It was now time to turn north, starting the ascent towards Morocco and Europe. From Pais Bassari I moved to the center of Senegal to visit its sacred city of Touba.
A gigantic mosque stands in the center of the city. I decided to visit it at sunset to be able to enjoy the best lights.
Finally, a beautiful example of Islamic architecture is characterized mainly by the symmetries and the play of angles of the minarets.
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It is one of the most important mosques in the world, second only to Mecca.
For the city pilgrims, faithful and sellers of all goods. In the city, cigarettes and alcohol are prohibited.
A real door defines access and various prohibitions. It is necessary to walk barefoot, cover-up, and wear a local dress to enter the mosque.
Inside, a surreal atmosphere: lots of silence and many greetings of respect. They explain to me that in this place there is tolerance and compassion, that all people are equal. It is the first time since the Golden Temple in Amristar, India, that I have not experienced a similar situation. A nice dip in the memories, but even more the awareness that, in spite of religions so apparently different from each other, there may be places like this where peace and respect for individuals are the most important.
I spend a few days in the sacred city and then decide to go north to Saint Louis and the border with Mauritania. It had been too long from a border and I could not wait to remove the stamp on the passport even though I was aware that it was one of the last of this long journey.
Saint Louis is a lovely city with an old colonial-style old town. The beaches are wonderful but filthy.
Accommodation in the home of Mauritanian marabu, together with his family. Communication is difficult, but we still manage to understand each other. To thank him one evening I made him pasta with tomato sauce. The girls adored him and their sincere smiles filled my heart.
The road, the borders, a new country, however, were knocking on my door and when this happens, I can't resist. The way, towards Mauritania.