The Great Mosque of Touba ( ar, الجامع الكبير في توبا) is a
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a Place of worship, place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers (sujud) ...
in
Touba, Senegal. It was founded by Ahmad Bamba in 1887 and completed in 1963. Bamba died in 1927 and was interred inside the mosque.
Since his death the mosque has been controlled by his family. It is the largest building in the city and one of the largest mosques in Africa, with a capacity of 7,000.
It is the site of a pilgrimage, the
Grand Magal of Touba.
It is the home of the
Mouride Brotherhood, a
Sufi order, thus making it important to that order.
History
The construction of the great mosque at Touba was conceived in the final years of Ahmad Bamba's life, around 1924–27. He also chose it as the location for his tomb. Senegal's colonial rulers of the time, the French, agreed the scheme in 1926, albeit after some hesitation. Construction was delayed because of the misappropriation of the first round of funds and then, under the direction of Mamadu Mustafâ Mbacke, Bamba's son and successor, proceeded only very slowly. In 1932 the foundations were completed; work paused in 1939–1947; and the building was inaugurated in 1963. Mamadu Mustafâ was also entombed there.
Design
The mosque is 100 metres long and 80 metres wide. It has seven
minaret
A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گلدسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally ...
s, three large
dome
A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a ...
s and eleven other domes, and two ablution chambers. The central minaret is 96 metres (315 feet) tall.
[J. L. Triaud, 'Ṭūbā', in ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'', ed. by P. Bearman and others, 2nd edn (Leiden: Brill, 1954–2005), ; .]
The immediate vicinity of the mosque houses the
mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be con ...
of Ahmad Bamba's sons, the caliphs of the Mouride order. Other institutions in the center of the holy city include a library boasting 160,000 volumes,
the Caliph's official audience hall, a sacred "Well of Mercy", and a cemetery.
The Great Minaret of the Great Mosque of Touba is also commonly referred to as ''Lamp Fall'', which was named by the second Mouride caliph in honour of
Ibrahima Fall
Sheikh Ibrahima Fall (1855–1930) was a disciple of Sheikh Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke, founder of the Mouride Brotherhood movement in West Africa. Well known in the Mouride Brotherhood, Ibrahima Fall established the influential Baye Fall movement.
...
(the founder of the
Baye Fall community).
Gallery
File:Grande_mosquée_de_Touba.jpg
File:Touba_009_(45908933714).jpg
File:Touba_034_(45718877585).jpg
File:Touba_035_(45718876175).jpg
See also
*
Lists of mosques
*
List of mosques in Africa
*
List of mosques in Egypt
References
External links
{{Islam in Senegal
1963 establishments in Senegal
Mosques in Senegal
Touba, Senegal
Sufism in Senegal
Sufi mosques
Mosques completed in 1963