Juffureh

History

Jufureh was founded by Samba Taal, a Muslim Torodbe from Futa Toro, within the Kingdom of Niumi. The alkalo of Juffure was among the most powerful nobles of Niumi. The Taal (or Tall) family traditionally held the position of falifo in the kingdom, and were responsible for collecting customs revenue from passing traders and adjudicating disputes. In 1651 a small plot of land from the village was leased by Jacob Kettler, the Duke of Courland, from the king of Kombo, as part of the Couronian colonization of Africa. By the 18th century the town had become an important centre of the Atlantic slave trade. The town took part in the Marabout revolt launched in the 1860s against the Niumi king Buntung Jammeh and as a result the town was razed by the royal forces. In 1866 the British bombarded the town from the river. Demographically, the predominant religion in the village is Islam. In 1999, a mosque and school, the Alex Haley Mosque and School Complex, was opened in Jufureh, where Haley traced back his ancestry through genealogical research.

Most-observed species

• Hooded Vulture

  Necrosyrtes monachus (Temminck, 1823) · Aves
  1,012
• Western Plantain-eater

  Crinifer piscator (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  935
• Common Bulbul

  Pycnonotus barbatus (Desfontaines, 1789) · Aves
  875
• Red-cheeked Cordonbleu

  Uraeginthus bengalus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  727
• Beautiful Sunbird

  Cinnyris pulchellus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  722
• Village Weaver

  Ploceus cucullatus (Statius Muller, 1776) · Aves
  717
• Black Kite

  Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  647
• African Harrier-Hawk

  Polyboroides typus A.Smith, 1829 · Aves
  640