Diourbel (;
Serer: ''Jurbel'',
Wolof: ''Njaaréem'') is a town and urban commune in
Senegal
Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...
lying east of
Thiès
Thiès (; ; Noon language, Noon: ''Chess'') is the third largest city in Senegal with a population of 391,253 in 2023. It lies east of Dakar on the N2 road (Senegal), N2 road and at the junction of railway lines to Dakar, Bamako and Saint-Louis, ...
. It is known for its
mosque
A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard.
Originally, mosques were si ...
and local
groundnut industry and is the capital of the
Diourbel Region. The population in 2023 was 157,554.
Transport
Diourbel lies on the
N3 road linking it to
Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...
and is also served by a junction station on the
Dakar-Niger Railway. Both the railway and the N3 cross the
River Sine in the town.
Climate
Twin towns – sister cities
Diourbel is
twinned with:
*
Avignon
Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...
, France
Notable people
*
Serigne Abdou Ahad Mbacké
Serigne Abdou Ahad Mbacké (Serigne Abdul Ahad Mbacke; Wolof: Sëriñ Abdul Ahad Mbàkke; 1914-1989) was a Senegalese religious leader. He served as the third Caliph of the Mouride brotherhood, a large Sufi order based in Senegal, from 1968 unti ...
, the third
Mouride
The Mouride brotherhood (, ''aṭ-Ṭarīqat al-Murīdiyyah'' or simply , ''al-Murīdiyyah'') is a large ''tariqa'' (Sufism, Sufi order) most prominent in Senegal and The Gambia with headquarters in the city of Touba, which is a holy city for t ...
caliph, was born in 1914 in Diourbel.
*
Seynabou Mbengue (born 1992), Senegalese footballer
*
Makhtar N'Diaye, former NBA player
*
Mohamed Mbougar Sarr (born 1990), writer and winner of the prestigious prix Goncourt
See also
*
Railway stations in Senegal
References
Diourbel region
Regional capitals in Senegal
Populated places in Diourbel region
Communes of Senegal
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