Thies

Thiès grew as the junction of the Dakar-Niger and Dakar-Saint-Louis railways and is still a railway town in its bones, with the works and the old station at the centre. Its cultural claim is the Manufactures Sénégalaises des Arts Décoratifs, founded in 1966 under Senghor, where Senegalese painters' designs are woven into large tapestries on upright looms by hand, a technique brought from Aubusson. The workshop is open to visitors and the weaving is done in front of you.

History

Before colonisation the Thiès plateau was a wooded frontier between the kingdoms of Cayor and Baol, home to the Serer-Noon, and the village of Dianxene was founded there in the 17th century; it had only 75 people in 1860. The French set up a post in 1864 and created the commune in 1904, the town grew as a railway junction, and Léopold Sédar Senghor became its mayor in November 1956 (Wikipedia, Thiès).

Highlights

• The tapestry workshop - artists' designs woven by hand on upright looms.
• The finished tapestries - large works hanging in the showroom, made for embassies and public buildings.
• The railway heritage - the old station and works that built the town.
• The market - a large working city market away from the tourist routes.

When to go

November to May is the dry season. The tapestry workshop runs on weekdays and closes at weekends. Mornings are best for both the workshop and the market.

Practical notes

The workshop is the reason to stop and it takes an hour; the rest of the city is a working provincial centre with little for visitors. Tapestries are expensive and shipping is a separate arrangement. The railway is not currently a passenger service to most destinations.

Nearby

Keur Moussa is west towards Dakar, and Touba is northeast.

Key facts