Dakar Religious Sanctuary Tour

A day to discover the great religious buildings of Dakar

Inaugurated with great pomp in September 2019, the Massalikoul Djinane mosque, which means “the paths of paradise” in Arabic, is now majestically imposed in the popular district of Colobane. It is undoubtedly one of the most impressive buildings in Dakar, a symbol of Mourid power.

It rises to nearly 80 meters high, it is a tribute to Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, founder of this brotherhood, the only one who is from Senegal

A project of such magnitude had not been matched since the construction of the great mosque of Touba, from 1932, despite the economic crisis at the time

Carrara marble, rows of gilded columns, and woodwork well lit by the 2,000 lights of a giant chandelier

Fifteen years after the launch of the project on which some 800 workers worked, Massalikoul Djinane has the capacity to receive more than 30,000 faithful

With its five minarets, it becomes the largest mosque in Dakar, and one of the most important in West Africa

The Mourids also called on foreign know-how: The ceilings and woodwork were made by Moroccan craftsmen, the formwork of the minarets by the Swiss company Royam, the marble arrived from Italy and Spain, while the luminaries and the luminous clock of the main minaret, inspired by that of Mecca, were made in China.

We will also see the Great Mosque of Dakar of 1964, overhung by a minaret 67 meters high, it is beautifully decorated, outside and inside. In addition to being a place of worship, it houses the Islamic Institute, a research center on Islam, and a large library containing among other things documents written by Senegalese Muslim scholars.

On the same avenue facing the Atlantic and at the gates of the third millennium, is the great Omarian Mosque, we will continue on the ledge to see the Mosque of Revelation built behind the African Renaissance Monument.