People from across Senegal converged on the capital Dakar for the inauguration of a huge mosque, claimed to be the largest in West Africa.
The mosque has been built by the Mouride Brotherhood - part of the Sufi strand of Islam that predominates in Senegal, a country with a long tradition of religious tolerance.
Work on the mosque began a decade ago. The mosque's name of Massalikul Jinaan ("The Paths to Paradise") comes from the title of a poem by Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacke, the 19th-century founder of the Brotherhood.
The Mourides are one of four important Sufi brotherhoods followed by Senegal's Muslims, who overwhelmingly practice a moderate version of Islam while following the teachings of local spiritual guides.
