Touba

Touba, Senegal: Grand Mosquée

Touba, in full Touba Mosquée, town, west-central Senegal. The town is the home of the Grand Mosquée of the Mourides (Murīdiyyah), a large and influential Muslim sect in Senegal. The mosque, located at the heart of the town, is a large white structure with five minarets that houses the tomb of Amadou Bamba M’backe (d. 1927), who founded the order and the town. The Mourides have established an Islamic university and a large public library in Touba. In addition to the Grand Mosquée, there are also several smaller mosques located throughout the town. Touba is the site of the annual Grand Magal pilgrimage for the Mourides.

The cooperative efforts of the Mourides have made Touba an economic force and a regional business centre. Touba has several marketplaces, the largest of which is the Okass market. Most of the sect’s members are peanut (groundnut) farmers. The town is located in an agricultural (peanuts and millet) and pastoral (zebu cattle and goats) area of the Senegalese Sahel; it is connected by paved road and rail with Diourbel, the regional capital, about 30 miles (50 km) to the southwest. Pop. (2004 est.) 451,344.