This time last year I spent a couple of months in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. For much of that time I stayed in the beach town of Yoff. At the west end of the beach is the Grande Mosquée de Yoff, a beautiful large white mosque overlooking the ocean. Click through the slideshow below to view some of the photos I took around Grande Mosquée de Yoff:

Boys playing football on a beach in Dakar in front of the Grande Mosquée de Yoff.

Muslim Girls on a beach in Senegal.

Grande Mosquée de Yoff, Dakar, Senegal.

Islam in Dakar, Senegal.

The Grande Mosquée de Yoff, Dakar, Senegal.

A mosque in West Africa, travel photography by Geraint Rowland.

A family returning home after Sunday service at the mosque in Dakar.

The town of Yoff is built along the broad beach at Yoff Bay which faces the Atlantic Ocean, directly north of the centre of Dakar. Here is a previous photography blog I wrote about Yoff Beach and the people that live there. The large mosque is built right on the beach just metres from the ocean.

For much of the week the mosque seemed relatively quiet without much activity, almost ignored by the locals. However on a Sunday morning the mosque is full of locals who attend the weekly service and then often congregate on the beach afterwards. The beach is a fascinating place and great for photography, it is full of life and activity on a daily basis. During the time of the Tabaski Festival you will see children leading animals to the ocean for a wash. At the far end of the beach, past the mosque is the fishing village full of traditional, colourful wooden fishing boats. The surf at Yoff beach is also very consistent and is home to a couple of surfing schools and cheap friendly hostels. During the summer the beach also has some some of the best sunsets I witnessed in Senegal.

More of my travel photography from Senegal can be found on my website, my Instagram, and my Flickr account. If you are interested in purchasing any prints, using an image online or would like further information please send me an email at: geraintrowlandphotography@gmail.com.

The Tabaski Festival occurs every year in Senegal and The Gambia as well as much of West Africa. It is the same Islamic holiday that Muslims in other countries celebrate and call Eid al-Adha. For the festival which this year is held on August 22nd, every family has to buy and then slaughter a sheep or ram. Last year I was in Dakar, the capital of Senegal for the month of August, the following photos were taken during this period in the lead up to the Tabaski Festival. (Click through the slideshow below to view all of the photos).

Children pose for a photo with a sheep before the Tabaski Festival on a beach in Dakar, Senegal.

Selling sheep at the market in Dakar, Senegal before the Tabaski Festival.

Sheep portrait in Dakar, Senegal.

Children washing sheep in the ocean at Yoff Beach in Senegal.

Sheep on the beach at Yoff in Dakar.

Washing a sheep in the ocean in Senegal before selling it for the Tabaski.

Children lead a sheep into the ocean for a clean prior to the Tabaski Festival in Senegal.

What is the Tabaski Festival in Senegal?

The Tabaski Festival is the biggest public holiday in Senegal. Senegalese people return to their families from different parts of Senegal and even from overseas to celebrate the event. If you visit Senegal during August, you will see sheep everywhere. Penned on roads and pavements, tied to posts and cars. On the beaches you will see children washing the sheep in the ocean and playing with them on the sand. You will see them tied on the top of buses, riding with humans inside the buses and just about everywhere else that you look. There is even a national beauty contest each year in Senegal to determine the countries most beautiful sheep. In Senegal, the government runs a program codenamed Operation Tabaski to provide animals for those families that can not afford one. Incidentally, I know in the photos the animals sometimes appear to be goats but I was reassured that they were in fact sheep. After some online research I learnt that one of the ways to differentiate between the two is by their tails: sheep's tails hang down, goats tails are smaller and point up.

On the day of the Tabski festival following an important morning mosque service families return home to slaughter the animal and prepare it for the family feast. In total up to four million animals are sacrificed every year in Senegal for Tabaski. The entire animal is apparently used with nothing wasted, not even the intestines or horns. The day following the festival however I did see a large number of sheep carcasses on the beaches of Dakar.

Tabaski Festival is based on Islamic beliefs and could also be referred to as the feast of sacrifice. According to the holy Koran Prophet Ibrahim was commanded by God to take his son, Ishmael up on to a mountain and slaughter him as a sacrifice. Although Christians and Jews argue that Isaac was the son to be sacrificed and not Ishmael, all sides agree that Abraham was obedient to God and was ready to kill his son when a ram was provided as replacement instead.

More of my travel photography from Senegal can be found on my website, Instagram, Facebook Page and my Flickr account. If you would like me to be involved with an Instagram takeover please send an email to: geraintrowlandphotography@gmail.com.