‘Biggest mosque in West Africa’ to open in Senegal

Senegal will inaugurate a mosque that can hold 30,000 worshippers, described as the largest in West Africa, in the capital Dakar on Friday.

Senegal will inaugurate a mosque that can hold 30,000 worshippers, described as the largest in West Africa, in the capital Dakar on Friday.

Work on the Massalikul Jinaan mosque, which means “the Paths to Paradise”, began a decade ago on a swampy six-hectare site in the poor area of Bopp, on land donated by the government of the majority Muslim nation.

With a Carrara marble exterior and five minarets, the tallest of which is 78 metres, the mosque has a capacity of 15,000 worshippers inside and another 15,000 in an outside esplanade.

The interior includes a gold-leaf dome, giant chandeliers and decorations hand drawn by Moroccan workmen.

“With this jewel, we are on a par with what we see in Arab countries and other places in Africa,” said Mbackiyou Faye, who co-ordinated the building work.

The cost exceeded $33 million (Dh121.2m), all of which came from donations, Mr Faye said.