The Great Mosque, located at 30 Huajue (Change Feeling) Lane in the center of the city, is the largest and one of the most important Islamic places of worship in China. The Great Mosque was added to the UNESCO Islamic Heritage List in 1985.
Its construction began in 742 AD, the first year of the emperor’s Tianbao era, the reign of Xuanrong tang dynasty, and the addition of the song dynasty (960-1279), yuan dynasty (1271-1638), Ming dynasty (1368-1644), and Qing dynasty (1644-1911) periods, which made its ancient buildings representative of many times.
During the tang dynasty, Islam was introduced to China by Arab merchants. Many Muslims settled in China and intermarried with Han Chinese. The grand mosque was built in memory of the founder of Chinese Islam. Since then, many other mosques have been erected all over the country.
The whole complex covers an area of 6000 square meters and can be divided into four courtyards.
In the first courtyard, there is a wooden arch. The arch, nine metres high and covered in glazed tiles, dates back to the 17th century. There are three rooms on either side of the arch, which contain some furniture from the Ming and qing dynasties.In the center of the second courtyard stands a stone arch with two stone tablets on each side. On the stela are the famous works of ancient calligraphers.
The entrance to the third courtyard is a hall with many ancient stone tablets. In the center of the courtyard is the Xingxin tower, where visitors can attend prayer services.The fourth yard has a prayer hall that can hold more than a thousand people.The mosque is a combination of traditional Chinese architecture and islamic art. In the Chinese style, there are a series of pavilions, including four mosque courtyards. However, the walls are decorated with islamic art.
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