Thiès Senegal

Thies Senegal

Thiès...(pronounced chess). The town, considered Senegal's second city, and a mere 60km from the capital,  in an area considered to be among the most developed in the country, and is a transport hub, servicing routes between St Louis, Dakar and Bamako in neighbouring Mali.

History
Before colonization, the Thiès Plateau was a wooded frontier between the kingdoms of Cayor and Baol inhabited by the Serer-Noon, an ethnic sub-group of the Serer people. The Serer-Noon still inhabit the Thiès-Noon neighborhood of the south-west city today.

The plateau acquired strategic importance when the 

Thies City Center

French embarked upon an expansionist colonial policy. A military post was created in 1864 and the military have marked the city’s development ever since; it is home to a major military base.
Tapestry
Thiès is best known for its tapestry-making industry, an exclusive factory having been set up in 1966, producing work designed by Senegal’s top artists. The famous Birds of Paradise tapestry was manufactured in Thiès.

Manufactures Sénégalaises des Arts Décoratifs, located in Thiès, was one of the artistic centers 

Thies Tapestry

inspired by President Senghor in the 1960’s. Designs for the brightly colored tapestries are chosen from paintings submitted by Senegalese and other African artists.

Each design is first drawn in reverse, then enlarged and color coded. This large piece of paper is placed in the loom for the weavers to follow. The weaving is done on manual looms with two weavers completing about 1 sq meter per month. Only eight tapestries are made of each design. Most of the tapestries are gifts of the government to foreign dignitaries. Atlanta airport, Buckingham Palace, Bill Clinton, and George Bush are four of the recipients.

Economy


Thies Museum

Agricultural production includes  rice, peanuts, manioc, millet, and fruit, the city is a leading livestock-trading and meat-packing center. It has rail yards and repair shops, and alumina phosphate deposits are worked at nearby Palo and Taïba.

Today, Thiès is developing increasingly as an extension of the congested Cap-Vert Peninsula. It is attracting industrial investments (electrical and mechanical engineering) and there are plans to link it to Dakar by highway and commuter train.The city also contains a polytechnic school.

Other attractions in Thiès include a museum, an artisanal and crafts village and a few remains of old fortifications.

The Regional Museum of Thiès is (housed in the Fort of Thiès). was the first regional museum inaugurated in Senegal. It contributes greatly to the preservation of Senegalese culture, with specific focus on the city of Thiès.

The museum comprises an exhibit hall dedicated to prehistory, history of the region of Thiès, great kingdoms, slavery, and religious brotherhoods of Senegal. There are also an exhibit hall and a research center relating the history of the railroad of Senegal. The museum hosts artists in residence and regular exhibitions. With its collections of objects, photographs, paintings, and contributions from various researchers, the museum aims to give visitors a sense of Senegal's rich history.

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