Touba
Senegal · Africa
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About Touba
Ṭouba is a city in central Senegal, part of Diourbel Region and Mbacké district. With a population of 1,120,824 in 2023, it is the second most populated Senegalese city after Dakar. It is the holy city of Mouridism and the burial place of its founder, Shaikh Ahmadou Bàmba Mbàcke. Next to his tomb stands a large mosque, completed in 1963.
The origin of the name is not certain and according to the Encyclopaedia of Islam, 'various etymologies have been current for the name', including Arabic tawba ('repentance'). The name is also superficially identical to the name of a tree in Paradise in Islamic tradition, Ṭūbā, and in Sufism, this symbolic tree represents an aspiration for spiritual perfection and closeness to God. But the Encyclopaedia concludes that the name of the place 'most likely stems from a reference to ṭūbā “blessing”'.
The city began life as a simple hamlet of the 'Baol'. Shaikh Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke, commonly known as "Cheikh Amadou Bamba" (1853-1927), is said to have led to the ascendance of the settlement to prominence when, in a moment of transcendence under a large tree there, he experienced...
Touba travel guide
Understand
Touba is the destination for the Grand Magal, an annual religious pilgrimage observed by Mouride Brotherhood, one of the four Islamic Sufi orders (tariqa) in Senegal. Annually, up to three million people participate in pilgrimage.
Getting there
As of 2026 there are daily commuter trains from the southern suburbs of Touba. Additionelly, there are seasonal services from other parts of Senegal transporting pilgrims to the Grand Magal.
1 Touba railway station (Gare de Touba). (updated Jan 2025)
See
1 Great Mosque of Touba. Largest mosque in Touba and spiritual home of the Mouride brotherhood, the major Sufi order in Senegal. Construction of the mosque started in 1887 but not completed until 1963. Within the mosque's compounds are shrines as well as a large Islamic library. (updated Jan 2025)
Do
Grand Magal of Touba. (updated Oct 2018)
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.