Wad Madani

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Location of Wad Madani within Sudan

Wad Madani (Arabic: ودمدني) is the capital of Al Jazirah state in east-central Sudan. ^[1] Wad Madani lies on the west bank of the Blue Nile, nearly 85 miles (136 km) southeast of Khartoum. ^[2] It is linked by rail to Khartoum and is the center of a cotton-growing region.^[2] The city is also the center of local trade in wheat,^[2] peanuts, barley, and livestock, and Wad Madani is headquarters of the Irrigation Service.^[1] In 1993, its population was 218,714.^[1]

1 History
2 See also
3 Notes
4 References

[edit] History

In the early 18th century, Wad Madani was a small Turko-Egyptian outpost, and grew rapidly following the 1925 Gezira Scheme of irrigation to stimulate local economic development.^[2] Wad Madani is a commercial centre of the Gezira agricultural district and is mostly residential. The number of inhabitants is apparently closing in on a million.^{[citation needed]} Wad Madani has lively commercial activities with good souqs.

Wad Madani is in eastern Sudan (right center).

The beaches of Wad Madani are situated on the eastern river bank of the Blue Nile. The city's facilities are more modernized than most places in the Sudan (except the Khartoum area). Wad Madani is a honeymoon destination for many Sudanese, which adds to a fairly easygoing atmosphere.

The University of al-Jazirah is also located in the area.^[2]

The popular Sudanese singer Abdel Aziz El Mubarak was born in Wad Madani in 1951, along with Mohammed Al Ameen, and not to forget the most celebrated sudanese singer Ibrahim Al Kashif. The center of the town's areas are the souq, Al daraga, Al Gism Al Awal, Wad Azrag and the Sudanese District (formerly known as the British District). The famous families are Al Madaniin, Al Zayad, Al Biharia, Abu Issa.

[edit] See also

Ethiopia - border country for the Blue Nile.

[edit] Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c "Wad Madani" (population), Microsoft Encarta, Online Encyclopedia 2001.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Wad Madani" (description), Encyclopædia Britannica, 2007, webpage: EB-WM.