Great Mosque of Xi'an
| Great Mosque of Xi'an | |
|---|---|
| 西安大清真寺 | |
A walkway in the Great Mosque of Xi'an
|
|
| Basic information | |
| Location | Xi'an, China |
| Geographic coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Architectural description | |
| Specifications | |
The Great Mosque of Xi'an (Chinese: 西安大清真寺; pinyin: Xīān Dà Qīngzhēnsì) is located near the Drum Tower on 30 Huajue Lane of Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China. The mosque covers 12,000 square meters.
Contents
History
It is the oldest and one of the most renowned mosques in the country, founded in 742[1] during the Tang dynasty (618-907).[2] However, the majority of the existing Xi’an Great Mosque was constructed during the Ming dynasty and further expanded in the Qing dynasty.
It was built and renovated in later periods (especially during the reign of the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming dynasty). It remains a popular tourist site of Xi'an, and is still used by Chinese Muslims (mainly the Hui people) today as a place of worship. Unlike most mosques in Middle Eastern or Arab countries, the Great Mosque of Xi'an is completely Chinese in its construction and architectural style, except for some Arabic lettering and decorations, for the mosque has neither domes nor traditional-style minarets.[3]
Occupying an area of over 12,000 square meters, the Great Mosque is divided into four courtyards, 250 meters long and 47 meters wide with a well-arranged layout. Landscaped with gardens, the further one strolls into its interior, the more serene one feels.The first courtyard contains an elaborate wooden arch nine meters high covered with glazed tiles that dates back to the 17th century. In the center of the second courtyard, a stone arch stands with two steles on both sides. On one stele is the script of a famous calligrapher named Mi Fu of the Song dynasty; the other is from Dong Qichang, a calligrapher of the Ming dynasty. Their calligraphy because of such elegant yet powerful characters is considered to be a great treasure in the art of handwriting.At the entrance to the third courtyard is a hall that contains many steles from ancient times. As visitors enter this courtyard, they will see the Xingxin Tower, a place where Muslims come to attend prayer services. A 'Phoenix' placed in the fourth courtyard, the principal pavilion of this great mosque complex, contains the Prayer Hall, the surrounding walls of which are covered with colored designs. This Hall can easily hold 1,000 people at a time and according to traditional custom, prayer services are held five times everyday respectively at dawn, noon, afternoon, dusk and night.[2]
Gallery
-
-
A Chinese pavilion instead of a minaret.
-
Wahbi Al-Hariri's graphite drawing of the Great Mosque of Xi'an.
-
Entrance to the prayer hall
-
Calligraphy on a plaque in the Great Mosque of Xi'an
See also
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Great Mosque of Xi'an. |
- Islam in China
- Timeline of Islamic history
- Islamic architecture
- Islamic art
- List of the oldest mosques in the world
- List of famous mosques
- List of mosques in China
Notes
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://english.shaanxi.gov.cn/articleTourism/tourism/touristproduct/attractions/201303/30839_1.html
- ↑ Asian Historical Architecture at www.orientalarchitecture.com
