Wad Madani  Wad Madani ( ') or Madani is the capital of the Al Jazirah state in east-central Sudan. Wad Madani lies on the west bank of the Blue Nile, nearly 85 miles (136 km) southeast of Khartoum. It is linked by rail to Khartoum and is the center of a cotton-growing region. The city is also the center of local trade in wheat, peanuts, barley, and livestock. It is also headquarters of the Irrigation Service. In 2008, its population was 345,290. It is the home of the Wad Medani Ahlia College, a private university. In the early 19th century, Wad Madani (Madani) was a small Turko-Egyptian outpost, which grew rapidly following the 1925 Gezira Scheme of irrigation to stimulate local economic development. Wad Madani is a commercial centre of the Gezira agricultural district and is mostly residential. Wad Madani has lively commercial activities with good souqs. The beaches of Wad Madani are on the eastern river bank of the Blue Nile, which flows into Sudan from Ethiopia. The city's facilities are more modernized than most places in the Sudan (except the Khartoum area). The University of al-Gezira is also in the area. Many famous figures are from Wad Madani, including, the popular Sudanese singers Insaf Madani, Abdel Aziz El Mubarak, Mohammed Al Ameen and Ibrahim Al Kashif, the renowned human rights lawyer and President of the Sudan Human Rights Monitor, Dr. Amin Mekki Medani, and the Chairman of the National Consensus Forces, Farouk Abu Issa. The center of the town's areas are the souq, Al Daraga, Al Gism Al Awal, Wad Azrag and the Sudanese District (formerly known as the British District). Wad Madani has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification "BWh"). Wad Madani is one of the main locations for most of Sudan's top educational institutes. In the City there are four main levels of education. First: kindergarten and day-care. primary or elementary school, upper second school and high school and Higher Education universities such as University of Gezira  Wadamadani Alahlia College. See List of Schools in Sudan