Touba, Senegal

Touba, the second most populous city in Senegal, is now best known as the holy city and center of the Murids, a Sufi Muslim brotherhood founded in the late 19th century which today has millions of members. Especially beginning in the 1980s, the Murid brotherhood was instrumental in establishing New York’s Senegalese community, enabling many young male Wolof-speaking traders to come to New York, initially often as street vendors or cab drivers, with 116th Street a key center. Many Senegalese New Yorkers maintain close ties to and send remittances to Touba, where the Murid leadership is concentrated.