Kankan is a town of approximately 25.000 inhabitants, which extends on the left river of Milo, on a surface of almost 2.500 hectares.

Its situation of hinged slab of High-Guinea and the attraction of  Cheick-Sherif and Mohamed Fanta Mahdy made a city of it where the originating ones in all the French and foreign African territories are elbowed.

The autochtones are tradesmen and farmers. Before the opening of the roads Zérékoré-Monrovia and Kissidougou-Dabola, Kankan was the metropolis of the conveyors. The craftsmen, in particular the workers in ivory and the jewellers, are many and prosperous there.

KANKAN:  Capital of High-Guinea, it is the second town of Guinea from the point of view of the importance.  It has been just set up in Commune of full exercise. Its urban equipment continues (roadway system, water conveyance, electrification, etc). 
Terminus of the railroad Conakry-Niger, Kankan shelters a military camp and its airfield is equipped. Like all towns of its row, it has its schools, its medical  formations, its churches, its markets, its sports grounds, etc...

The Administration,trade and European elements start to build rather significant buildings there. In their turn, the populations gradually replace their straw dormittories by houses into hard sheet glazes. (see proof photos). By putting at the shelter many fire damages during the dry season, that improves the conditions of hygiene, and habitability. But the means available to these populations are limited and it would be desirable that the Real estate company of Guinea thanks to which Conakry changes, extends its action more to it.
With the origin, the town of Kankan was a village in the north of the river under the baobab trees with the current site of the Inspection of the Administrative Businesses, upstream of the bridge [ on the Milo river ]. It was founded approximately 300 years ago by Malinké Mory (Malinké-Marabouts) of Sarakolé race and whose ancestor, Abdouramane Kaba or Mouramani, would have come from Diafounou close to Nioro (Sudan French, today the Republic of Mali). This ancestor settled in Diankana (village which is approximately 20 kilometers from Kankan on the road of Siguiri, where he was joined later by his sister Mariamagbe Kaba, Holy called upon nowadays. The descendants of Abdouramane Kaba founded the village of Bankalan (approximately 28 kilometers from Kankan on the road of Siguiri) from where one of them, Daouda Kaba, created a hamlet of culture to supply his brother Fodé Mamadouba Kaba.  This brother had advised to him to make his lougan upstream village on Milo to be able to easily descend harvest on the river. Apart from the periods of culture and harvest Daouda was constantly occupied cutting the kind of reed called "Malinké"  Kan or "Xan-Xan" who pushes in the plain of the rivers and with which one braids the "secco" closing of the door of the dormitories. Domestic hedges and other uses are also made of them. It is of that Kankan, then hamlet of culture, would have drawn its name. Later, a Marabout, Kabadinè called Kabinè (future M'Bemba Alpha Kabinè) reading in the future asked for to his elder brothers the authorization of going to settle with his talibés in a place not very far away from the borough. It created a small hamlet there.  Little time afterwards, he was joined by his close relations and, gained by the charms of the place and under the hidden power of the future Saint Man, people everywhere had just enlarged the small agglomeration. This one was not long in extending until reaching the village. A Mosque was built close to the dormitory of the Founder of the new village. This dormitory exists nowadays in the West of the Mosque in rebuilding.   The Marabout Mbemba  Kabadinè , entirely devoted to Islamism, did not want to marry. One day, it revealed that he would not have a child and that the future generations of the City would be regarded as his descent. It is for that each one in the Malinké countries called him later "M'Bemba" (my ancestor or my Grandfather). With its death, "MBemba" was buried according to his last wills, in the small cemetery of the village, close to the tomb of his elder brother, with the site which he had chosen.  An unknown tree pushed on his tomb.  When the inhabitants said that this tree was a "Doubalé".  an authentic "Doubalé" pushed near his feet. One then believed that it was a "Séré", at once a truth "Séré" led to 5 meters.  Its sheets and its fruits did not leave any doubt about its dissimilarity with the first tree. But the "Doubalé" as the "Séré" constituted the underwood of the crowned tree and not one their sheets did not still try to pass through, nor beside the foliage of the protective tree. All their foliages are directed towards the West as by the hand of a clever man. With 10 meters of the crowned tree a beautiful "Ninkon pushed" (exotic plum tree) on the tomb of Karamo Sidiki, the father of the Sheik Mohamed Chérif. Currently a wall of stone, at the same time imposing andelegant, surrounds the tree crowned on a surface of 40 side meters. This wall, high by approximately 2 meters, is surmounted pieces of broken bottle to prevent the climbing of the kids attracted by the fruits of Ninkon.  The door of entry, with majestic and original leaves, is obligingly opened to the visitors by the Conservative of the place.

Daouda Kaba, had an only son named Fodé Mamoudouba Kaba called "Fode Toman", which, in Malinké, wants to say homonymous of Fode (Fode Mamoudouba). Fode Toman had in his turn four boys whose descendants gave rise to the four current districts of Kankan:

1.Timboda, which draws its name from Timbo, residence of Almamy of Fouta,
     who  maintained good relations with Kaba of Kankan, in particular with :
a- Alpha Kabine Kaba
b- Manfing Kaba  grandfather of famous Karamoko Talibi "Indigenous Mayor"
of  Kankan nowadays.
c- Alpha Mamoudou Kaba, father of Karamoko Mory Kaba, a Saint-man died in
    1916 and  grandfather of the current Head of the Canton of Baté, Alama
Amadou Kaba.

2- Kabada, probably souvenir of Kaba, last Capital of the empire of Mali on
Niger  in Sudan

3- Banankoroda  (under the cheesemonger)

4- Salamanida: Near the pool (pond) of Salamani , which was in the east of the

    city.

When Kankan was besieged by the troops of Almamy Samory, Karamoko Dai Kaba, one of sons of Alfa Mamoudou , went to the front in Ségou, and the city was occupied by the French Army in 1891. 

With the religious point of view, Kankan owes its current radiation in Cheick Mohamed Chérif called "the Sherif". The Sherif, dead on September 8, 1955, was certainly of his time the most popular Marabout and more venerated of Guinea and the close Territories. His ancestor, Sherif Lamine, an Arab, camefrom Mauritania to visit to the local Marabouts by propagating the litanies of "Qadria". His son, Alkaly Mahamoud, was versed in legal sciences and provided of this fact the functions of judge Kankan. It is probably of him that Rene Caillié mentioned in his relation travel to Tombouctou. His son, Karamoko Sidiki, married in Samatikya (Ivory Coast) named Fanta, which was to give the day to Mohamed Chérif called Fanta-Mady or Mamadi, son of Fanta) whose holiness appeared about 1922. Then, he had a great maraboutic influence which attracted to him, of the close countries, the students and many visitors. Those carried much gifts to him: horses, money, gold, carpets, clothes, etc... that he distributed at once in his environment.  He was a virtuous man , charitable, liked brotherhood. In his prayers, he always blessed France which he always regarded as the best of the nations. With his death he was buried in the dormitory where he was collected every day. His concession, to which the street of the Mosque on the Southern side leads, is recognized by a monumental gate of the Eastern style. His children grouped around their elder brother El Hadj Sidiki Chérif and devote themselves to Islamism. His spiritual succession is not yet assured. According to the old ones, the town of Kankan will shelter always simultaneously two saints: one, which will present the signs external of Holiness the other remaining hidden, in accordance with this malinké proverb: "a mountain is not seen behind the other". These Saints can be families other than those their predecessors. Some time after the death of the first, the second must necessarily appear. It is what  currently awaited in Kankan. 
Cheick Mohamed Chérif carried a regret: that not to have been able to complete the rebuilding of the Mosque. All the faithful ones, all the Friends of the Islam and all admirateurs of the Sherif must contribute to the completion of this Mosque which, from the point of view of architecture and because of its dimensions, would not have its similar in Africa.