Mali - The Medina Fort

Built in 1855 by Faidherbe, an officer of the French army, the Fort of Medina is the first military device in the conquest of French Sudan. Its strategic position on the Senegal River made it possible not only to monitor the region already underway between Bakel (in Senegal) and the city of Medina, but also to use it as a leader for the conquest of the vast territories between the basins of Senegal. and Niger. On April 20, 1857, about two years after the construction of the fort, El Hadj Omar Tall laid siege to Medina until July 18, 1857, when Faidherbe landed with his troops to save the city. At the same time, Medina became the seat of the colonial administration. The structure includes a large two-storey building (the officers' mess) and ancillary structures (the powder keg, the prison and the hostage school), all surrounded by an imposing stone wall.