Wad Madani

Wad Madani (Arabic: ود مدني, romanized: Wad Madanī), Wad Medani or Madani is the capital of the 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. The city is also the center of local trade in wheat, peanuts, barley, and livestock. It is also headquarters of the Irrigation Service.[1] In 2008, its population was 345,290.[1] It is the home of the Al Jazirah University, the second biggest public university in Sudan. It also has Wad Medani Ahlia University, a private university.[3] In the early 19th century, a district governor of Wad Madani (Madani) was Daf ʿAllah Muhammad, who was married to the Funj noblewoman Nasra bint ʿAdlan; they built a palace close to Madani, with a village called Suriba.[4] It became a small Turko-Egyptian outpost,[citation needed] which grew rapidly following the 1925 Gezira Scheme of irrigation to stimulate local economic development.[5] Wad Madani is a commercial centre of the Gezira agricultural district and is mostly residential. Wad Madani has lively commercial activities with well-stocked souqs. The river banks of Wad Madani lie East the Blue Nile, which flows into Sudan from Ethiopia. The city's facilities are more modern than most places in Sudan, except in the Khartoum area.