The Diourbel Region ( Serer and Cangin: ''Jurbel'') is a region of

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

. The regional capital is the city of

Diourbel Diourbel ( ar, ديوربل; Serer: ''Jurbel'', Wolof: ''Njaaréem'') is a town in Senegal lying east of Thiès. It is known for its mosque and local groundnut industry and is the capital of the Diourbel Region. The population in 2013 was 1 ...

. The region corresponds roughly to the precolonial Kingdom of Bawol and is still called by that name. Bawol (or ''Baol'') is an ancient kingdom formerly ruled by the

Joof family Joof (English spelling in the Gambia) or Diouf (French spelling in Senegal and Mauritania) is a surname that is typically Serer. This surname is also spelt Juuf or Juf (in the Serer language). They are the same people. The differences in spe ...

, one of the members of the Serer ethnic group found in

Senegambia The Senegambia (other names: Senegambia region or Senegambian zone,Barry, Boubacar, ''Senegambia and the Atlantic Slave Trade'', (Editors: David Anderson, Carolyn Brown; trans. Ayi Kwei Armah; contributors: David Anderson, American Council of Le ...

. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Bawol-Bawol'' which takes its name from the Serer mode of pluralisation, other examples being : ''Sine-Sine'' or ''Siin-Siin'' (inhabitants of

Sine In mathematics, sine and cosine are trigonometric functions of an angle. The sine and cosine of an acute angle are defined in the context of a right triangle: for the specified angle, its sine is the ratio of the length of the side that is oppo ...

), ''Saloum-Saloum'' (inhabitants of

Saloum The Kingdom of Saloum (Serer language: ''Saluum'' or ''Saalum'') was a Serer people, Serer/Wolof people, Wolof monarchy, kingdom in present-day Senegal. Its kings may have been of Mandinka people, Mandinka/Kaabu origin. The capital of Saloum wa ...

), etc. The population is primarily comprised by the Serer people especially those from the Cangin group, the Safene in particular. Gastellu, Jean-Marc, "L'Egalitarisme économique des Serer du Sénégal", IRD Editions (1981), p 446,

(Retrieved : 10 July 2012) The Serers are believed to be the original inhabitants of this area. The Wolof people, Wolof and other ethnic groups are also present. The Diourbel Region is rich in history and it is where the

Cekeen Tumulus The tumuli of Cekeen are located in the Diourbel Department of the Diourbel Region. The Diourbel Region and the city of Diourbel were part of the precolonial Kingdom of Baol, now part of present-day Senegal. Purpose In this area, a tumulus was use ...

are located. Scholars such as Charles Becker,

Henry Gravrand Father Henry Gravrand (France, 1921 - Abbey of Latrun, Palestine, 11 July 2003) was a French Catholic missionary to Africa and an anthropologist who has written extensively on Serer religion and culture. He was one of the leading pioneers of inte ...

, and Victor Martin suggest that these monuments were built by the Serer people Becker, Charles: "Vestiges historiques, trémoins matériels du passé clans les pays sereer". Dakar. 1993. CNRS - ORS TO
(Excerpt)
(Retrieved : 10 July 2012) Gravrand, Henry, "La Civilisation Sereer - ''

Pangool Pangool (in Serer and Cangin) singular: Fangool (var : ''Pangol'' and ''Fangol''), are the ancient saints and ancestral spirits of the Serer people of Senegal, the Gambia and Mauritania. The Pangool play a crucial role in Serer religion and hist ...

''", Les Nouvelles Editions

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

ines du

, 1990, p 77, and form part of the Serer tumulus of Baol (see also

Senegambian stone circles The Senegambian stone circles are groups of megalithic stone circles that lie in The Gambia north of Janjanbureh and in central Senegal. With an approximate area of 30,000 km²,Laport et al. 2012, p. 410 they are sometimes divided into the ...

). They are some of the

most sacred sites This article provides an incomplete list and broad overview of significant religious sites and places of spiritual importance throughout the world. Sites are listed alphabetically by religion. Abrahamic religions Abrahamic religions are mo ...

Serer religion The Serer religion, or ''a ƭat Roog'' ("the way of the Divine"), is the original religious beliefs, practices, and teachings of the Serer people of Senegal in West Africa. The Serer religion believes in a universal supreme deity called Roog (o ...

. The Département of Mbacke also includes

Murid In Sufism, a ''murīd'' (Arabic مُرِيد 'one who seeks') is a novice committed to spiritual enlightenment by ''sulūk'' (traversing a path) under a spiritual guide, who may take the title murshid, '' pir'' or ''shaykh''. A '' sālik'' or Su ...

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

order's holy city of

Touba Touba (Hassaniya Arabic: , 'Felicity'; Wolof: Tuubaa) is a city in central Senegal, part of Diourbel Region and Mbacké district. With a population of 529,176 in 2010, it is the second most populated Senegalese city after Dakar. It is the holy ...

. The installation of this order in

Serer country Serer may refer to: * Serer people * Serer language * Serer religion *Rafael Calvo Serer Rafael Calvo Serer (born 6 October 1916 at Valencia, Spain, died 19 April 1988 at Pamplona, Navarra, Spain) was a Professor of History of Spanish Philosophy, a ...

is a controversial one, especially among those Serers who adhere to the tenets of Serer religion (see

Serer history (medieval era to present) The medieval history of the Serer people of Senegambia is partly characterised by resisting Islamization from perhaps the 11th century during the Almoravid movement (which would later result in the Serers of Takrur migration to the south), to the ...

. However, some Serers are also Muslims and have headed this religious order.

Départements

The Diourbel Region is composed of three départements: * Bambey Département * Diourbel Département * Mbacké Département

References

External links

Région de Diourbel: Agence Régional de Développement
{{Authority control Regions of Senegal