Koki, also spelled Coki, is a town in

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

, the capital of an eponymous

arrondissement An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, and certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissem ...

in the Louga Region.

History

Koki was founded by the

marabout In the Muslim world, the marabout () is a Sayyid, descendant of Muhammad (Arabic: سـيّد, Romanization of Arabic, romanized: ''sayyid'' and ''sidi'' in the Maghreb) and a Islam, Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the f ...

in the Ndiambour province of the

Wolof Wolof or Wollof may refer to: * Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...

Kingdom of

Cayor The Cayor Kingdom (; ) was from 1549 to 1876 the largest and most powerful kingdom that split off from the Jolof Empire in what is now Senegal. The Cayor Kingdom was located in northern and central Senegal, southeast of Waalo, west of the kingdom ...

in the early 18th century. The Damel Maisa Tenda Wej gave him the estate. The site of Diop's Islamic

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

, it quickly became one of the most important centers of learning in the region as well as a center of anti-royalist political activity. A marabout uprising and a subsequent invasion from

Futa Toro Futa Toro (Wolof language, Wolof and , , ; ), often simply the Futa, is a semidesert region around the middle run of the Senegal River. This region, along the border of Senegal and Mauritania, is historically significant as the center of several F ...

led by Abdul Kader Kan were crushed in 1790 by the Damel. , ''Serin Koki'' in the 1820s, led another abortive rebellion against the Damel but was forced to flee to

Waalo Waalo () was a kingdom on the lower Senegal River in West Africa, in what is now Senegal and Mauritania. It included parts of the valley proper and areas north and south, extending to the Atlantic Ocean. To the north were Moorish emirates; to the ...

. In 1862 Lat Jor's supporters defeat his rival for the throne of Cayor, Madiodio, in battle at Koki. In 1875 Lat Jor and Alboury Ndiaye defeated and killed Shaikh Amadu Ba at the battle of Samba Sajo near Koki. In 1939 founded an Islamic institute known as the Coki Daara. It is today the largest in Senegal, and features on the list of national historical monuments.Ministère de la Culture
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Notable People

Studied

* Abdul Kader Kan, first

Almamy Almami (; Also: Almamy, Almaami) was the regnal name of Tukulor monarchs from the eighteenth century through the first half of the twentieth century. It is derived from the Arabic Al-Imam, meaning "the leader", and it has since been claimed as th ...

of the

Imamate of Futa Toro The Imamate of Futa Toro (; ; ) was a West African theocratic monarchy of the Fula-speaking people ('' Fulɓe'' and Toucouleurs) in the middle valley of the Senegal River, in the region known as Futa Toro. Following the trend of jihads in the ...

*Saxewar Fatma Jop, grandfather of Lat Jor

Born

* Mbaye Diagne, a Senegalese Military Officer and United Nations Military Observer who was credited with saving many lives during the

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, occurred from 7 April to 19 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. Over a span of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Gre ...

. *

Madieng Khary Dieng Madieng Khary Dieng (21 November 1932 – 27 November 2020) was a Senegalese politician, who was a member of the Socialist Party of Senegal, Socialist Party. He served as a government minister several times during Abdou Diouf's presidency. Biogr ...

, a former government minister under Abdou Diouf *

Sayerr Jobe Sayerr Jobe was the founder of Serekunda, the largest city in The Gambia. Sayerr was originally from the town in Koki, Senegal, Koki in the Kingdom of Cayor, in what is now northern Senegal. He was part of the wider Jobe (or Diop) family, which ...

, founder of

Serrekunda Serekunda (or Serrekunda; ) is a major city and the largest metropolitan area in The Gambia. It is situated close to the Atlantic coast, on the Gambia River, near the capital, Banjul. Serekunda and Banjul form an urban area known as the Kombos ...

References

Populated places in Louga region {{Senegal-geo-stub

History

Notable People

Studied

Born

See also

References