Dassa-Zoumé

Dassa-Zoumé, also known as Igbo Idaasha 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 Igbo Idaasha
Commune and city
Dassa-Zoumé Location in Benin
Coordinates: 07°45′00″N 02°11′00″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. 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 Voodoo shrines.[3]

Dassa is also home to a Yoruba constituent monarchy.[4]