Dakar's Massalikul Jinaan mosque ("The Paths to Paradise")

 While we were in Senegal traveling back from one coast to Dakar's coast, we came across the Massalikul Jinaan mosque. Here is a site to read and look at pictures, here is another when it was inaugurated in 2019. They let us tour and had a guide to show us around. Our guide was famous but I don't know why. He looked wise. I had on a short dress and felt woefully underdressed. They gave us scarves and a tie-around skirt and we took off our shoes when we went in. This was really a marvelous wonder to visit.

There are seven minarets, five when it was inaugurated in 2019

The number seven is a holy number so the mosque will never have more than seven minarets. There is a constant renovation and change happening. Just like our lives should have, as our guide said.

These pillars are made, carved, painted, and then embossed. It takes a lot of handwork and many hours and hours to accomplish. The symbols all mean something in a religious way.

These men were outside under the pillars chanting a wonderful song in a language I didn't know. I was told they were verses of the Koran.

The domes in all the ceilings have verses of the Koran in them.

Hours and hours of meticulous work

The tile throughout the building and outside keeps the same temperature and never goes above 40℃.
I was in my thin socks and was never uncomfortable.

Covered with a scarf and a wrap around skirt - They let me buy the scarf

There are three of these shade with pillars that men can meditate in.

Each minaret was entirely different. I do not know if they have different uses.

Jeffrey saw meanings and symbols everywhere and noticed a lot of Abrahamic connections

These are large prayer rugs where each man kneels in his own spot

Our guide told us about the prayers that Muslims are called to. He showed us how they prayed and the fact that they get ready for prayer with a washing. They start with one side and have a prescribed method of washing. I got down with the guide and some of the others when he knelt and bowed his head to the floor. 

The table is the place where we do not cross

This is where people go to pay their devotions

It felt like a sacred holy place, these carpets are rolled out five time a day for prayers.

Did you know there are hundreds of words for God? Our guide showed us how they use the prayer beads. We all could tell he was very practiced, especially after we picked up our own prayer beads. They use them to count how many times they say God's special name for what they want to pray about. 33 a little marker, 33 another little marker, 34 full circle. Then there is a little string with beads on it to pull down every time you reach 100. You can pray up to 1000 times using these beads. There were other strings, so I'm wondering if you could get to 3 or 4 thousand.

I bought some prayer beads and the scarf and was told that the Muslims sell peanuts and have many peanut fields to support their mosques. There was such a reverent, holy feel to the whole place. 

Though this mosque is the biggest one in West Africa, the mosques in the Arab world are much bigger. This one will hold 30,000 people to worship. Many come here. The ideal is for every Muslim to go to Mecca at least once in their life. This felt like a wonderful place to come.