Ramadan preparations have been completed at the Massalikoul Jinaan Mosque in Dakar, Senegal.
The mosque, built by the Mouride Brotherhood in 2019, has been cleaned, with carpets and floors washed, speakers replaced, and the lighting system maintained.
Known as "The Path to Heaven" in Arabic, Massalikoul Jinaan is the largest mosque in West Africa, and, as every year, it will host iftar programs every day during Ramadan.
Thousands of people will break their fasts simultaneously at modest iftar tables featuring sandwiches, coffee, water, and dates. The leaders of the Mouride Brotherhood will also host iftar for Muslim ambassadors residing in Dakar.
The mosque is expected to receive 25,000 to 30,000 visitors daily during Ramadan for Taraweeh prayers, which will be held with the completion of the Quran.
With its golden dome resembling the Dome of the Rock and architecture reminiscent of the Prophet's Mosque, the Massalikoul Jinaan Mosque was opened for worship on September 27, 2019.
Named after the poem of the Mouride Brotherhood leader Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba, which translates to "The Path to Heaven," the mosque was built on a 6-hectare site in the Colobane district over seven years.
The largest mosque in West Africa, it can accommodate 30,000 people for prayer, with 10,000 inside the gilded interior and 20,000 in its marble-tiled courtyard.
The mosque, with its 78-meter-high minaret featuring a clock, also boasts five minarets, nine domes (one resembling the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem), and four prayer halls.
