Great Mosque of Touba

The Great Mosque of Touba is the largest mosque in Senegal and the spiritual heart of the Mouride Brotherhood. Its main minaret reaches 86 metres — visible from far outside the city — and the prayer hall can accommodate tens of thousands of worshippers. The complex is surrounded by the tombs of Mouride leaders, including the mausoleum of Cheikh Amadou Bamba himself, whose remains are buried beneath the central structure.

Non-Muslim visitors are generally welcome outside of prayer times. Dress conservatively, remove shoes at the entrance, and ask before photographing — this is an active place of worship and pilgrimage, not a tourist attraction. The architecture combines North African and sub-Saharan elements in a style that is specific to Mouride sensibility: grand, white, and accumulative in scale.

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The mosque was begun in 1926 under Cheikh Amadou Bamba's direction, but Bamba died the following year before any significant construction could proceed. His son and successor continued the project over decades, adding minarets and expanding the prayer hall. Each Khalife General since has added to the structure — the mosque is a living architectural record of Mouride leadership.

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