Great Mosque of Touba

The Great Mosque of Touba is the largest mosque in sub-Saharan Africa and the spiritual center of the Mouride brotherhood, one of the most influential Sufi orders in West Africa. [1][2]

Touba was founded in 1887 by Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, the founder of the Mouride order. Construction of the Great Mosque began in 1932 and has been expanded multiple times, with the most recent minaret completed in 2006. Bamba is buried within the mosque. [1][2]

The annual Grand Magal pilgrimage to Touba commemorates Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba's exile by French colonial authorities and draws approximately 3-5 million pilgrims, making it one of the largest annual pilgrimages in Africa. The Mouride brotherhood plays a significant role in Senegalese society, economics, and politics. [1][2]

The mosque is open to visitors, though modest dress is required. The Grand Magal (typically in October or November) is the most significant time to visit. [1][2]

The annual Grand Magal pilgrimage to Touba commemorates the exile of the order's founder by colonial authorities and gathers very large crowds, making it one of the major pilgrimages in Africa. Modest dress is expected of visitors to the mosque. [1][2]

The Great Mosque of Touba, with its tall central minaret, is the largest mosque in sub-Saharan Africa and holds the tomb of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, the order's founder. The mosque anchors a city that the Mouride community built around it. [1][2]

Touba is the spiritual capital of the Mouride brotherhood, a Sufi order founded by Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba in the late nineteenth century that is a major force in Senegalese religious, social, and economic life. The city embodies the order's distinctive blend of devotion, discipline, and self-organization. [1][2][3]