A 'temple look-alike' Mosque?

Great Mosque of Xi'an

Salam alayk..

Dont feel surprised and stunned when you're traveling to China,you'll see none of the mosques looks like our mosque in Malaysia or any other Islamic countries.Maybe you'll feel doubt and curious to perform your prayer in a "temple look-alike" mosque.Well,this what makes China different from other countries.

Let me brief you a few history of this mosque before we go further..:





"The Great Mosque of Xian is the largest and best preserved of the early mosques of China. Built primarily in the Ming Dynasty when Chinese architectural elements were synthesized into mosque architecture, the mosque resembles a fifteenth century Buddhist temple with its single axis lined with courtyards and pavilions.

The interior

The mosque is a combination of traditional Chinese architecture and Islamic art. In Chinese style, there are a series of pavilions, with the four courtyards of the mosque between them. The wall, however, is decorated with Islamic art.

It is the only mosque in the country that is open to visitors. However, non-Muslim visitors are not allowed to enter the main prayer hall. The Great Mosque was added to the UNESCO Islamic Heritage List in 1985.

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. It's construction started in 742 AD, the first year of the Tianbao Era of Emperor Xuanrong’s reign in the Tang Dynasty, and additions were made during the Song (960-1279), Yuan (1271-1638), Ming (1368-1644), and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, which makes it an ancient architectural complex representative of many periods of time.

In the Tang dynasty, Islam was introduced to China by the Arabian merchants. Many Muslims settled in China and married Han people. The Great Mosque was constructed at that time to honor the founders of Islam in China. Since then many other mosques have been erected across the county.

The ceiling

The mosque during the winter

Well,i intent to write down as many as i can about this unique mosque,but i am pretty sure no one will bother my writing instead of the pictures.So,i decided to let the pictures talk for themselves..:) Enjoy...

The Gateway






Source: http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=9146