to the north of the

Niger River The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali, Nige ...

and covers an area of 1,283 km². It includes the town of Nyamina and 47 villages.. In the 2009 census the commune had a population of 35,548. The town lies on the left bank of the river, 80 km northeast of

Koulikoro Koulikoro ( Bambara: ߞߎߟߌߞߏߙߏ tr. Kulikoro) is a town and urban commune in Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in A ...

History

According to the oral histories of the local Marka people, Nyamina was founded sometime between the 11th and 13th centuries, after the fall of the Wagadu Empire. It was the main commercial center of the region during the early decades of the

Bamana Empire Bambara or Bambarra may refer to: * Bambara people, an ethnic group, primarily in Mali ** Bambara language, their language, a Manding language ** Bamana Empire, a state that flourished in present-day Mali (1640s–1861) * ''Bambara'' (beetle), a ...

, dominating the salt trade but also hosting important markets for slaves, firearms, cloth, and horses. In 1794, during the civil war following ''faama'' Ngolo Diarra's death, the city was sacked and was overtaken in importance by Sansanding, further downstream. Nyamina fell to El Hadj Omar Tall without a fight on 25 May 1860 during his campaign to integrate Segou into the

Toucouleur Empire The Tukulor Empire (; ; ; also known as the Tijaniyya Jihad state or the Segu Tukulor or the Tidjaniya Caliphate or the Umarian State) (1861–1890) was an Islamic state in the mid-nineteenth century founded by Elhadj Oumar Foutiyou Tall of the ...

. The chaos following the Bamana collapse and Tall's death in 1864 severely restricted river trade, with Nyamina as the furthest upstream point that traders could safely visit. Riverine traffic in general declined precipitously, replaced by overland trade from Nioro du Sahel and the upper

Senegal river The Senegal River ( or "Senegal" - compound of the Serer term "Seen" or "Sene" or "Sen" (from Roog Seen, Supreme Deity in Serer religion) and "O Gal" (meaning "body of water")); , , , ) is a river in West Africa; much of its length mark ...

to Segou.

References

External links

*. Communes of Koulikoro Region Marka trade towns {{Koulikoro-geo-stub