We stepped down into an open courtyard and greeted some elders who directed us to a covered area with blankets. There we greeted Abdoulaye Thiaw and the two men with him. They had their copies of the Qur’an open, and it looked like a study group. We sat for just a minute or two, then reconnected with some of the elders in the courtyard. Aliah, one of the elders, addressed me and I explained I was there to learn. Aliah and the small group of both men and women then began to teach me about their leader and the history/geography of the area.
After teaching for about 20 minutes, they escorted me to the sacred cave. It is considered holy because the Layenne teach that after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), his spirit left the Arabian Peninsula and came to live in the cave at Ngor for more than 1000 years until being born into the body of Seydina Limalou Laye (PBUH) in 1843. Aliah, the Lamines and I descended a steep ladder into the narrow opening of the cave, once again under a mural of Seydina Limalou Laye (PBUH). Inside, it was so small that I had to bend way over--and my back still scraped the ceiling! We only had to walk a few yards in the pitch dark until the cavern opened up at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. As you can see in the pictures, it was a beautiful sight (It was hard to take pictures while bent over and balancing on wet rocks!).
After making our way back through the passage and back up the ladder, we were privileged to speak again with Abdoulaye Thiaw. He told me to visit him again and we will have a long talk and answer all my questions. I look forward to returning and bringing ALL my new questions!
