History of Ferkessedougou

class="apple-converted-space"> Muslims. The Senufo were soon followed by the Dioula or Jula, a Mandinka merchant class prominent throughout West Africa. The Dioula, as they are called in Côte d'Ivoire, reached the area and settled the nearby city of Kong in the 12th century. Despite being outnumbered by the Senufo, they prospered as traders and advisors in much of the region. In the 18th century, the Kong Empire to the east became a major regional power, and dominated the Ferkessédougou area.

The town of Ferkessédougou was founded as late as the 19th century by Ferkessé, a Niarafola leader pushed to the west by the expansion of the Kong Empire. The name is a contraction of Ferkessés - dougou ("Village" in Bambara).

At the end of the 19th century, the area fell under the