Médina is a commune d'arrondissement of the city of

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...

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

, part of the Dakar-Plateau arrondissement, located in the southern part of Dakar.

Overview

Médina is one of the most ancient and most populous areas of Dakar, and one that has kept its original African character, as opposed to the modern districts of the Plateau. As such, it is also a cultural centre of the city. A number of notable Senegalese people, including the world-famous singer

Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, wo, Yuusu Nduur; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine describe ...

and

Omar Pene Omar Pene (born 28th December 1955) is a Senegalese vocalist and composer, who is the lead singer of Super Diamono, and is now a solo artist. Career Omar Pene was born in the working-class neighborhood of Derkle in Dakar. Having been singing h ...

(another influential singer and musician) were born in Médina. Médina also houses some of the prominent landmarks of Dakar, including the Grand Mosque and the Soumbédioune market, one of the major street markets of Dakar, which is also a prominent tourist attraction.

History

The commune of Médina was established by the French colonial authorities in 1914. The explicit intent of the establishment of Médina was that of creating a "native quarter" for the African population, clearly separated from the urban areas inhabited by the Europeans, especially for health-related reasons.Raymond Betts, ''The establishment of the Medina in Dakar, Senegal 1914''
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References

Arrondissements of Dakar {{Senegal-geo-stub