Médina Dakar

A bustling popular quartier with tiny tailor's shops, a busy Marché Tilène and streets brimming with life, the Médina was built as a township for the local populace by the French during colonial days. It's the birthplace of Senegalese superstar and current minister of culture Youssou N'Dour. Besides being a very real neighbourhood, where creative ideas and new trends grow between crammed, makeshift homes, it's also home to Dakar's 1664 Grande Mosquée, impressive for its sheer size and landmark minaret.