Dassa-Zoumé, also known as Igbó Ìdàáshà or simply Dassa, is a city in central Benin, on the Cotonou-to-Parakou railway and the main north-south highway. It is the capital of Collines Department. The commune covers an area of 1,711 square kilometres (661 sq mi), and as of 2013 had a population of 112,118.[1]
Dassa-Zoumé Igbó Ìdàáshà | |
|---|---|
 View of Dassa from Kamaté Hill, 2019 | |
  Dassa-Zoumé Location in Benin | |
| Coordinates: 07°45′00″N 02°11′00″E / 7.75000°N 2.18333°E | |
| Country |  Benin |
| Department | Collines Department |
| Area | |
| • Total | 661 sq mi (1,711 km2) |
| Population (2013) | |
| • Total | 112,118 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (WAT) |
Jama'at Islamique Ahmadiyya Benin built its central mosque (Mosquée Moubarqiue) here in 2010, which has a tall 18-meter minaret, just outside the city on the main road towards Parakou. Jama'at Islamique Ahmadiyya Benin also built a French/English bilingual primary school here, called Ecole Primaire Publique Ahmadiyya.[2]
The indigenous population of Dassa are the Idaasha. They migrated from the Egba subgroup of western Yoruba in present-day Nigeria to settle here.[citation needed] The city is known as a place of pilgrimage; the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared in the Grotte Notre-Dame d'Arigbo, around which a basilica has since been built containing several shrines.[3] The city is also known for its surrounding forests and hills, many of which contain Orisa shrines.[3]
Dassa is also home to a Yoruba constituent monarchy.[4]
History
The founders of the city of Dassa came from Igba in Nigeria around the 12th century. The kingdom of Dassa was created around 1600 and put under a French protectorate in 1889.
List of rulers of Dassa
References
07°45′N 02°11′E / 7.750°N 2.183°E