Médine, Mali
| Médine | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
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 Médine
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| Coordinates: 14°22′34″N 11°22′06″W / 14.37611°N 11.36833°WCoordinates: 14°22′34″N 11°22′06″W / 14.37611°N 11.36833°W | |
| Country |
 Mali
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| Region | Kayes Region |
| Cercle | Kayes Cercle |
| Commune | Hawa Dembaya |
| Time zone | GMT (UTC+0) |
Médine is a village and principal settlement (chef-lieu) of the commune of Hawa Dembaya in the Cercle of Kayes in the Kayes Region of south-western Mali. The village is located 12 km east of Kayes on the left bank of the Sénégal River just downstream of the Félou Falls. The site of the village was historically important as the falls were the furthest point up the Sénégal River from Saint Louis that could be reached by boat. Navigation was only possible after the rainy season when the river was in flood.
In 1855 Louis Faidherbe, the French governor of Sénégal, constructed a fort at Médine to strengthen French control of the Sénégal River and to act a base in the expansion into the interior. The Siege of the Fort du Médine took place two years later in 1857 when the Toucouleur forces of al-Hājj Umar Taal unsuccessfully besieged French colonial troops under Faidherbe.
France at this time was struggling to create a West African empire to rival the holdings of its powerful neighbor England. The previous year, the French legislature had voted the first funds for what would become the Dakar-Niger railway line, a key transportation system to link France's colonies. As the railroad line expanded toward the east, the army established a series of forts, moving troops and cannon into them by steamship where possible and overland where not.
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