The Dakar Grand Mosque ( ar, المسجد الكبير في داكار) is one of the most important religious buildings in
Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...
,
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
. It is situated on ''Allée Pape Gueye Fall''.
History
Designed by Moroccan and French architects, Dakar Grand Mosque was opened in 1964 by
Hassan II Hassan, Hasan, Hassane, Haasana, Hassaan, Asan, Hassun, Hasun, Hassen, Hasson or Hasani may refer to:
People
* Hassan (given name), Arabic given name and a list of people with that given name
*Hassan (surname), Arabic, Jewish, Irish, and Scotti ...
,
King of Morocco
This is the list of rulers of Morocco, since the establishment of the state in 789. The common and formal titles of these rulers has varied, depending on the time period. Since 1957, the designation King has been used.
The present King of Moroc ...
and
Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor
Léopold Sédar Senghor (; ; 9 October 1906 – 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese poet, politician and cultural theorist who was the first president of Senegal (1960–80).
Ideologically an African socialist, he was the major theoretician o ...
.
Architecture
Richly decorated on the interior and exterior, it is stylistically similar to the
Mausoleum of Mohammed V
The Mausoleum of Mohammed V ( ar, ضريح محمد الخامس) is a mausoleum located across from the Hassan Tower in Rabat, Morocco. It contains the tombs of the Moroccan king Mohammed V and his two sons, late King Hassan II and Prince Abda ...
in
Casablanca. Its
minaret rises to 67 metres.
Islamic Institute of Dakar
Created in 1964 and situated in the
enceinte
Enceinte (from Latin incinctus: girdled, surrounded) is a French term that refers to the "main defensive enclosure of a fortification". For a castle, this is the main defensive line of wall towers and curtain walls enclosing the position. Fo ...
of the Grand Mosque, the ''Islamic Institute'' is a public institution under the direction of the Senegalese Minister of Education, dedicated to
Islamic research and teaching. The library of the Institute, named for prince
Naef Ben Abdelaziz Al-Saoud was opened 9 October 2004.
See also
*
Lists of mosques
*
List of mosques in Africa
*
List of mosques in Egypt
*
Mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
*
Great Mosque of Touba
*
Islam in Senegal
Islam is the predominant religion in Senegal. 97 percent of the country's population is estimated to be Muslim. Islam has had a presence in Senegal since the 11th century. Sufi brotherhoods expanded with French colonization, as people turned to r ...
*
Religion in Senegal
Religion and beliefs occupy an important place in the daily life of the nation of Senegal. Many denominations of the religion of Islam (the largest faith) are represented. Christians (principally Catholics) represents 3.3%. Other belief's are off ...
References
* Portions of this article were translated from the French Wikipedia article
Grande Mosquée de Dakar, retrieved 2008-02-15.
*Charles-Babacar Seck, ''La Grande Mosquée de Dakar, suivie d'une étude sur l'Islam au Sénegal'', 1966
External links
''A la découverte d'une ville du monde : Dakar''(TV5)
{{Islam in Senegal
1964 establishments in Senegal
Buildings and structures in Dakar
Mosques in Senegal
Mosques completed in 1964