Médina is a commune d'arrondissement of the city of

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

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 ...

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

Overview

Médina stands out as one of the oldest and most populous neighborhoods in Dakar, maintaining its original African character in contrast to the modern districts of the Plateau. Consequently, it also serves as a cultural hub of the city. A number of notable Senegalese people, including the world-famous singer

Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, ; 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'' described him as, "perhaps the m ...

and Omar Pene (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