Best Hui Muslim Food in Shaoyang: Hunan Rice Noodles, Beef and Local Halal Dishes
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Shaoyang halal food guide follows Hui Muslim food in Hunan, including rice noodles, beef dishes, local snacks, and the author’s mosque-and-food route through the city.
On May 1st, I arrived in Shaoyang from Changsha, Hunan, in the evening to slurp authentic Shaoyang rice noodles (shaoyang fen) at the long-standing Hui Muslim Restaurant No. 1 on Dongfeng Road.
The two most famous Hui Muslim noodle shops in Shaoyang are Hui Muslim Restaurant No. 1 on Dongfeng Road and Hui Muslim Restaurant No. 2 on Hongqi Road. Both grew out of the Shaoyang Hui Muslim Canteen, which was formed in 1956 during the public-private partnership era by elders from the Shaoyang South Mosque and East Mosque. In 1960, the Shaoyang Hui Muslim Canteen split into Hui Muslim Canteen No. 1 on Dongfeng Road and Hui Muslim Canteen No. 2 on Hongqi Road. After restructuring in 1982, they were renamed Hui Muslim Restaurant No. 1 and Hui Muslim Restaurant No. 2. Today, both shops operate at their original locations, serving traditional Shaoyang Hui Muslim noodles and various snacks.
Shaoyang noodles are known for being thick, round, and chewy, served in bright red chili oil. The Hui Muslim version is especially famous for its slow-cooked beef bone broth and large slices of beef. I ordered the top-tier three-delicacy noodles, which included beef egg dumplings, beef tripe, and large slices of beef, plus dried butterfly-shaped tofu (hudiegan) and pressed tofu (xianggan). This was my first time trying Hunan beef egg dumplings. They tasted great and felt very healthy. The beef tripe was chewy but not tough, and the beef was delicious. I asked the lady making the noodles for a mild spice level, and the heat was just right.
The soul of Shaoyang noodles is the local mountain pepper oil (shanhujiao you). It is made by mixing mountain spice (shancangzi) with vegetable oil, giving it a crisp lemon scent with hints of mint and ginger.
Another very popular item at the shop is the freshly fried brown sugar rice cake (hongtang baba). Brown sugar is a Shaoyang specialty. The local sugarcane has high sugar content, and the white frost on the surface is very nutritious. The resulting brown sugar is sweet but not cloying, with a rich, lingering sweetness and a unique sugarcane aroma. The brown sugar rice cakes cost two yuan each, and many people out for an evening stroll buy them to eat.
Near Hui Muslim Restaurant No. 1 is the Shaoyang East Mosque. This is the oldest Hui mosque in Hunan, first built in 1368 (the first year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty), which is why it is called the ancient mosque or old mosque.
In the first year of the Hongwu reign, the first Hui Muslim families to move to Shaoyang were the Ma, Zhang, and Su families. In the second year, the Hai and Cai families arrived, forming the five founding families of the Shaoyang East Mosque. The ancestor of the Ma family, Ma Cheng, was originally from Taixing, Jiangsu. During the Yuan Dynasty, he served as an official in the Privy Council. In the first year of the Hongwu reign, he retired and moved to Shaoyang. Because his descendants were granted the hereditary title of 'Hundred-Household' official, they became known as the Hundred-Household Ma family. The ancestor of the Zhang family, Pu Luode, was originally from Sanhe, Langfang, Hebei. In the first year of the Hongwu reign, he was appointed as a commander in the Baoqing Guard and moved to Shaoyang. The Ming Emperor gave him the surname Zhang. The ancestor of the Su family, Su Tong, was originally from Beijing. During the Hongwu reign, he was appointed as a commander and moved to Shaoyang. The ancestor of the Hai family, Hai Mengshi, was originally from Shunyi District, Beijing. In the second year of the Hongwu reign, he was appointed to the Baoqing Guard and later settled in Hai Family Lane in Shaoyang. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Cai family ancestor lived in the Hui Muslim camp outside the south gate of Nanjing. In the second year of the Hongwu reign, he was appointed as a commander and moved to Shaoyang.
The original location of the Shaoyang East Mosque is unknown. It is only known that it was moved from near the ancient Baihe Mosque in Tianjiawan Third Lane inside the city to the cattle slaughtering area (niuping) at the north end of Goutoupo, facing the Shaofu Street entrance. Because the cattle slaughtering area was near a Buddhist nunnery, it faced frequent interference, and the building was too small. In 1743 (the eighth year of the Qianlong reign), they traded land with the Gao and Liu families from Zhangjiachong outside the city and rebuilt it at the current location of the East Mosque.
The Shaoyang East Mosque was renovated in 1836 (the sixteenth year of the Daoguang reign), bombed by the Japanese army in 1944, and repaired in 1954. The main hall collapsed again in 1986, was rebuilt in 1990, and took on its current appearance after a Sinicization renovation in 2021.
The Zhangjiachong entrance near the Shaoyang East Mosque has always been the main hub for Hui Muslim food businesses. During the Republic of China era, it was home to halal eateries like Sihailou, Shuangfaguan, Dongheguan, Dongheyuan, Cuixiangyuan, and Fengfayuan, where a bowl of rice noodles paired with a bowl of rice was the popular meal. In 1956, these eateries were brought under the management of the city's catering company, which became the predecessor to today's Hui Muslim Restaurant No. 1.
The cemetery for the Ma, Zhang, and Hai families of Shaoyang Hui Muslims is located at the west end of Xihu Bridge. The Shaoyang South Mosque moved next to the cemetery in 1992, and the area has since become a major gathering place for Shaoyang's Hui Muslims.
The Shaoyang South Mosque was originally located at Jinjiatai outside the South Gate. It was built in 1914 under the leadership of Ma Xiangwu and other local Hui Muslims, with Ma Linyi donating a significant amount of funds. In 1985, due to the construction of National Highway 207, the South Mosque was moved next to the Hui Muslim cemetery and rebuilt to its original size. The original contractor cut corners, leaving the main hall unusable. It was demolished and rebuilt, and the current structure was officially completed in 1992.
The entrance to the Shaoyang South Mosque is likely the most convenient place for Shaoyang Hui Muslims to grab a meal. In the morning, the street is filled with vendors selling steamed buns (baozi), mung bean porridge, stir-fried rice noodles, and deep-fried dough sticks (youtiao), along with the standard beef rice noodles.
A standout item at the steamed bun stall is the spicy dried tofu (dougan) bun. The filling is made of diced dried tofu, fresh chili, mountain pepper oil, and spicy chili oil, wrapped in dough leavened with sourdough starter, making it soft yet chewy. The stir-fried rice noodles use thick, round Shaoyang-style noodles, flash-fried over high heat until spicy and flavorful.
We also bought cat ear pastries (mao'erduo) at the Ma Girl Pastry Shop by the mosque entrance, which are flavored with brown sugar. Shaoyang brown sugar is very famous and has a unique sugarcane aroma.
We had lunch at the Zhang Family Hui Muslim Restaurant by the Shaoyang South Mosque, where you can find the most classic Shaoyang Hui Muslim stir-fry dishes.
Shaoyang Hui Muslim cuisine focuses on beef, covering almost every edible part of the cow, from basic stir-fried beef to beef hoof, beef tendon, beef tripe, beef omasum, and their signature large slices of beef. They offer hot stir-fry methods like small-batch frying, iron-plate cooking, and toothpick beef, as well as soups like beef omasum soup. If you want spicy food, you can order stir-fried beef with chili, sour and spicy chicken giblets, stir-fried chili with fermented black beans, or steamed fish with Lao Gan Ma sauce. If you prefer less spice, you can ask the staff for mild or no spice, which makes it easy for northerners to enjoy.
We ordered stir-fried beef hoof, home-style grass carp, and stir-fried asparagus lettuce (wosun). The beef hoof was stir-fried with green chili, just like the stir-fried beef, but the hoof felt a bit tough and hard to chew. The asparagus lettuce was the best part—very fresh and tender. The kind you buy in Beijing supermarkets can't compare. They use a lot of rapeseed oil for vegetables here, which I think adds great flavor, but those who prefer lighter food should mention it beforehand. The home-style grass carp had quite a few bones, but the meat was excellent and lacked the fishy smell often found in northern grass carp. I usually don't like grass carp in Beijing, but I ordered it after the owner said the Hunan grass carp was good, and it turned out to be delicious.
They are very observant of their faith, and the mosque's imam (pieshen) even came to eat there at noon. After prayers, the elders from the mosque all came to the shop for noodles, which shows that the locals really trust this place. Their mooncakes (yuebing) are also very popular. While we were eating, we saw several groups of people come by just to buy them. The local Shaoyang mooncakes are just too big. After finishing one, you feel like you do not need to eat a meal.
The wall at the entrance of the South Mosque (Nansi) in Shaoyang features a series of paintings about the history of local Hui Muslims. The images include traditional Hui mooncakes, Hui sesame oil (xiangyou), Hui fried tofu (youdoufu), a Hui canteen, the Jiqing Hui Restaurant, and the Nanmenkou Three Spices Shop. There are many other shops near the entrance of the South Mosque, such as Zhang's Hui Barbecue, a pastry shop run by a Hui person named Su, and Ma's Hui Noodle Shop. There is also a hotel for ethnic minorities inside the South Mosque courtyard, making it very convenient for eating and staying.
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Summary: This Shaoyang halal food guide follows Hui Muslim food in Hunan, including rice noodles, beef dishes, local snacks, and the author’s mosque-and-food route through the city.
On May 1st, I arrived in Shaoyang from Changsha, Hunan, in the evening to slurp authentic Shaoyang rice noodles (shaoyang fen) at the long-standing Hui Muslim Restaurant No. 1 on Dongfeng Road.
The two most famous Hui Muslim noodle shops in Shaoyang are Hui Muslim Restaurant No. 1 on Dongfeng Road and Hui Muslim Restaurant No. 2 on Hongqi Road. Both grew out of the Shaoyang Hui Muslim Canteen, which was formed in 1956 during the public-private partnership era by elders from the Shaoyang South Mosque and East Mosque. In 1960, the Shaoyang Hui Muslim Canteen split into Hui Muslim Canteen No. 1 on Dongfeng Road and Hui Muslim Canteen No. 2 on Hongqi Road. After restructuring in 1982, they were renamed Hui Muslim Restaurant No. 1 and Hui Muslim Restaurant No. 2. Today, both shops operate at their original locations, serving traditional Shaoyang Hui Muslim noodles and various snacks.
Shaoyang noodles are known for being thick, round, and chewy, served in bright red chili oil. The Hui Muslim version is especially famous for its slow-cooked beef bone broth and large slices of beef. I ordered the top-tier three-delicacy noodles, which included beef egg dumplings, beef tripe, and large slices of beef, plus dried butterfly-shaped tofu (hudiegan) and pressed tofu (xianggan). This was my first time trying Hunan beef egg dumplings. They tasted great and felt very healthy. The beef tripe was chewy but not tough, and the beef was delicious. I asked the lady making the noodles for a mild spice level, and the heat was just right.
The soul of Shaoyang noodles is the local mountain pepper oil (shanhujiao you). It is made by mixing mountain spice (shancangzi) with vegetable oil, giving it a crisp lemon scent with hints of mint and ginger.
Another very popular item at the shop is the freshly fried brown sugar rice cake (hongtang baba). Brown sugar is a Shaoyang specialty. The local sugarcane has high sugar content, and the white frost on the surface is very nutritious. The resulting brown sugar is sweet but not cloying, with a rich, lingering sweetness and a unique sugarcane aroma. The brown sugar rice cakes cost two yuan each, and many people out for an evening stroll buy them to eat.
Near Hui Muslim Restaurant No. 1 is the Shaoyang East Mosque. This is the oldest Hui mosque in Hunan, first built in 1368 (the first year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty), which is why it is called the ancient mosque or old mosque.
In the first year of the Hongwu reign, the first Hui Muslim families to move to Shaoyang were the Ma, Zhang, and Su families. In the second year, the Hai and Cai families arrived, forming the five founding families of the Shaoyang East Mosque. The ancestor of the Ma family, Ma Cheng, was originally from Taixing, Jiangsu. During the Yuan Dynasty, he served as an official in the Privy Council. In the first year of the Hongwu reign, he retired and moved to Shaoyang. Because his descendants were granted the hereditary title of 'Hundred-Household' official, they became known as the Hundred-Household Ma family. The ancestor of the Zhang family, Pu Luode, was originally from Sanhe, Langfang, Hebei. In the first year of the Hongwu reign, he was appointed as a commander in the Baoqing Guard and moved to Shaoyang. The Ming Emperor gave him the surname Zhang. The ancestor of the Su family, Su Tong, was originally from Beijing. During the Hongwu reign, he was appointed as a commander and moved to Shaoyang. The ancestor of the Hai family, Hai Mengshi, was originally from Shunyi District, Beijing. In the second year of the Hongwu reign, he was appointed to the Baoqing Guard and later settled in Hai Family Lane in Shaoyang. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Cai family ancestor lived in the Hui Muslim camp outside the south gate of Nanjing. In the second year of the Hongwu reign, he was appointed as a commander and moved to Shaoyang.
The original location of the Shaoyang East Mosque is unknown. It is only known that it was moved from near the ancient Baihe Mosque in Tianjiawan Third Lane inside the city to the cattle slaughtering area (niuping) at the north end of Goutoupo, facing the Shaofu Street entrance. Because the cattle slaughtering area was near a Buddhist nunnery, it faced frequent interference, and the building was too small. In 1743 (the eighth year of the Qianlong reign), they traded land with the Gao and Liu families from Zhangjiachong outside the city and rebuilt it at the current location of the East Mosque.
The Shaoyang East Mosque was renovated in 1836 (the sixteenth year of the Daoguang reign), bombed by the Japanese army in 1944, and repaired in 1954. The main hall collapsed again in 1986, was rebuilt in 1990, and took on its current appearance after a Sinicization renovation in 2021.
The Zhangjiachong entrance near the Shaoyang East Mosque has always been the main hub for Hui Muslim food businesses. During the Republic of China era, it was home to halal eateries like Sihailou, Shuangfaguan, Dongheguan, Dongheyuan, Cuixiangyuan, and Fengfayuan, where a bowl of rice noodles paired with a bowl of rice was the popular meal. In 1956, these eateries were brought under the management of the city's catering company, which became the predecessor to today's Hui Muslim Restaurant No. 1.
The cemetery for the Ma, Zhang, and Hai families of Shaoyang Hui Muslims is located at the west end of Xihu Bridge. The Shaoyang South Mosque moved next to the cemetery in 1992, and the area has since become a major gathering place for Shaoyang's Hui Muslims.
The Shaoyang South Mosque was originally located at Jinjiatai outside the South Gate. It was built in 1914 under the leadership of Ma Xiangwu and other local Hui Muslims, with Ma Linyi donating a significant amount of funds. In 1985, due to the construction of National Highway 207, the South Mosque was moved next to the Hui Muslim cemetery and rebuilt to its original size. The original contractor cut corners, leaving the main hall unusable. It was demolished and rebuilt, and the current structure was officially completed in 1992.
The entrance to the Shaoyang South Mosque is likely the most convenient place for Shaoyang Hui Muslims to grab a meal. In the morning, the street is filled with vendors selling steamed buns (baozi), mung bean porridge, stir-fried rice noodles, and deep-fried dough sticks (youtiao), along with the standard beef rice noodles.
A standout item at the steamed bun stall is the spicy dried tofu (dougan) bun. The filling is made of diced dried tofu, fresh chili, mountain pepper oil, and spicy chili oil, wrapped in dough leavened with sourdough starter, making it soft yet chewy. The stir-fried rice noodles use thick, round Shaoyang-style noodles, flash-fried over high heat until spicy and flavorful.
We also bought cat ear pastries (mao'erduo) at the Ma Girl Pastry Shop by the mosque entrance, which are flavored with brown sugar. Shaoyang brown sugar is very famous and has a unique sugarcane aroma.
We had lunch at the Zhang Family Hui Muslim Restaurant by the Shaoyang South Mosque, where you can find the most classic Shaoyang Hui Muslim stir-fry dishes.
Shaoyang Hui Muslim cuisine focuses on beef, covering almost every edible part of the cow, from basic stir-fried beef to beef hoof, beef tendon, beef tripe, beef omasum, and their signature large slices of beef. They offer hot stir-fry methods like small-batch frying, iron-plate cooking, and toothpick beef, as well as soups like beef omasum soup. If you want spicy food, you can order stir-fried beef with chili, sour and spicy chicken giblets, stir-fried chili with fermented black beans, or steamed fish with Lao Gan Ma sauce. If you prefer less spice, you can ask the staff for mild or no spice, which makes it easy for northerners to enjoy.
We ordered stir-fried beef hoof, home-style grass carp, and stir-fried asparagus lettuce (wosun). The beef hoof was stir-fried with green chili, just like the stir-fried beef, but the hoof felt a bit tough and hard to chew. The asparagus lettuce was the best part—very fresh and tender. The kind you buy in Beijing supermarkets can't compare. They use a lot of rapeseed oil for vegetables here, which I think adds great flavor, but those who prefer lighter food should mention it beforehand. The home-style grass carp had quite a few bones, but the meat was excellent and lacked the fishy smell often found in northern grass carp. I usually don't like grass carp in Beijing, but I ordered it after the owner said the Hunan grass carp was good, and it turned out to be delicious.
They are very observant of their faith, and the mosque's imam (pieshen) even came to eat there at noon. After prayers, the elders from the mosque all came to the shop for noodles, which shows that the locals really trust this place. Their mooncakes (yuebing) are also very popular. While we were eating, we saw several groups of people come by just to buy them. The local Shaoyang mooncakes are just too big. After finishing one, you feel like you do not need to eat a meal.
The wall at the entrance of the South Mosque (Nansi) in Shaoyang features a series of paintings about the history of local Hui Muslims. The images include traditional Hui mooncakes, Hui sesame oil (xiangyou), Hui fried tofu (youdoufu), a Hui canteen, the Jiqing Hui Restaurant, and the Nanmenkou Three Spices Shop. There are many other shops near the entrance of the South Mosque, such as Zhang's Hui Barbecue, a pastry shop run by a Hui person named Su, and Ma's Hui Noodle Shop. There is also a hotel for ethnic minorities inside the South Mosque courtyard, making it very convenient for eating and staying.
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Hidden Muslim Heritage in Changping: Sheikh Baba Tomb and Beijing Hui Memorial Gathering
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Changping article records the annual gathering at Sheikh Baba’s tomb in Heying, Beijing, including the saint’s story, Hui Muslim visitors, dua, and community remembrance.
Yesterday was the 24th day of the third lunar month, the date of the annual memorial gathering (gan'ermaili) at the tomb of the saintly elder Baha Haji Sheikh Baba in Heying, Changping, Beijing. On this day, friends (dost) from Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, and across Beijing gathered here to remember the saint, learn about his life, and reflect on his great virtues and lasting influence on future generations.
The saint came to China from Medina during the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty to offer advice to the capital, where he was highly respected by the Ming Emperor Taizu. He refused the official titles offered to him, asking only to travel and teach the faith to the local people. The saint traveled everywhere on a white camel, living with strict discipline and high moral character, winning people over through his virtuous deeds. The saint eventually arrived in Heying, Changping, where he taught, preached, and performed many acts of kindness before passing away and being buried there. For hundreds of years, local villagers have told the story of how the saint killed a python on Mangshan Mountain to protect the people, a righteous act that brought blessings to the area and earned him lasting fame.
We are here to learn from the saint's indifference to fame and wealth, his humility, his integrity, and his lack of interest in vanity. We learn from the saint's kindness and love, his dedication to teaching others, his devotion to Allah, his love for people, and his friendly relations with neighbors. We learn from the saint's perseverance in spreading the true path, his steadfast faith, and his service to the community. May we work together with one heart to bring the saint's virtues into our daily lives, respect education, help those in need, live in harmony, and ensure the light of the true path continues forever.
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Summary: This Changping article records the annual gathering at Sheikh Baba’s tomb in Heying, Beijing, including the saint’s story, Hui Muslim visitors, dua, and community remembrance.
Yesterday was the 24th day of the third lunar month, the date of the annual memorial gathering (gan'ermaili) at the tomb of the saintly elder Baha Haji Sheikh Baba in Heying, Changping, Beijing. On this day, friends (dost) from Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, and across Beijing gathered here to remember the saint, learn about his life, and reflect on his great virtues and lasting influence on future generations.
The saint came to China from Medina during the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty to offer advice to the capital, where he was highly respected by the Ming Emperor Taizu. He refused the official titles offered to him, asking only to travel and teach the faith to the local people. The saint traveled everywhere on a white camel, living with strict discipline and high moral character, winning people over through his virtuous deeds. The saint eventually arrived in Heying, Changping, where he taught, preached, and performed many acts of kindness before passing away and being buried there. For hundreds of years, local villagers have told the story of how the saint killed a python on Mangshan Mountain to protect the people, a righteous act that brought blessings to the area and earned him lasting fame.
We are here to learn from the saint's indifference to fame and wealth, his humility, his integrity, and his lack of interest in vanity. We learn from the saint's kindness and love, his dedication to teaching others, his devotion to Allah, his love for people, and his friendly relations with neighbors. We learn from the saint's perseverance in spreading the true path, his steadfast faith, and his service to the community. May we work together with one heart to bring the saint's virtues into our daily lives, respect education, help those in need, live in harmony, and ensure the light of the true path continues forever.
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Muslim-Friendly Mountain Stays Near Beijing: Two Hui Guesthouses for Spring Trips
Reposted from the web
Summary: This spring travel account visits two Hui Muslim guesthouses in Beijing’s mountain areas, with notes on meals, family trips, local scenery, and Muslim-friendly countryside stays.
At the end of April, we had lunch at Dongge Shanyuan Farmhouse, located deep in the mountains of Shengshuiyu, Fangshan. The farmhouse is very close to Shangfangshan National Forest Park. The mountains here are rugged, making this the steepest Hui Muslim farmhouse I have visited in Beijing. Driving to the farmhouse is fine, but electric cars cannot make it further up the mountain, so please be aware of this.
It is run by a Hui Muslim man from Haidian, and they specialize in Chinese toon (xiangchun) feasts and whole roasted lamb. The guest rooms are newly renovated and very clean, making it a great place to escape the summer heat. The courtyard sits on a platform atop a cliff. There are chickens and pigeons in the yard, along with many Chinese toon trees, which is why it is also called 'Chunxiang Valley'.
We ordered roasted lamb chops, scrambled eggs with Chinese toon, magnolia buds (mulanya), free-range chicken, stir-fried river shrimp with chives, shredded pork with garlic sprouts, and braised tofu with green onions. The Chinese toon was picked fresh from the trees, and the magnolia buds are the tender spring shoots of the goldenrain tree, a classic wild vegetable in the Beijing suburbs.
On May 5th, we went to Huairou for a post-holiday gathering at Xiangyu Homestay in Lianhuachi Village. It is run by Hui Muslims from the Tongzhou Great Mosque, and they specialize in rainbow trout and farmhouse dishes.
The homestay is in Lianhuachi Village, Huairou, right behind Mutianyu. You follow the valley from Yanqi Lake and pass Shentangyu to get there. I heard there was a huge traffic jam here on May 4th, but it was much less crowded when we went.
You must eat rainbow trout when you come to Huairou. Rainbow trout only survive in running water, so it is hard to find in the city. Their roasted fish is very well-made and has a great texture. For our meal, we had braised beef with potatoes, spicy stir-fried chicken, boiled beef, scrambled eggs with Chinese toon, celery with dried tofu, stewed tofu, stewed meatballs, mixed wild vegetables, and deep-fried prickly ash buds (huajiaoya), with green onion pancakes (conghuabing) as our staple food. The meatballs served at the start were a bit salty, but they adjusted immediately after we mentioned it, and the following dishes were all light. The Chinese toon and prickly ash buds were picked fresh from the trees; the main reason to eat in the mountains is for that fresh taste. The green onion pancakes were also pan-fried to order, which made them quite fragrant. The spicy chicken was a bit like fried chicken; it was tender inside but the flavor didn't soak in. The braised beef was cooked until very tender, and I thought it tasted good.
After eating, we went to play in the water at Shentangyu Village in Huairou. Parking in the village costs 20 yuan for anything over 30 minutes. There is a row of poplar trees by the water that provides shade, so it is not too sunny. We bought water clothes for the kids on the spot, but they still got quite wet sitting in the water, so I suggest bringing an extra set of clothes for the children. The water temperature in May is still a bit cool, but the sun is warm, making it perfect for outdoor activities.
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Summary: This spring travel account visits two Hui Muslim guesthouses in Beijing’s mountain areas, with notes on meals, family trips, local scenery, and Muslim-friendly countryside stays.
At the end of April, we had lunch at Dongge Shanyuan Farmhouse, located deep in the mountains of Shengshuiyu, Fangshan. The farmhouse is very close to Shangfangshan National Forest Park. The mountains here are rugged, making this the steepest Hui Muslim farmhouse I have visited in Beijing. Driving to the farmhouse is fine, but electric cars cannot make it further up the mountain, so please be aware of this.
It is run by a Hui Muslim man from Haidian, and they specialize in Chinese toon (xiangchun) feasts and whole roasted lamb. The guest rooms are newly renovated and very clean, making it a great place to escape the summer heat. The courtyard sits on a platform atop a cliff. There are chickens and pigeons in the yard, along with many Chinese toon trees, which is why it is also called 'Chunxiang Valley'.
We ordered roasted lamb chops, scrambled eggs with Chinese toon, magnolia buds (mulanya), free-range chicken, stir-fried river shrimp with chives, shredded pork with garlic sprouts, and braised tofu with green onions. The Chinese toon was picked fresh from the trees, and the magnolia buds are the tender spring shoots of the goldenrain tree, a classic wild vegetable in the Beijing suburbs.
On May 5th, we went to Huairou for a post-holiday gathering at Xiangyu Homestay in Lianhuachi Village. It is run by Hui Muslims from the Tongzhou Great Mosque, and they specialize in rainbow trout and farmhouse dishes.
The homestay is in Lianhuachi Village, Huairou, right behind Mutianyu. You follow the valley from Yanqi Lake and pass Shentangyu to get there. I heard there was a huge traffic jam here on May 4th, but it was much less crowded when we went.
You must eat rainbow trout when you come to Huairou. Rainbow trout only survive in running water, so it is hard to find in the city. Their roasted fish is very well-made and has a great texture. For our meal, we had braised beef with potatoes, spicy stir-fried chicken, boiled beef, scrambled eggs with Chinese toon, celery with dried tofu, stewed tofu, stewed meatballs, mixed wild vegetables, and deep-fried prickly ash buds (huajiaoya), with green onion pancakes (conghuabing) as our staple food. The meatballs served at the start were a bit salty, but they adjusted immediately after we mentioned it, and the following dishes were all light. The Chinese toon and prickly ash buds were picked fresh from the trees; the main reason to eat in the mountains is for that fresh taste. The green onion pancakes were also pan-fried to order, which made them quite fragrant. The spicy chicken was a bit like fried chicken; it was tender inside but the flavor didn't soak in. The braised beef was cooked until very tender, and I thought it tasted good.
After eating, we went to play in the water at Shentangyu Village in Huairou. Parking in the village costs 20 yuan for anything over 30 minutes. There is a row of poplar trees by the water that provides shade, so it is not too sunny. We bought water clothes for the kids on the spot, but they still got quite wet sitting in the water, so I suggest bringing an extra set of clothes for the children. The water temperature in May is still a bit cool, but the sun is warm, making it perfect for outdoor activities.
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Best Halal Food in Changsha: Hunan Hui Muslim Stir-Fry at a Local Restaurant
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Changsha halal food note visits a rare local Hunan-style Hui Muslim stir-fry restaurant, keeping the dishes, travel context, and local food details from the Chinese source.
I visited mosques in Shaoyang, Hunan, during the May Day holiday. I flew to Changsha first and had lunch there. Changsha has two noodle shops run by Hui Muslims surnamed Su from Shaoyang, and one stir-fry and noodle shop run by Hui Muslims surnamed Zhang from Changde. Since our destination was Shaoyang, we chose the Changde stir-fry restaurant.
The surname Zhang is common among Hui Muslims in Hunan. Their ancestor was named Pu Luode, originally from Sanhe, Langfang, Hebei. In 1368 (the first year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty), he was appointed commander of the Baoqing Guard in Hunan, and the Ming Emperor Taizu granted him the surname Zhang. His grandson, Zhang Hu, served as a thousand-household commander in Changde, Hunan, during the Yongle reign. He was transferred to the Imperial Guard in Beijing during the Xuande reign, retired to Changde in 1452 (the third year of the Jingtai reign of the Ming Dynasty), and settled in Badouwan, Wuling (now Dingcheng District, Changde). His descendants are known as the Badouwan Zhang clan.
The owner of the Zhang Beef Noodle Shop knows how to say salaam. She is very friendly, recommends special dishes, and kindly asked us about our spice preference. The shop is located in the storefronts of the Hunan Islamic Association compound. Drivers can park inside the association's courtyard. There is a Xiangmu Home Hotel in the courtyard. An older lady at the front desk holds the key to the gate barrier, but she is difficult to talk to, so you have to ask the restaurant owner to speak with her.
The restaurant stays open all afternoon. When we were there, the customers were all Hui Muslims traveling from out of town, and everyone mentioned how hard it is to find places to eat in Changsha. We ordered stir-fried yellow beef, minced beef with tofu, and braised beef rice noodles. Their signature dish is Changde stewed noodles (dunfen), which is a clay pot filled with various parts of the cow, served with the noodles on the side. However, we really wanted to try Hunan Hui Muslim stir-fry.
Stir-fried yellow beef is a specialty of Hunan Hui Muslims. It is flash-fried over high heat for one minute, making the beef tender and fresh. The green chili peppers taste sweet at first with a mild spicy aftertaste, which is fine for people from the north. The minced beef with tofu was also very good and goes well with rice.
The braised beef rice noodles are thin and chewy, and you just can't stop slurping them. The soup base tastes a bit like braised beef instant noodles. I just realized that the instant noodles I ate as a child were modeled after this southern-style braised beef flavor. After the food is ready, you can add toppings at the condiment station, such as pickled vegetables (suancai), soybeans, and pickled radishes, which all add great flavor. The owner said the chili at their condiment station is extremely spicy, so we didn't dare to add any.
They use quite a bit of oil, which I think is a unique feature, but those who prefer lighter food should tell the shop in advance.
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Summary: This Changsha halal food note visits a rare local Hunan-style Hui Muslim stir-fry restaurant, keeping the dishes, travel context, and local food details from the Chinese source.
I visited mosques in Shaoyang, Hunan, during the May Day holiday. I flew to Changsha first and had lunch there. Changsha has two noodle shops run by Hui Muslims surnamed Su from Shaoyang, and one stir-fry and noodle shop run by Hui Muslims surnamed Zhang from Changde. Since our destination was Shaoyang, we chose the Changde stir-fry restaurant.
The surname Zhang is common among Hui Muslims in Hunan. Their ancestor was named Pu Luode, originally from Sanhe, Langfang, Hebei. In 1368 (the first year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty), he was appointed commander of the Baoqing Guard in Hunan, and the Ming Emperor Taizu granted him the surname Zhang. His grandson, Zhang Hu, served as a thousand-household commander in Changde, Hunan, during the Yongle reign. He was transferred to the Imperial Guard in Beijing during the Xuande reign, retired to Changde in 1452 (the third year of the Jingtai reign of the Ming Dynasty), and settled in Badouwan, Wuling (now Dingcheng District, Changde). His descendants are known as the Badouwan Zhang clan.
The owner of the Zhang Beef Noodle Shop knows how to say salaam. She is very friendly, recommends special dishes, and kindly asked us about our spice preference. The shop is located in the storefronts of the Hunan Islamic Association compound. Drivers can park inside the association's courtyard. There is a Xiangmu Home Hotel in the courtyard. An older lady at the front desk holds the key to the gate barrier, but she is difficult to talk to, so you have to ask the restaurant owner to speak with her.
The restaurant stays open all afternoon. When we were there, the customers were all Hui Muslims traveling from out of town, and everyone mentioned how hard it is to find places to eat in Changsha. We ordered stir-fried yellow beef, minced beef with tofu, and braised beef rice noodles. Their signature dish is Changde stewed noodles (dunfen), which is a clay pot filled with various parts of the cow, served with the noodles on the side. However, we really wanted to try Hunan Hui Muslim stir-fry.
Stir-fried yellow beef is a specialty of Hunan Hui Muslims. It is flash-fried over high heat for one minute, making the beef tender and fresh. The green chili peppers taste sweet at first with a mild spicy aftertaste, which is fine for people from the north. The minced beef with tofu was also very good and goes well with rice.
The braised beef rice noodles are thin and chewy, and you just can't stop slurping them. The soup base tastes a bit like braised beef instant noodles. I just realized that the instant noodles I ate as a child were modeled after this southern-style braised beef flavor. After the food is ready, you can add toppings at the condiment station, such as pickled vegetables (suancai), soybeans, and pickled radishes, which all add great flavor. The owner said the chili at their condiment station is extremely spicy, so we didn't dare to add any.
They use quite a bit of oil, which I think is a unique feature, but those who prefer lighter food should tell the shop in advance.
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Hidden Mosques in Guangyuan Qingchuan: Qingxi Ancient Town and Sichuan Hui Muslim History
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Sichuan road trip reaches Qingxi Ancient Town in Qingchuan County, Guangyuan, recording the old town, local Muslim history, route details, and mosque-related travel notes.
I drove from Dayuan Hui Muslim Township in Qingchuan County, Guangyuan, to Qingxi Ancient City for iftar. Although there were only two tables and ten people at Qingxi Mosque, the atmosphere was wonderful and felt just like being at home. Aunties cooked dishes on-site at the mosque, and elders brought food from their homes, making it very heartwarming. We ate the Qingxi Hui Muslim nine-bowl feast (jiudawan), which is a standard banquet meal. It included clear-stewed meat, crispy fried meat (xiao su rou), steamed meat with flour (fen zheng rou), braised chicken, and cabbage with kelp. It was a mix of meat and vegetables, all very home-style. After the meal, the elders and the imam kindly gave me some stewed meat, fried dough (youxiang), and fruit to eat for suhoor.
Qingxi Ancient City was an important pass on the Yinping Road. It is known as the gateway to northern Sichuan and the throat of western Shu, and it has always been a place where merchants gathered and armies fought for control. Since the Ming Dynasty, Hui Muslims from Shaanxi and Gansu settled in Qingxi along the ancient Yinping Road, and Qingxi Mosque was officially built in 1546, the 25th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty. The current mosque buildings were rebuilt in 1982.
There is a 400-year-old honey locust tree in the mosque, which is an important witness to the ancient site.
Fried dough (youxiang) and chicken for suhoor.
Qingxi Ancient City at night. There are many Hui Muslim eateries on the street. You can find fried cakes (yougao), crispy biscuits (cuisubing), stir-fry restaurants serving braised meat, steamed meat with flour (fen zheng rou), and twice-cooked meat (huiguorou), snack shops selling beef stewed with flatbread (niurou huimo) and wontons (chaoshou), and restaurants serving copper hot pot. The variety is very rich. Some ancient towns and cities in Sichuan with rich Hui Muslim food, such as Dujiangyan, Songpan, and Langzhong, are especially worth visiting. I think Qingxi Ancient Town has fewer tourists, and it is a great place to escape the summer heat deep in the Qinba Mountains.
The area outside the east gate of Qingxi Ancient City is where most Hui Muslims live. It has now been unified into a Hui Muslim cultural area with many Hui Muslim restaurants and snack shops where you can eat beef copper hot pot and the Hui Muslim nine-bowl feast (jiudawan).
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Summary: This Sichuan road trip reaches Qingxi Ancient Town in Qingchuan County, Guangyuan, recording the old town, local Muslim history, route details, and mosque-related travel notes.
I drove from Dayuan Hui Muslim Township in Qingchuan County, Guangyuan, to Qingxi Ancient City for iftar. Although there were only two tables and ten people at Qingxi Mosque, the atmosphere was wonderful and felt just like being at home. Aunties cooked dishes on-site at the mosque, and elders brought food from their homes, making it very heartwarming. We ate the Qingxi Hui Muslim nine-bowl feast (jiudawan), which is a standard banquet meal. It included clear-stewed meat, crispy fried meat (xiao su rou), steamed meat with flour (fen zheng rou), braised chicken, and cabbage with kelp. It was a mix of meat and vegetables, all very home-style. After the meal, the elders and the imam kindly gave me some stewed meat, fried dough (youxiang), and fruit to eat for suhoor.
Qingxi Ancient City was an important pass on the Yinping Road. It is known as the gateway to northern Sichuan and the throat of western Shu, and it has always been a place where merchants gathered and armies fought for control. Since the Ming Dynasty, Hui Muslims from Shaanxi and Gansu settled in Qingxi along the ancient Yinping Road, and Qingxi Mosque was officially built in 1546, the 25th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty. The current mosque buildings were rebuilt in 1982.
There is a 400-year-old honey locust tree in the mosque, which is an important witness to the ancient site.
Fried dough (youxiang) and chicken for suhoor.
Qingxi Ancient City at night. There are many Hui Muslim eateries on the street. You can find fried cakes (yougao), crispy biscuits (cuisubing), stir-fry restaurants serving braised meat, steamed meat with flour (fen zheng rou), and twice-cooked meat (huiguorou), snack shops selling beef stewed with flatbread (niurou huimo) and wontons (chaoshou), and restaurants serving copper hot pot. The variety is very rich. Some ancient towns and cities in Sichuan with rich Hui Muslim food, such as Dujiangyan, Songpan, and Langzhong, are especially worth visiting. I think Qingxi Ancient Town has fewer tourists, and it is a great place to escape the summer heat deep in the Qinba Mountains.
The area outside the east gate of Qingxi Ancient City is where most Hui Muslims live. It has now been unified into a Hui Muslim cultural area with many Hui Muslim restaurants and snack shops where you can eat beef copper hot pot and the Hui Muslim nine-bowl feast (jiudawan).
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Hidden Shia Mosques in Asia: India, Thailand, Myanmar and Singapore Muslim Heritage, Part One
Reposted from the web
Summary: This first part introduces Shia mosques, ashurkhanas, jamatkhanas, and Muslim heritage sites across India, Thailand, Myanmar, and Singapore, including Hyderabad, Bangkok, Yangon, and Singapore.
India
Bad-e-Shahi Ashur Khana in Hyderabad
Thailand
Sheikh Ahmad gongbei in Ayutthaya
Kudi Luang mosque in Bangkok
Kudi Charoenphat in Bangkok
Phadungtham Islam mosque in Bangkok
Dilfulla mosque in Bangkok
Safee mosque in Bangkok
Goowatil Islam Mosque in Bangkok
Myanmar
Mughal Shia Mosque in Yangon
Hazarat Abbas (A. S) Astana Alamdar-e-Husayn in Yangon.
Punja Mosque in Yangon.
Dawoodi Bohra Saifee Mosque in Yangon.
His Highness The Agakhan Building Myanmar Ismaili Khoja Jamatkhana in Yangon.
Singapore
Al-Burhani mosque in Singapore
Indian Heritage Centre in Singapore
Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore
India
Bad-e-Shahi Ashur Khana in Hyderabad
Shia Islam grew in the Deccan Plateau of South India during the Bahmani Sultanate (1347-1527). After the Bahmani Sultanate fell, the Qutb Shahi dynasty made Shia Islam the state religion in 1518.
Hyderabad became a center for Shia culture in India during the 16th and 17th centuries. The fifth sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, was a talented Urdu poet and the first person to write Marsiya (Shia mourning poetry for Imam Hussain) in Urdu. Shia scholar and scientist Mir Muhammad Momin arrived at the Qutb Shahi dynasty in 1581 and helped design and build the city of Hyderabad in 1591.
Bad-e-Shahi Ashur Khana is the Shia center of Hyderabad and the first Imambargah in India. An Imambargah, also called a Hussainiya, is a hall where Shia Muslims of the Twelver branch mourn Imam Hussain. It is busiest here during Ashura, but there are also events held every week.
The fifth sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, ordered the construction of Bad-e-Shahi Ashur Khana in 1594, and the seventh sultan, Abdullah Qutb Shah, added tiles in 1611. In 1764, the second Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Ali Khan, added a wooden colonnade, an outer hall, and a gate. The caretakers here are from a hereditary family, and the current one is the 11th Mutawalli Mujawer, Mir Nawazish Ali Moosvi.
The Arabic calligraphy and floral tiles inside the building use the Cuerda Seca technique, which was created by Persian craftsmen. This technique uses lines drawn with dark pigment mixed with grease on the tile surface to separate different colors of water-soluble glaze, leaving dark lines in every area. Scholars believe the Cuerda Seca technique originated in 10th-century Andalusia (southern Spain) and later spread to Asia through Arabs and Persians. The Mughal Empire frequently used this technique to fire tiles during the 17th century.
When we visited Hyderabad, we happened to catch a Shia event at Bad-e-Shahi Ashur Khana.
Thailand
Sheikh Ahmad gongbei in Ayutthaya
Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Shia merchants from the Persian Safavid dynasty traveled along the Indian Ocean coast to trade in Siam, where they were warmly welcomed and received with high honors by the Siamese royal family. Some Persian merchants married locals, settled down, and held important positions in the Siamese court.
Sheikh Ahmad was born in Qom, Persia, in 1543. He arrived in Ayutthaya, Thailand, with his brother in the early 17th century to trade, married a Thai wife, and settled there. Sheikh Ahmad was very successful in business and became one of the wealthiest foreign merchants of his time. He met the Thai royal treasurer and, with his help, connected with the Thai royal family and began participating in Thai trade affairs. After gaining the trust of King Songtham (who reigned from 1610 to 1628), he was appointed Chao Kromma Tha Khwa to manage trade, shipping, and diplomatic affairs between Thailand and the west, including India, Persia, Arabia, and Europe. He was also appointed as the first Chula Rajmontri in Thai history, overseeing religious affairs for the whole country. In 1611, after helping the Thai king defeat Japanese merchants who attempted a coup, he was appointed Samuhanayok, becoming the Grand Vizier of Thailand.
In the early 17th century, Sheikh Ahmad built the Kudi Chao Sen Shia mosque within the city of Ayutthaya, which is the oldest mosque inside the city walls of Ayutthaya. After Sheikh Ahmad passed away in 1631, he was buried near the mosque.
In the late 17th century, the Shia community continued to thrive in Ayutthaya. During the month of Muharram in 1656, Sheikh Ahmad’s son and other Shia nobles helped King Narai take the throne. To show his gratitude, King Narai gave the Ayutthaya Shia community all the items needed for their Ashura ceremonies during Muharram and established a royal guard made up of 500 Shia men. In 1685, a French Jesuit missionary named Father Tachard recorded the grand scene of the Shia Ashura ceremonies in Ayutthaya. He wrote that the procession included over two thousand people, carrying models of the tombs of two saints along with many intricately crafted symbolic objects. The men changed their formations as they walked to the rhythm of drums. At the front of this massive procession were three or four beautifully decorated horses, and many people held long-handled lanterns to light the way for the entire group. The festival lasted for several nights, ending at five o'clock each morning.
Besides the Kudi Chao Sen mosque, Ayutthaya once had two other Shia mosque communities. The Khaek Pae mosque was located on the bank where the Chao Phraya River and the Pa Sak River meet, where Persian merchants once lived on boats, a place locals called the floating village. The Nurul Yamal mosque was in the northern suburbs of the old city of Ayutthaya, near an elephant kraal built by the Ayutthaya dynasty in 1580. According to the 1685 travelogue of the Persian Safavid mission to Ayutthaya, titled The Ship of Suleiman (Safine-ye Solaymani), hundreds of Persian merchants were involved in the profitable elephant trade at the kraal at that time.
After Ayutthaya fell in 1767 and Thailand moved its capital to Bangkok in 1782, the Persian-descended Shia community of Ayutthaya moved to Bangkok as well. Today, the Kudi Chao Sen mosque no longer exists, leaving only the nearby gongbei of Sheikh Ahmad, which was built in 1631.
Opposite the gongbei of Sheikh Ahmad is the Ayutthaya-Persia (Iranian Studies) Room, where the Iranian Embassy in Thailand occasionally holds cultural and memorial events.
Kudi Luang mosque in Bangkok
The Siamese capital of Ayutthaya fell in 1767, and after the capital moved to Bangkok in 1782, the Persian descendants from Ayutthaya followed. The first leader of the Persian-descended Shia community in Bangkok was Konkaew, the son of the last leader in Ayutthaya. In 1797, he began managing Siam's trade with the West and received a residence in the Thonburi area across the Chao Phraya River. People say he and 400 Shia followers established the Kudi Chao Sen mosque community, which became the primary Shia community in Bangkok.
After Konkaew passed away, his brother and the next eight direct descendants inherited the title, controlling Siam's trade rights with the West for a hundred years. In 1897, King Rama V renovated the Kudi Chao Sen mosque and renamed it the Kudi Luang Chao Sen mosque. In 1947, because of the construction of the Royal Thai Navy headquarters, the entire Kudi Luang mosque community was moved to its current location. The residents still live around the mosque, allowing the traditional culture of the Bangkok Shia community to survive.
The elders of the Bangkok Persian-descended Shia community who live around the mosque are not exclusive and are very welcoming to visitors (dosti).
After the prayer (namaz), I went to the Kudi Luang mosque again and ate chicken rice noodle rolls (changfen) with everyone, along with a special dessert made of palm sugar and pomelo that the Bangkok Persian descendants eat during the month of Muharram. Sharing and giving are key themes for Shia Muslims during the month of Muharram. Food is free during this time, and people gather to make the flowers used in the events. Some people in the mosque wear white pants and headscarves with bells hanging from their pant legs. They spend the first ten days of Muharram serving the mosque community with all their heart.
The most eye-catching thing in the mosque is a handsome, tall horse personally gifted by the King of Thailand. This horse represents Zuljanah, the warhorse of Imam Hussein. Zuljanah was raised by the noble Prophet from a young age and is known for loyalty, strength, endurance, and a spirit of sacrifice. During the Battle of Karbala, Zuljanah used its body to block arrows aimed at Imam Hussein. After Imam Hussein passed away, Zuljanah returned to his family covered in blood to warn them of an ambush. It died from its wounds after fulfilling this final duty. During Muharram, the horse is kept in the stables of Kudi Luang mosque, and people take turns walking it in the courtyard every night.
On the qibla wall of the main hall, the flagpole at the top is called an Alam. It represents the flag held by Abbas, the standard-bearer for Imam Hussein during the Battle of Karbala. The metal hand is called a Panja, which symbolizes the severed hands of Abbas. Abbas was the half-brother of Imam Hussein. He inherited the courage of Imam Ali and always held the flag of victory high on the battlefield. People say on the night of Ashura, he was blocked by enemy forces while returning from the Euphrates River with water. He fought alone until his arms were cut off and he was killed.
Above the niche in the qibla wall, the names of Allah, the noble Prophet, and the twelve Imams of the Shia are written. The Twelver branch is the largest branch of Shia Islam and is the state religion of Iran.
The Nakhl Gardani placed in the main hall symbolizes the funeral bier of Imam Hussein. It is decorated with a dagger and a turban (dastar) representing those used by Imam Hussein. During Ashura events, people carry the Nakhl Gardani to symbolize the funeral procession for Imam Hussein.
A Tadjah is also placed in the main hall to symbolize the tomb of Imam Hussein.
There is also a small decoration in the hall representing the youngest baby martyred at the Battle of Karbala, Ali Asghar, the six-month-old son of Imam Hussein. Records state that Imam Hussein held the thirsty Ali Asghar and asked the enemy for water for the child. The enemy fired an arrow that pierced the baby's throat and Imam Hussein's arm at the same time. Ali Asghar later became a symbol of innocent victims and the most painful mourning during Muharram events.
During the first ten nights of Muharram, Shia Muslims in Bangkok chant to commemorate Imam Hussein. During these sessions, people known as Rawda khwan tell the story of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein and his followers at the Battle of Karbala. The stories come from famous books, the most well-known being The Garden of the Martyrs (Rawdat al-shuhada) by the famous Timurid-era Persian writer Hussein Kashifi. Afterward, the imam also gives a sermon (waaz) in Thai, helping everyone learn about the bravery, fearlessness, and spirit of sacrifice shown by Imam Hussein and his followers at the Battle of Karbala.
The Nakhl Gardani used during Ashura events symbolizes the coffin of Imam Hussain, and the entire Ashura event is essentially a reenactment of his funeral.
Kudi Charoenphat in Bangkok
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Akayi, the second leader of the Persian Shia community in Bangkok, built Kudi Charoenphat at the heart of the community. This is an Imambara hall used by the Shia for mourning ceremonies.
An Imambara, also called a Hussainiya or Ashurkhana, is a hall where the Twelver Shia branch holds ceremonies to mourn Imam Hussain. On the Day of Ashura (the 10th of Muharram) in 680 AD, the Prophet's grandson, Imam Hussain, was martyred in the Battle of Karbala. Since then, the Shia hold grand mourning ceremonies every year in the first month of the Islamic calendar (the month of Ashura), the second month (40 days after Ashura), and the ninth month (Ramadan). Except for the most important processions, most ceremonies take place inside the Imambara hall.
The wood carvings on the hall are in the Gingerbread style, which was popular in Thailand in the late 19th century. This architectural style originated in Victorian England during the 19th century and was later developed by British companies logging teak in Thailand, who blended it with local Thai decorative elements. Due to high construction and maintenance costs, this architectural style gradually became a thing of the past after the 20th century.
The Nakhl Gardani used during Ashura events.
A street view of the Persian community in Bangkok. Many walls of Persian-descendant homes and shops here display the 'Lion of God' (Asadullah), which refers to Imam Ali and serves as a symbol of the Shia.
Phadungtham Islam mosque in Bangkok
The center of the Persian community in Bangkok is the Phadungtham Islam mosque. This mosque was first built in 1938 and was rebuilt into its current structure in 1979.
The new mosque features a Persian-style Iwan gate, modeled after the Imam Reza Shrine, a Shia holy site in Iran.
The clay tablet placed before a prayer rug is called a Turbah in Arabic and a Mohr in Persian. Twelver Shia Muslims touch their foreheads to it during namaz. Some clay tablets feature images of the Imam Hussain Shrine, indicating they are made from the soil of Karbala, where Imam Hussain was martyred.
Dilfulla mosque in Bangkok
The Indian Shia community is located on the southwest side of the Persian Shia community in Bangkok, separated by Itsaraphap Road.
For hundreds of years, Shia merchants from India set out from the cities of Surat and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, traveling across the Indian Ocean to Siam for maritime trade. Because of their shared faith, they often collaborated in business with the Persians, and later intermarried, forming a powerful trade network in Siam. In the early 19th century, Shia merchants from Mumbai began opening shops near the Persian community along the Chao Phraya River. Thanks to the favoritism of Persian officials who controlled Western trade, these Indian Shia businesses could obtain state-controlled export goods from Siam under very favorable conditions.
Adam Ali was a merchant and adventurer from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. In the early 19th century, he left the city of Surat with fine Indian textiles and sailed across the Indian Ocean to Bangkok many times for trade. Through connections with local Persian-descended nobles in Bangkok who shared his Shia faith, he was able to meet many Siamese nobles. These nobles often visited his merchant ships and bought many high-quality textiles. With the profits from selling textiles, Adam was able to build a pier and warehouse along the Yai Canal near the Persian community, where he opened a textile printing and dyeing factory. The factory workers were all Shia Muslims he brought from India, and he built houses and a mosque near the factory for them, which formed Bangkok's Indian Shia community.
The center of the community is the Dilfulla mosque. It also displays the Shia symbol, the Lion of Allah (Huda zhi shi), and while the interior is slightly simpler than Persian-style mosques, you can still see Shia features in the candlesticks, flowers, and pulpit. Today, the descendants of Adam's family still live around the mosque and have served as imam for generations.
Inside the main hall of the Dilfulla mosque are incense burners, a pulpit (minbar), scripture boxes, and flowers.
Next to the mosque is the cemetery for Indian Shia Muslims, where you can see some graves covered in flowers, a memorial style very typical of South Asia.
Safee mosque in Bangkok
In the early 19th century, Phraya Si Phiphat, who managed the Siamese royal warehouses, was a descendant of Shia Muslims from the Ayutthaya period. Although he had long since converted to Buddhism, he still provided many conveniences to Indian Shia merchants. At that time, Phraya Si Phiphat oversaw the construction of rows of royal warehouses and piers in the Khlong San area on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. After Britain and Siam signed the Bowring Treaty in 1855, the Siamese royal family was forced to give up its trade monopoly, and the royal warehouses were emptied. Phraya Si Phiphat then rented these warehouses to Indian Shia Muslims, leading to the emergence of a new Indian Shia community here.
The first Indian Shia merchant to rent a royal warehouse was A. T. E. Maskati, a textile dealer from Ahmedabad in Gujarat. He had already opened a shop near the Persian Shia community in Bangkok in the early 19th century. In 1856, he opened a weaving and dyeing factory inside the royal warehouses, employing over 600 Indian Shia workers at its peak. He and other Indian Shia merchants built a mosque in the warehouse area, naming it Toek Khaw (white brick) mosque after the warehouse's whitewashed walls, which was later renamed Safee mosque.
Safee mosque is located deep inside the royal warehouses and can only be reached through a hidden alley in the middle of the warehouse complex. Most of the Indian merchants who once had shops nearby eventually returned to India, and only a few married and had children in Bangkok, with their descendants still living here today.
This mosque belongs to a small branch of Ismailism called the Dawoodi Bohras. This branch has only a few million followers, most of whom live in Gujarat, India, and Karachi, Pakistan. Today, a photo of Mufaddal Saifuddin, the 53rd leader of the Dawoodi Bohras who succeeded in 2014, can be seen on the wall of the Sefi mosque.
The Dawoodi Bohra cemetery sits right next to the Persian community in Bangkok. Since the mid-19th century, it has been the final resting place for Shia Muslims from Indian cities like Surat, Mumbai, Sidhpur, Khambhat, Ratlam, Ahmedabad, and Dhoraji.
The Dawoodi Bohras are known for their focus on trade and their modern lifestyle. Most followers are merchants and entrepreneurs, and the word Bohra itself means trade in the Gujarati language.
The Dawoodi Bohras trace their origins back to the Shia Ismaili Fatimid Caliphate, which ruled North Africa from the 10th to the 12th century. In 1067, the 18th imam of the Fatimid Caliphate sent a man named Abd Allah from Yemen to Gujarat, India, to spread the faith, where he found great success. Since then, the followers in Gujarat have stayed in contact with Yemen and continued to grow. In 1567, the headquarters of this sect officially moved from Yemen to Gujarat.
Starting in the 19th century, members of the Dawoodi Bohras began traveling abroad to do business. The 43rd leader, Abdeali Saifuddin, invited 12,000 followers to the city of Surat in Gujarat. He provided them with food, work, and housing. The only condition was that they had to learn and practice professional skills, and he gave them startup capital once they finished their training. Many people chose to use this money to start businesses abroad. Some reached East Africa, while others came to Siam.
The Dawoodi Bohras have a unique culture that blends traditions from Yemen, Egypt, Pakistan, and India. They use a language called Lisan al-Dawat, which has a basic structure from Gujarati and vocabulary from Arabic.
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Summary: This first part introduces Shia mosques, ashurkhanas, jamatkhanas, and Muslim heritage sites across India, Thailand, Myanmar, and Singapore, including Hyderabad, Bangkok, Yangon, and Singapore.
India
Bad-e-Shahi Ashur Khana in Hyderabad
Thailand
Sheikh Ahmad gongbei in Ayutthaya
Kudi Luang mosque in Bangkok
Kudi Charoenphat in Bangkok
Phadungtham Islam mosque in Bangkok
Dilfulla mosque in Bangkok
Safee mosque in Bangkok
Goowatil Islam Mosque in Bangkok
Myanmar
Mughal Shia Mosque in Yangon
Hazarat Abbas (A. S) Astana Alamdar-e-Husayn in Yangon.
Punja Mosque in Yangon.
Dawoodi Bohra Saifee Mosque in Yangon.
His Highness The Agakhan Building Myanmar Ismaili Khoja Jamatkhana in Yangon.
Singapore
Al-Burhani mosque in Singapore
Indian Heritage Centre in Singapore
Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore
India
Bad-e-Shahi Ashur Khana in Hyderabad
Shia Islam grew in the Deccan Plateau of South India during the Bahmani Sultanate (1347-1527). After the Bahmani Sultanate fell, the Qutb Shahi dynasty made Shia Islam the state religion in 1518.
Hyderabad became a center for Shia culture in India during the 16th and 17th centuries. The fifth sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, was a talented Urdu poet and the first person to write Marsiya (Shia mourning poetry for Imam Hussain) in Urdu. Shia scholar and scientist Mir Muhammad Momin arrived at the Qutb Shahi dynasty in 1581 and helped design and build the city of Hyderabad in 1591.
Bad-e-Shahi Ashur Khana is the Shia center of Hyderabad and the first Imambargah in India. An Imambargah, also called a Hussainiya, is a hall where Shia Muslims of the Twelver branch mourn Imam Hussain. It is busiest here during Ashura, but there are also events held every week.
The fifth sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, ordered the construction of Bad-e-Shahi Ashur Khana in 1594, and the seventh sultan, Abdullah Qutb Shah, added tiles in 1611. In 1764, the second Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Ali Khan, added a wooden colonnade, an outer hall, and a gate. The caretakers here are from a hereditary family, and the current one is the 11th Mutawalli Mujawer, Mir Nawazish Ali Moosvi.
The Arabic calligraphy and floral tiles inside the building use the Cuerda Seca technique, which was created by Persian craftsmen. This technique uses lines drawn with dark pigment mixed with grease on the tile surface to separate different colors of water-soluble glaze, leaving dark lines in every area. Scholars believe the Cuerda Seca technique originated in 10th-century Andalusia (southern Spain) and later spread to Asia through Arabs and Persians. The Mughal Empire frequently used this technique to fire tiles during the 17th century.
When we visited Hyderabad, we happened to catch a Shia event at Bad-e-Shahi Ashur Khana.
Thailand
Sheikh Ahmad gongbei in Ayutthaya
Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Shia merchants from the Persian Safavid dynasty traveled along the Indian Ocean coast to trade in Siam, where they were warmly welcomed and received with high honors by the Siamese royal family. Some Persian merchants married locals, settled down, and held important positions in the Siamese court.
Sheikh Ahmad was born in Qom, Persia, in 1543. He arrived in Ayutthaya, Thailand, with his brother in the early 17th century to trade, married a Thai wife, and settled there. Sheikh Ahmad was very successful in business and became one of the wealthiest foreign merchants of his time. He met the Thai royal treasurer and, with his help, connected with the Thai royal family and began participating in Thai trade affairs. After gaining the trust of King Songtham (who reigned from 1610 to 1628), he was appointed Chao Kromma Tha Khwa to manage trade, shipping, and diplomatic affairs between Thailand and the west, including India, Persia, Arabia, and Europe. He was also appointed as the first Chula Rajmontri in Thai history, overseeing religious affairs for the whole country. In 1611, after helping the Thai king defeat Japanese merchants who attempted a coup, he was appointed Samuhanayok, becoming the Grand Vizier of Thailand.
In the early 17th century, Sheikh Ahmad built the Kudi Chao Sen Shia mosque within the city of Ayutthaya, which is the oldest mosque inside the city walls of Ayutthaya. After Sheikh Ahmad passed away in 1631, he was buried near the mosque.
In the late 17th century, the Shia community continued to thrive in Ayutthaya. During the month of Muharram in 1656, Sheikh Ahmad’s son and other Shia nobles helped King Narai take the throne. To show his gratitude, King Narai gave the Ayutthaya Shia community all the items needed for their Ashura ceremonies during Muharram and established a royal guard made up of 500 Shia men. In 1685, a French Jesuit missionary named Father Tachard recorded the grand scene of the Shia Ashura ceremonies in Ayutthaya. He wrote that the procession included over two thousand people, carrying models of the tombs of two saints along with many intricately crafted symbolic objects. The men changed their formations as they walked to the rhythm of drums. At the front of this massive procession were three or four beautifully decorated horses, and many people held long-handled lanterns to light the way for the entire group. The festival lasted for several nights, ending at five o'clock each morning.
Besides the Kudi Chao Sen mosque, Ayutthaya once had two other Shia mosque communities. The Khaek Pae mosque was located on the bank where the Chao Phraya River and the Pa Sak River meet, where Persian merchants once lived on boats, a place locals called the floating village. The Nurul Yamal mosque was in the northern suburbs of the old city of Ayutthaya, near an elephant kraal built by the Ayutthaya dynasty in 1580. According to the 1685 travelogue of the Persian Safavid mission to Ayutthaya, titled The Ship of Suleiman (Safine-ye Solaymani), hundreds of Persian merchants were involved in the profitable elephant trade at the kraal at that time.
After Ayutthaya fell in 1767 and Thailand moved its capital to Bangkok in 1782, the Persian-descended Shia community of Ayutthaya moved to Bangkok as well. Today, the Kudi Chao Sen mosque no longer exists, leaving only the nearby gongbei of Sheikh Ahmad, which was built in 1631.
Opposite the gongbei of Sheikh Ahmad is the Ayutthaya-Persia (Iranian Studies) Room, where the Iranian Embassy in Thailand occasionally holds cultural and memorial events.
Kudi Luang mosque in Bangkok
The Siamese capital of Ayutthaya fell in 1767, and after the capital moved to Bangkok in 1782, the Persian descendants from Ayutthaya followed. The first leader of the Persian-descended Shia community in Bangkok was Konkaew, the son of the last leader in Ayutthaya. In 1797, he began managing Siam's trade with the West and received a residence in the Thonburi area across the Chao Phraya River. People say he and 400 Shia followers established the Kudi Chao Sen mosque community, which became the primary Shia community in Bangkok.
After Konkaew passed away, his brother and the next eight direct descendants inherited the title, controlling Siam's trade rights with the West for a hundred years. In 1897, King Rama V renovated the Kudi Chao Sen mosque and renamed it the Kudi Luang Chao Sen mosque. In 1947, because of the construction of the Royal Thai Navy headquarters, the entire Kudi Luang mosque community was moved to its current location. The residents still live around the mosque, allowing the traditional culture of the Bangkok Shia community to survive.
The elders of the Bangkok Persian-descended Shia community who live around the mosque are not exclusive and are very welcoming to visitors (dosti).
After the prayer (namaz), I went to the Kudi Luang mosque again and ate chicken rice noodle rolls (changfen) with everyone, along with a special dessert made of palm sugar and pomelo that the Bangkok Persian descendants eat during the month of Muharram. Sharing and giving are key themes for Shia Muslims during the month of Muharram. Food is free during this time, and people gather to make the flowers used in the events. Some people in the mosque wear white pants and headscarves with bells hanging from their pant legs. They spend the first ten days of Muharram serving the mosque community with all their heart.
The most eye-catching thing in the mosque is a handsome, tall horse personally gifted by the King of Thailand. This horse represents Zuljanah, the warhorse of Imam Hussein. Zuljanah was raised by the noble Prophet from a young age and is known for loyalty, strength, endurance, and a spirit of sacrifice. During the Battle of Karbala, Zuljanah used its body to block arrows aimed at Imam Hussein. After Imam Hussein passed away, Zuljanah returned to his family covered in blood to warn them of an ambush. It died from its wounds after fulfilling this final duty. During Muharram, the horse is kept in the stables of Kudi Luang mosque, and people take turns walking it in the courtyard every night.
On the qibla wall of the main hall, the flagpole at the top is called an Alam. It represents the flag held by Abbas, the standard-bearer for Imam Hussein during the Battle of Karbala. The metal hand is called a Panja, which symbolizes the severed hands of Abbas. Abbas was the half-brother of Imam Hussein. He inherited the courage of Imam Ali and always held the flag of victory high on the battlefield. People say on the night of Ashura, he was blocked by enemy forces while returning from the Euphrates River with water. He fought alone until his arms were cut off and he was killed.
Above the niche in the qibla wall, the names of Allah, the noble Prophet, and the twelve Imams of the Shia are written. The Twelver branch is the largest branch of Shia Islam and is the state religion of Iran.
The Nakhl Gardani placed in the main hall symbolizes the funeral bier of Imam Hussein. It is decorated with a dagger and a turban (dastar) representing those used by Imam Hussein. During Ashura events, people carry the Nakhl Gardani to symbolize the funeral procession for Imam Hussein.
A Tadjah is also placed in the main hall to symbolize the tomb of Imam Hussein.
There is also a small decoration in the hall representing the youngest baby martyred at the Battle of Karbala, Ali Asghar, the six-month-old son of Imam Hussein. Records state that Imam Hussein held the thirsty Ali Asghar and asked the enemy for water for the child. The enemy fired an arrow that pierced the baby's throat and Imam Hussein's arm at the same time. Ali Asghar later became a symbol of innocent victims and the most painful mourning during Muharram events.
During the first ten nights of Muharram, Shia Muslims in Bangkok chant to commemorate Imam Hussein. During these sessions, people known as Rawda khwan tell the story of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein and his followers at the Battle of Karbala. The stories come from famous books, the most well-known being The Garden of the Martyrs (Rawdat al-shuhada) by the famous Timurid-era Persian writer Hussein Kashifi. Afterward, the imam also gives a sermon (waaz) in Thai, helping everyone learn about the bravery, fearlessness, and spirit of sacrifice shown by Imam Hussein and his followers at the Battle of Karbala.
The Nakhl Gardani used during Ashura events symbolizes the coffin of Imam Hussain, and the entire Ashura event is essentially a reenactment of his funeral.
Kudi Charoenphat in Bangkok
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Akayi, the second leader of the Persian Shia community in Bangkok, built Kudi Charoenphat at the heart of the community. This is an Imambara hall used by the Shia for mourning ceremonies.
An Imambara, also called a Hussainiya or Ashurkhana, is a hall where the Twelver Shia branch holds ceremonies to mourn Imam Hussain. On the Day of Ashura (the 10th of Muharram) in 680 AD, the Prophet's grandson, Imam Hussain, was martyred in the Battle of Karbala. Since then, the Shia hold grand mourning ceremonies every year in the first month of the Islamic calendar (the month of Ashura), the second month (40 days after Ashura), and the ninth month (Ramadan). Except for the most important processions, most ceremonies take place inside the Imambara hall.
The wood carvings on the hall are in the Gingerbread style, which was popular in Thailand in the late 19th century. This architectural style originated in Victorian England during the 19th century and was later developed by British companies logging teak in Thailand, who blended it with local Thai decorative elements. Due to high construction and maintenance costs, this architectural style gradually became a thing of the past after the 20th century.
The Nakhl Gardani used during Ashura events.
A street view of the Persian community in Bangkok. Many walls of Persian-descendant homes and shops here display the 'Lion of God' (Asadullah), which refers to Imam Ali and serves as a symbol of the Shia.
Phadungtham Islam mosque in Bangkok
The center of the Persian community in Bangkok is the Phadungtham Islam mosque. This mosque was first built in 1938 and was rebuilt into its current structure in 1979.
The new mosque features a Persian-style Iwan gate, modeled after the Imam Reza Shrine, a Shia holy site in Iran.
The clay tablet placed before a prayer rug is called a Turbah in Arabic and a Mohr in Persian. Twelver Shia Muslims touch their foreheads to it during namaz. Some clay tablets feature images of the Imam Hussain Shrine, indicating they are made from the soil of Karbala, where Imam Hussain was martyred.
Dilfulla mosque in Bangkok
The Indian Shia community is located on the southwest side of the Persian Shia community in Bangkok, separated by Itsaraphap Road.
For hundreds of years, Shia merchants from India set out from the cities of Surat and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, traveling across the Indian Ocean to Siam for maritime trade. Because of their shared faith, they often collaborated in business with the Persians, and later intermarried, forming a powerful trade network in Siam. In the early 19th century, Shia merchants from Mumbai began opening shops near the Persian community along the Chao Phraya River. Thanks to the favoritism of Persian officials who controlled Western trade, these Indian Shia businesses could obtain state-controlled export goods from Siam under very favorable conditions.
Adam Ali was a merchant and adventurer from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. In the early 19th century, he left the city of Surat with fine Indian textiles and sailed across the Indian Ocean to Bangkok many times for trade. Through connections with local Persian-descended nobles in Bangkok who shared his Shia faith, he was able to meet many Siamese nobles. These nobles often visited his merchant ships and bought many high-quality textiles. With the profits from selling textiles, Adam was able to build a pier and warehouse along the Yai Canal near the Persian community, where he opened a textile printing and dyeing factory. The factory workers were all Shia Muslims he brought from India, and he built houses and a mosque near the factory for them, which formed Bangkok's Indian Shia community.
The center of the community is the Dilfulla mosque. It also displays the Shia symbol, the Lion of Allah (Huda zhi shi), and while the interior is slightly simpler than Persian-style mosques, you can still see Shia features in the candlesticks, flowers, and pulpit. Today, the descendants of Adam's family still live around the mosque and have served as imam for generations.
Inside the main hall of the Dilfulla mosque are incense burners, a pulpit (minbar), scripture boxes, and flowers.
Next to the mosque is the cemetery for Indian Shia Muslims, where you can see some graves covered in flowers, a memorial style very typical of South Asia.
Safee mosque in Bangkok
In the early 19th century, Phraya Si Phiphat, who managed the Siamese royal warehouses, was a descendant of Shia Muslims from the Ayutthaya period. Although he had long since converted to Buddhism, he still provided many conveniences to Indian Shia merchants. At that time, Phraya Si Phiphat oversaw the construction of rows of royal warehouses and piers in the Khlong San area on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. After Britain and Siam signed the Bowring Treaty in 1855, the Siamese royal family was forced to give up its trade monopoly, and the royal warehouses were emptied. Phraya Si Phiphat then rented these warehouses to Indian Shia Muslims, leading to the emergence of a new Indian Shia community here.
The first Indian Shia merchant to rent a royal warehouse was A. T. E. Maskati, a textile dealer from Ahmedabad in Gujarat. He had already opened a shop near the Persian Shia community in Bangkok in the early 19th century. In 1856, he opened a weaving and dyeing factory inside the royal warehouses, employing over 600 Indian Shia workers at its peak. He and other Indian Shia merchants built a mosque in the warehouse area, naming it Toek Khaw (white brick) mosque after the warehouse's whitewashed walls, which was later renamed Safee mosque.
Safee mosque is located deep inside the royal warehouses and can only be reached through a hidden alley in the middle of the warehouse complex. Most of the Indian merchants who once had shops nearby eventually returned to India, and only a few married and had children in Bangkok, with their descendants still living here today.
This mosque belongs to a small branch of Ismailism called the Dawoodi Bohras. This branch has only a few million followers, most of whom live in Gujarat, India, and Karachi, Pakistan. Today, a photo of Mufaddal Saifuddin, the 53rd leader of the Dawoodi Bohras who succeeded in 2014, can be seen on the wall of the Sefi mosque.
The Dawoodi Bohra cemetery sits right next to the Persian community in Bangkok. Since the mid-19th century, it has been the final resting place for Shia Muslims from Indian cities like Surat, Mumbai, Sidhpur, Khambhat, Ratlam, Ahmedabad, and Dhoraji.
The Dawoodi Bohras are known for their focus on trade and their modern lifestyle. Most followers are merchants and entrepreneurs, and the word Bohra itself means trade in the Gujarati language.
The Dawoodi Bohras trace their origins back to the Shia Ismaili Fatimid Caliphate, which ruled North Africa from the 10th to the 12th century. In 1067, the 18th imam of the Fatimid Caliphate sent a man named Abd Allah from Yemen to Gujarat, India, to spread the faith, where he found great success. Since then, the followers in Gujarat have stayed in contact with Yemen and continued to grow. In 1567, the headquarters of this sect officially moved from Yemen to Gujarat.
Starting in the 19th century, members of the Dawoodi Bohras began traveling abroad to do business. The 43rd leader, Abdeali Saifuddin, invited 12,000 followers to the city of Surat in Gujarat. He provided them with food, work, and housing. The only condition was that they had to learn and practice professional skills, and he gave them startup capital once they finished their training. Many people chose to use this money to start businesses abroad. Some reached East Africa, while others came to Siam.
The Dawoodi Bohras have a unique culture that blends traditions from Yemen, Egypt, Pakistan, and India. They use a language called Lisan al-Dawat, which has a basic structure from Gujarati and vocabulary from Arabic.
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Hidden Shia Mosques in Asia: Bangkok, Yangon and Singapore Muslim Heritage, Part Two
Reposted from the web
Summary: This second part continues the author’s visits to Shia mosques, jamatkhanas, and Muslim heritage sites in Thailand, Myanmar, and Singapore, with names and historical details kept intact.
Goowatil Islam Mosque in Bangkok
After the Toek Khaw (white brick) mosque was built in 1856, some Dawoodi Bohra Shia merchants from Surat, Gujarat, India, rented a piece of royal warehouse land a few hundred meters upstream. At that time, some Malay Sunni goldsmiths from Sai Buri District in Pattani Province, southern Thailand, also lived nearby. They were skilled at making an alloy of gold, silver, and copper called Nak in Thai.
In 1859, these two groups built a new mosque together. Because the nearby warehouses were built of red brick, it was called Toek Daeng (red brick) mosque, and later renamed Goowatil Islam Mosque.
Among the Indian Shia merchants in the Goowatil Islam Mosque community, Ali Asmail Nana was the most famous. He served as a translator for the Siamese Western Trade Department and earned the title Phra Phichet Sanphanit. He married and had children in Bangkok, and his family later succeeded in real estate development.
After the 20th century, Indian Shia merchants began moving their shops from the old royal warehouses to the busier Song Wat Road area in Bangkok's Chinatown. They started working in more promising professions like commission agents, bankers, insurance brokers, auctioneers, and real estate developers. With the changing times, you can no longer find those Indian Shia merchants at Goowatil Islam Mosque today.
Myanmar
Mughal Shia Mosque in Yangon
The Mughal Shia Mosque in Yangon, Myanmar, is the largest Shia mosque in Southeast Asia. It was founded in 1854 by Persian-Indian merchants who were the first to settle in Yangon.
The British East India Company opened a factory in Yangon starting in the 1790s, after which Persian and Indian Shia merchants began arriving in Yangon. These Shia friends (dosti) and others from Iran, Afghanistan, India, and elsewhere were collectively called Mughals by the Burmese people. After the 19th century, the Mughals often served as intermediaries and translators for exchanges between the British and the Burmese, becoming an important part of Yangon's foreign trade.
In 1852, the British officially occupied Yangon and made it the capital of British Burma. They hired army engineers to design and plan the grid-like city of Yangon, and the Shia community in Yangon officially established the Mughal Shia Mosque. The Mughal Shia Mosque was originally a teak wood building. Between 1914 and 1918, mosque board members from Isfahan, Shiraz, Khorasan, and Kabul in Iran and Afghanistan raised funds to rebuild it in its current Hyderabad style. The Shia faith developed on the Deccan Plateau in southern India during the 14th to 16th centuries. The Qutb Shahi dynasty declared Shia the state religion in 1518. Its capital, Hyderabad, was built in 1591 with the participation of Shia scholar and scientist Mir Muhammad Momin, and Hyderabad later became a center of Shia culture in India.
S Afsheen, a descendant of a board member of the Yangon Mughal Shia Mosque, wrote in his autobiography that his ancestors were originally court advisors to the Mughal Empire. In the 19th century, his great-grandfather's father, Hasan Ali Khorasanee, came to Yangon to do business, received favorable trade terms, and then developed a powerful trading company. Hasan Ali Khorasanee's son bought many properties in Yangon and operated leather and other trading businesses, which made the Khorasanee family one of the board members of the Mughal Shia Mosque.
The Mughal Shia Mosque is located on Shwe Bon Thar Road in Yangon's Indian quarter. This place was originally called Mughal Street and was the area where Indian shops in Yangon were most concentrated. The mosque consists of the street-facing Mughal Hall, the main prayer hall, and two tall minarets. The shops in the Mughal Hall facing the street are rented out.
The layout of the main hall at the Mughal Shia mosque in Yangon differs from Sunni mosques. The hall is split into separate areas for men and women, both covered with prayer rugs and featuring a mihrab to indicate the direction of prayer. The center area is used for the khutbah sermon and for mourning ceremonies held every year during the first month of the Islamic calendar.
Distinctive calligraphy art at the Mughal Shia mosque in Yangon. The main gate is carved with the Shia version of the Shahada, which includes one extra phrase compared to the Sunni version: 'Ali-un-Waliullah,' meaning Ali is the friend (wali) of Allah.
Hazarat Abbas (A. S) Astana Alamdar-e-Husayn in Yangon.
Located on 32nd Street next to the Sule Pagoda in the heart of Yangon's old town, there is a Shia ritual hall called Hazarat Abbas (A. S) Astana Alamdar-e-Husayn. Built in 1856, it is an important ritual center for the Shia community in Yangon. Unlike a standard mosque (masjid), this place is used by the Shia community for memorial ceremonies during the first and second months of the Islamic calendar and during Ramadan. It is an important way for the Shia community to build unity.
The hall has two floors. On the first floor, the words 'Live like Ali, die like Husayn' are written in English. On the second floor, the center displays a Punja, which symbolizes the severed hand of Imam Husayn’s standard-bearer, Abbas, during the Battle of Karbala. On both sides are tombs symbolizing those of Imam Husayn and the standard-bearer Abbas, who were martyred in the battle. An elder at the mosque showed me a book in Burmese about the standard-bearer Abbas.
In the Shia tradition, the standard-bearer Abbas is seen as the ultimate example of courage, love, sincerity, and self-sacrifice. Many Shia people take oaths in his name or give out food in his honor. The death of Abbas is the oldest passion play in the Shia tradition, and verses about him often appear in the decoration of Shia buildings.
Punja Mosque in Yangon.
Located on 38th Street on the east side of Yangon's old town, Punja Mosque was built in 1877 and is another Shia ritual center in Yangon. The Shia Shahada can also be seen on the mosque gate, with the extra phrase 'Ali is the friend of Allah' added at the end. The main hall is divided into two parts: the right side is a hall for mourning Imam Husayn, and the left side is a prayer hall. In the center of the right hall sits a tomb symbolizing Imam Husayn. To the left is a minbar pulpit for the Imam to deliver the khutbah, and on the right is a Punja, symbolizing the severed hand of Imam Husayn’s standard-bearer Abbas from the Battle of Karbala, which is how the mosque got its name.
Dawoodi Bohra Saifee Mosque in Yangon.
Besides the Twelver Shia, there are two other Shia minority ritual centers on Mughal Street in Yangon. Unfortunately, because there are so few members left, both have stopped operating.
Dawoodi Bohra Saifee Mosque is located on the west side of Mughal Street and was built by the Dawoodi Bohra sect in 1898. Starting in the 19th century, members of the Dawoodi Bohra sect from Gujarat, India, began traveling across the Indian Ocean to trade. Many became wealthy merchants and industrialists, and some settled in Yangon, which had a large Indian population.
His Highness The Agakhan Building Myanmar Ismaili Khoja Jamatkhana in Yangon.
Located on the east side of Mughal Street, His Highness The Agakhan Building Myanmar Ismaili Khoja Jamatkhana was built in 1949 by the Khoja people, who follow the Nizari Ismaili branch of Shia Islam. They belong to the same small branch as the Tajik people in China. The name Khoja comes from a term used by the 14th-century Ismaili scholar Pir Sadardin for his followers. Sadr al-Din was born in Persia and spent a long time preaching in South Asia. He promoted tolerance and integration between Islam and Hinduism, which led many merchants from the Lohana caste in Gujarat to convert.
The Khoja began trading in Mumbai, India, in the 18th century. Later, they settled in places across South Asia, Oman, East Africa, and Madagascar, and some also settled in Yangon. The Khoja community center is called Jamatkhana, or 'Friday prayer hall,' where they hold congregational prayers, wedding banquets, and various commemorative events.
Singapore
Al-Burhani Mosque
Al-Burhani Mosque is located on Hill Street, a main road in Singapore. It is the only Dawoodi Bohra Shia mosque in Singapore.
Starting in the 19th century, members of the Dawoodi Bohras from Gujarat, India, traveled along the Indian Ocean to trade. They began trading dry goods and spices in Singapore in 1875. After the 1920s, more Dawoodi Bohra merchants came from Gujarat to Singapore to do business, and the Dawoodi Bohra community in Singapore was officially formed.
Al-Burhani Mosque was first built in 1895 and was originally small. The high-rise building seen today is how it looked after being rebuilt in 1997. Unfortunately, there was no one inside the mosque when we visited, so we could not talk to anyone.
Indian Heritage Centre in Singapore
The Indian Heritage Centre in Little India, Singapore, uses a timeline in its main exhibition hall to tell the rich history and culture of Singapore's Indian community. It is divided into five parts: early contact, origins and migration, early Indian descendants in Singapore and Malaya, the social and political awakening of Indian descendants in Singapore and Malaya, and the contributions of Indian descendants to Singapore. Of course, this includes Indian Shia culture.
A Khoja turban worn by the Ismaili Shia Khoja people of Gujarat.
A procession of Indian Shia Muslims during the Ashura festival in the 19th century. On the right is a Ta'ziya, a model of the tombs of Imam Hussein and Hassan, and you can also see Alam flags.
An Alam flagpole carried by South Indian Shia Muslims during an Ashura procession in the 19th century.
Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore
A porcelain plate for export ordered by Indian Shia Muslims in 1844-45, featuring Persian verses related to the martyrdom of Imam Hussein. The teardrop pattern used here is known as the 'boteh' motif in Persian.
A scroll painting of a Shia Ashura procession in southern India (possibly Chennai) from the 1830s to 1840s. The entire scroll is nearly 6 meters long. You can see a Ta'ziya (a model of the tombs of Imam Hussein and Hassan), Buraq (the mount of the Prophet Muhammad during his Night Journey), Alam flags, the Hand of Abbas, a Sipar shield, and a reenactment of the Battle of Karbala. You can also see the Chennai native infantry, people dressed as animals, and even elements of the Hindu Charak festival, which reflects India's multiculturalism.
A 'Hand of Abbas' from the late 19th to early 20th century.
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Summary: This second part continues the author’s visits to Shia mosques, jamatkhanas, and Muslim heritage sites in Thailand, Myanmar, and Singapore, with names and historical details kept intact.
Goowatil Islam Mosque in Bangkok
After the Toek Khaw (white brick) mosque was built in 1856, some Dawoodi Bohra Shia merchants from Surat, Gujarat, India, rented a piece of royal warehouse land a few hundred meters upstream. At that time, some Malay Sunni goldsmiths from Sai Buri District in Pattani Province, southern Thailand, also lived nearby. They were skilled at making an alloy of gold, silver, and copper called Nak in Thai.
In 1859, these two groups built a new mosque together. Because the nearby warehouses were built of red brick, it was called Toek Daeng (red brick) mosque, and later renamed Goowatil Islam Mosque.
Among the Indian Shia merchants in the Goowatil Islam Mosque community, Ali Asmail Nana was the most famous. He served as a translator for the Siamese Western Trade Department and earned the title Phra Phichet Sanphanit. He married and had children in Bangkok, and his family later succeeded in real estate development.
After the 20th century, Indian Shia merchants began moving their shops from the old royal warehouses to the busier Song Wat Road area in Bangkok's Chinatown. They started working in more promising professions like commission agents, bankers, insurance brokers, auctioneers, and real estate developers. With the changing times, you can no longer find those Indian Shia merchants at Goowatil Islam Mosque today.
Myanmar
Mughal Shia Mosque in Yangon
The Mughal Shia Mosque in Yangon, Myanmar, is the largest Shia mosque in Southeast Asia. It was founded in 1854 by Persian-Indian merchants who were the first to settle in Yangon.
The British East India Company opened a factory in Yangon starting in the 1790s, after which Persian and Indian Shia merchants began arriving in Yangon. These Shia friends (dosti) and others from Iran, Afghanistan, India, and elsewhere were collectively called Mughals by the Burmese people. After the 19th century, the Mughals often served as intermediaries and translators for exchanges between the British and the Burmese, becoming an important part of Yangon's foreign trade.
In 1852, the British officially occupied Yangon and made it the capital of British Burma. They hired army engineers to design and plan the grid-like city of Yangon, and the Shia community in Yangon officially established the Mughal Shia Mosque. The Mughal Shia Mosque was originally a teak wood building. Between 1914 and 1918, mosque board members from Isfahan, Shiraz, Khorasan, and Kabul in Iran and Afghanistan raised funds to rebuild it in its current Hyderabad style. The Shia faith developed on the Deccan Plateau in southern India during the 14th to 16th centuries. The Qutb Shahi dynasty declared Shia the state religion in 1518. Its capital, Hyderabad, was built in 1591 with the participation of Shia scholar and scientist Mir Muhammad Momin, and Hyderabad later became a center of Shia culture in India.
S Afsheen, a descendant of a board member of the Yangon Mughal Shia Mosque, wrote in his autobiography that his ancestors were originally court advisors to the Mughal Empire. In the 19th century, his great-grandfather's father, Hasan Ali Khorasanee, came to Yangon to do business, received favorable trade terms, and then developed a powerful trading company. Hasan Ali Khorasanee's son bought many properties in Yangon and operated leather and other trading businesses, which made the Khorasanee family one of the board members of the Mughal Shia Mosque.
The Mughal Shia Mosque is located on Shwe Bon Thar Road in Yangon's Indian quarter. This place was originally called Mughal Street and was the area where Indian shops in Yangon were most concentrated. The mosque consists of the street-facing Mughal Hall, the main prayer hall, and two tall minarets. The shops in the Mughal Hall facing the street are rented out.
The layout of the main hall at the Mughal Shia mosque in Yangon differs from Sunni mosques. The hall is split into separate areas for men and women, both covered with prayer rugs and featuring a mihrab to indicate the direction of prayer. The center area is used for the khutbah sermon and for mourning ceremonies held every year during the first month of the Islamic calendar.
Distinctive calligraphy art at the Mughal Shia mosque in Yangon. The main gate is carved with the Shia version of the Shahada, which includes one extra phrase compared to the Sunni version: 'Ali-un-Waliullah,' meaning Ali is the friend (wali) of Allah.
Hazarat Abbas (A. S) Astana Alamdar-e-Husayn in Yangon.
Located on 32nd Street next to the Sule Pagoda in the heart of Yangon's old town, there is a Shia ritual hall called Hazarat Abbas (A. S) Astana Alamdar-e-Husayn. Built in 1856, it is an important ritual center for the Shia community in Yangon. Unlike a standard mosque (masjid), this place is used by the Shia community for memorial ceremonies during the first and second months of the Islamic calendar and during Ramadan. It is an important way for the Shia community to build unity.
The hall has two floors. On the first floor, the words 'Live like Ali, die like Husayn' are written in English. On the second floor, the center displays a Punja, which symbolizes the severed hand of Imam Husayn’s standard-bearer, Abbas, during the Battle of Karbala. On both sides are tombs symbolizing those of Imam Husayn and the standard-bearer Abbas, who were martyred in the battle. An elder at the mosque showed me a book in Burmese about the standard-bearer Abbas.
In the Shia tradition, the standard-bearer Abbas is seen as the ultimate example of courage, love, sincerity, and self-sacrifice. Many Shia people take oaths in his name or give out food in his honor. The death of Abbas is the oldest passion play in the Shia tradition, and verses about him often appear in the decoration of Shia buildings.
Punja Mosque in Yangon.
Located on 38th Street on the east side of Yangon's old town, Punja Mosque was built in 1877 and is another Shia ritual center in Yangon. The Shia Shahada can also be seen on the mosque gate, with the extra phrase 'Ali is the friend of Allah' added at the end. The main hall is divided into two parts: the right side is a hall for mourning Imam Husayn, and the left side is a prayer hall. In the center of the right hall sits a tomb symbolizing Imam Husayn. To the left is a minbar pulpit for the Imam to deliver the khutbah, and on the right is a Punja, symbolizing the severed hand of Imam Husayn’s standard-bearer Abbas from the Battle of Karbala, which is how the mosque got its name.
Dawoodi Bohra Saifee Mosque in Yangon.
Besides the Twelver Shia, there are two other Shia minority ritual centers on Mughal Street in Yangon. Unfortunately, because there are so few members left, both have stopped operating.
Dawoodi Bohra Saifee Mosque is located on the west side of Mughal Street and was built by the Dawoodi Bohra sect in 1898. Starting in the 19th century, members of the Dawoodi Bohra sect from Gujarat, India, began traveling across the Indian Ocean to trade. Many became wealthy merchants and industrialists, and some settled in Yangon, which had a large Indian population.
His Highness The Agakhan Building Myanmar Ismaili Khoja Jamatkhana in Yangon.
Located on the east side of Mughal Street, His Highness The Agakhan Building Myanmar Ismaili Khoja Jamatkhana was built in 1949 by the Khoja people, who follow the Nizari Ismaili branch of Shia Islam. They belong to the same small branch as the Tajik people in China. The name Khoja comes from a term used by the 14th-century Ismaili scholar Pir Sadardin for his followers. Sadr al-Din was born in Persia and spent a long time preaching in South Asia. He promoted tolerance and integration between Islam and Hinduism, which led many merchants from the Lohana caste in Gujarat to convert.
The Khoja began trading in Mumbai, India, in the 18th century. Later, they settled in places across South Asia, Oman, East Africa, and Madagascar, and some also settled in Yangon. The Khoja community center is called Jamatkhana, or 'Friday prayer hall,' where they hold congregational prayers, wedding banquets, and various commemorative events.
Singapore
Al-Burhani Mosque
Al-Burhani Mosque is located on Hill Street, a main road in Singapore. It is the only Dawoodi Bohra Shia mosque in Singapore.
Starting in the 19th century, members of the Dawoodi Bohras from Gujarat, India, traveled along the Indian Ocean to trade. They began trading dry goods and spices in Singapore in 1875. After the 1920s, more Dawoodi Bohra merchants came from Gujarat to Singapore to do business, and the Dawoodi Bohra community in Singapore was officially formed.
Al-Burhani Mosque was first built in 1895 and was originally small. The high-rise building seen today is how it looked after being rebuilt in 1997. Unfortunately, there was no one inside the mosque when we visited, so we could not talk to anyone.
Indian Heritage Centre in Singapore
The Indian Heritage Centre in Little India, Singapore, uses a timeline in its main exhibition hall to tell the rich history and culture of Singapore's Indian community. It is divided into five parts: early contact, origins and migration, early Indian descendants in Singapore and Malaya, the social and political awakening of Indian descendants in Singapore and Malaya, and the contributions of Indian descendants to Singapore. Of course, this includes Indian Shia culture.
A Khoja turban worn by the Ismaili Shia Khoja people of Gujarat.
A procession of Indian Shia Muslims during the Ashura festival in the 19th century. On the right is a Ta'ziya, a model of the tombs of Imam Hussein and Hassan, and you can also see Alam flags.
An Alam flagpole carried by South Indian Shia Muslims during an Ashura procession in the 19th century.
Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore
A porcelain plate for export ordered by Indian Shia Muslims in 1844-45, featuring Persian verses related to the martyrdom of Imam Hussein. The teardrop pattern used here is known as the 'boteh' motif in Persian.
A scroll painting of a Shia Ashura procession in southern India (possibly Chennai) from the 1830s to 1840s. The entire scroll is nearly 6 meters long. You can see a Ta'ziya (a model of the tombs of Imam Hussein and Hassan), Buraq (the mount of the Prophet Muhammad during his Night Journey), Alam flags, the Hand of Abbas, a Sipar shield, and a reenactment of the Battle of Karbala. You can also see the Chennai native infantry, people dressed as animals, and even elements of the Hindu Charak festival, which reflects India's multiculturalism.
A 'Hand of Abbas' from the late 19th to early 20th century.
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Best Halal Hainanese Food in Brunei: Mei Guang Tea House Breakfast and Dim Sum
Reposted from the web
Summary: This halal Hainanese food note returns to Mei Guang Tea House in Brunei for breakfast, dim sum, beef porridge, drinks, noodles, and other dishes from the original travel account.
Mei Guang Tea House in Brunei.
I went back to Mei Guang Tea House in the old town of Brunei for a Hainanese breakfast. The owner is from Hainan, his wife is from Xiamen, and the staff are all from Indonesia. Since they mostly serve the nearby office buildings, it is usually busy. It is quieter on weekends, and they have fewer steamed snacks available. We ordered a large chicken and radish bun (dabao), a red bean paste bun (doushabao), beef porridge with small fried dough sticks (youtiao), longan herbal tea, stir-fried noodles, and steamed dumplings (shaomai). Next time, if any friends (dosti) come on a weekday, they should try the other dishes. The Fuzhou-style 'fortune' rice noodle soup, dry-tossed silver needle noodles (laoshufen), and chicken intestine noodles are all worth eating.
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Summary: This halal Hainanese food note returns to Mei Guang Tea House in Brunei for breakfast, dim sum, beef porridge, drinks, noodles, and other dishes from the original travel account.
Mei Guang Tea House in Brunei.
I went back to Mei Guang Tea House in the old town of Brunei for a Hainanese breakfast. The owner is from Hainan, his wife is from Xiamen, and the staff are all from Indonesia. Since they mostly serve the nearby office buildings, it is usually busy. It is quieter on weekends, and they have fewer steamed snacks available. We ordered a large chicken and radish bun (dabao), a red bean paste bun (doushabao), beef porridge with small fried dough sticks (youtiao), longan herbal tea, stir-fried noodles, and steamed dumplings (shaomai). Next time, if any friends (dosti) come on a weekday, they should try the other dishes. The Fuzhou-style 'fortune' rice noodle soup, dry-tossed silver needle noodles (laoshufen), and chicken intestine noodles are all worth eating.
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Hidden Gongbei in Qingchuan: Dayuan Hui Township and Wulongshan Sufi Shrine in Guangyuan
Reposted from the web
Summary: This northern Sichuan travelogue visits Dayuan Hui Muslim Township in Qingchuan County and Wulongshan gongbei (Sufi shrine), preserving the route, people, and local Muslim heritage.
I left downtown Guangyuan in the morning and reached Dayuan Hui Ethnic Township, deep in the Qinba Mountains, after a trip of nearly two hours. I followed the Huaguo River up the valley and first arrived at Huaguo Village to visit the Huaguo Mosque (Huaguo Si). The mosque was closed, so I could only look around the courtyard.
Huaguo Mosque is a century-old site. It was built in 1925 at Majiakou in Huaguo Village, moved to its current location in Chenjiayuan in 1940, and rebuilt after the 2008 earthquake. You can still see the old stone column bases in the courtyard today.
Continuing up the Huaguo River, I reached Suojia Village, another Hui Muslim village. It is the oldest Hui village in all of Qingchuan, with a history of over 400 years. According to a tombstone in the village, Ma Jiyuan invited the Suo and Zhao families to move from Jingyang County, Shanxi, to settle by the Huagai River in 1580 (the eighth year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty). The Qingchuan County Annals record that in 1586 (the fourteenth year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty), three Hui Muslim families named Ma, Suo, and Hei from Ta'er Mosque in Jingyang County, Shanxi, moved to settle by the Huagai River in Dayuan Township, marking the arrival of Hui Muslims in the county.
At Suojia Mosque, the imam and village elders welcomed me warmly. I offered a donation (nietie), but they returned it to me, saying it was for travelers, and gave me oranges and apples instead. Suojia Mosque was built in the late Ming Dynasty, occupied in 1952, and torn down in 1967. Led by fellow Muslims Suo Fushou and Ma Minghuai, and through the efforts of Suo Jinming, Suo Wenjin, Ma Qinggao, Suo Jinzhu, Suo Fuguo, and Ma Wancai, the current Suojia Mosque was finally completed after four years of work from 2007 to 2011.
In Suojia Village, I clearly saw many people wearing white caps. Everyone was very friendly and smiled at me. Suojia Village sits deep in Wulong Mountain. With ducks and geese in the stream and fellow Muslims plowing the terraced fields with oxen, it is a peaceful scene, like a hidden paradise.
Suojia Village is definitely the most beautiful Hui Muslim village I have visited in Sichuan. I slowly climbed Wulong Mountain and looked out from the railing. Rolling green mountains stretched out, the quiet Huaguo River valley lay between them, and houses were scattered along the slopes. White walls and dark tiles dotted the landscape, while terraced fields formed a lush green pattern. The fresh mountain air hit my face, and everything I saw felt like a healing pastoral poem.
The village specializes in organic green tea, mountain delicacies, eco-friendly beef and lamb, and medicinal herbs grown in the forest. While walking through the village, I happened to meet a simple Hui Muslim grandmother driving her cattle and sheep into the deep mountains to graze, looking very relaxed. When she is not grazing them, she feeds the cattle and sheep pure corn cobs. Cattle and sheep raised on mountain spring water, wild mushrooms, and corn must taste great. I want to try some next time I have the chance.
On a cliff at the end of the Huaguo River valley sits the Wulong Mountain Gongbei, also called the Wulong Mountain Mosque (Qingzhen Ting), which belongs to the Jahriyya Sufi order (Gaderenye Menhuan). This cliffside shrine is comparable in scale to the Jiujing Gongbei.
Wulong Mountain Gongbei is where 'Grandpa An' (An Taiye) from Ding'an River practiced during his lifetime. Grandpa An was originally a Han Chinese from Anhui. During the Kangxi reign, he served as a magistrate in Langzhong County. Inspired by Qi Jingyi, the founder of the Jahriyya order, he resigned from his post to join the faith. Later, he went to Wulong Mountain to practice in a cave. After he passed away (gui zhen) in 1708 (the forty-seventh year of the Kangxi reign), the Wulong Mountain Gongbei was built. Inside the Gongbei, there is a plaque from the eighth year of the Xianfeng reign that reads 'Imperial Grace' (Sheng En).
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Summary: This northern Sichuan travelogue visits Dayuan Hui Muslim Township in Qingchuan County and Wulongshan gongbei (Sufi shrine), preserving the route, people, and local Muslim heritage.
I left downtown Guangyuan in the morning and reached Dayuan Hui Ethnic Township, deep in the Qinba Mountains, after a trip of nearly two hours. I followed the Huaguo River up the valley and first arrived at Huaguo Village to visit the Huaguo Mosque (Huaguo Si). The mosque was closed, so I could only look around the courtyard.
Huaguo Mosque is a century-old site. It was built in 1925 at Majiakou in Huaguo Village, moved to its current location in Chenjiayuan in 1940, and rebuilt after the 2008 earthquake. You can still see the old stone column bases in the courtyard today.
Continuing up the Huaguo River, I reached Suojia Village, another Hui Muslim village. It is the oldest Hui village in all of Qingchuan, with a history of over 400 years. According to a tombstone in the village, Ma Jiyuan invited the Suo and Zhao families to move from Jingyang County, Shanxi, to settle by the Huagai River in 1580 (the eighth year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty). The Qingchuan County Annals record that in 1586 (the fourteenth year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty), three Hui Muslim families named Ma, Suo, and Hei from Ta'er Mosque in Jingyang County, Shanxi, moved to settle by the Huagai River in Dayuan Township, marking the arrival of Hui Muslims in the county.
At Suojia Mosque, the imam and village elders welcomed me warmly. I offered a donation (nietie), but they returned it to me, saying it was for travelers, and gave me oranges and apples instead. Suojia Mosque was built in the late Ming Dynasty, occupied in 1952, and torn down in 1967. Led by fellow Muslims Suo Fushou and Ma Minghuai, and through the efforts of Suo Jinming, Suo Wenjin, Ma Qinggao, Suo Jinzhu, Suo Fuguo, and Ma Wancai, the current Suojia Mosque was finally completed after four years of work from 2007 to 2011.
In Suojia Village, I clearly saw many people wearing white caps. Everyone was very friendly and smiled at me. Suojia Village sits deep in Wulong Mountain. With ducks and geese in the stream and fellow Muslims plowing the terraced fields with oxen, it is a peaceful scene, like a hidden paradise.
Suojia Village is definitely the most beautiful Hui Muslim village I have visited in Sichuan. I slowly climbed Wulong Mountain and looked out from the railing. Rolling green mountains stretched out, the quiet Huaguo River valley lay between them, and houses were scattered along the slopes. White walls and dark tiles dotted the landscape, while terraced fields formed a lush green pattern. The fresh mountain air hit my face, and everything I saw felt like a healing pastoral poem.
The village specializes in organic green tea, mountain delicacies, eco-friendly beef and lamb, and medicinal herbs grown in the forest. While walking through the village, I happened to meet a simple Hui Muslim grandmother driving her cattle and sheep into the deep mountains to graze, looking very relaxed. When she is not grazing them, she feeds the cattle and sheep pure corn cobs. Cattle and sheep raised on mountain spring water, wild mushrooms, and corn must taste great. I want to try some next time I have the chance.
On a cliff at the end of the Huaguo River valley sits the Wulong Mountain Gongbei, also called the Wulong Mountain Mosque (Qingzhen Ting), which belongs to the Jahriyya Sufi order (Gaderenye Menhuan). This cliffside shrine is comparable in scale to the Jiujing Gongbei.
Wulong Mountain Gongbei is where 'Grandpa An' (An Taiye) from Ding'an River practiced during his lifetime. Grandpa An was originally a Han Chinese from Anhui. During the Kangxi reign, he served as a magistrate in Langzhong County. Inspired by Qi Jingyi, the founder of the Jahriyya order, he resigned from his post to join the faith. Later, he went to Wulong Mountain to practice in a cave. After he passed away (gui zhen) in 1708 (the forty-seventh year of the Kangxi reign), the Wulong Mountain Gongbei was built. Inside the Gongbei, there is a plaque from the eighth year of the Xianfeng reign that reads 'Imperial Grace' (Sheng En).
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Hidden Mosques in Guangyuan: Shanghe Street, Jialing River and Sichuan Hui Muslim History
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Guangyuan stop follows Shanghe Street by the Jialing River, old mosque history, Hui Muslim community details, and the next stage of a Spring Festival road trip through Sichuan.
I traveled back along the Jialing River gorge from the Nine Wells, with river breezes and mountain shadows for company, and arrived at the Shanghe Street Mosque in Guangyuan just in time for iftar. The mosque was undergoing repairs during my visit, so prayers and iftar were held on the second floor. The layout was simple, but the atmosphere was incredibly quiet and solemn.
Guangyuan sits at the junction of Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces, serving as a key hub for water and land transport. The worshippers here are diverse, including friends (dost) from the northwest, international students studying here, and local elders who have lived here for generations. Their shared devotion creates a peaceful and inclusive environment.
The iftar meal was simple and home-style: warm and flavorful beef stewed with carrots (huluobo dun niurou), refreshing stir-fried wood ear mushrooms with asparagus lettuce (wosun chao mu'er), light and soothing kelp stewed with white radish (bailuobo dun haidai), plus cold glass noodles (liangban fensi) and pickled radish. It was simple, solid, steady, and healing.
The Shanghe Street Mosque in Guangyuan stands quietly by the Jialing River, right outside the bustling Jialing River Pedestrian Street. River breezes blow gently, and tourist boats shuttle back and forth at the pier in a constant stream, full of the lively noise of the city. Stepping into the mosque to quietly perform Taraweeh prayers, I felt deeply moved. Just one window away, the world outside is filled with the hustle and bustle of traffic and the busy, worldly life. Inside the window is a clean and peaceful place for spiritual practice, a quiet harbor to rest one's heart. The noise of the world and the peace of the ancient mosque blend together, creating a moment of stillness and a spiritual home by the busy river.
Guangyuan had a mosque built on East Street in the old city as early as the Yuan and Ming dynasties, but it was destroyed at the end of the Ming Dynasty. After the Qing Dynasty, the commercial center of Guangyuan gradually moved from East Street to the banks of the Jialing River. Therefore, local Hui Muslims built the Shanghe Street Mosque in 1721 (the 60th year of the Kangxi reign), though some say it started in 1674, and it was expanded in 1777 (the 42nd year of the Qianlong reign).
The mosque now houses nine precious plaques from the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era. In the 1960s and 1970s, these plaques were covered with layers of paper and painted red with slogans about national unity, which is how they survived. These nine plaques are now hung on the walls of the stairs and corridors inside the mosque.
The 'Mosque' (Qingzhensi) plaque from 1748 (the 13th year of the Qianlong reign) was rebuilt by the community in the 10th year of the Republic of China.
The 'Recognize Allah as One' (Renzhu Wu'er) plaque from 1803 (the 8th year of the Jiaqing reign) was presented by the imperial-appointed Baturu Min Huaixi.
The 'Pure and True' (Qi Qing Li Zhen) plaque from 1811 (the 16th year of the Jiaqing reign) was set up by Geng Ziyu, a garrison commander in Guangyuan.
The small-character stone plaque from 1849 (the 29th year of the Daoguang reign) was written by Min Zhengfeng, the Governor of Guangxi, and records the historical facts of religious policy disputes regarding Hui Muslims during the Yongzheng reign and the imperial court's protection of Islam.
The 'Penetrating the Dust' (Guanche Weichen) plaque from 1873 (the 12th year of the Tongzhi reign) was set up by Jiang Guolin, an imperial-appointed garrison commander in Guangyuan.
The 'Only Pure and Only One' (Wei Jing Wei Yi) plaque from 1873 (the 12th year of the Tongzhi reign) was set up by Ma Dengchao, an imperial-appointed garrison officer in Guangyuan.
The 'Branch of the Holy Religion' (Zhi Wei Sheng Jiao) plaque from the Guangxu reign was presented by Mu Xiangfu, a garrison commander in Guangyuan.
The 'Spreading the Faith' (Dao Chan Tian Fang) plaque from 1925 was inscribed by Liu Cunhou, the Commissioner of Sichuan-Shaanxi Border Defense and Inspector of the Sichuan Army.
The 'Renewing Religious Affairs' (Jiaowu Weixin) plaque from 1932 was set up by the Guangyuan Hui Muslim Funeral Assistance Association.
After finishing the Taraweeh prayers, I went behind the mosque to have some beef stew with flatbread (huimo). Because Guangyuan is close to Shaanxi and Gansu, the locals love eating huimo, which makes their food different from the rest of Sichuan. Guangyuan huimo is very different from Shaanxi-style soaked flatbread (paomo) because the bread is served in large, soft chunks that do not fall apart. The broth is made from beef bones and includes plenty of glass noodles. It is popular to eat huimo for breakfast in Guangyuan, but restaurants actually sell it all day long. Zhouji and Lao Mu Jia on Shanghe Street both serve huimo, and Lao Mu Jia stays open later.
The Mu-surname Hui Muslims in Guangyuan migrated from Shaanxi and Gansu along the Jialing River during the mid-Qing Dynasty. Most live in Mujiapo in Datian Town, and they run restaurants in places like the Guangyuan city center and Jiange County where you can taste local Hui Muslim specialties.
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Summary: This Guangyuan stop follows Shanghe Street by the Jialing River, old mosque history, Hui Muslim community details, and the next stage of a Spring Festival road trip through Sichuan.
I traveled back along the Jialing River gorge from the Nine Wells, with river breezes and mountain shadows for company, and arrived at the Shanghe Street Mosque in Guangyuan just in time for iftar. The mosque was undergoing repairs during my visit, so prayers and iftar were held on the second floor. The layout was simple, but the atmosphere was incredibly quiet and solemn.
Guangyuan sits at the junction of Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces, serving as a key hub for water and land transport. The worshippers here are diverse, including friends (dost) from the northwest, international students studying here, and local elders who have lived here for generations. Their shared devotion creates a peaceful and inclusive environment.
The iftar meal was simple and home-style: warm and flavorful beef stewed with carrots (huluobo dun niurou), refreshing stir-fried wood ear mushrooms with asparagus lettuce (wosun chao mu'er), light and soothing kelp stewed with white radish (bailuobo dun haidai), plus cold glass noodles (liangban fensi) and pickled radish. It was simple, solid, steady, and healing.
The Shanghe Street Mosque in Guangyuan stands quietly by the Jialing River, right outside the bustling Jialing River Pedestrian Street. River breezes blow gently, and tourist boats shuttle back and forth at the pier in a constant stream, full of the lively noise of the city. Stepping into the mosque to quietly perform Taraweeh prayers, I felt deeply moved. Just one window away, the world outside is filled with the hustle and bustle of traffic and the busy, worldly life. Inside the window is a clean and peaceful place for spiritual practice, a quiet harbor to rest one's heart. The noise of the world and the peace of the ancient mosque blend together, creating a moment of stillness and a spiritual home by the busy river.
Guangyuan had a mosque built on East Street in the old city as early as the Yuan and Ming dynasties, but it was destroyed at the end of the Ming Dynasty. After the Qing Dynasty, the commercial center of Guangyuan gradually moved from East Street to the banks of the Jialing River. Therefore, local Hui Muslims built the Shanghe Street Mosque in 1721 (the 60th year of the Kangxi reign), though some say it started in 1674, and it was expanded in 1777 (the 42nd year of the Qianlong reign).
The mosque now houses nine precious plaques from the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era. In the 1960s and 1970s, these plaques were covered with layers of paper and painted red with slogans about national unity, which is how they survived. These nine plaques are now hung on the walls of the stairs and corridors inside the mosque.
The 'Mosque' (Qingzhensi) plaque from 1748 (the 13th year of the Qianlong reign) was rebuilt by the community in the 10th year of the Republic of China.
The 'Recognize Allah as One' (Renzhu Wu'er) plaque from 1803 (the 8th year of the Jiaqing reign) was presented by the imperial-appointed Baturu Min Huaixi.
The 'Pure and True' (Qi Qing Li Zhen) plaque from 1811 (the 16th year of the Jiaqing reign) was set up by Geng Ziyu, a garrison commander in Guangyuan.
The small-character stone plaque from 1849 (the 29th year of the Daoguang reign) was written by Min Zhengfeng, the Governor of Guangxi, and records the historical facts of religious policy disputes regarding Hui Muslims during the Yongzheng reign and the imperial court's protection of Islam.
The 'Penetrating the Dust' (Guanche Weichen) plaque from 1873 (the 12th year of the Tongzhi reign) was set up by Jiang Guolin, an imperial-appointed garrison commander in Guangyuan.
The 'Only Pure and Only One' (Wei Jing Wei Yi) plaque from 1873 (the 12th year of the Tongzhi reign) was set up by Ma Dengchao, an imperial-appointed garrison officer in Guangyuan.
The 'Branch of the Holy Religion' (Zhi Wei Sheng Jiao) plaque from the Guangxu reign was presented by Mu Xiangfu, a garrison commander in Guangyuan.
The 'Spreading the Faith' (Dao Chan Tian Fang) plaque from 1925 was inscribed by Liu Cunhou, the Commissioner of Sichuan-Shaanxi Border Defense and Inspector of the Sichuan Army.
The 'Renewing Religious Affairs' (Jiaowu Weixin) plaque from 1932 was set up by the Guangyuan Hui Muslim Funeral Assistance Association.
After finishing the Taraweeh prayers, I went behind the mosque to have some beef stew with flatbread (huimo). Because Guangyuan is close to Shaanxi and Gansu, the locals love eating huimo, which makes their food different from the rest of Sichuan. Guangyuan huimo is very different from Shaanxi-style soaked flatbread (paomo) because the bread is served in large, soft chunks that do not fall apart. The broth is made from beef bones and includes plenty of glass noodles. It is popular to eat huimo for breakfast in Guangyuan, but restaurants actually sell it all day long. Zhouji and Lao Mu Jia on Shanghe Street both serve huimo, and Lao Mu Jia stays open later.
The Mu-surname Hui Muslims in Guangyuan migrated from Shaanxi and Gansu along the Jialing River during the mid-Qing Dynasty. Most live in Mujiapo in Datian Town, and they run restaurants in places like the Guangyuan city center and Jiange County where you can taste local Hui Muslim specialties.
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Hidden Mosques Near Beijing: Huailai and Zhuolu Qingming Road Trip, Part Two
Reposted from the web
Summary: This second Huailai and Zhuolu road trip entry continues through Hebei mosque sites, local Hui Muslim stories, village routes, and Qingming travel notes from the original Chinese article.
In the last post, we had lunch in Shacheng Town, Huailai, Hebei, and visited two old mosques in Ganji Liang and Mayukou. See 'Visiting Old Mosques in Huailai and Zhuolu, Hebei during the Qingming Holiday (Part 1)'. In this part, we head to Xinbao'an Town and Zhuolu County to experience the local Islamic culture.
On April 5, we had breakfast in Xinbao'an Town, Huailai, Hebei. We arrived a bit late, so the soft tofu (laodoufu) and brown sugar flatbread (shaobing) were sold out. We had a steamer of buns with fried tofu soup, and Suleiman really enjoyed the purple rice porridge.
Xinbao'an Town is a key town on the ancient Beijing-Zhangjiakou road, with a post station built as early as the Yuan Dynasty. After the Tumu Crisis in the Ming Dynasty, a city was built here in 1451 (the second year of the Jingtai reign) to strengthen the northern defense line of Beijing. The Bao'an Garrison, originally located in Zhuolu, was moved here, and it has been called Bao'an New City ever since. After the Qing Dynasty, Xinbao'an gradually changed from a military town to a commercial hub, connecting Beijing and Zhangjiakou.
At the Xinbao'an town market, we bought old-fashioned five-nut mooncakes (wuren yuebing) and honey cakes at a roadside bakery. They were made that day and were perfect as tea snacks.
After breakfast, we went to the Hui Muslim residential area in the northwest of the old town to visit the famous 'Nine-Link Courtyard' (Jiulianhuan Dayuan). This was originally a wealthy merchant's residence in the Qing Dynasty. Later, the merchant declined and Hui Muslims moved in, so it is also called the 'Hui Muslim Courtyard'. The gate of the courtyard is very beautiful and is a classic example of Qing Dynasty residential style in Zhangjiakou, featuring complex brick, wood, and stone carvings. The courtyard was caught in the fighting during the 1948 Battle of Xinbao'an, and you can still see clear bullet marks today.
The Hui Muslims in Xinbao'an mainly have the surnames Liang and Zheng. The Liang family's ancestors moved from Nanjing to Liangjiapo, Weinan, Shaanxi, in the late Ming Dynasty during the Chongzhen reign. In 1677 (the 16th year of the Kangxi reign), they moved to Xinbao'an Town to farm and guard the capital. During the Qianlong reign, the Liang family began doing business in Zhangjiakou. By the Tongzhi reign, their camel caravans reached as far as Kulun in Outer Mongolia and Lanzhou. They later opened five shops known as the 'Five Great Guangs'.
The Zheng family shares the same origin as those in nearby Huailai and Zhuolu counties. Their ancestors moved from Shaanxi in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, first to Shacheng Town in Huailai, then spreading to Wangjialou, Yanzhuang, Xinbao'an, Xuanhua, and Zhangjiakou. Zheng Kuishi was a famous Hui Muslim general in the late Qing Dynasty. He fought against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom during the Xianfeng reign, won many battles, was given the title 'Shalama Baturu', and was awarded a yellow riding jacket. During the Tongzhi reign, he served as the acting Zhili provincial commander, guarding the capital region and suppressing the Nian Rebellion in Zhili to keep the capital safe. In his later years, he returned home to work on water conservancy, building the Yonggu Dam to manage the Liu River. He also repaired the Zhenshuo Tower and Four Archways in Xuanhua and opened the Huoshi Slope road to improve transportation. He was highly respected locally.
Xinbao'an Mosque is right next to the Nine-Link Hui Muslim Courtyard. Some say it was built in 1621 (the first year of the Tianqi reign), while others say it was built in 1677 (the 16th year of the Kangxi reign). The main hall consists of a front hall, a middle hall, and a rear kiln hall. It is larger than other old mosques in Huailai and still has beautiful brick carvings, though the moon-watching tower on the kiln hall roof is gone.
During the 1948 Pingjin Campaign, Xinbao'an was a key battlefield. The Xinbao'an Mosque became the command post for the Nationalist 35th Army, and the walls of the main hall are still covered in bullet marks. In 2008, the mosque was listed as a Hebei Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Unit under the name 'Site of the Battle of Xinbao'an—Command Post of the Nationalist 35th Army'.
The only remaining stone tablet at Xinbao'an Mosque is likely a donation tablet, which lists many business names.
We drove from Xinbao'an Town to Zhuolu County to visit another old mosque in Zhangjiakou—Zhuolu Mosque.
Zhuolu Mosque is located in the east gate area of the county. It was first built during the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty. It is a famous historic mosque north of Beijing and was listed as a key cultural relic protection site in Hebei Province in 2008. The main hall of Zhuolu Mosque is made of three connected hard-mountain roofs with a front porch. Behind the kiln hall stands an 11-meter-high octagonal spire-roofed Moon-Watching Tower (wangyuelou), which is more spectacular than the common hexagonal spire roofs found in North China. Wind bells hang on the Moon-Watching Tower. When the wind blows, the bells ring, creating a refreshing and soothing sound. A wooden partition screen is built between the main hall and the kiln hall, featuring a unique design of the Basmala (tasimi) written in hard-pen calligraphy.
The Hui Muslims in Zhuolu are mainly of the Shan surname. The Shan family are descendants of Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din. One branch originally came from Shanjia Gou in Xi'an Prefecture, Shaanxi. They moved to Zhuolu during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, and during the Qianlong period, they built the Shan Family Nine-Linked Ring Courtyard in the west gate area. The Shan family is known for their military service. Five members once passed the military imperial examinations, and they were known as the 'Five Dragons of the Shan Family'. The east gate area where Zhuolu Mosque is located was also a residential area for Hui Muslims. It once had alleys named after local Hui Muslim families: Ma Family Alley (Majia Xiang), Fei Family Alley (Feijia Xiang), and Shan Family Alley (Shanjia Xiang). Unfortunately, the east gate area was demolished in 2018, and only the mosque was preserved.
Zhuolu Mosque is famous for its exquisite brick carvings. The brick carvings on the sides of the three-room hard-mountain main hall are all different. Inside the main hall, there are eighteen precious murals featuring themes of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, chrysanthemums, landscapes, and utensils, which are very rare in the main halls of mosques.
Plaques inside Zhuolu Mosque:
The 'Wanxiang Zhenzong' plaque from 1809 (the 14th year of the Jiaqing reign).
The 'Daotong Tianren' plaque from 1859 (the 9th year of the Xianfeng reign).
The 'Zhenshi Wuwang' plaque from 1870 (the 9th year of the Tongzhi reign).
The 'Tianxiu Wohe' plaque from 1919, which is the only one with an inscription, signed by 'Shan Xiangchen'.
At noon, I returned to Shacheng Town in Huailai for lunch. At Qingyizhai, I had lamb and mushroom with oat noodles (youmian wowo), stir-fried millet with chive flowers, and a clay pot of winter melon and meatballs. The prices at restaurants here are cheaper than in Beijing, and the food is delicious.
The lamb and mushroom dish had quite a few potatoes, but it was stir-fried well. There were several types of mushrooms, making it fresh, fragrant, and rich. The oat noodles were firm and chewy, carrying the unique, natural wheat aroma of whole grains. It was my first time eating stir-fried millet with chive flowers. The taste was slightly salty. The golden millet grains were dry and distinct, mixed with the unique spicy fragrance of chive flowers, giving it a coarse yet refreshing texture. The winter melon and meatball soup was the most amazing. The clear soup with meatballs was especially good—firm and bouncy. It tasted better than what I make myself, and one bite told me there wasn't much starch, as it was mostly meat.
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Summary: This second Huailai and Zhuolu road trip entry continues through Hebei mosque sites, local Hui Muslim stories, village routes, and Qingming travel notes from the original Chinese article.
In the last post, we had lunch in Shacheng Town, Huailai, Hebei, and visited two old mosques in Ganji Liang and Mayukou. See 'Visiting Old Mosques in Huailai and Zhuolu, Hebei during the Qingming Holiday (Part 1)'. In this part, we head to Xinbao'an Town and Zhuolu County to experience the local Islamic culture.
On April 5, we had breakfast in Xinbao'an Town, Huailai, Hebei. We arrived a bit late, so the soft tofu (laodoufu) and brown sugar flatbread (shaobing) were sold out. We had a steamer of buns with fried tofu soup, and Suleiman really enjoyed the purple rice porridge.
Xinbao'an Town is a key town on the ancient Beijing-Zhangjiakou road, with a post station built as early as the Yuan Dynasty. After the Tumu Crisis in the Ming Dynasty, a city was built here in 1451 (the second year of the Jingtai reign) to strengthen the northern defense line of Beijing. The Bao'an Garrison, originally located in Zhuolu, was moved here, and it has been called Bao'an New City ever since. After the Qing Dynasty, Xinbao'an gradually changed from a military town to a commercial hub, connecting Beijing and Zhangjiakou.
At the Xinbao'an town market, we bought old-fashioned five-nut mooncakes (wuren yuebing) and honey cakes at a roadside bakery. They were made that day and were perfect as tea snacks.
After breakfast, we went to the Hui Muslim residential area in the northwest of the old town to visit the famous 'Nine-Link Courtyard' (Jiulianhuan Dayuan). This was originally a wealthy merchant's residence in the Qing Dynasty. Later, the merchant declined and Hui Muslims moved in, so it is also called the 'Hui Muslim Courtyard'. The gate of the courtyard is very beautiful and is a classic example of Qing Dynasty residential style in Zhangjiakou, featuring complex brick, wood, and stone carvings. The courtyard was caught in the fighting during the 1948 Battle of Xinbao'an, and you can still see clear bullet marks today.
The Hui Muslims in Xinbao'an mainly have the surnames Liang and Zheng. The Liang family's ancestors moved from Nanjing to Liangjiapo, Weinan, Shaanxi, in the late Ming Dynasty during the Chongzhen reign. In 1677 (the 16th year of the Kangxi reign), they moved to Xinbao'an Town to farm and guard the capital. During the Qianlong reign, the Liang family began doing business in Zhangjiakou. By the Tongzhi reign, their camel caravans reached as far as Kulun in Outer Mongolia and Lanzhou. They later opened five shops known as the 'Five Great Guangs'.
The Zheng family shares the same origin as those in nearby Huailai and Zhuolu counties. Their ancestors moved from Shaanxi in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, first to Shacheng Town in Huailai, then spreading to Wangjialou, Yanzhuang, Xinbao'an, Xuanhua, and Zhangjiakou. Zheng Kuishi was a famous Hui Muslim general in the late Qing Dynasty. He fought against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom during the Xianfeng reign, won many battles, was given the title 'Shalama Baturu', and was awarded a yellow riding jacket. During the Tongzhi reign, he served as the acting Zhili provincial commander, guarding the capital region and suppressing the Nian Rebellion in Zhili to keep the capital safe. In his later years, he returned home to work on water conservancy, building the Yonggu Dam to manage the Liu River. He also repaired the Zhenshuo Tower and Four Archways in Xuanhua and opened the Huoshi Slope road to improve transportation. He was highly respected locally.
Xinbao'an Mosque is right next to the Nine-Link Hui Muslim Courtyard. Some say it was built in 1621 (the first year of the Tianqi reign), while others say it was built in 1677 (the 16th year of the Kangxi reign). The main hall consists of a front hall, a middle hall, and a rear kiln hall. It is larger than other old mosques in Huailai and still has beautiful brick carvings, though the moon-watching tower on the kiln hall roof is gone.
During the 1948 Pingjin Campaign, Xinbao'an was a key battlefield. The Xinbao'an Mosque became the command post for the Nationalist 35th Army, and the walls of the main hall are still covered in bullet marks. In 2008, the mosque was listed as a Hebei Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Unit under the name 'Site of the Battle of Xinbao'an—Command Post of the Nationalist 35th Army'.
The only remaining stone tablet at Xinbao'an Mosque is likely a donation tablet, which lists many business names.
We drove from Xinbao'an Town to Zhuolu County to visit another old mosque in Zhangjiakou—Zhuolu Mosque.
Zhuolu Mosque is located in the east gate area of the county. It was first built during the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty. It is a famous historic mosque north of Beijing and was listed as a key cultural relic protection site in Hebei Province in 2008. The main hall of Zhuolu Mosque is made of three connected hard-mountain roofs with a front porch. Behind the kiln hall stands an 11-meter-high octagonal spire-roofed Moon-Watching Tower (wangyuelou), which is more spectacular than the common hexagonal spire roofs found in North China. Wind bells hang on the Moon-Watching Tower. When the wind blows, the bells ring, creating a refreshing and soothing sound. A wooden partition screen is built between the main hall and the kiln hall, featuring a unique design of the Basmala (tasimi) written in hard-pen calligraphy.
The Hui Muslims in Zhuolu are mainly of the Shan surname. The Shan family are descendants of Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din. One branch originally came from Shanjia Gou in Xi'an Prefecture, Shaanxi. They moved to Zhuolu during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, and during the Qianlong period, they built the Shan Family Nine-Linked Ring Courtyard in the west gate area. The Shan family is known for their military service. Five members once passed the military imperial examinations, and they were known as the 'Five Dragons of the Shan Family'. The east gate area where Zhuolu Mosque is located was also a residential area for Hui Muslims. It once had alleys named after local Hui Muslim families: Ma Family Alley (Majia Xiang), Fei Family Alley (Feijia Xiang), and Shan Family Alley (Shanjia Xiang). Unfortunately, the east gate area was demolished in 2018, and only the mosque was preserved.
Zhuolu Mosque is famous for its exquisite brick carvings. The brick carvings on the sides of the three-room hard-mountain main hall are all different. Inside the main hall, there are eighteen precious murals featuring themes of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, chrysanthemums, landscapes, and utensils, which are very rare in the main halls of mosques.
Plaques inside Zhuolu Mosque:
The 'Wanxiang Zhenzong' plaque from 1809 (the 14th year of the Jiaqing reign).
The 'Daotong Tianren' plaque from 1859 (the 9th year of the Xianfeng reign).
The 'Zhenshi Wuwang' plaque from 1870 (the 9th year of the Tongzhi reign).
The 'Tianxiu Wohe' plaque from 1919, which is the only one with an inscription, signed by 'Shan Xiangchen'.
At noon, I returned to Shacheng Town in Huailai for lunch. At Qingyizhai, I had lamb and mushroom with oat noodles (youmian wowo), stir-fried millet with chive flowers, and a clay pot of winter melon and meatballs. The prices at restaurants here are cheaper than in Beijing, and the food is delicious.
The lamb and mushroom dish had quite a few potatoes, but it was stir-fried well. There were several types of mushrooms, making it fresh, fragrant, and rich. The oat noodles were firm and chewy, carrying the unique, natural wheat aroma of whole grains. It was my first time eating stir-fried millet with chive flowers. The taste was slightly salty. The golden millet grains were dry and distinct, mixed with the unique spicy fragrance of chive flowers, giving it a coarse yet refreshing texture. The winter melon and meatball soup was the most amazing. The clear soup with meatballs was especially good—firm and bouncy. It tasted better than what I make myself, and one bite told me there wasn't much starch, as it was mostly meat.
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Beijing Halal Food Map: 65 International Muslim-Friendly Restaurants by Cuisine
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Beijing halal food map lists 65 international Muslim-friendly restaurants by cuisine, from Arab and Turkish spots to Pakistani, Central Asian, African, and Southeast Asian restaurants.
In July 2025, I shared a list of 52 international halal restaurants in Beijing. I checked again today and found that in less than a year, the number has grown to 65, offering more variety than ever. Please leave a comment if you know of other restaurants.
17 Arab restaurants
Palestinian AL Safir Arab Restaurant (Xiaguangli branch). Location: No. 35 Xiaoyun Road, Chaoyang District.
Palestinian ROSE CITY (Middle Eastern Levantine cuisine). Location: 2nd Floor, Shop 6202, Building 6, Sanlitun SOHO, No. 8 Workers' Stadium North Road, Sanlitun Subdistrict, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
Lebanese ALAMEEN Arab Restaurant (Sanlitun branch). Location: No. 2 West 5th Street, Sanlitun, Chaoyang District.
Lebanese SUMAC Lebanese Restaurant. Location: Shop 8, 1st Floor, South Building, Liangma Harbor Building, Chaoyang District.
Lebanese ELI FALAFEL Lebanese & Mediterranean (Guan She branch). Location: F108A, 1st Floor, South Area, Guan She, Building 5, No. 19 Dongfang East Road, Maizidian Subdistrict, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
Lebanese Mac Mac Lebanese Restaurant (Zhengda Center branch). Location: 1st Floor, North Tower, Zhengda Center, Zhenzhi Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
Lebanese #024 SEA STRINGS immersive sound Western restaurant. Location: 2nd Floor, Building 24, North Sanlitun, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
Syrian BRBR Syrian Restaurant (SOLANA branch). Location: Shop SM2-22, 2nd Floor, SOLANA (Blue Harbor), Chaoyang District.
Syrian BRBR Syrian Restaurant (Main branch). Location: Ground floor commercial space, Building 12, Dongshengyuan, Dongsheng South Road, Zhongguancun Subdistrict, Haidian District, Beijing.
Syrian One Thousand and One Nights Arab Restaurant. Location: 4th Floor, T+MALL, No. 1 Sanlitun, Chaoyang District.
Syrian Habibi Shawarma Arab food. Location: About 101 meters southeast of the intersection of Jiugong East-West Street and Jiuzhong East Street, Daxing District.
Iraqi Taiba Shawarma Turkish BBQ (Sanlitun branch). Location: Ground floor, Block C, Sanlitun SOHO, Chaoyang District.
Iraqi Taiba Shawarma Burger shop. Location: About 89 meters due north of the intersection of South Sanlitun Middle Street and South Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
Iraqi Taiba Shawarma Middle Eastern restaurant (Wudaokou branch). Location: Ground floor, Building 1, Dongshengyuan Apartment, Wudaokou, Haidian District, Beijing.
Emirati Alkhaleej Mandi Restaurant. Location: Sanlitun SOHO 1121-1-2, Chaoyang District.
Egyptian Cleopatra lounge & restaurant (Sanlitun SOHO branch). Location: Shop 210, 2nd Floor, Mall 3, Sanlitun SOHO, Chaoyang District.
Tunisian Lamedina Mediterranean Restaurant. Location: RS-09 on 1st floor and RS-10 on 2nd floor, Building 8, No. 6 Chaoyang Park Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
9 Turkish restaurants
SULTAN Turkish BBQ. Location: Shop 109, 1st Floor, Jinshang, Building 20, Xinyuanli West, Xindong Road, Chaoyang District.
Turkish Feast (WF Central branch). Location: East Building, WF Central, Dongcheng District (owned by an Azerbaijani).
Turkish Feast (Xinyuanli branch). Location: Shop 115, 1st Floor, Jinshang SHANG Building, Xindong Road, Chaoyang District (owned by an Azerbaijani).
Xiting Xiuse Turkish Feast (China Central Place branch) is located at 101, 1st Floor, Building 15, 89 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District. The owner is from Azerbaijan.
Dardanelles Turkish Restaurant (Shenlu Street branch) is located at 39 Shenlu Street, Chaoyang District. The owner is from Azerbaijan.
Dardanelles (Ritan International Trade Center branch) is located 136 meters northeast of the intersection of Chaowai Second Alley and Chaowai Market Street. The owner is from Azerbaijan.
CANAKKALE Express Dardanelles Turkish Restaurant (Guomao branch) is located at 8 Xiushui Street Building, Jianwai Subdistrict, Chaoyang District, Beijing. The owner is from Azerbaijan.
Desert Rose Turkish Restaurant (Shenlu Street branch) is located at Building 1, 39 Shenlu Street, Chaoyang District. The owner is from Azerbaijan.
LIQA is located on the 1st floor of the Rosewood Beijing Hotel, Jingguang Center, Hujialou, East Third Ring North Road, Chaoyang District.
Two Azerbaijani restaurants.
Ritan Ruilin Restaurant KAVKAZ (Ritan Shangjie branch) is located at 1-51-52 Ritan Shangjie, 39 Shenlu Street, Chaoyang District.
Azerbaijan National Brand Pavilion - Maiden Tower Restaurant (halal) is located on the 3rd basement level of Dongxin Commercial Plaza, 35 Xiaoyun Road, Chaoyang District.
Three Turkmenistan restaurants.
Merv (Ritan International Trade Center branch) is located at B023, Basement Level 1, Block B, Ritan International Apartment, 17 Ritan North Road, Chaoyang District.
Asian Food is located three meters next to the Hangzhou steamed dumplings (xiaolongbao) shop in the East District of Dongguan Second Alley residential area, Chengbei Subdistrict, Changping District, Beijing.
An-Nur is located at shop 3 on the right-hand side inside the north gate of Ningxinyuan residential area, Fuxue Road, Changping District.
One Kazakhstan restaurant.
SANDYQ Kazakh Ethnic Restaurant is located in the north section of the 1st floor, Building 1, 40 Liangmaqiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
Twenty Pakistani restaurants.
SAMOSA China-Pakistan Friendship Restaurant is located at shop 6, Building 6, Xibahe Zhongli community.
SAMOSA China-Pakistan Friendship Restaurant (Sanlitun branch) is located inside the Atour X Hotel, 12 Dongzhimen Outer Street, Dongcheng District.
MONAL Emerald China-Pakistan Friendship Restaurant is located on 798 Ceramics Second Street, Chaoyang District.
Little Lahore Restaurant (Niujie Lanman Hutong branch) is located at 64 Lanman Hutong, Xicheng District.
Little Lahore Restaurant (Qingnian Road branch) is located at commercial unit B202, 2nd floor, Building 6, 2 Qingnian Road West, Chaoyang District.
Little Lahore Courtyard Restaurant (Dongzhimen branch) is located at 47 Dongzhimen Outer Small Street, Dongcheng District.
KHANBABA Restaurant (Sanlitun branch) is located at room 2511, 5th floor, Building 2, Sanlitun SOHO, Chaoyang District.
Khan Baba Restaurant (Wudaokou branch) is located at A1-03, 1st floor, Area A, Jixin Building, Zhanchunyuan West Road, Haidian District.
Habibi Restaurant (Habibi Bajisitan Can) is located at Room 301, 3rd Floor, Building 1, Courtyard 8, Minzu University West Road, Haidian District.
Habibi Restaurant (Habibi Bajisitan Can) Liudaokou branch is located at 32 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing, in the bungalow area.
Masala Pakistan restaurant (Yingbin Road branch) is located at Building 3, 27 Yingbin Middle Road, Longshan Subdistrict, Huairou District.
Huanxi Curry restaurant (Lin'ao branch) is located at Shop 023C, B1 Floor, Lin'ao CITYPARK Shopping Center, 4 Qinglin East Road, Chaoyang District.
Sultan Pakistan (Sudan Bajisitan) is located at 88 Huataizi, Sanduhe Village, Bohai Town, Huairou District.
ZAM ZAM Traditional Pakistani and Indian Cuisine is located at 41 Xueqing Road, Yujing Building 6, Haidian District.
AL RAYYAN Pakistani halal restaurant (Changyang branch) is located at Shop 108, Building 4, Courtyard 8, Fuze Road, Fangshan District.
AL RAYYAN Pakistani restaurant (Wangfujing branch) is located at Shop P004, 6th Floor, Joy City Shopping Center, Wangfujing, Dongcheng District, Beijing.
ROMA Restaurant is located about 70 meters due north of the intersection of Nanshuiguan Hutong and Nanzhuguan Hutong, Dongcheng District.
Italian Firenze restaurant (Feilengcui Tasikafei) is located at 1-1, Building 1, Courtyard 2, Guanyinan South Street, Xinhua Subdistrict, Tongzhou District. The kitchen staff are Pakistani, and they can prepare both Italian and Pakistani dishes.
Culture Pakistani and Indian restaurant is located at Shop 2219, 2nd Floor, Sanlitun SOHO Building 2, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
AHMED'S KITCHEN is located at Office Building E, Sanlitun SOHO, Sanlitun Subdistrict, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
4 Bangladeshi restaurants.
Santoor Indian restaurant (Beiluoguxiang branch) is located on the 2nd floor, 70 Beiluoguxiang, Dongcheng District.
Santoor Indian restaurant (Yizhuang branch) is located at Room 105, 1st Floor, Building 30, Courtyard 6, Wenhua Yuan West Road, Economic and Technological Development Zone, Daxing District, Beijing.
Punjabi Indian restaurant (Haoyunjie branch) is located on the 2nd floor, 3 Chaoyang Park Road, Chaoyang District.
Halal Shalimar Indian, Bangladeshi, and Brazilian restaurant (Yufeng Road branch) is located at Room 104, 1st Floor, Building 8, Courtyard 16, Yufeng Road, Shunyi District.
7 Indian restaurants.
Some Indian restaurants are owned by Hindus who use halal ingredients, so please use your own judgment.
Indian Kitchen (Yindu Xiaochu) is located at Building 10, 39 Shenlu Street, Chaoyang District.
DASTAAN Indian restaurant (Sanlitun SOHO branch) is located at F3-5-326, Sanlitun SOHO Mall, Chaoyang District.
YUMMY INDIAN RESTAURANT (Xingfu Shangsha branch) is located on the 2nd floor of Xingfu Commercial Building, 1 Dingfuzhuang West Street, Chaoyang District.
Mirch Masala Indian Restaurant is located at Shop 113, 1st Floor, Building 1, Zone A, Jinjie, West Gate of Wanda Plaza, Xinhua West Street, Tongzhou District.
Rabiul's Kitchen Indian restaurant (798 branch) is located at Building 31, Dashanzi Beili, Chaoyang District.
India Restaurant Love at Curry Indian Restaurant is located at B1, Hongqiao Market, Dongcheng District.
RAJ Indian Music Restaurant (Houhai Gulou Branch) is located at No. 31 Gulou West Street, Xicheng District, Beijing (a 440-meter walk from Exit A2, Northwest, of Shichahai Subway Station).
One Sri Lankan restaurant.
They use halal ingredients, but please use your own judgment.
Cinnara Sri Lankan Restaurant is located at Room 3015, 3rd Floor, Building A, Chaowai SOHO, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
One Ghanaian restaurant.
They use halal ingredients, but please use your own judgment.
TRIBE GARDEN African Restaurant and Bar is located at B1, Sanlitun SOHO Mall, Chaoyang District.
Everyone is welcome to try the foreign halal restaurants in Beijing.
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Summary: This Beijing halal food map lists 65 international Muslim-friendly restaurants by cuisine, from Arab and Turkish spots to Pakistani, Central Asian, African, and Southeast Asian restaurants.
In July 2025, I shared a list of 52 international halal restaurants in Beijing. I checked again today and found that in less than a year, the number has grown to 65, offering more variety than ever. Please leave a comment if you know of other restaurants.
17 Arab restaurants
Palestinian AL Safir Arab Restaurant (Xiaguangli branch). Location: No. 35 Xiaoyun Road, Chaoyang District.
Palestinian ROSE CITY (Middle Eastern Levantine cuisine). Location: 2nd Floor, Shop 6202, Building 6, Sanlitun SOHO, No. 8 Workers' Stadium North Road, Sanlitun Subdistrict, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
Lebanese ALAMEEN Arab Restaurant (Sanlitun branch). Location: No. 2 West 5th Street, Sanlitun, Chaoyang District.
Lebanese SUMAC Lebanese Restaurant. Location: Shop 8, 1st Floor, South Building, Liangma Harbor Building, Chaoyang District.
Lebanese ELI FALAFEL Lebanese & Mediterranean (Guan She branch). Location: F108A, 1st Floor, South Area, Guan She, Building 5, No. 19 Dongfang East Road, Maizidian Subdistrict, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
Lebanese Mac Mac Lebanese Restaurant (Zhengda Center branch). Location: 1st Floor, North Tower, Zhengda Center, Zhenzhi Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
Lebanese #024 SEA STRINGS immersive sound Western restaurant. Location: 2nd Floor, Building 24, North Sanlitun, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
Syrian BRBR Syrian Restaurant (SOLANA branch). Location: Shop SM2-22, 2nd Floor, SOLANA (Blue Harbor), Chaoyang District.
Syrian BRBR Syrian Restaurant (Main branch). Location: Ground floor commercial space, Building 12, Dongshengyuan, Dongsheng South Road, Zhongguancun Subdistrict, Haidian District, Beijing.
Syrian One Thousand and One Nights Arab Restaurant. Location: 4th Floor, T+MALL, No. 1 Sanlitun, Chaoyang District.
Syrian Habibi Shawarma Arab food. Location: About 101 meters southeast of the intersection of Jiugong East-West Street and Jiuzhong East Street, Daxing District.
Iraqi Taiba Shawarma Turkish BBQ (Sanlitun branch). Location: Ground floor, Block C, Sanlitun SOHO, Chaoyang District.
Iraqi Taiba Shawarma Burger shop. Location: About 89 meters due north of the intersection of South Sanlitun Middle Street and South Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
Iraqi Taiba Shawarma Middle Eastern restaurant (Wudaokou branch). Location: Ground floor, Building 1, Dongshengyuan Apartment, Wudaokou, Haidian District, Beijing.
Emirati Alkhaleej Mandi Restaurant. Location: Sanlitun SOHO 1121-1-2, Chaoyang District.
Egyptian Cleopatra lounge & restaurant (Sanlitun SOHO branch). Location: Shop 210, 2nd Floor, Mall 3, Sanlitun SOHO, Chaoyang District.
Tunisian Lamedina Mediterranean Restaurant. Location: RS-09 on 1st floor and RS-10 on 2nd floor, Building 8, No. 6 Chaoyang Park Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
9 Turkish restaurants
SULTAN Turkish BBQ. Location: Shop 109, 1st Floor, Jinshang, Building 20, Xinyuanli West, Xindong Road, Chaoyang District.
Turkish Feast (WF Central branch). Location: East Building, WF Central, Dongcheng District (owned by an Azerbaijani).
Turkish Feast (Xinyuanli branch). Location: Shop 115, 1st Floor, Jinshang SHANG Building, Xindong Road, Chaoyang District (owned by an Azerbaijani).
Xiting Xiuse Turkish Feast (China Central Place branch) is located at 101, 1st Floor, Building 15, 89 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District. The owner is from Azerbaijan.
Dardanelles Turkish Restaurant (Shenlu Street branch) is located at 39 Shenlu Street, Chaoyang District. The owner is from Azerbaijan.
Dardanelles (Ritan International Trade Center branch) is located 136 meters northeast of the intersection of Chaowai Second Alley and Chaowai Market Street. The owner is from Azerbaijan.
CANAKKALE Express Dardanelles Turkish Restaurant (Guomao branch) is located at 8 Xiushui Street Building, Jianwai Subdistrict, Chaoyang District, Beijing. The owner is from Azerbaijan.
Desert Rose Turkish Restaurant (Shenlu Street branch) is located at Building 1, 39 Shenlu Street, Chaoyang District. The owner is from Azerbaijan.
LIQA is located on the 1st floor of the Rosewood Beijing Hotel, Jingguang Center, Hujialou, East Third Ring North Road, Chaoyang District.
Two Azerbaijani restaurants.
Ritan Ruilin Restaurant KAVKAZ (Ritan Shangjie branch) is located at 1-51-52 Ritan Shangjie, 39 Shenlu Street, Chaoyang District.
Azerbaijan National Brand Pavilion - Maiden Tower Restaurant (halal) is located on the 3rd basement level of Dongxin Commercial Plaza, 35 Xiaoyun Road, Chaoyang District.
Three Turkmenistan restaurants.
Merv (Ritan International Trade Center branch) is located at B023, Basement Level 1, Block B, Ritan International Apartment, 17 Ritan North Road, Chaoyang District.
Asian Food is located three meters next to the Hangzhou steamed dumplings (xiaolongbao) shop in the East District of Dongguan Second Alley residential area, Chengbei Subdistrict, Changping District, Beijing.
An-Nur is located at shop 3 on the right-hand side inside the north gate of Ningxinyuan residential area, Fuxue Road, Changping District.
One Kazakhstan restaurant.
SANDYQ Kazakh Ethnic Restaurant is located in the north section of the 1st floor, Building 1, 40 Liangmaqiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
Twenty Pakistani restaurants.
SAMOSA China-Pakistan Friendship Restaurant is located at shop 6, Building 6, Xibahe Zhongli community.
SAMOSA China-Pakistan Friendship Restaurant (Sanlitun branch) is located inside the Atour X Hotel, 12 Dongzhimen Outer Street, Dongcheng District.
MONAL Emerald China-Pakistan Friendship Restaurant is located on 798 Ceramics Second Street, Chaoyang District.
Little Lahore Restaurant (Niujie Lanman Hutong branch) is located at 64 Lanman Hutong, Xicheng District.
Little Lahore Restaurant (Qingnian Road branch) is located at commercial unit B202, 2nd floor, Building 6, 2 Qingnian Road West, Chaoyang District.
Little Lahore Courtyard Restaurant (Dongzhimen branch) is located at 47 Dongzhimen Outer Small Street, Dongcheng District.
KHANBABA Restaurant (Sanlitun branch) is located at room 2511, 5th floor, Building 2, Sanlitun SOHO, Chaoyang District.
Khan Baba Restaurant (Wudaokou branch) is located at A1-03, 1st floor, Area A, Jixin Building, Zhanchunyuan West Road, Haidian District.
Habibi Restaurant (Habibi Bajisitan Can) is located at Room 301, 3rd Floor, Building 1, Courtyard 8, Minzu University West Road, Haidian District.
Habibi Restaurant (Habibi Bajisitan Can) Liudaokou branch is located at 32 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing, in the bungalow area.
Masala Pakistan restaurant (Yingbin Road branch) is located at Building 3, 27 Yingbin Middle Road, Longshan Subdistrict, Huairou District.
Huanxi Curry restaurant (Lin'ao branch) is located at Shop 023C, B1 Floor, Lin'ao CITYPARK Shopping Center, 4 Qinglin East Road, Chaoyang District.
Sultan Pakistan (Sudan Bajisitan) is located at 88 Huataizi, Sanduhe Village, Bohai Town, Huairou District.
ZAM ZAM Traditional Pakistani and Indian Cuisine is located at 41 Xueqing Road, Yujing Building 6, Haidian District.
AL RAYYAN Pakistani halal restaurant (Changyang branch) is located at Shop 108, Building 4, Courtyard 8, Fuze Road, Fangshan District.
AL RAYYAN Pakistani restaurant (Wangfujing branch) is located at Shop P004, 6th Floor, Joy City Shopping Center, Wangfujing, Dongcheng District, Beijing.
ROMA Restaurant is located about 70 meters due north of the intersection of Nanshuiguan Hutong and Nanzhuguan Hutong, Dongcheng District.
Italian Firenze restaurant (Feilengcui Tasikafei) is located at 1-1, Building 1, Courtyard 2, Guanyinan South Street, Xinhua Subdistrict, Tongzhou District. The kitchen staff are Pakistani, and they can prepare both Italian and Pakistani dishes.
Culture Pakistani and Indian restaurant is located at Shop 2219, 2nd Floor, Sanlitun SOHO Building 2, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
AHMED'S KITCHEN is located at Office Building E, Sanlitun SOHO, Sanlitun Subdistrict, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
4 Bangladeshi restaurants.
Santoor Indian restaurant (Beiluoguxiang branch) is located on the 2nd floor, 70 Beiluoguxiang, Dongcheng District.
Santoor Indian restaurant (Yizhuang branch) is located at Room 105, 1st Floor, Building 30, Courtyard 6, Wenhua Yuan West Road, Economic and Technological Development Zone, Daxing District, Beijing.
Punjabi Indian restaurant (Haoyunjie branch) is located on the 2nd floor, 3 Chaoyang Park Road, Chaoyang District.
Halal Shalimar Indian, Bangladeshi, and Brazilian restaurant (Yufeng Road branch) is located at Room 104, 1st Floor, Building 8, Courtyard 16, Yufeng Road, Shunyi District.
7 Indian restaurants.
Some Indian restaurants are owned by Hindus who use halal ingredients, so please use your own judgment.
Indian Kitchen (Yindu Xiaochu) is located at Building 10, 39 Shenlu Street, Chaoyang District.
DASTAAN Indian restaurant (Sanlitun SOHO branch) is located at F3-5-326, Sanlitun SOHO Mall, Chaoyang District.
YUMMY INDIAN RESTAURANT (Xingfu Shangsha branch) is located on the 2nd floor of Xingfu Commercial Building, 1 Dingfuzhuang West Street, Chaoyang District.
Mirch Masala Indian Restaurant is located at Shop 113, 1st Floor, Building 1, Zone A, Jinjie, West Gate of Wanda Plaza, Xinhua West Street, Tongzhou District.
Rabiul's Kitchen Indian restaurant (798 branch) is located at Building 31, Dashanzi Beili, Chaoyang District.
India Restaurant Love at Curry Indian Restaurant is located at B1, Hongqiao Market, Dongcheng District.
RAJ Indian Music Restaurant (Houhai Gulou Branch) is located at No. 31 Gulou West Street, Xicheng District, Beijing (a 440-meter walk from Exit A2, Northwest, of Shichahai Subway Station).
One Sri Lankan restaurant.
They use halal ingredients, but please use your own judgment.
Cinnara Sri Lankan Restaurant is located at Room 3015, 3rd Floor, Building A, Chaowai SOHO, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
One Ghanaian restaurant.
They use halal ingredients, but please use your own judgment.
TRIBE GARDEN African Restaurant and Bar is located at B1, Sanlitun SOHO Mall, Chaoyang District.
Everyone is welcome to try the foreign halal restaurants in Beijing.
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Hidden Mosques Near Beijing: Huailai and Zhuolu Qingming Road Trip, Part One
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Qingming road trip leaves Beijing for Huailai and Zhuolu in Hebei, visiting old mosques, Hui Muslim communities, village streets, and local history in the first half of the route.
During the Qingming holiday, I took a two-day road trip to Huailai and Zhuolu counties in Zhangjiakou, Hebei. I visited four ancient mosques and tried the local food. I left home after breakfast on Saturday and didn't reach Shacheng until noon because of highway traffic. At Ma Laoda in the county seat, I ate cornmeal dumplings (nieba), yellow rice cake (huanggao), braised carp, stewed Chinese cabbage with yam, and beef stew. Prices here are much lower than in Beijing. A bowl of corn noodles costs 10 yuan, and a large carp is 28 yuan.
Cornmeal dumplings (nieba) and yellow rice cake (huanggao) are both rustic snacks from Zhangjiakou. Cornmeal dumplings (nieba) are made from a mix of cornmeal and wheat flour. The texture is just right, and the side of pickled mustard greens adds a great flavor.
Yellow rice cake (huanggao) is made from local broomcorn millet that is peeled and ground into flour. It is soft and chewy, much like African fufu. You pinch off a piece and dip it into the broth from the stewed Chinese cabbage and yam.
The large carp is a reservoir fish from Guanting Reservoir, braised to perfection. It tastes great, doesn't have many bones, and has no muddy aftertaste. I really enjoyed it.
The only issue was that their beef stew was spicy, so the kids couldn't eat it.
Shacheng Castle was built in 1451 (the second year of the Jingtai reign of the Ming Dynasty). It was constructed after the Tumu Crisis to defend the northwest of the capital. To boost the population and strengthen the capital's defenses, the Ming government repeatedly ordered people from Shaanxi and Shanxi to move to the area south of the Zhangjiakou dam to farm and settle. They farmed during peacetime and served as soldiers during wartime. This is how some Hui Muslims settled in Huailai. After the Beijing-Suiyuan Railway opened in 1909, a station was built in Shacheng. The town became a busy commercial hub, and the population grew quickly. In 1951, the old Huailai county seat was flooded to build the Guanting Reservoir, and Shacheng became the new seat of Huailai County.
After eating in Shacheng, I headed to the nearby Ganji Liang Village, the closest Hui Muslim village to the Huailai county seat.
Ganji Liang Village was originally called Gan Jilang. The main family there was the Han Chinese Gan family, but they later moved away, and the Zheng family, who are Hui Muslims, became the main residents. The Zheng family is a major Hui Muslim clan in Zhangjiakou. Their ancestors moved from Shaanxi in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, first to Huailai, and then spread throughout Zhangjiakou. The most famous member of the Zheng family in Zhangjiakou was Zheng Kuishi. He was a well-known late Qing Hui Muslim general. He joined the army in the early Daoguang years and fought against the Taiping Rebellion during the Xianfeng years. He served in Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, and Anhui, earned many military honors, was given the title Shalama Batulu, and was awarded a yellow riding jacket. During the Tongzhi reign, he served as the acting Zhili provincial commander, guarding the capital region and suppressing the Nian Rebellion in Zhili to keep the capital safe. In his later years, he returned home to work on water conservancy, building the Yonggu Dam to manage the Liu River. He also repaired the Zhenshuo Tower and Four Archways in Xuanhua and opened the Huoshi Slope road to improve transportation. He was highly respected locally.
The Ganji Liang Mosque was built during the Qianlong reign and is a standard courtyard-style building. The main hall from the Qing Dynasty is still well-preserved and features beautiful brick carvings. Unfortunately, the religious life in Ganji Liang Village has declined, and imams come and go. There is currently no imam at the mosque, and it looks abandoned. The main hall is covered in dust and rubble, and the backyard is overgrown with weeds.
Inside the main hall, there is a wooden board with ink writing that records the history of the mosque: it was built by the community during the Qianlong reign, expanded in the sixth year of the Xianfeng reign, and land was purchased in the fourteenth year of the Daoguang reign. All the donors listed were from the local Zheng family. Unfortunately, it is hard to see the second half clearly because it was not well preserved.
Ganjiliang Village is built on a mountain ridge. Below the ridge are terraced fields, and on top are wind turbines. The wind here is much stronger than in Beijing.
Because of the terrain, Ganjiliang developed more slowly than the surrounding plains, which helped it keep more of its Qing Dynasty houses. Like many traditional villages, you rarely see young people here. Mostly, only the elderly remain.
After leaving Ganjiliang Village, we went to another old mosque, Mayukou Mosque. Mayukou is in Wangjialou Hui Muslim Township in Huailai, an area where many Hui Muslims live. We received a warm welcome from Imam Yang at the mosque. Imam Yang keeps the mosque in great order. Later, the assistant imam (hou ahong) invited us to eat dumplings made by the local women elders during Ramadan.
Xingwang Fortress was built in Mayukou during the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty. It was one of the border forts built in the early Ming period to defend against the Northern Yuan. Hui Muslims settled in Mayukou in the mid-Qing Dynasty, and the Mayukou Mosque they built is now 200 years old. Mayukou Mosque and Ganjiliang Mosque have the same layout, consisting of a main prayer hall, north and south side rooms, and a front gate. The main prayer halls of Mayukou Mosque and Ganjiliang Mosque are also identical. They serve as typical examples of Qing Dynasty mosque halls in the border fort regions of Hebei. The difference is that the gate of Mayukou Mosque may have been rebuilt later. It is taller than the one at Ganjiliang Mosque and features beautiful brick carvings. It is a pity that the mosque renovated the side rooms and the interior of the main hall last year, so we could not see the traditional calligraphy preserved inside.
Scenery of Mayukou Village.
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Summary: This Qingming road trip leaves Beijing for Huailai and Zhuolu in Hebei, visiting old mosques, Hui Muslim communities, village streets, and local history in the first half of the route.
During the Qingming holiday, I took a two-day road trip to Huailai and Zhuolu counties in Zhangjiakou, Hebei. I visited four ancient mosques and tried the local food. I left home after breakfast on Saturday and didn't reach Shacheng until noon because of highway traffic. At Ma Laoda in the county seat, I ate cornmeal dumplings (nieba), yellow rice cake (huanggao), braised carp, stewed Chinese cabbage with yam, and beef stew. Prices here are much lower than in Beijing. A bowl of corn noodles costs 10 yuan, and a large carp is 28 yuan.
Cornmeal dumplings (nieba) and yellow rice cake (huanggao) are both rustic snacks from Zhangjiakou. Cornmeal dumplings (nieba) are made from a mix of cornmeal and wheat flour. The texture is just right, and the side of pickled mustard greens adds a great flavor.
Yellow rice cake (huanggao) is made from local broomcorn millet that is peeled and ground into flour. It is soft and chewy, much like African fufu. You pinch off a piece and dip it into the broth from the stewed Chinese cabbage and yam.
The large carp is a reservoir fish from Guanting Reservoir, braised to perfection. It tastes great, doesn't have many bones, and has no muddy aftertaste. I really enjoyed it.
The only issue was that their beef stew was spicy, so the kids couldn't eat it.
Shacheng Castle was built in 1451 (the second year of the Jingtai reign of the Ming Dynasty). It was constructed after the Tumu Crisis to defend the northwest of the capital. To boost the population and strengthen the capital's defenses, the Ming government repeatedly ordered people from Shaanxi and Shanxi to move to the area south of the Zhangjiakou dam to farm and settle. They farmed during peacetime and served as soldiers during wartime. This is how some Hui Muslims settled in Huailai. After the Beijing-Suiyuan Railway opened in 1909, a station was built in Shacheng. The town became a busy commercial hub, and the population grew quickly. In 1951, the old Huailai county seat was flooded to build the Guanting Reservoir, and Shacheng became the new seat of Huailai County.
After eating in Shacheng, I headed to the nearby Ganji Liang Village, the closest Hui Muslim village to the Huailai county seat.
Ganji Liang Village was originally called Gan Jilang. The main family there was the Han Chinese Gan family, but they later moved away, and the Zheng family, who are Hui Muslims, became the main residents. The Zheng family is a major Hui Muslim clan in Zhangjiakou. Their ancestors moved from Shaanxi in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, first to Huailai, and then spread throughout Zhangjiakou. The most famous member of the Zheng family in Zhangjiakou was Zheng Kuishi. He was a well-known late Qing Hui Muslim general. He joined the army in the early Daoguang years and fought against the Taiping Rebellion during the Xianfeng years. He served in Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, and Anhui, earned many military honors, was given the title Shalama Batulu, and was awarded a yellow riding jacket. During the Tongzhi reign, he served as the acting Zhili provincial commander, guarding the capital region and suppressing the Nian Rebellion in Zhili to keep the capital safe. In his later years, he returned home to work on water conservancy, building the Yonggu Dam to manage the Liu River. He also repaired the Zhenshuo Tower and Four Archways in Xuanhua and opened the Huoshi Slope road to improve transportation. He was highly respected locally.
The Ganji Liang Mosque was built during the Qianlong reign and is a standard courtyard-style building. The main hall from the Qing Dynasty is still well-preserved and features beautiful brick carvings. Unfortunately, the religious life in Ganji Liang Village has declined, and imams come and go. There is currently no imam at the mosque, and it looks abandoned. The main hall is covered in dust and rubble, and the backyard is overgrown with weeds.
Inside the main hall, there is a wooden board with ink writing that records the history of the mosque: it was built by the community during the Qianlong reign, expanded in the sixth year of the Xianfeng reign, and land was purchased in the fourteenth year of the Daoguang reign. All the donors listed were from the local Zheng family. Unfortunately, it is hard to see the second half clearly because it was not well preserved.
Ganjiliang Village is built on a mountain ridge. Below the ridge are terraced fields, and on top are wind turbines. The wind here is much stronger than in Beijing.
Because of the terrain, Ganjiliang developed more slowly than the surrounding plains, which helped it keep more of its Qing Dynasty houses. Like many traditional villages, you rarely see young people here. Mostly, only the elderly remain.
After leaving Ganjiliang Village, we went to another old mosque, Mayukou Mosque. Mayukou is in Wangjialou Hui Muslim Township in Huailai, an area where many Hui Muslims live. We received a warm welcome from Imam Yang at the mosque. Imam Yang keeps the mosque in great order. Later, the assistant imam (hou ahong) invited us to eat dumplings made by the local women elders during Ramadan.
Xingwang Fortress was built in Mayukou during the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty. It was one of the border forts built in the early Ming period to defend against the Northern Yuan. Hui Muslims settled in Mayukou in the mid-Qing Dynasty, and the Mayukou Mosque they built is now 200 years old. Mayukou Mosque and Ganjiliang Mosque have the same layout, consisting of a main prayer hall, north and south side rooms, and a front gate. The main prayer halls of Mayukou Mosque and Ganjiliang Mosque are also identical. They serve as typical examples of Qing Dynasty mosque halls in the border fort regions of Hebei. The difference is that the gate of Mayukou Mosque may have been rebuilt later. It is taller than the one at Ganjiliang Mosque and features beautiful brick carvings. It is a pity that the mosque renovated the side rooms and the interior of the main hall last year, so we could not see the traditional calligraphy preserved inside.
Scenery of Mayukou Village.
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Best Halal Food in Beijing: 10 Muslim-Friendly Restaurants Worth Trying (Part 7)
Reposted from the web
Summary: This seventh Beijing halal restaurant roundup covers JM Western Restaurant, Rose City Palestinian food, Baoding beef zhaobing, Pakistani food, Yunnan dishes, Turkish food, and more.
JM Western Restaurant Chaonei branch, Rose City Palestinian Restaurant, Baoding beef cover flatbread (niurou zhaobing), Al Rayyan Pakistani Restaurant, Yili Loulan Restaurant Guijie branch, Dianxinyuan Yunnan Cuisine, Heilongjiang Suihua Muxiangyuan Restaurant, Sanlitun Turkish Restaurant, Chaoyangmen fast food stall, and Habibi Pakistani buffet.
JM Western Restaurant Chaonei branch.
Our friend (dosti) Boss Ma from Xinjiang started JM with coffee roasting, and now they are expanding into pizza and pasta with more and more locations. I recently visited the popular Daji Lane branch for pizza, and this time I went to the newly opened Chaonei No. 81 branch. This is the second JM store in Dongsi. The Dongsi North Street branch is great for coffee and chatting, but the Chaonei branch is better for a full meal.
The JM Chaonei branch is right across from the Dongcheng Hui Muslim Primary School. It is a quiet, alcohol-free place with reliable ingredients. The atmosphere is great, but the space is relatively small with only three large tables. Since it just opened, there was no wait when we went, but it might get crowded once it becomes more popular.
Like the Daji Lane branch, their signature dish is the big plate chicken pizza. We already had that last time, so we ordered the potato beef pizza, pumpkin cheese salad, shepherd's pie, potato wedges, and butter garlic vegetables. For drinks, we had guava juice and apple fizz.
Their potato beef pizza is very mild, perfect for kids, and the beef is easy for children to chew. If you cannot eat spicy food, my friend (dosti), I recommend this one. The salad and vegetables are very healthy, though the salad can be a bit cold in winter. It comes with two types of cheese, both of which are excellent.
Shepherd's pie is a British dish made by topping cooked minced meat with mashed potatoes and baking it. After potatoes became a staple in the UK in the 18th century, shepherds in the north used leftover roasted meat and mashed potatoes to make these pies. It was simple and affordable, and it quickly became popular among the British working class after the 19th century.
Rose City Palestinian Restaurant.
Shawarma City in Sanlitun SOHO has opened a large restaurant upstairs, right next to Haidilao. The owner is a Swedish-Palestinian. Although I have not been to Palestine yet, based on my experience eating Levantine food in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, their food is truly authentic. I cannot find a single fault!
We ordered chicken shawarma, a chicken and lamb kebab platter, hummus with kibbeh beef meatballs, lentil soup, broccoli soup, and salty yogurt drink (ayran). The restaurant even gave us complimentary milk pudding.
The chicken shawarma tasted exactly like what I ate every day in Damascus. Garlic sauce is the essential soul of the dish. On the streets of Damascus, they pour it directly on, but here they serve it on the side for dipping.
Their roasted lamb is very tender! The kids especially loved it.
The hummus with kibbeh is also very popular. Kibbeh is made from minced lean meat and bulgur wheat. Bulgur is wheat that has been parboiled, hulled, and dried. It has a mild flavor with a nutty aroma.
Lentil soup is a must-have for me when eating Levantine food, but their broccoli soup is also delicious. This is made by blending broccoli into a puree with cream, and it has a very rich aroma.
Their yogurt drink (ayran) is very sour, much more authentic than the ayran at many restaurants in Beijing.
Their milk pudding is not too sweet, making it perfect for children.
Baoding beef soup with flatbread (niurou zhaobing).
The Baoding beef soup with flatbread shop in Songjiazhuang has a nice environment, but the biggest problem is that too many people smoke inside. When we went, there were only a few tables, and two of them were smoking. If you are bothered by cigarette smoke, you should probably avoid this place.
We ordered the three-layer beef and bread (san zhao san), shredded pork with garlic sauce (yuxiang rousi), meatball clay pot (shaguo wanzi), and salt and pepper crab leg mushrooms (jiaoyan xietui gu). First of all, the shredded pork with garlic sauce is not authentic at all. It has way too many bean sprouts and is cloyingly sweet. The shredded pork with garlic sauce I had in Baoding was made entirely of thin strips of meat with a balanced sweet and sour flavor; this place is far behind that standard.
The other dishes tasted pretty good. The meat in the three-layer beef and bread is not too tough, so children can eat it too. The meatball clay pot is very comforting in winter, and they give you plenty of meatballs. The portion of crab leg mushrooms is also very large, but it gets a bit greasy once it cools down, so you must eat it while it is hot.
Pakistani restaurant Al Rayyan.
The newly opened Pakistani restaurant Al Rayyan is on the sixth floor of Joy City in Wangfujing. They used to have a shop in Changyang. The environment at the Wangfujing branch is excellent, and you can overlook Wangfujing Street.
We ordered the Afghan pilaf set meal, which has a good discount for the first order. The set meal is quite substantial. Besides the Afghan pilaf, it includes butter-aromatic lamb handi with rice, lamb kafta kebab, hummus with flatbread, chicken corn soup, and mango juice. Two people can barely finish it. We hardly touched the pilaf, so we packed it up to take home for dinner the next night.
Afghan pilaf originated in the border region between northern Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. It is called Qabili Palaw in Afghanistan and later spread from there to West Asia, Central Asia, and Pakistan. The difference between Afghan pilaf and Xinjiang pilaf is the use of Indian long-grain fragrant rice, a small amount of saffron for color, and the use of ghee and vegetable oil when cooking the meat. The carrots are sliced thinly, and they add cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves, so it has more of a spice flavor than Xinjiang pilaf. The clay pot curry is slow-cooked in a handi clay pot. Modern kitchens sometimes use pressure cookers, but the flavor is not as good.
Yili Loulan Restaurant Guijie branch.
The Yili Loulan Restaurant at the Xinqiao intersection didn't have a sign for a long time. I only noticed the sign recently, so I came to eat here after the Guijie festival.
Their shop is at the intersection of Guijie, and the prices are higher than the average Uyghur restaurant. I bought a set meal voucher for mixed noodles, which included a bowl of Yili signature minced meat mixed noodles (banmian), two lamb skewers, and a glass of kvass. The mixed noodles (banmian) come with extra noodles added directly, which is great. The noodles are quite authentic and have a firmer texture, which some people really enjoy. The minced meat is very flavorful and topped with a fried egg. However, the bowl they use makes it hard to scoop up the minced meat; it would be better if they served it on a plate. The grilled meat (kaorou) is very tender. I heard they ship their meat all the way from Yili, which is why the prices are higher than elsewhere.
If you want to satisfy a craving for Yili-style food (dost), this is a good place to come, though it is a bit pricey for a regular meal.
After work, I had lamb leg pilaf (zhuafan) at Yili Loulan Restaurant near the Beixinqiao intersection. It tasted excellent. You can tell the lamb is from Xinjiang; you cannot get this flavor from meat bought in Beijing. The restaurant gets quite busy on weekends. Last time I went at six, it was empty, but this time both the first and second floors were full. Maybe they were running out of pilaf, as the portion I got from the bottom of the pot had some dried-out carrots, but the overall taste was still very good. I have to complain about a restaurant run by people from Southern Xinjiang that I often visit; they have almost turned their pilaf into plain rice (ranfan).
Also, a heads-up: their wooden spoons have rough edges. I tried two and they both scratched my mouth, so please be careful.
Dianxinyuan Yunnan Cuisine
I went to Yizhuang for some errands on the weekend and stopped by Dianxinyuan for some Yunnan food. I ate at the original Dianxinyuan store many years ago and it left a deep impression on me. Because Yizhuang is so far away, it is not very convenient to visit, so it took many years before I ate there a second time. The new store has a very nice, clean, and bright interior.
The owner is a Hui Muslim named Lin from Shadian, Yunnan. The Lin family is a major clan in Shadian, with a saying that all members of the Lin family are elite. According to family records, the Shadian Lin family's ancestral home is in Putian, Fujian. They are descendants of Bigan from the Shang Dynasty and were given the surname Lin because their fief was at Changlin Mountain. In 1275 (the 11th year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty), the ancestors of the Lin family entered Yunnan with the Xianyang King Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din, which led them to convert to Islam. Later, in the early years of the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty, the Lin family finally settled in Shadian.
We ordered their set meal for two, which included Gejiu tilapia, Shiping tofu, bridge-crossing rice noodles (guoqiao mixian), and assorted cold rice noodles. We also ordered crispy red beans and Yiliang roast duck, and drank Kunming mint water and Ruili mango juice. The skin of the Gejiu tilapia was grilled until slightly charred and wrinkled, and the meat was tender without falling apart. There were a few small bones, but not many overall. The Shiping tofu was soft and dense inside, but the skin was also soft, so it was not freshly pan-fried.
I highly recommend their rice noodles. If you are in Yizhuang on business by yourself, a bowl of rice noodles is a perfect meal. The broth for the bridge-crossing rice noodles is clear, fresh, and rich, and the ingredients are complete. After cooking, the rice noodles are smooth and refreshing. The assorted cold rice noodles have a very rich variety of side dishes, and the sweet and sour flavor is appetizing, while the cool texture is great for cutting through greasiness. The crispy red bean pastry (suhongdou) is crispy on the outside and powdery on the inside, but it is quite spicy, so Beijingers might find it too much. Yiliang roast duck (Yiliang kaoya) is the essence of Yunnan-style roast duck, with crispy skin and tender meat, lacking the heavy grease of Beijing-style roast duck, though the sauce here didn't taste as fragrant as what I had in Yunnan.
Muxiangyuan, a restaurant from Suihua, Heilongjiang.
On Saturday at noon, I went to Muxiangyuan, a restaurant from Suihua, Heilongjiang, that opened in Fangzhuang last year. I had previously eaten Heilongjiang Hui Muslim stir-fry in Harbin and thought it was excellent, so I was happy to have Heilongjiang food again in Beijing.
Their signature dishes are double-stir-fried meat (guobaorou) and braised meat strips (baroutiao). This time, I ordered stir-fried lamb liver (liuyanggan), stir-fried tofu skin with chili peppers (jianjiaogandoufu), and beef and pickled cabbage steamed dumplings (zhengjiao). The stir-fried lamb liver was very good. It wasn't too salty, the liver was very tender, and the kids loved it. The tofu skin is great with rice, but it's quite salty if you eat it alone. Northeastern food is naturally saltier than Beijing food, so friends (dost) who can't handle salt should mention it beforehand. The steamed dumplings were also delicious. The pickled cabbage added great flavor, and they were very juicy. You should bite into them and let them cool a bit before eating, or you might get burned.
Their prices are lower than many local Hui Muslim restaurants in Beijing. I ordered two dishes and a steamer of dumplings for only 90 yuan, which felt like a great deal.
Sanlitun Turkish Restaurant.
The Turkish cafe at the south entrance of Sanlitun SOHO used to be run by Dardanelles. I recently noticed the sign changed, and after asking, I found out it's now run by a couple from Urumqi. As a son-in-law from Urumqi, I consider them fellow hometown folks, haha. They still serve burgers, pizza, and Turkish fast food. We ordered a double beef burger, fries, cola, fried chicken nuggets, assorted pide, and also ordered falafel and rice pudding.
The taste is quite good, making it a great choice for friends (dost) who can't find Western-style fast food. The meat in the double beef burger was excellent and very satisfying to eat, though it would be even better if the bun was toasted a little. The pide was also very authentic, with a true Turkish flavor. The falafel was a bit hard, but the taste was fine, and the kids really liked the rice pudding.
Chaoyangmen Fast Food Stall.
Today I went to the halal fast food stall in the food court on the basement level of the Union Building outside Chaoyangmen. You can see the entrance to the food court after entering from the south gate of the Union Building, though it is a bit hidden.
There are 14 types of fast food, including chicken, duck, and fish. Two meat dishes and one vegetable dish cost 24 yuan, with free refills on rice and cornmeal porridge. The lady there is very enthusiastic toward everyone and calls everyone 'handsome'.
Chaoyangmen Fast Food Stall.
I went to the halal fast food stall in the food court on the basement level of the Union Building outside Chaoyangmen. You can see the entrance to the food court after entering from the south gate of the Union Building, though it is a bit hidden.
There are 14 types of fast food, including chicken, duck, and fish. Two meat dishes and one vegetable dish cost 24 yuan, with free refills on rice and cornmeal porridge. The lady there is very enthusiastic toward everyone and calls everyone 'handsome'.
Pakistani buffet at Habibi.
The Pakistani restaurant Habibi in Liudaokou specializes in buffets. It is really popular at lunch, and we had to wait a bit for a table, but we were seated quickly. The dishes are classic Pakistani food, mostly chicken, along with minced beef and lamb bones. They kept refilling the food while we were eating. The lamb bones were the most popular, and the freshly baked flatbread (naan) was very fragrant. Their curries are quite spicy, so there is not much for children to eat.
The lamb bones are prepared as korma, a type of curry stewed with coconut milk or yogurt. The word korma comes from the Turkic word qawirma, which originally meant fried, but it changed to mean stewed after entering the Urdu language. Korma is a typical Mughal court dish that originated in the 16th century. People say Shah Jahan ate korma with his guests at the banquet celebrating the completion of the Taj Mahal.
Another specialty of theirs is chicken porridge (haleem). Pakistani chicken porridge is similar to the meat porridge eaten by Hui Muslims, as both are often cooked for festivals and religious gatherings. The chicken is cooked for a long time until it completely breaks down. Once ready, it is topped with lemon, fried onions, and cilantro, and served with flatbread (naan) for a classic South Asian iftar meal.
A unique dessert is the syrup-soaked fried dough rings (jalebi). It originally came from West Asia and later spread to South Asia, becoming a classic dessert for Pakistani weddings and celebrations. In winter, it is often eaten with warm milk. Milk and flour balls (gulab jamun) are a classic dessert in South and Southeast Asia. They are fried balls made of cheese and flour, then soaked in rose water and saffron syrup. They can be served with ice cream and are a classic dessert for Pakistanis during Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
Their milk pudding is not too sweet, which is perfect for children. Suleiman also really likes their long-grain rice; he can eat a whole bowl plain.
They also have curry puffs (samosa), which are fried until very crispy.
Part 1: 10 halal restaurants in Beijing worth trying: Lahore Courtyard, Mai Mai Hong beef knife-cut noodles in Jiaozuo, Henan, Hulun Aile halal Mongolian food, West African Ghana Tribe Garden, Xing Lao Si meatball spicy soup in Xi'an, Jin Ying meatball soup in Changji, Xinjiang, Hotan Canteen in Xinjiang, BRBR Syrian restaurant, Gulou Eating Noodles fusion food in Beijing, and Xilaishun traditional Beijing food.
Part 2: 10 halal restaurants in Beijing worth trying (Part 2): Gulf Mandi Restaurant (UAE food), Xihan meatball soup at Xinjiang Mansion, Altai afternoon tea in the lobby of Xinjiang Mansion, Muhejia revolving hot pot, Nazilan in Urumqi, Xinjiang (closed), Baoyuanzhai pastries in Beijing (closed), China-Pakistan Friendship Restaurant (Pakistani samosas), Master Ma's roast duck (closed), Bengal Benjiebi Restaurant, and Shihu Cheng Resort in Huairou.
Part 3: 10 recently tried Beijing restaurant recommendations: JM Italian Coffee Dongsi branch, Huixiangyun halal Hunan stir-fry Wangjing branch (closed), Old Ma's lamb soup and steamed dumplings in Dezhou, Shandong, Philadelphia cheesesteak in Sanlitun, Pakistani Roma Restaurant, Muyuzhai garlic lamb intestines, Inner Mongolia Lianying shaomai (steamed dumplings) at Grassland Pomegranate Red, Gansu spicy hot pot in Wangfujing, and Yuezhen Yayuan halal courtyard restaurant.
Part 4: 10 halal restaurants in Beijing worth trying (Part 4): Hotan Rose Pilaf Yizhuang branch, Taiba Western-style bakery, Taiba South Sanlitun street shop, Zhaotong small meat skewers at Ganmaya BBQ on Guijie (closed), Bai Xiaobei Heilongjiang BBQ, Yunnan Muwenzhai dry-pot beef, Xinjiang restaurant Jiangjiang in Sanlitun, Huixiangyun halal Hunan restaurant Zuojiazhuang branch, Bazaar Sweetheart Yili ice cream shop, and Qianyuan Hotel in Dongzhimen.
Part 5: 10 halal restaurants in Beijing worth trying (Part 5): Sandyq Kazakhstan restaurant, Kashgar restaurant, Ahmed restaurant, Jingbalang Naan Bazaar, MacMac Lebanese restaurant, Humaer Xinjiang specialty food, Old Huihui dumpling restaurant Zoo branch, Fresh Milk Town Shuangjing branch (closed), Nawab restaurant, and Liu's Watch Repair and BBQ.
Part 6: 10 halal restaurants in Beijing worth trying (Part 6): Hongyunlou Huaiyang cuisine, Sanhe beef noodles (closed), JM Coffee and Bakery Daji Lane branch, Wanhe fatty beef, Xiangqing roast duck (closed), Culture Pakistani restaurant, Firenze Italian restaurant, Niujie Dashuntang, Zhenweizhai Tianjin cuisine, and Dardanelles children's meal. Collapse Read »
Summary: This seventh Beijing halal restaurant roundup covers JM Western Restaurant, Rose City Palestinian food, Baoding beef zhaobing, Pakistani food, Yunnan dishes, Turkish food, and more.
JM Western Restaurant Chaonei branch, Rose City Palestinian Restaurant, Baoding beef cover flatbread (niurou zhaobing), Al Rayyan Pakistani Restaurant, Yili Loulan Restaurant Guijie branch, Dianxinyuan Yunnan Cuisine, Heilongjiang Suihua Muxiangyuan Restaurant, Sanlitun Turkish Restaurant, Chaoyangmen fast food stall, and Habibi Pakistani buffet.
JM Western Restaurant Chaonei branch.
Our friend (dosti) Boss Ma from Xinjiang started JM with coffee roasting, and now they are expanding into pizza and pasta with more and more locations. I recently visited the popular Daji Lane branch for pizza, and this time I went to the newly opened Chaonei No. 81 branch. This is the second JM store in Dongsi. The Dongsi North Street branch is great for coffee and chatting, but the Chaonei branch is better for a full meal.
The JM Chaonei branch is right across from the Dongcheng Hui Muslim Primary School. It is a quiet, alcohol-free place with reliable ingredients. The atmosphere is great, but the space is relatively small with only three large tables. Since it just opened, there was no wait when we went, but it might get crowded once it becomes more popular.
Like the Daji Lane branch, their signature dish is the big plate chicken pizza. We already had that last time, so we ordered the potato beef pizza, pumpkin cheese salad, shepherd's pie, potato wedges, and butter garlic vegetables. For drinks, we had guava juice and apple fizz.
Their potato beef pizza is very mild, perfect for kids, and the beef is easy for children to chew. If you cannot eat spicy food, my friend (dosti), I recommend this one. The salad and vegetables are very healthy, though the salad can be a bit cold in winter. It comes with two types of cheese, both of which are excellent.
Shepherd's pie is a British dish made by topping cooked minced meat with mashed potatoes and baking it. After potatoes became a staple in the UK in the 18th century, shepherds in the north used leftover roasted meat and mashed potatoes to make these pies. It was simple and affordable, and it quickly became popular among the British working class after the 19th century.
Rose City Palestinian Restaurant.
Shawarma City in Sanlitun SOHO has opened a large restaurant upstairs, right next to Haidilao. The owner is a Swedish-Palestinian. Although I have not been to Palestine yet, based on my experience eating Levantine food in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, their food is truly authentic. I cannot find a single fault!
We ordered chicken shawarma, a chicken and lamb kebab platter, hummus with kibbeh beef meatballs, lentil soup, broccoli soup, and salty yogurt drink (ayran). The restaurant even gave us complimentary milk pudding.
The chicken shawarma tasted exactly like what I ate every day in Damascus. Garlic sauce is the essential soul of the dish. On the streets of Damascus, they pour it directly on, but here they serve it on the side for dipping.
Their roasted lamb is very tender! The kids especially loved it.
The hummus with kibbeh is also very popular. Kibbeh is made from minced lean meat and bulgur wheat. Bulgur is wheat that has been parboiled, hulled, and dried. It has a mild flavor with a nutty aroma.
Lentil soup is a must-have for me when eating Levantine food, but their broccoli soup is also delicious. This is made by blending broccoli into a puree with cream, and it has a very rich aroma.
Their yogurt drink (ayran) is very sour, much more authentic than the ayran at many restaurants in Beijing.
Their milk pudding is not too sweet, making it perfect for children.
Baoding beef soup with flatbread (niurou zhaobing).
The Baoding beef soup with flatbread shop in Songjiazhuang has a nice environment, but the biggest problem is that too many people smoke inside. When we went, there were only a few tables, and two of them were smoking. If you are bothered by cigarette smoke, you should probably avoid this place.
We ordered the three-layer beef and bread (san zhao san), shredded pork with garlic sauce (yuxiang rousi), meatball clay pot (shaguo wanzi), and salt and pepper crab leg mushrooms (jiaoyan xietui gu). First of all, the shredded pork with garlic sauce is not authentic at all. It has way too many bean sprouts and is cloyingly sweet. The shredded pork with garlic sauce I had in Baoding was made entirely of thin strips of meat with a balanced sweet and sour flavor; this place is far behind that standard.
The other dishes tasted pretty good. The meat in the three-layer beef and bread is not too tough, so children can eat it too. The meatball clay pot is very comforting in winter, and they give you plenty of meatballs. The portion of crab leg mushrooms is also very large, but it gets a bit greasy once it cools down, so you must eat it while it is hot.
Pakistani restaurant Al Rayyan.
The newly opened Pakistani restaurant Al Rayyan is on the sixth floor of Joy City in Wangfujing. They used to have a shop in Changyang. The environment at the Wangfujing branch is excellent, and you can overlook Wangfujing Street.
We ordered the Afghan pilaf set meal, which has a good discount for the first order. The set meal is quite substantial. Besides the Afghan pilaf, it includes butter-aromatic lamb handi with rice, lamb kafta kebab, hummus with flatbread, chicken corn soup, and mango juice. Two people can barely finish it. We hardly touched the pilaf, so we packed it up to take home for dinner the next night.
Afghan pilaf originated in the border region between northern Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. It is called Qabili Palaw in Afghanistan and later spread from there to West Asia, Central Asia, and Pakistan. The difference between Afghan pilaf and Xinjiang pilaf is the use of Indian long-grain fragrant rice, a small amount of saffron for color, and the use of ghee and vegetable oil when cooking the meat. The carrots are sliced thinly, and they add cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves, so it has more of a spice flavor than Xinjiang pilaf. The clay pot curry is slow-cooked in a handi clay pot. Modern kitchens sometimes use pressure cookers, but the flavor is not as good.
Yili Loulan Restaurant Guijie branch.
The Yili Loulan Restaurant at the Xinqiao intersection didn't have a sign for a long time. I only noticed the sign recently, so I came to eat here after the Guijie festival.
Their shop is at the intersection of Guijie, and the prices are higher than the average Uyghur restaurant. I bought a set meal voucher for mixed noodles, which included a bowl of Yili signature minced meat mixed noodles (banmian), two lamb skewers, and a glass of kvass. The mixed noodles (banmian) come with extra noodles added directly, which is great. The noodles are quite authentic and have a firmer texture, which some people really enjoy. The minced meat is very flavorful and topped with a fried egg. However, the bowl they use makes it hard to scoop up the minced meat; it would be better if they served it on a plate. The grilled meat (kaorou) is very tender. I heard they ship their meat all the way from Yili, which is why the prices are higher than elsewhere.
If you want to satisfy a craving for Yili-style food (dost), this is a good place to come, though it is a bit pricey for a regular meal.
After work, I had lamb leg pilaf (zhuafan) at Yili Loulan Restaurant near the Beixinqiao intersection. It tasted excellent. You can tell the lamb is from Xinjiang; you cannot get this flavor from meat bought in Beijing. The restaurant gets quite busy on weekends. Last time I went at six, it was empty, but this time both the first and second floors were full. Maybe they were running out of pilaf, as the portion I got from the bottom of the pot had some dried-out carrots, but the overall taste was still very good. I have to complain about a restaurant run by people from Southern Xinjiang that I often visit; they have almost turned their pilaf into plain rice (ranfan).
Also, a heads-up: their wooden spoons have rough edges. I tried two and they both scratched my mouth, so please be careful.
Dianxinyuan Yunnan Cuisine
I went to Yizhuang for some errands on the weekend and stopped by Dianxinyuan for some Yunnan food. I ate at the original Dianxinyuan store many years ago and it left a deep impression on me. Because Yizhuang is so far away, it is not very convenient to visit, so it took many years before I ate there a second time. The new store has a very nice, clean, and bright interior.
The owner is a Hui Muslim named Lin from Shadian, Yunnan. The Lin family is a major clan in Shadian, with a saying that all members of the Lin family are elite. According to family records, the Shadian Lin family's ancestral home is in Putian, Fujian. They are descendants of Bigan from the Shang Dynasty and were given the surname Lin because their fief was at Changlin Mountain. In 1275 (the 11th year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty), the ancestors of the Lin family entered Yunnan with the Xianyang King Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din, which led them to convert to Islam. Later, in the early years of the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty, the Lin family finally settled in Shadian.
We ordered their set meal for two, which included Gejiu tilapia, Shiping tofu, bridge-crossing rice noodles (guoqiao mixian), and assorted cold rice noodles. We also ordered crispy red beans and Yiliang roast duck, and drank Kunming mint water and Ruili mango juice. The skin of the Gejiu tilapia was grilled until slightly charred and wrinkled, and the meat was tender without falling apart. There were a few small bones, but not many overall. The Shiping tofu was soft and dense inside, but the skin was also soft, so it was not freshly pan-fried.
I highly recommend their rice noodles. If you are in Yizhuang on business by yourself, a bowl of rice noodles is a perfect meal. The broth for the bridge-crossing rice noodles is clear, fresh, and rich, and the ingredients are complete. After cooking, the rice noodles are smooth and refreshing. The assorted cold rice noodles have a very rich variety of side dishes, and the sweet and sour flavor is appetizing, while the cool texture is great for cutting through greasiness. The crispy red bean pastry (suhongdou) is crispy on the outside and powdery on the inside, but it is quite spicy, so Beijingers might find it too much. Yiliang roast duck (Yiliang kaoya) is the essence of Yunnan-style roast duck, with crispy skin and tender meat, lacking the heavy grease of Beijing-style roast duck, though the sauce here didn't taste as fragrant as what I had in Yunnan.
Muxiangyuan, a restaurant from Suihua, Heilongjiang.
On Saturday at noon, I went to Muxiangyuan, a restaurant from Suihua, Heilongjiang, that opened in Fangzhuang last year. I had previously eaten Heilongjiang Hui Muslim stir-fry in Harbin and thought it was excellent, so I was happy to have Heilongjiang food again in Beijing.
Their signature dishes are double-stir-fried meat (guobaorou) and braised meat strips (baroutiao). This time, I ordered stir-fried lamb liver (liuyanggan), stir-fried tofu skin with chili peppers (jianjiaogandoufu), and beef and pickled cabbage steamed dumplings (zhengjiao). The stir-fried lamb liver was very good. It wasn't too salty, the liver was very tender, and the kids loved it. The tofu skin is great with rice, but it's quite salty if you eat it alone. Northeastern food is naturally saltier than Beijing food, so friends (dost) who can't handle salt should mention it beforehand. The steamed dumplings were also delicious. The pickled cabbage added great flavor, and they were very juicy. You should bite into them and let them cool a bit before eating, or you might get burned.
Their prices are lower than many local Hui Muslim restaurants in Beijing. I ordered two dishes and a steamer of dumplings for only 90 yuan, which felt like a great deal.
Sanlitun Turkish Restaurant.
The Turkish cafe at the south entrance of Sanlitun SOHO used to be run by Dardanelles. I recently noticed the sign changed, and after asking, I found out it's now run by a couple from Urumqi. As a son-in-law from Urumqi, I consider them fellow hometown folks, haha. They still serve burgers, pizza, and Turkish fast food. We ordered a double beef burger, fries, cola, fried chicken nuggets, assorted pide, and also ordered falafel and rice pudding.
The taste is quite good, making it a great choice for friends (dost) who can't find Western-style fast food. The meat in the double beef burger was excellent and very satisfying to eat, though it would be even better if the bun was toasted a little. The pide was also very authentic, with a true Turkish flavor. The falafel was a bit hard, but the taste was fine, and the kids really liked the rice pudding.
Chaoyangmen Fast Food Stall.
Today I went to the halal fast food stall in the food court on the basement level of the Union Building outside Chaoyangmen. You can see the entrance to the food court after entering from the south gate of the Union Building, though it is a bit hidden.
There are 14 types of fast food, including chicken, duck, and fish. Two meat dishes and one vegetable dish cost 24 yuan, with free refills on rice and cornmeal porridge. The lady there is very enthusiastic toward everyone and calls everyone 'handsome'.
Chaoyangmen Fast Food Stall.
I went to the halal fast food stall in the food court on the basement level of the Union Building outside Chaoyangmen. You can see the entrance to the food court after entering from the south gate of the Union Building, though it is a bit hidden.
There are 14 types of fast food, including chicken, duck, and fish. Two meat dishes and one vegetable dish cost 24 yuan, with free refills on rice and cornmeal porridge. The lady there is very enthusiastic toward everyone and calls everyone 'handsome'.
Pakistani buffet at Habibi.
The Pakistani restaurant Habibi in Liudaokou specializes in buffets. It is really popular at lunch, and we had to wait a bit for a table, but we were seated quickly. The dishes are classic Pakistani food, mostly chicken, along with minced beef and lamb bones. They kept refilling the food while we were eating. The lamb bones were the most popular, and the freshly baked flatbread (naan) was very fragrant. Their curries are quite spicy, so there is not much for children to eat.
The lamb bones are prepared as korma, a type of curry stewed with coconut milk or yogurt. The word korma comes from the Turkic word qawirma, which originally meant fried, but it changed to mean stewed after entering the Urdu language. Korma is a typical Mughal court dish that originated in the 16th century. People say Shah Jahan ate korma with his guests at the banquet celebrating the completion of the Taj Mahal.
Another specialty of theirs is chicken porridge (haleem). Pakistani chicken porridge is similar to the meat porridge eaten by Hui Muslims, as both are often cooked for festivals and religious gatherings. The chicken is cooked for a long time until it completely breaks down. Once ready, it is topped with lemon, fried onions, and cilantro, and served with flatbread (naan) for a classic South Asian iftar meal.
A unique dessert is the syrup-soaked fried dough rings (jalebi). It originally came from West Asia and later spread to South Asia, becoming a classic dessert for Pakistani weddings and celebrations. In winter, it is often eaten with warm milk. Milk and flour balls (gulab jamun) are a classic dessert in South and Southeast Asia. They are fried balls made of cheese and flour, then soaked in rose water and saffron syrup. They can be served with ice cream and are a classic dessert for Pakistanis during Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
Their milk pudding is not too sweet, which is perfect for children. Suleiman also really likes their long-grain rice; he can eat a whole bowl plain.
They also have curry puffs (samosa), which are fried until very crispy.
Part 1: 10 halal restaurants in Beijing worth trying: Lahore Courtyard, Mai Mai Hong beef knife-cut noodles in Jiaozuo, Henan, Hulun Aile halal Mongolian food, West African Ghana Tribe Garden, Xing Lao Si meatball spicy soup in Xi'an, Jin Ying meatball soup in Changji, Xinjiang, Hotan Canteen in Xinjiang, BRBR Syrian restaurant, Gulou Eating Noodles fusion food in Beijing, and Xilaishun traditional Beijing food.
Part 2: 10 halal restaurants in Beijing worth trying (Part 2): Gulf Mandi Restaurant (UAE food), Xihan meatball soup at Xinjiang Mansion, Altai afternoon tea in the lobby of Xinjiang Mansion, Muhejia revolving hot pot, Nazilan in Urumqi, Xinjiang (closed), Baoyuanzhai pastries in Beijing (closed), China-Pakistan Friendship Restaurant (Pakistani samosas), Master Ma's roast duck (closed), Bengal Benjiebi Restaurant, and Shihu Cheng Resort in Huairou.
Part 3: 10 recently tried Beijing restaurant recommendations: JM Italian Coffee Dongsi branch, Huixiangyun halal Hunan stir-fry Wangjing branch (closed), Old Ma's lamb soup and steamed dumplings in Dezhou, Shandong, Philadelphia cheesesteak in Sanlitun, Pakistani Roma Restaurant, Muyuzhai garlic lamb intestines, Inner Mongolia Lianying shaomai (steamed dumplings) at Grassland Pomegranate Red, Gansu spicy hot pot in Wangfujing, and Yuezhen Yayuan halal courtyard restaurant.
Part 4: 10 halal restaurants in Beijing worth trying (Part 4): Hotan Rose Pilaf Yizhuang branch, Taiba Western-style bakery, Taiba South Sanlitun street shop, Zhaotong small meat skewers at Ganmaya BBQ on Guijie (closed), Bai Xiaobei Heilongjiang BBQ, Yunnan Muwenzhai dry-pot beef, Xinjiang restaurant Jiangjiang in Sanlitun, Huixiangyun halal Hunan restaurant Zuojiazhuang branch, Bazaar Sweetheart Yili ice cream shop, and Qianyuan Hotel in Dongzhimen.
Part 5: 10 halal restaurants in Beijing worth trying (Part 5): Sandyq Kazakhstan restaurant, Kashgar restaurant, Ahmed restaurant, Jingbalang Naan Bazaar, MacMac Lebanese restaurant, Humaer Xinjiang specialty food, Old Huihui dumpling restaurant Zoo branch, Fresh Milk Town Shuangjing branch (closed), Nawab restaurant, and Liu's Watch Repair and BBQ.
Part 6: 10 halal restaurants in Beijing worth trying (Part 6): Hongyunlou Huaiyang cuisine, Sanhe beef noodles (closed), JM Coffee and Bakery Daji Lane branch, Wanhe fatty beef, Xiangqing roast duck (closed), Culture Pakistani restaurant, Firenze Italian restaurant, Niujie Dashuntang, Zhenweizhai Tianjin cuisine, and Dardanelles children's meal. Collapse Read »
Best Turkmen Halal Food in Beijing: Merv, Asian Food and An-Nur Restaurants
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Beijing halal food guide visits three Turkmen restaurants: Merv, Asian Food, and An-Nur. It keeps the dishes, prices, locations, and Central Asian food details from the original travel notes.
Over the past two years, three Turkmenistan restaurants have opened in Beijing: Merv, Asian Food, and An-Nur. While they all focus on Turkmen cuisine with some Russian and Turkish dishes, each has a different target audience. Merv started in Sanlitun and later moved to the Ritan International Trade Center. It mainly serves merchants from the former Soviet Union who come to Ritan for wholesale goods, and its prices are similar to the nearby Azerbaijani restaurant. The other two are near the China University of Petroleum in Changping. They cater mostly to Central Asian students at the university, offering affordable fast food.
Merv
Let's start with Merv. We visited when they opened in Sanlitun SOHO last year. Back then, the place was quite small and the menu was simple. When we went back this year, they had moved to the basement of the Ritan International Trade Center. The shop is bigger, the environment is better, and you can even wear traditional Turkmen hats for photos. However, the new location is hidden and gets less foot traffic. It is mostly for merchants from former Soviet countries, so enjoy it while you can.
Merv is the most famous ancient oasis city in Turkmenistan. For thousands of years, it was a key transport hub connecting Baghdad and Samarkand, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. In 651, it became the capital of the Khorasan province of the Umayyad Caliphate. Later, it extended into the Abbasid Caliphate and was a famous center for Islamic scholarship in Central Asia. After 1037, Merv became a central city of the Seljuk Empire and served as its capital after the 12th century. By 1150, its population reached 2 million. Arab and Persian geographers called Merv the Mother of the World, the place where great and small meet, and the capital of the eastern Islamic world. It declined after the Mongol army sacked the city in 1221.
The restaurant focuses on local Turkmen food, but also serves Russian and Turkish dishes. We prioritize the Turkmen dishes. Russian food is hard to find outside of Ruilin near Ritan, so it is also worth a try. We ordered Turkmen soup, borscht (hongcaitang), capital salad (shoudu shala), buckwheat mash with gravy, Turkmen meat pie (fitchi), and Turkmen lamb soaked bread (dograma). Everything tasted great! Turkmen food is relatively light and focuses on natural flavors, making it suitable for both the elderly and children.
First, let's share the Turkmen dishes:
The Turkmen soup is actually a mung bean and meat porridge. It tastes excellent, made with beef broth, tomatoes, rice, and mung beans. It is very warming in winter.
The lamb soaked bread (dograma) is a classic feast dish for Eid al-Adha. It uses lamb broth with meat cooked until it falls off the bone, soaked with torn pieces of bread, and topped with onions and minced meat. It is very filling.
The meat pie (fitchi) is made with unleavened dough. The crust is thin, and it is filled with lamb and onions, seasoned with salt and black pepper. It is very similar to Xinjiang meat pies and tastes delicious.
For drinks, we ordered green tea and yogurt drink (ayran). Unlike Xinjiang restaurants, you have to pay for tea at this Turkmen restaurant.
Continuing with their Russian/Soviet dishes:
I really like their borscht (hongcaitang), which is a beef soup with beets and sour cream. The sweet, sour, and salty flavors are perfectly balanced, and it is not greasy.
The capital salad (shoudu shala) refers to Moscow. It is a standard Soviet salad made with diced boiled potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, peas, onions, eggs, and chicken, mixed with mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and yellow mustard. I think the capital salad (stolichny salat) at Merv is delicious and I highly recommend it. Early versions of Russian salad actually included seafood and caviar. During the Soviet era, due to food shortages, people started replacing crayfish with boiled eggs and carrots, sausage with chicken, and olives and capers with cucumbers and peas, which eventually created the capital salad we have today.
Buckwheat with minced meat is also a Soviet dish. Buckwheat porridge (kasha) has been a staple food in Russia for a thousand years and has been popular in East Slavic regions since the Middle Ages. Serving it with minced meat was a very classic home-cooked and cafeteria-style meal during the Soviet era. This was my first time eating buckwheat with minced meat, and it felt very healthy. The minced meat was salty and savory, perfect with rice, and the mashed potatoes served with it were very light. I originally thought the buckwheat would be quite dry, but they steamed it until it was very soft, with a texture like very chewy rice.
Later, I ordered the chicken buckwheat. The chicken was a pressed patty, not dry at all, very tender, and lighter than the minced meat version—a typical healthy meal by modern standards.
I have shared some special brunches in Beijing before, such as the Turkish breakfasts at Dardanelles and Sultan, or the pot tea and steamed dumplings (shaomai) at Lianying, and I recently discovered that Merv also has Turkmen breakfast! I made a special trip to eat it on a weekend morning.
Actually, this isn't strictly a breakfast menu because they are open 24 hours a day, so you can eat it anytime. I feel the main morning crowd consists of traders from the former Soviet Union who are adjusting to the time difference. However, sometimes if they sell well the night before, some dishes might be out of stock the next morning. Although you can choose heavy dishes in the morning, the first page of their menu has some items that are more suitable for breakfast. For example, cheese rolls, tomato and eggs, bread, and cheese. For soup, we had beef soup and ordered a pot of tea, though you can also drink coffee.
I recently discovered that my son really likes Merv; he eats the cheese rolls and tomato and eggs in big bites. Their tomato and eggs are very similar to the tomato omelet (omlet-e gojeh farangi) I ate in Iran before, where you stew the tomato sauce first, then beat the eggs into it, and finally dip bread into it. Their beef soup is stewed until very tender, but the soup is a little bit salty. Having borscht or lentil soup in the morning is also quite appropriate.
Asian Food
Besides Merv in Ritan, there are two other Turkmen restaurants in Changping, Beijing, called Asian Food and An-Noor, both near the China University of Political Science and Law and the China University of Petroleum. We went to Changping to hang out on Eid al-Fitr and happened to eat at Asian Food. Their shop is very small, and the people eating there are basically university students from the neighborhood. Both this place and An-Noor focus on being very affordable; they must be the cheapest Central Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants in Beijing!
They also serve Turkmen, Russian, and Turkish food, which I feel is a characteristic of Turkmen restaurants. We ordered mimosa salad, beef noodle soup, meat pie (ishlekli), rotisserie chicken (doner), and yogurt. Unfortunately, maybe because of the holiday, many Turkmen specialties were unavailable, so we couldn't order them.
Turkmen noodle soup is called unash. It uses alkaline noodles. Turkmen people choose a bowl of this soup first when they have a cold or feel chilly. You can add beans or yogurt to Turkmen noodle soup. We had the version with beef broth and tomatoes, which was very warming.
Mimosa salad is a classic Russian dish. It mainly contains cheese, eggs, canned fish, mashed potatoes, carrots, and mayonnaise. It is named for looking like mimosa flowers fallen on snow and became popular during the Soviet era.
Meat pie (ishlekli) is a typical Turkmen nomadic dish. Traditionally, Turkmen shepherds buried the pie in the hot sand of the Turkmen desert to bake it over charcoal. Now, Turkmen people in cities make it in ovens. The meat pie (ishlekli) has a lamb and potato filling. It is light, and the crust has a perfect texture. My child loved it.
They have two types of rotisserie chicken (doner). One uses thin flatbread like in Turkey, and the other uses a Central Asian style leavened bread. I recommend the latter. I ate this in Uzbekistan before. This leavened bread stuffed with rotisserie meat is very satisfying.
Finally, I highly recommend their yogurt. It was unexpectedly authentic, exactly like the homemade yogurt in Xinjiang! It might be one of the best yogurts in Beijing, and a big bottle only costs seven yuan! We finished it and bought another bottle to take home. I can't imagine how they make such pure yogurt using milk bought in Beijing. Only a few Uyghur restaurants in Beijing make yogurt that can compare to theirs.
An-Noor
I went to eat at another branch of An-Noor during the Qingming Festival. I specifically checked the China University of Petroleum website. In 2025, the university had 484 international students from the five Central Asian countries, many of whom are studying oil and gas engineering. Turkmenistan has very rich natural gas and oil reserves. It has the world's second-largest onshore gas field and is China's largest supplier of pipeline natural gas, so many students study at the China University of Petroleum.
The prices at An-Noor are still very affordable and suitable for students. It is much cheaper than the places near Ritan Upper Street. We ordered buckwheat with mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted chicken leg, pumpkin steamed dumplings (manti), beef turnover (chebureki), meatball noodles, Russian honey cake, Korean-style shredded carrots, and Turkish lentil soup. It only cost a little over one hundred yuan in total. They use QR code ordering, so you don't need to talk much. However, the Turkmen guy there speaks good Chinese and was very enthusiastic, even giving Suleiman some Turkmenistan chocolate.
Their buckwheat has a stronger flavor than the one at Merv. The sauce doesn't have meat, but it comes with two chicken patties. It only costs 24 yuan, which is a great deal. Suleiman really loves Russian-style buckwheat.
Their roasted chicken leg is also a great deal. A huge chicken leg is only 22 yuan. It is roasted until tender and fragrant, and it tastes great dipped in mayonnaise.
The Central Asian word manti comes from the Chinese word mantou. The earliest mantou actually had fillings, and the word still keeps this ancient meaning in the Wu dialect. Manti spread rapidly to Central Asia, West Asia, and as far as the Turkish Aegean coast during the Mongol Empire. It even reached the Balkans during the Ottoman period, but the preparation methods vary from place to place. Central Asian steamed dumplings (manti) are usually quite large, while the Turkish ones are smaller. Central Asian manti are basically the same as the thin-skinned steamed buns (baopi baozi) in Xinjiang. They also come with lamb or pumpkin fillings, and the pumpkin version is usually spicy. The difference is that Central Asian manti are dipped in yogurt, while the ones in Xinjiang are usually dipped in chili sauce. This place doesn't put much filling in their pumpkin manti, but getting 8 of them for 25 yuan is still a pretty good deal. Their yogurt is also very authentic and clearly homemade, but it seems they don't sell it separately, or we definitely would have bought some.
Fried meat pastry (cheburek) is a crispy meat-filled turnover. It was originally the national dish of the Crimean Tatars and later became very popular across the former Soviet Union and the former Ottoman regions. They sell 5 cheburek for 20 yuan, so at 4 yuan each, it is truly the cheapest I have ever eaten. The taste is great, too, and everyone really likes it.
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Summary: This Beijing halal food guide visits three Turkmen restaurants: Merv, Asian Food, and An-Nur. It keeps the dishes, prices, locations, and Central Asian food details from the original travel notes.
Over the past two years, three Turkmenistan restaurants have opened in Beijing: Merv, Asian Food, and An-Nur. While they all focus on Turkmen cuisine with some Russian and Turkish dishes, each has a different target audience. Merv started in Sanlitun and later moved to the Ritan International Trade Center. It mainly serves merchants from the former Soviet Union who come to Ritan for wholesale goods, and its prices are similar to the nearby Azerbaijani restaurant. The other two are near the China University of Petroleum in Changping. They cater mostly to Central Asian students at the university, offering affordable fast food.
Merv
Let's start with Merv. We visited when they opened in Sanlitun SOHO last year. Back then, the place was quite small and the menu was simple. When we went back this year, they had moved to the basement of the Ritan International Trade Center. The shop is bigger, the environment is better, and you can even wear traditional Turkmen hats for photos. However, the new location is hidden and gets less foot traffic. It is mostly for merchants from former Soviet countries, so enjoy it while you can.
Merv is the most famous ancient oasis city in Turkmenistan. For thousands of years, it was a key transport hub connecting Baghdad and Samarkand, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. In 651, it became the capital of the Khorasan province of the Umayyad Caliphate. Later, it extended into the Abbasid Caliphate and was a famous center for Islamic scholarship in Central Asia. After 1037, Merv became a central city of the Seljuk Empire and served as its capital after the 12th century. By 1150, its population reached 2 million. Arab and Persian geographers called Merv the Mother of the World, the place where great and small meet, and the capital of the eastern Islamic world. It declined after the Mongol army sacked the city in 1221.
The restaurant focuses on local Turkmen food, but also serves Russian and Turkish dishes. We prioritize the Turkmen dishes. Russian food is hard to find outside of Ruilin near Ritan, so it is also worth a try. We ordered Turkmen soup, borscht (hongcaitang), capital salad (shoudu shala), buckwheat mash with gravy, Turkmen meat pie (fitchi), and Turkmen lamb soaked bread (dograma). Everything tasted great! Turkmen food is relatively light and focuses on natural flavors, making it suitable for both the elderly and children.
First, let's share the Turkmen dishes:
The Turkmen soup is actually a mung bean and meat porridge. It tastes excellent, made with beef broth, tomatoes, rice, and mung beans. It is very warming in winter.
The lamb soaked bread (dograma) is a classic feast dish for Eid al-Adha. It uses lamb broth with meat cooked until it falls off the bone, soaked with torn pieces of bread, and topped with onions and minced meat. It is very filling.
The meat pie (fitchi) is made with unleavened dough. The crust is thin, and it is filled with lamb and onions, seasoned with salt and black pepper. It is very similar to Xinjiang meat pies and tastes delicious.
For drinks, we ordered green tea and yogurt drink (ayran). Unlike Xinjiang restaurants, you have to pay for tea at this Turkmen restaurant.
Continuing with their Russian/Soviet dishes:
I really like their borscht (hongcaitang), which is a beef soup with beets and sour cream. The sweet, sour, and salty flavors are perfectly balanced, and it is not greasy.
The capital salad (shoudu shala) refers to Moscow. It is a standard Soviet salad made with diced boiled potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, peas, onions, eggs, and chicken, mixed with mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and yellow mustard. I think the capital salad (stolichny salat) at Merv is delicious and I highly recommend it. Early versions of Russian salad actually included seafood and caviar. During the Soviet era, due to food shortages, people started replacing crayfish with boiled eggs and carrots, sausage with chicken, and olives and capers with cucumbers and peas, which eventually created the capital salad we have today.
Buckwheat with minced meat is also a Soviet dish. Buckwheat porridge (kasha) has been a staple food in Russia for a thousand years and has been popular in East Slavic regions since the Middle Ages. Serving it with minced meat was a very classic home-cooked and cafeteria-style meal during the Soviet era. This was my first time eating buckwheat with minced meat, and it felt very healthy. The minced meat was salty and savory, perfect with rice, and the mashed potatoes served with it were very light. I originally thought the buckwheat would be quite dry, but they steamed it until it was very soft, with a texture like very chewy rice.
Later, I ordered the chicken buckwheat. The chicken was a pressed patty, not dry at all, very tender, and lighter than the minced meat version—a typical healthy meal by modern standards.
I have shared some special brunches in Beijing before, such as the Turkish breakfasts at Dardanelles and Sultan, or the pot tea and steamed dumplings (shaomai) at Lianying, and I recently discovered that Merv also has Turkmen breakfast! I made a special trip to eat it on a weekend morning.
Actually, this isn't strictly a breakfast menu because they are open 24 hours a day, so you can eat it anytime. I feel the main morning crowd consists of traders from the former Soviet Union who are adjusting to the time difference. However, sometimes if they sell well the night before, some dishes might be out of stock the next morning. Although you can choose heavy dishes in the morning, the first page of their menu has some items that are more suitable for breakfast. For example, cheese rolls, tomato and eggs, bread, and cheese. For soup, we had beef soup and ordered a pot of tea, though you can also drink coffee.
I recently discovered that my son really likes Merv; he eats the cheese rolls and tomato and eggs in big bites. Their tomato and eggs are very similar to the tomato omelet (omlet-e gojeh farangi) I ate in Iran before, where you stew the tomato sauce first, then beat the eggs into it, and finally dip bread into it. Their beef soup is stewed until very tender, but the soup is a little bit salty. Having borscht or lentil soup in the morning is also quite appropriate.
Asian Food
Besides Merv in Ritan, there are two other Turkmen restaurants in Changping, Beijing, called Asian Food and An-Noor, both near the China University of Political Science and Law and the China University of Petroleum. We went to Changping to hang out on Eid al-Fitr and happened to eat at Asian Food. Their shop is very small, and the people eating there are basically university students from the neighborhood. Both this place and An-Noor focus on being very affordable; they must be the cheapest Central Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants in Beijing!
They also serve Turkmen, Russian, and Turkish food, which I feel is a characteristic of Turkmen restaurants. We ordered mimosa salad, beef noodle soup, meat pie (ishlekli), rotisserie chicken (doner), and yogurt. Unfortunately, maybe because of the holiday, many Turkmen specialties were unavailable, so we couldn't order them.
Turkmen noodle soup is called unash. It uses alkaline noodles. Turkmen people choose a bowl of this soup first when they have a cold or feel chilly. You can add beans or yogurt to Turkmen noodle soup. We had the version with beef broth and tomatoes, which was very warming.
Mimosa salad is a classic Russian dish. It mainly contains cheese, eggs, canned fish, mashed potatoes, carrots, and mayonnaise. It is named for looking like mimosa flowers fallen on snow and became popular during the Soviet era.
Meat pie (ishlekli) is a typical Turkmen nomadic dish. Traditionally, Turkmen shepherds buried the pie in the hot sand of the Turkmen desert to bake it over charcoal. Now, Turkmen people in cities make it in ovens. The meat pie (ishlekli) has a lamb and potato filling. It is light, and the crust has a perfect texture. My child loved it.
They have two types of rotisserie chicken (doner). One uses thin flatbread like in Turkey, and the other uses a Central Asian style leavened bread. I recommend the latter. I ate this in Uzbekistan before. This leavened bread stuffed with rotisserie meat is very satisfying.
Finally, I highly recommend their yogurt. It was unexpectedly authentic, exactly like the homemade yogurt in Xinjiang! It might be one of the best yogurts in Beijing, and a big bottle only costs seven yuan! We finished it and bought another bottle to take home. I can't imagine how they make such pure yogurt using milk bought in Beijing. Only a few Uyghur restaurants in Beijing make yogurt that can compare to theirs.
An-Noor
I went to eat at another branch of An-Noor during the Qingming Festival. I specifically checked the China University of Petroleum website. In 2025, the university had 484 international students from the five Central Asian countries, many of whom are studying oil and gas engineering. Turkmenistan has very rich natural gas and oil reserves. It has the world's second-largest onshore gas field and is China's largest supplier of pipeline natural gas, so many students study at the China University of Petroleum.
The prices at An-Noor are still very affordable and suitable for students. It is much cheaper than the places near Ritan Upper Street. We ordered buckwheat with mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted chicken leg, pumpkin steamed dumplings (manti), beef turnover (chebureki), meatball noodles, Russian honey cake, Korean-style shredded carrots, and Turkish lentil soup. It only cost a little over one hundred yuan in total. They use QR code ordering, so you don't need to talk much. However, the Turkmen guy there speaks good Chinese and was very enthusiastic, even giving Suleiman some Turkmenistan chocolate.
Their buckwheat has a stronger flavor than the one at Merv. The sauce doesn't have meat, but it comes with two chicken patties. It only costs 24 yuan, which is a great deal. Suleiman really loves Russian-style buckwheat.
Their roasted chicken leg is also a great deal. A huge chicken leg is only 22 yuan. It is roasted until tender and fragrant, and it tastes great dipped in mayonnaise.
The Central Asian word manti comes from the Chinese word mantou. The earliest mantou actually had fillings, and the word still keeps this ancient meaning in the Wu dialect. Manti spread rapidly to Central Asia, West Asia, and as far as the Turkish Aegean coast during the Mongol Empire. It even reached the Balkans during the Ottoman period, but the preparation methods vary from place to place. Central Asian steamed dumplings (manti) are usually quite large, while the Turkish ones are smaller. Central Asian manti are basically the same as the thin-skinned steamed buns (baopi baozi) in Xinjiang. They also come with lamb or pumpkin fillings, and the pumpkin version is usually spicy. The difference is that Central Asian manti are dipped in yogurt, while the ones in Xinjiang are usually dipped in chili sauce. This place doesn't put much filling in their pumpkin manti, but getting 8 of them for 25 yuan is still a pretty good deal. Their yogurt is also very authentic and clearly homemade, but it seems they don't sell it separately, or we definitely would have bought some.
Fried meat pastry (cheburek) is a crispy meat-filled turnover. It was originally the national dish of the Crimean Tatars and later became very popular across the former Soviet Union and the former Ottoman regions. They sell 5 cheburek for 20 yuan, so at 4 yuan each, it is truly the cheapest I have ever eaten. The taste is great, too, and everyone really likes it.
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Hidden Gongbei in Guangyuan: Jiujing Sufi Shrine, Mujiapo Hui Village and Sichuan Mosque Road Trip
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Guangyuan finale follows Jiujing gongbei (Sufi shrine), Mujiapo Hui Muslim village, rural mosque history, and the last stretch of the Sichuan Spring Festival road trip.
I traveled north from Nanshan in Guangyuan, crossed the city center, and followed the Jialing River Grand Canyon deep into the mountains until I reached the border of Sichuan and Shaanxi, where the Jiujing Gongbei sits on a hillside next to the canyon. I personally consider this the most remarkable Gongbei in all of Sichuan.
Jiujing Gongbei, also known as Jingjue Pavilion (Jingjue Ting), was first built in 1702 (the 41st year of the Kangxi reign). It holds the tomb of Ma Xunyi, a disciple of Huazhe Abudonglaxi, who was a leader of the Qadiriyya Sufi order (menhuan). In 1721 (the 60th year of the Kangxi reign), the tomb also became the final resting place for Ma Yongqing and Mu Zaiqing, who were disciples of Ma Xunyi's fellow student, Qi Jingyi.
The 1702 tombstone for Ma Xunyi reads: 'Regarding the Ma family of the pure faith from Lintao, Hezhou, who traveled to teach in Jiujing, Guangyuan, and passed away here, this monument is erected.' The tomb of the late, respected Master Ma of the Qing dynasty. The landowners were Mu Zhixian and Mu Zhilin. Erected on an auspicious day, the 15th day of the ninth lunar month in the 41st year of the Kangxi reign, by his student Ha Chengyu.
The 'Stele Record for the Reconstruction of Jingjue Pavilion' dates to the 55th year of the Qianlong reign. The inscription mentions that Ma Xunyi began studying under Huazhe Abudonglaxi in the 25th year of the Kangxi reign. The text was written by Ma Gui, the great-grandson of Ma Xunyi and the caretaker of Jiujing Gongbei.
The 'Jingjue Pavilion' plaque from the 7th year of the Guangxu reign was gifted by Liu, a Jinshi degree holder specially appointed as the Magistrate of Guangyuan County, who received five promotions and ten commendations for his service. It was also erected by Ma Dengchao, who was specially appointed as the Garrison Commander of Guangyuan and granted the imperial peacock feather. These were Magistrate Liu of Guangyuan County and Garrison Commander Ma Dengchao.
Historical records confirm that the Guangyuan Magistrate in the 7th year of the Guangxu reign was Liu Xian. Liu Xian was from Qian County, Shaanxi. He was a diligent student from a young age. During his time as Magistrate of Guangyuan, he provided disaster relief, built bridges and roads, and improved irrigation, helping the people live comfortably. He was honest and upright, and people called him 'Blue Sky Liu' (Liu Qingtian).
Ma Dengchao was a local from Sichuan. During the Tongzhi and Guangxu reigns, he served as a fifth-rank military officer in the Green Standard Army, overseeing city defense, military affairs, and provisions in Guangyuan County. In the 12th year of the Tongzhi reign, he inscribed the words 'Only Pure, Only One' (Wei Jing Wei Yi) for the Shanghe Street Mosque in Guangyuan, which is still kept inside the mosque today.
Inside the Gongbei, there are several Chinese pistache trees (huanglianmu) over 300 years old, planted when the site was first built.
On the hillside near the Jiujing Gongbei is a Hui Muslim village called Mujiapo in Jiujingwan, and halfway up the mountain sits the Jiujing Mosque, which was first built during the Kangxi reign. The various Gongbei in Guangyuan are all built near Hui Muslim villages, where the Qadiriyya Sufi order and the Gedimu villagers live together in harmony.
Since the Ming dynasty, Jiujingwan has been an important land and water station for travelers moving from Hanzhong, Shaanxi, along the Jialing River to Chongqing. In the early Qing dynasty, Hui Muslim families named Mu, Ha, Ma, and Li moved here from Gansu and Shaanxi. It was named Mujiapo because the Mu family was the largest group, and today there are over 400 Hui Muslims living there. Because Mujiapo is located entirely on the slopes of the Jialing River canyon, the Hui Muslims mainly raise cattle and sheep, grow forage grass, and farm walnuts. 'Mujiapo' beef and mutton have become a famous brand in the northern Sichuan meat market.
There is a folk culture park on the mountain at Jiujing Mujiapo, and a restaurant serving Hui Muslim food by the Jialing River at the foot of the mountain. I could not try the food because it was Ramadan, so I will have to wait for another chance.
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Summary: This Guangyuan finale follows Jiujing gongbei (Sufi shrine), Mujiapo Hui Muslim village, rural mosque history, and the last stretch of the Sichuan Spring Festival road trip.
I traveled north from Nanshan in Guangyuan, crossed the city center, and followed the Jialing River Grand Canyon deep into the mountains until I reached the border of Sichuan and Shaanxi, where the Jiujing Gongbei sits on a hillside next to the canyon. I personally consider this the most remarkable Gongbei in all of Sichuan.
Jiujing Gongbei, also known as Jingjue Pavilion (Jingjue Ting), was first built in 1702 (the 41st year of the Kangxi reign). It holds the tomb of Ma Xunyi, a disciple of Huazhe Abudonglaxi, who was a leader of the Qadiriyya Sufi order (menhuan). In 1721 (the 60th year of the Kangxi reign), the tomb also became the final resting place for Ma Yongqing and Mu Zaiqing, who were disciples of Ma Xunyi's fellow student, Qi Jingyi.
The 1702 tombstone for Ma Xunyi reads: 'Regarding the Ma family of the pure faith from Lintao, Hezhou, who traveled to teach in Jiujing, Guangyuan, and passed away here, this monument is erected.' The tomb of the late, respected Master Ma of the Qing dynasty. The landowners were Mu Zhixian and Mu Zhilin. Erected on an auspicious day, the 15th day of the ninth lunar month in the 41st year of the Kangxi reign, by his student Ha Chengyu.
The 'Stele Record for the Reconstruction of Jingjue Pavilion' dates to the 55th year of the Qianlong reign. The inscription mentions that Ma Xunyi began studying under Huazhe Abudonglaxi in the 25th year of the Kangxi reign. The text was written by Ma Gui, the great-grandson of Ma Xunyi and the caretaker of Jiujing Gongbei.
The 'Jingjue Pavilion' plaque from the 7th year of the Guangxu reign was gifted by Liu, a Jinshi degree holder specially appointed as the Magistrate of Guangyuan County, who received five promotions and ten commendations for his service. It was also erected by Ma Dengchao, who was specially appointed as the Garrison Commander of Guangyuan and granted the imperial peacock feather. These were Magistrate Liu of Guangyuan County and Garrison Commander Ma Dengchao.
Historical records confirm that the Guangyuan Magistrate in the 7th year of the Guangxu reign was Liu Xian. Liu Xian was from Qian County, Shaanxi. He was a diligent student from a young age. During his time as Magistrate of Guangyuan, he provided disaster relief, built bridges and roads, and improved irrigation, helping the people live comfortably. He was honest and upright, and people called him 'Blue Sky Liu' (Liu Qingtian).
Ma Dengchao was a local from Sichuan. During the Tongzhi and Guangxu reigns, he served as a fifth-rank military officer in the Green Standard Army, overseeing city defense, military affairs, and provisions in Guangyuan County. In the 12th year of the Tongzhi reign, he inscribed the words 'Only Pure, Only One' (Wei Jing Wei Yi) for the Shanghe Street Mosque in Guangyuan, which is still kept inside the mosque today.
Inside the Gongbei, there are several Chinese pistache trees (huanglianmu) over 300 years old, planted when the site was first built.
On the hillside near the Jiujing Gongbei is a Hui Muslim village called Mujiapo in Jiujingwan, and halfway up the mountain sits the Jiujing Mosque, which was first built during the Kangxi reign. The various Gongbei in Guangyuan are all built near Hui Muslim villages, where the Qadiriyya Sufi order and the Gedimu villagers live together in harmony.
Since the Ming dynasty, Jiujingwan has been an important land and water station for travelers moving from Hanzhong, Shaanxi, along the Jialing River to Chongqing. In the early Qing dynasty, Hui Muslim families named Mu, Ha, Ma, and Li moved here from Gansu and Shaanxi. It was named Mujiapo because the Mu family was the largest group, and today there are over 400 Hui Muslims living there. Because Mujiapo is located entirely on the slopes of the Jialing River canyon, the Hui Muslims mainly raise cattle and sheep, grow forage grass, and farm walnuts. 'Mujiapo' beef and mutton have become a famous brand in the northern Sichuan meat market.
There is a folk culture park on the mountain at Jiujing Mujiapo, and a restaurant serving Hui Muslim food by the Jialing River at the foot of the mountain. I could not try the food because it was Ramadan, so I will have to wait for another chance.
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Hidden Gongbei in Guangyuan: Nanshan Sufi Shrine and Sichuan Hui Muslim Village
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Guangyuan road trip visits Nanshan gongbei (Sufi shrine), a Hui Muslim village, local religious history, and the mountain routes that shaped this stop in northern Sichuan.
On February 21, I headed north from Yanting, passed through Langzhong, and arrived at Nanshan in Guangyuan to visit the Langzhaoting gongbei and the Nanshan Hui Muslim village.
The Langzhaoting gongbei in Nanshan, Guangyuan, was originally called Yulongshan gongbei. It is a shrine built to honor the third-generation master, Master Ma, of the Qadiriyya Sufi order's Great Gongbei menhuan. Master Ma (1693-1778) was from Dongxiang, Linxia, Gansu. He studied religious texts from a young age and later, by chance, became a student of Master Ma Tengyi at the Taizi gongbei. Master Ma Tengyi explained the secrets of the religious, mystical, and ultimate truths to him, and Master Ma achieved a deep, sudden enlightenment. At age 24, Master Ma followed Master Ma Tengyi's instructions to go to Nanshan in Guangyuan for quiet, secluded practice. He built a thatched hut and spent over 60 years in deep meditation. Outside of his spiritual practice, he guided the local people, and many stories of his miracles have been passed down to this day. Because of his great virtue and the miracles he performed, many local people converted to the faith. After Master Ma passed away, the Guangyuan magistrate Ma Jialiang initiated the construction of the Langzhaoting gongbei. Later, generations of military and government officials in Guangyuan helped maintain it, leaving behind many stone inscriptions and plaques.
After 1996, the Taizi gongbei in Linxia gradually expanded the Langzhaoting site. In 2010, they rebuilt the main hall and side rooms, giving it the layout it has today. Behind the gongbei is a bamboo forest, and in front are terraced fields, making the scenery very beautiful.
The main hall of Langzhaoting features a mihrab in the style of Hezhou.
Inside the courtyard hangs a plaque titled "Embodying the Truth" (Ti Dao Gui Zhen), which was donated by military officers and soldiers of the Guangyuan garrison in the 12th year of the Daoguang reign.
The courtyard also preserves many stone carvings from the Qing Dynasty. The carvings feature traditional auspicious themes like "Peace and Prosperity," "Cranes and Pines for Longevity," and "Mastery of Both Literature and Martial Arts."
Many of the Qing Dynasty stone column bases were destroyed after 1958. This pair of stone lions still has column bases on them, which may have originally served as the base for a memorial archway.
The various stone inscriptions at Langzhaoting.
The oldest inscription dates back to the 42nd year of the Qianlong reign, which is the year Master Ma passed away and the gongbei was built. The top of the tablet is carved with a taiji symbol, which is very unique.
The inscription records that "Master Ma" began his studies at 14, traveled from Shaanxi to Sichuan at 24, and practiced in seclusion for over 60 years. It expresses deep respect for him. The signature belongs to a high-ranking official named Ma X from Anhui, who held titles including Fengzhi Dafu and acting magistrate of Guangyuan County.
Research shows the person who set up the tablet was Ma Jialiang, a Hui Muslim from Anqing, Anhui, and the builder of Langzhaoting. Ma Jialiang, whose courtesy name was Zhongheng, was the son of the famous Qing Dynasty Hui Muslim general and martial arts scholar Ma Dayong. He passed the imperial examinations in the 12th year of the Qianlong reign and served as a high official in several provinces. He rose from county magistrate to prefect, working in Henan, Shandong, Hubei, and Sichuan. He was once dismissed in Shandong for failing to notice the White Lotus Sect, but was later reappointed as the prefect of Huili, Sichuan, eventually ending his career as an acting magistrate in Guangyuan.
The second tablet is the "Record of Rebuilding the True Shrine" from the 59th year of the Qianlong reign. It mentions that in the 42nd year of Qianlong, the former magistrate Master Ma donated funds to build the shrine for the Master, and it was renovated again in the 59th year. The back of the tablet lists 16 religious leaders with the surnames Guo, Mu, Zheng, Min, Ma, Li, Sai, and Wang, along with 135 followers who donated funds.
The "Record of Rebuilding the True Shrine" from the 11th year of the Daoguang reign has the title "Crane in the Clouds" at the top. It refers to the gongbei as the "Nanshan Master Ma Gongbei." The first donor listed is Ma Tenglong, a commander from Chongqing, followed by Guangyuan garrison officer Ma Guangting and others. Ma Tenglong was a military general with many achievements during the middle and late Qing Dynasty. According to the Records of Chongqing Prefecture in the Daoguang Era, Ma Tenglong was from Chengdu, Sichuan, and joined the army in the 58th year of the Qianlong reign. In the 60th year of the Qianlong reign, he was ordered to lead troops to Guizhou and Hunan to help suppress the Miao uprising. In the 2nd year of the Jiaqing reign, he was transferred to the Hubei and Sichuan-Shaanxi regions to suppress the White Lotus Rebellion. In the 1st year of the Daoguang reign, he was promoted to commander-in-chief of the Gansu garrison. In the 3rd year of the Daoguang reign, he was transferred to be the commander-in-chief of the Shaanxi-Gansu garrison. In the 8th year of the Daoguang reign, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Chongqing garrison to guard Chongqing.
The "Merits Last Forever" (Gongde Yongchui) stele from the 20th year of the Daoguang reign.
The Basmala (Tasimi) stele from the 11th year of the Daoguang reign also features the name of Ma Guangting, a captain (qianzong) of the Guangyuan Battalion.
The "Immortal Forever" (Yongchui Buxiu) stele from the 10th year of the Guangxu reign.
The "Forever Solid" (Yongyuan Weigu) stele from the 13th year of the Daoguang reign shows that the person in charge of the gongbei at that time was named Ma Yingkui.
After leaving the Nanshan gongbei, I went to the nearby Nanshan Mosque. This is a village of Hui Muslims deep in the Nanshan mountains of Guangyuan, and there has likely been very little written about it before.
Centered around the Hui Muslim village, Nanshan in Guangyuan is home to over 120 Hui Muslim households with the surnames Wang, Ma, Li, Tian, Zhou, Cha, and Zhao, with the Wang surname being the most common. Most of the Hui Muslims in Nanshan moved here from Xiaogan in Hubei and areas in Shaanxi and Gansu during the "Huguang Fills Sichuan" migration period of the Qing Dynasty, and they have been farming in the Nanshan mountains ever since. Due to wars, disasters, and economic reasons, the Nanshan Hui Muslims did not build a mosque for a long time. They had to hire an imam to conduct religious services in private homes, and at one point, they even had to travel to the Hejie Mosque in downtown Guangyuan, which was very inconvenient. In 2002, led by Wang Zhanrong, with the support of Imam Ma Wanquan from the Hejie Mosque in Guangyuan and the advocacy of Haji Ma Jianzhong, they raised funds and finally built the Nanshan Mosque in 2003.
The six main doors of the Nanshan Mosque are the original doors from the Qianlong era of the Hejie Mosque in Guangyuan, which are very precious. They feature very exquisite wood carvings.
There is a relaxed, slow life in the Nanshan Hui Muslim village. Next to the mosque are clean and tidy houses. The aunties sit around chatting and drying radishes, lettuce, and rapeseed that they couldn't finish eating. One auntie said that dried rapeseed is especially delicious when stir-fried with beef. Sitting here away from the hustle and bustle, it feels like time has slowed down.
The Hui Muslim cemetery in Nanshan has excellent scenery nearby and is very refreshing. There are bees kept near the houses, and the beehives are right by the road. I didn't feel scared even when standing close, and the honey from here must taste very good.
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Summary: This Guangyuan road trip visits Nanshan gongbei (Sufi shrine), a Hui Muslim village, local religious history, and the mountain routes that shaped this stop in northern Sichuan.
On February 21, I headed north from Yanting, passed through Langzhong, and arrived at Nanshan in Guangyuan to visit the Langzhaoting gongbei and the Nanshan Hui Muslim village.
The Langzhaoting gongbei in Nanshan, Guangyuan, was originally called Yulongshan gongbei. It is a shrine built to honor the third-generation master, Master Ma, of the Qadiriyya Sufi order's Great Gongbei menhuan. Master Ma (1693-1778) was from Dongxiang, Linxia, Gansu. He studied religious texts from a young age and later, by chance, became a student of Master Ma Tengyi at the Taizi gongbei. Master Ma Tengyi explained the secrets of the religious, mystical, and ultimate truths to him, and Master Ma achieved a deep, sudden enlightenment. At age 24, Master Ma followed Master Ma Tengyi's instructions to go to Nanshan in Guangyuan for quiet, secluded practice. He built a thatched hut and spent over 60 years in deep meditation. Outside of his spiritual practice, he guided the local people, and many stories of his miracles have been passed down to this day. Because of his great virtue and the miracles he performed, many local people converted to the faith. After Master Ma passed away, the Guangyuan magistrate Ma Jialiang initiated the construction of the Langzhaoting gongbei. Later, generations of military and government officials in Guangyuan helped maintain it, leaving behind many stone inscriptions and plaques.
After 1996, the Taizi gongbei in Linxia gradually expanded the Langzhaoting site. In 2010, they rebuilt the main hall and side rooms, giving it the layout it has today. Behind the gongbei is a bamboo forest, and in front are terraced fields, making the scenery very beautiful.
The main hall of Langzhaoting features a mihrab in the style of Hezhou.
Inside the courtyard hangs a plaque titled "Embodying the Truth" (Ti Dao Gui Zhen), which was donated by military officers and soldiers of the Guangyuan garrison in the 12th year of the Daoguang reign.
The courtyard also preserves many stone carvings from the Qing Dynasty. The carvings feature traditional auspicious themes like "Peace and Prosperity," "Cranes and Pines for Longevity," and "Mastery of Both Literature and Martial Arts."
Many of the Qing Dynasty stone column bases were destroyed after 1958. This pair of stone lions still has column bases on them, which may have originally served as the base for a memorial archway.
The various stone inscriptions at Langzhaoting.
The oldest inscription dates back to the 42nd year of the Qianlong reign, which is the year Master Ma passed away and the gongbei was built. The top of the tablet is carved with a taiji symbol, which is very unique.
The inscription records that "Master Ma" began his studies at 14, traveled from Shaanxi to Sichuan at 24, and practiced in seclusion for over 60 years. It expresses deep respect for him. The signature belongs to a high-ranking official named Ma X from Anhui, who held titles including Fengzhi Dafu and acting magistrate of Guangyuan County.
Research shows the person who set up the tablet was Ma Jialiang, a Hui Muslim from Anqing, Anhui, and the builder of Langzhaoting. Ma Jialiang, whose courtesy name was Zhongheng, was the son of the famous Qing Dynasty Hui Muslim general and martial arts scholar Ma Dayong. He passed the imperial examinations in the 12th year of the Qianlong reign and served as a high official in several provinces. He rose from county magistrate to prefect, working in Henan, Shandong, Hubei, and Sichuan. He was once dismissed in Shandong for failing to notice the White Lotus Sect, but was later reappointed as the prefect of Huili, Sichuan, eventually ending his career as an acting magistrate in Guangyuan.
The second tablet is the "Record of Rebuilding the True Shrine" from the 59th year of the Qianlong reign. It mentions that in the 42nd year of Qianlong, the former magistrate Master Ma donated funds to build the shrine for the Master, and it was renovated again in the 59th year. The back of the tablet lists 16 religious leaders with the surnames Guo, Mu, Zheng, Min, Ma, Li, Sai, and Wang, along with 135 followers who donated funds.
The "Record of Rebuilding the True Shrine" from the 11th year of the Daoguang reign has the title "Crane in the Clouds" at the top. It refers to the gongbei as the "Nanshan Master Ma Gongbei." The first donor listed is Ma Tenglong, a commander from Chongqing, followed by Guangyuan garrison officer Ma Guangting and others. Ma Tenglong was a military general with many achievements during the middle and late Qing Dynasty. According to the Records of Chongqing Prefecture in the Daoguang Era, Ma Tenglong was from Chengdu, Sichuan, and joined the army in the 58th year of the Qianlong reign. In the 60th year of the Qianlong reign, he was ordered to lead troops to Guizhou and Hunan to help suppress the Miao uprising. In the 2nd year of the Jiaqing reign, he was transferred to the Hubei and Sichuan-Shaanxi regions to suppress the White Lotus Rebellion. In the 1st year of the Daoguang reign, he was promoted to commander-in-chief of the Gansu garrison. In the 3rd year of the Daoguang reign, he was transferred to be the commander-in-chief of the Shaanxi-Gansu garrison. In the 8th year of the Daoguang reign, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Chongqing garrison to guard Chongqing.
The "Merits Last Forever" (Gongde Yongchui) stele from the 20th year of the Daoguang reign.
The Basmala (Tasimi) stele from the 11th year of the Daoguang reign also features the name of Ma Guangting, a captain (qianzong) of the Guangyuan Battalion.
The "Immortal Forever" (Yongchui Buxiu) stele from the 10th year of the Guangxu reign.
The "Forever Solid" (Yongyuan Weigu) stele from the 13th year of the Daoguang reign shows that the person in charge of the gongbei at that time was named Ma Yingkui.
After leaving the Nanshan gongbei, I went to the nearby Nanshan Mosque. This is a village of Hui Muslims deep in the Nanshan mountains of Guangyuan, and there has likely been very little written about it before.
Centered around the Hui Muslim village, Nanshan in Guangyuan is home to over 120 Hui Muslim households with the surnames Wang, Ma, Li, Tian, Zhou, Cha, and Zhao, with the Wang surname being the most common. Most of the Hui Muslims in Nanshan moved here from Xiaogan in Hubei and areas in Shaanxi and Gansu during the "Huguang Fills Sichuan" migration period of the Qing Dynasty, and they have been farming in the Nanshan mountains ever since. Due to wars, disasters, and economic reasons, the Nanshan Hui Muslims did not build a mosque for a long time. They had to hire an imam to conduct religious services in private homes, and at one point, they even had to travel to the Hejie Mosque in downtown Guangyuan, which was very inconvenient. In 2002, led by Wang Zhanrong, with the support of Imam Ma Wanquan from the Hejie Mosque in Guangyuan and the advocacy of Haji Ma Jianzhong, they raised funds and finally built the Nanshan Mosque in 2003.
The six main doors of the Nanshan Mosque are the original doors from the Qianlong era of the Hejie Mosque in Guangyuan, which are very precious. They feature very exquisite wood carvings.
There is a relaxed, slow life in the Nanshan Hui Muslim village. Next to the mosque are clean and tidy houses. The aunties sit around chatting and drying radishes, lettuce, and rapeseed that they couldn't finish eating. One auntie said that dried rapeseed is especially delicious when stir-fried with beef. Sitting here away from the hustle and bustle, it feels like time has slowed down.
The Hui Muslim cemetery in Nanshan has excellent scenery nearby and is very refreshing. There are bees kept near the houses, and the beehives are right by the road. I didn't feel scared even when standing close, and the honey from here must taste very good.
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Nowruz in Beijing: Persian New Year Food, Music and Muslim Community Celebration
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Beijing Nowruz account records a Persian New Year gathering with food, music, guests from many countries, and the cultural details of the celebration as described in the source.
March 21st this year is the Persian New Year. Many countries influenced by Persian culture celebrate the Nowruz festival during this time, including Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Iraq (Kurdish region), Syria (Kurdish region), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey (Kurdish region), Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
After the Afghan Taliban came to power in 2022, they stated that Nowruz would not be a public holiday, but they still allowed celebrations to take place. In Albania, Sunni Muslims, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians celebrate Nowruz together to welcome the arrival of spring. Shia Muslims believe that Nowruz is the day Imam Ali became Caliph, so they place special importance on it, performing special acts of worship and offering blessings.
On Sunday, March 29th, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in China, the Ministry of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan, and the Kazakhstan Cultural Center in Beijing held a Nowruz festival event at Chaoyang Park in Beijing. They invited national-level orchestras and dance troupes from Kazakhstan, along with many Kazakh cultural products, festive foods, and traditional clothing. It was a great opportunity to learn about Nowruz and Kazakh culture.
Speech by the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to China.
This shows the Kazakh first-steps ceremony (Tusau Keser). It is a life-initiation ritual held when a Kazakh baby turns one year old. The core of the ceremony is cutting the rope tied to the child's legs, which symbolizes breaking free from constraints and starting a path toward an independent life. After the rope is cut, an elder leads the child forward. Items like books, pens, a two-stringed lute (dombra), coins, and knives are placed on the ground for the child to grab, similar to the traditional 'grabbing the first birthday gift' custom. Finally, everyone offers blessings to the child and tosses candies, dried yogurt balls (kurt), and coins into the air.
The event featured Kazakhstan's top orchestra, Astana Sazy (Rhythm of Astana). Here are a few clips of them accompanying excellent Kazakh singers.
Astana Sazy is the national folk orchestra of Kazakhstan, affiliated with the state performance organization 'Kazakh Concert.' It is the core group for promoting traditional music and cultural diplomacy in Kazakhstan. The orchestra uses traditional Kazakh instruments like the zither (jetigen), the two-stringed lute (dombra), and the bowed string instrument (kobyz). Rooted in Kazakh nomadic culture, they are famous for playing folk music.
A wonderful performance by two Kazakh musicians playing and singing with the two-stringed lute (dombra).
The event featured the national-level Kazakh folk song and dance troupe, Gulder Ensemble. The troupe was formed in 1969. It started as an all-female group and debuted with the dance drama 'Steppe Movement,' which was praised as 'a bouquet picked from the snowy peaks of Alatau scattered across the stage.' In the 1970s, the troupe traveled throughout the Soviet Union and later went abroad, touring in Belgium, Germany, Malaysia, and Cuba, training a group of legendary Kazakh dancers. The troupe was quiet for a time until it was relaunched in 2023 with a new lineup at the Kazakhstan Central Concert Hall, allowing a new generation of audiences to experience the charm of traditional Kazakh folk dance.
We drank Nowruz porridge (Nauryz Kozhe) and boiled fruit drink (Compote), and ate Kazakh fried dough pastry (Shek-Shek) and chicken baked buns (Samsa).
Nowruz porridge can only be eaten once a year during the Nowruz festival. Kazakh Nowruz porridge must contain at least seven ingredients, including barley, rice, wheat, smoked horse meat, dried yogurt balls (kurt), salt, and water. These foods are made with winter-slaughtered meat and stored grain, expressing the wish for abundance year after year.
Compote is made by boiling water with sugar and fruits like plums, cherries, or apples. In summer, fresh fruit is used, and in winter, dried fruit is used. I drank water boiled with dried apples, which is a drink frequently served at Kazakh banquets and in daily life.
Fried dough pastry (Shek-Shek) is a must-have snack for Kazakh weddings, Nowruz, and other festivals, symbolizing sweetness, reunion, and a good harvest. To make it, flour is mixed with eggs, rolled into strips, cut into pieces, and fried until golden and crispy. Then, honey syrup is drizzled over it, and it is sprinkled with nuts and dried fruit after cooling. Honey cake (chak-chak) is very common in Tatarstan and among other Central Asian peoples. The Tatars call it chak-chak, and I even visited a chak-chak museum in Kazan.
Everyone took turns taking photos with the Kazakh warriors, who were at least two meters tall.
Kazakh shredded meat pilaf (plov) is full of carrots.
Fried dough puffs (baursak).
During the Nowruz festival, the Kazakh restaurant Sandyq in Beijing hosts traditional Kazakh music performances every night at 7:30, and they give away free fried dough puffs (baursak) and Nowruz porridge.
We also ate sheep tail and liver (kuyryk bauyr), meat-filled pies (baramysh), horse meat noodle soup (tomyrtqa), and millet milk tea (talqan), which are all classic Kazakh dishes.
Kuyryk bauyr literally means sheep tail and liver. It is stir-fried with only salt and served with yogurt. This is a classic dish for Kazakh engagement ceremonies. After the bride's family slaughters a sheep, the elders serve the sheep tail and liver to the groom's guests while singing blessings. If you don't eat it, they might jokingly pretend to sew your clothes to the felt mat or smear oil on your face, symbolizing that the two families are officially joined and cannot back out. There is a Kazakh proverb that says, 'Only after eating the sheep tail and liver is the marriage officially set.'
Meat-filled pie (baramysh) is a leavened dough pastry that originated with the Tatars and Bashkirs. It spread to the Kazakhs in the 19th century and became a classic street food during the Soviet era. Like baked buns (samsa), baramysh is filled with lamb and onions, but it uses leavened dough. The top is left open, the edges are pinched shut, and it is deep-fried until golden. It is best eaten dipped in tomato sauce and paired with milk tea.
Horse meat noodle soup (tomyrtqa sorpasy) is the noodle soup version of meat and noodles (naryn), making it perfect for winter. This one-pot dish of boiled meat and noodles is perfect for festivals, hosting guests, and moving between nomadic pastures. To make it, boil the horse meat first, then cook the noodles in the broth. It is rich, salty, and savory, with the unique smoky flavor of smoked horse meat.
Kazakh millet milk tea (talqan) is made by boiling broomcorn millet, brick tea, milk, and salt. The golden millet grains are washed, roasted, and hulled to become crispy, adding a toasted grain aroma to the milk tea.
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Summary: This Beijing Nowruz account records a Persian New Year gathering with food, music, guests from many countries, and the cultural details of the celebration as described in the source.
March 21st this year is the Persian New Year. Many countries influenced by Persian culture celebrate the Nowruz festival during this time, including Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Iraq (Kurdish region), Syria (Kurdish region), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey (Kurdish region), Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
After the Afghan Taliban came to power in 2022, they stated that Nowruz would not be a public holiday, but they still allowed celebrations to take place. In Albania, Sunni Muslims, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians celebrate Nowruz together to welcome the arrival of spring. Shia Muslims believe that Nowruz is the day Imam Ali became Caliph, so they place special importance on it, performing special acts of worship and offering blessings.
On Sunday, March 29th, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in China, the Ministry of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan, and the Kazakhstan Cultural Center in Beijing held a Nowruz festival event at Chaoyang Park in Beijing. They invited national-level orchestras and dance troupes from Kazakhstan, along with many Kazakh cultural products, festive foods, and traditional clothing. It was a great opportunity to learn about Nowruz and Kazakh culture.
Speech by the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to China.
This shows the Kazakh first-steps ceremony (Tusau Keser). It is a life-initiation ritual held when a Kazakh baby turns one year old. The core of the ceremony is cutting the rope tied to the child's legs, which symbolizes breaking free from constraints and starting a path toward an independent life. After the rope is cut, an elder leads the child forward. Items like books, pens, a two-stringed lute (dombra), coins, and knives are placed on the ground for the child to grab, similar to the traditional 'grabbing the first birthday gift' custom. Finally, everyone offers blessings to the child and tosses candies, dried yogurt balls (kurt), and coins into the air.
The event featured Kazakhstan's top orchestra, Astana Sazy (Rhythm of Astana). Here are a few clips of them accompanying excellent Kazakh singers.
Astana Sazy is the national folk orchestra of Kazakhstan, affiliated with the state performance organization 'Kazakh Concert.' It is the core group for promoting traditional music and cultural diplomacy in Kazakhstan. The orchestra uses traditional Kazakh instruments like the zither (jetigen), the two-stringed lute (dombra), and the bowed string instrument (kobyz). Rooted in Kazakh nomadic culture, they are famous for playing folk music.
A wonderful performance by two Kazakh musicians playing and singing with the two-stringed lute (dombra).
The event featured the national-level Kazakh folk song and dance troupe, Gulder Ensemble. The troupe was formed in 1969. It started as an all-female group and debuted with the dance drama 'Steppe Movement,' which was praised as 'a bouquet picked from the snowy peaks of Alatau scattered across the stage.' In the 1970s, the troupe traveled throughout the Soviet Union and later went abroad, touring in Belgium, Germany, Malaysia, and Cuba, training a group of legendary Kazakh dancers. The troupe was quiet for a time until it was relaunched in 2023 with a new lineup at the Kazakhstan Central Concert Hall, allowing a new generation of audiences to experience the charm of traditional Kazakh folk dance.
We drank Nowruz porridge (Nauryz Kozhe) and boiled fruit drink (Compote), and ate Kazakh fried dough pastry (Shek-Shek) and chicken baked buns (Samsa).
Nowruz porridge can only be eaten once a year during the Nowruz festival. Kazakh Nowruz porridge must contain at least seven ingredients, including barley, rice, wheat, smoked horse meat, dried yogurt balls (kurt), salt, and water. These foods are made with winter-slaughtered meat and stored grain, expressing the wish for abundance year after year.
Compote is made by boiling water with sugar and fruits like plums, cherries, or apples. In summer, fresh fruit is used, and in winter, dried fruit is used. I drank water boiled with dried apples, which is a drink frequently served at Kazakh banquets and in daily life.
Fried dough pastry (Shek-Shek) is a must-have snack for Kazakh weddings, Nowruz, and other festivals, symbolizing sweetness, reunion, and a good harvest. To make it, flour is mixed with eggs, rolled into strips, cut into pieces, and fried until golden and crispy. Then, honey syrup is drizzled over it, and it is sprinkled with nuts and dried fruit after cooling. Honey cake (chak-chak) is very common in Tatarstan and among other Central Asian peoples. The Tatars call it chak-chak, and I even visited a chak-chak museum in Kazan.
Everyone took turns taking photos with the Kazakh warriors, who were at least two meters tall.
Kazakh shredded meat pilaf (plov) is full of carrots.
Fried dough puffs (baursak).
During the Nowruz festival, the Kazakh restaurant Sandyq in Beijing hosts traditional Kazakh music performances every night at 7:30, and they give away free fried dough puffs (baursak) and Nowruz porridge.
We also ate sheep tail and liver (kuyryk bauyr), meat-filled pies (baramysh), horse meat noodle soup (tomyrtqa), and millet milk tea (talqan), which are all classic Kazakh dishes.
Kuyryk bauyr literally means sheep tail and liver. It is stir-fried with only salt and served with yogurt. This is a classic dish for Kazakh engagement ceremonies. After the bride's family slaughters a sheep, the elders serve the sheep tail and liver to the groom's guests while singing blessings. If you don't eat it, they might jokingly pretend to sew your clothes to the felt mat or smear oil on your face, symbolizing that the two families are officially joined and cannot back out. There is a Kazakh proverb that says, 'Only after eating the sheep tail and liver is the marriage officially set.'
Meat-filled pie (baramysh) is a leavened dough pastry that originated with the Tatars and Bashkirs. It spread to the Kazakhs in the 19th century and became a classic street food during the Soviet era. Like baked buns (samsa), baramysh is filled with lamb and onions, but it uses leavened dough. The top is left open, the edges are pinched shut, and it is deep-fried until golden. It is best eaten dipped in tomato sauce and paired with milk tea.
Horse meat noodle soup (tomyrtqa sorpasy) is the noodle soup version of meat and noodles (naryn), making it perfect for winter. This one-pot dish of boiled meat and noodles is perfect for festivals, hosting guests, and moving between nomadic pastures. To make it, boil the horse meat first, then cook the noodles in the broth. It is rich, salty, and savory, with the unique smoky flavor of smoked horse meat.
Kazakh millet milk tea (talqan) is made by boiling broomcorn millet, brick tea, milk, and salt. The golden millet grains are washed, roasted, and hulled to become crispy, adding a toasted grain aroma to the milk tea.
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Beijing Ramadan 2026 Diary: Laylat al-Qadr, Eid al-Fitr and Hui Muslim Food
Reposted from the web
Summary: This second Beijing Ramadan diary covers Jingzhe, Laylat al-Qadr, Eid al-Fitr, mosque gatherings, Hui Muslim food, and the closing days of Ramadan in clear English.
Awakening of Insects (Jingzhe)
This year, Ramadan falls during the Awakening of Insects, so Hui Muslims in Xinjiang will drink Awakening of Insects soup (jingzhe tang), also known as Awakening of Insects oil tea egg (jingzhe youcha dan). It is made by chopping walnuts, raisins, and red dates, coating them in egg wash, stir-frying them in mutton fat, and then pouring in brewed brick tea. The resulting soup has the aroma of mutton fat, dried fruit, eggs, and tea, which children really love.
The Awakening of Insects is one of the twenty-four solar terms, marking the time when all things wake up. In the past, medical care was limited and tuberculosis (shanglao) was a deadly disease. After the Awakening of Insects, temperatures rise and germs become active, so people used a combination of nutritious eggs, oil, and dried fruit with warm tea to pray for health, shake off winter fatigue, and boost their energy.
Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr)
The twenty-seventh night of Ramadan is always the busiest day at every mosque, and this year Madian Mosque set up fifteen tables, making it very lively. Before breaking the fast, the imam recites the scripture. After breaking the fast, we are served two plates of fruit and pastries. After the sunset prayer (maghrib), nine dishes are served: braised prawns in oil, stir-fried shrimp with milk, braised flatfish, fried tofu, braised eggplant, stewed beef brisket with radish, stewed lamb with potatoes, stir-fried meat with scallions, and braised meat balls (songrou). I sat at a table with international students from various countries, and everyone really enjoyed the food.
Besides the two Eids (Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha) and the two major gatherings (the Prophet's birthday and the Fatimah gathering), the Night of Power is likely the most important day for Hui Muslims. The Night of Power is also called the "Night Vigil" or "Night Head Festival." People say the scripture was first revealed on this night, which is better than a thousand months, so it is a time to do many good deeds. Everyone bathes, changes into clean clothes, goes to the mosque, greets each other with salaam, listens to the imam's recitation, completes their prayers, and shares a meal. Using the mosque as a gathering place and affection as a bridge, we seek blessings and look out for peace.
In the evening, the whole family celebrated the Night of Power at the Sudanese Embassy. The embassy building was fully lit, and the courtyard was filled with cars from various embassies. Besides coffee and black tea, there were also pastries donated (sadqa) by people from Changying Township.
Today was the busiest night at the embassy, and even the lobby was completely full. By the eighth rak'ah of the Taraweeh prayer, the entire scripture had been completed. During the final rak'ah, a half-hour long dua was made. The imam sounded like he was weeping, his voice was hoarse, and he was once moved to tears, crying "Ya Allah, Ya Allah," which was incredibly moving.
Eid al-Fitr
This year, Eid al-Fitr falls on a Saturday, so no one needs to ask for time off, which is why there are so many people. Our whole family headed straight to the Sudanese Embassy in the morning. Many people wore traditional clothing today, and I also wore a hexagonal cap (gedimu) from North China made by a friend. Today, not only was the building full, but the embassy courtyard was also packed with friends (dosti) from Africa, the Arab world, South Asia, and all over China. It was a very blessed occasion.
After the Eid prayer, some friends (dosti) brought homemade fried triangular pastries (sambusa) and chicken wraps (shawarma) from home, and we all enjoyed the delicious food together.
The fried triangular pastry (sambusa) originated in Iran. After the 10th century, it spread to the Arab region along trade and pilgrimage routes. In countries like Saudi Arabia and Yemen, the sambusa is an essential and iconic food for iftar and Eid al-Fitr. Compared to the South Asian samosa, which also comes from Iran, the Arab sambusa is smaller with a thinner crust. The filling is usually made of minced meat, onions, cilantro, and cinnamon.
After leaving the Sudanese Embassy, we went to Fayuan Mosque in Dewai to experience the atmosphere of a Chinese-style Eid al-Fitr. Fayuan Mosque holds the latest Eid prayer in the Xicheng District, which gives people who missed the prayers at other mosques a chance to attend. The place was very crowded, and those of us who arrived late could not get into the main prayer hall. After the prayer, we enjoyed fried dough (youxiang) and various pastries, but it was a pity that we did not get to have any meat porridge this year.
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Summary: This second Beijing Ramadan diary covers Jingzhe, Laylat al-Qadr, Eid al-Fitr, mosque gatherings, Hui Muslim food, and the closing days of Ramadan in clear English.
Awakening of Insects (Jingzhe)
This year, Ramadan falls during the Awakening of Insects, so Hui Muslims in Xinjiang will drink Awakening of Insects soup (jingzhe tang), also known as Awakening of Insects oil tea egg (jingzhe youcha dan). It is made by chopping walnuts, raisins, and red dates, coating them in egg wash, stir-frying them in mutton fat, and then pouring in brewed brick tea. The resulting soup has the aroma of mutton fat, dried fruit, eggs, and tea, which children really love.
The Awakening of Insects is one of the twenty-four solar terms, marking the time when all things wake up. In the past, medical care was limited and tuberculosis (shanglao) was a deadly disease. After the Awakening of Insects, temperatures rise and germs become active, so people used a combination of nutritious eggs, oil, and dried fruit with warm tea to pray for health, shake off winter fatigue, and boost their energy.
Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr)
The twenty-seventh night of Ramadan is always the busiest day at every mosque, and this year Madian Mosque set up fifteen tables, making it very lively. Before breaking the fast, the imam recites the scripture. After breaking the fast, we are served two plates of fruit and pastries. After the sunset prayer (maghrib), nine dishes are served: braised prawns in oil, stir-fried shrimp with milk, braised flatfish, fried tofu, braised eggplant, stewed beef brisket with radish, stewed lamb with potatoes, stir-fried meat with scallions, and braised meat balls (songrou). I sat at a table with international students from various countries, and everyone really enjoyed the food.
Besides the two Eids (Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha) and the two major gatherings (the Prophet's birthday and the Fatimah gathering), the Night of Power is likely the most important day for Hui Muslims. The Night of Power is also called the "Night Vigil" or "Night Head Festival." People say the scripture was first revealed on this night, which is better than a thousand months, so it is a time to do many good deeds. Everyone bathes, changes into clean clothes, goes to the mosque, greets each other with salaam, listens to the imam's recitation, completes their prayers, and shares a meal. Using the mosque as a gathering place and affection as a bridge, we seek blessings and look out for peace.
In the evening, the whole family celebrated the Night of Power at the Sudanese Embassy. The embassy building was fully lit, and the courtyard was filled with cars from various embassies. Besides coffee and black tea, there were also pastries donated (sadqa) by people from Changying Township.
Today was the busiest night at the embassy, and even the lobby was completely full. By the eighth rak'ah of the Taraweeh prayer, the entire scripture had been completed. During the final rak'ah, a half-hour long dua was made. The imam sounded like he was weeping, his voice was hoarse, and he was once moved to tears, crying "Ya Allah, Ya Allah," which was incredibly moving.
Eid al-Fitr
This year, Eid al-Fitr falls on a Saturday, so no one needs to ask for time off, which is why there are so many people. Our whole family headed straight to the Sudanese Embassy in the morning. Many people wore traditional clothing today, and I also wore a hexagonal cap (gedimu) from North China made by a friend. Today, not only was the building full, but the embassy courtyard was also packed with friends (dosti) from Africa, the Arab world, South Asia, and all over China. It was a very blessed occasion.
After the Eid prayer, some friends (dosti) brought homemade fried triangular pastries (sambusa) and chicken wraps (shawarma) from home, and we all enjoyed the delicious food together.
The fried triangular pastry (sambusa) originated in Iran. After the 10th century, it spread to the Arab region along trade and pilgrimage routes. In countries like Saudi Arabia and Yemen, the sambusa is an essential and iconic food for iftar and Eid al-Fitr. Compared to the South Asian samosa, which also comes from Iran, the Arab sambusa is smaller with a thinner crust. The filling is usually made of minced meat, onions, cilantro, and cinnamon.
After leaving the Sudanese Embassy, we went to Fayuan Mosque in Dewai to experience the atmosphere of a Chinese-style Eid al-Fitr. Fayuan Mosque holds the latest Eid prayer in the Xicheng District, which gives people who missed the prayers at other mosques a chance to attend. The place was very crowded, and those of us who arrived late could not get into the main prayer hall. After the prayer, we enjoyed fried dough (youxiang) and various pastries, but it was a pity that we did not get to have any meat porridge this year.
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Beijing Ramadan 2026 Diary: Madian Mosque, Fayuan Mosque, Sudan Embassy Iftar and Hui Meals
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Beijing Ramadan 2026 diary follows iftar meals and mosque visits at Madian, Fayuan, Zhengyuan, Nanxiaopo, Dongwai, Houheyan, and the Sudan Embassy, with food and community details kept in full.
I returned to Beijing from Sichuan during the second week of Ramadan. This year, I had to take my son to kindergarten by electric scooter every morning, so I couldn't break my fast at Balizhuang like I did last year (see 'A Wonderful Look Back at Ramadan 2025 in Beijing Balizhuang'). Instead, I mostly went to the mosques near my office and home. I visited seven in total: Madian Mosque, Fayuan Mosque, Zhengyuan Mosque, Nanxiaopo Mosque, Dongwai Mosque, Houheyuan Mosque, and the Sudan Embassy. I will share them with you below.
Madian Mosque
Madian Mosque is the closest mosque to my office, and it is the one I visited the most. The iftar at Madian Mosque is quite generous. Before breaking the fast, there is a plate of fruit and a plate of pastries. After breaking the fast, there are noodles, stir-fried dishes, stir-fried dough bits (chaogeda), steamed buns (baozi), and more. Usually, there are two tables of international students, one table of friends (dosti) from Northwest China, one table of female elders, and one table of male elders at iftar. I met many old friends and made many new ones at Madian Mosque this year, which was very blessed. We set up over a dozen tables in the courtyard for the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr), which I will write about in my next post.
Madian is located on the Jingbei Avenue outside Deshengmen in Beijing. After the Ming Dynasty overthrew the Yuan Dynasty, they moved the northern wall of the capital city south. However, the main road from Beijing through Deshengmen to outside the Great Wall still passed through the Jiande Gate gap of the Yuan capital. The trade of horses, cattle, and sheep coming from the north gradually formed a market inside the Jiande Gate gap, attracting a large number of Hui Muslims to settle there. It was said that the number of Hui Muslims there was no less than at Niujie. Since the Qing Dynasty, hundreds of thousands of cattle, sheep, and horses entered Beijing from Mongolia via Zhangjiakou every year. Hui Muslims opened many horse shops and sheep shops in Madian, responsible for feeding and selling the livestock to earn commissions. After the Daoguang era, the horse trade moved to the suburbs outside Deshengmen, and most of the businesses in Madian changed into sheep shops, keeping only a few horse shops. Since it formed in the Qing Dynasty, Madian was called 'Madian' (Horse Shop). It wasn't until the early Republic of China, when place names were made to sound more elegant, that it was changed to 'Madian' (Horse Station), a name that is still used today.
The inscriptions inside Madian Mosque also record the situation of the Hui Muslims in Madian: Madian is located inside the rammed earth walls of the Yuan capital, outside the brick walls of the Ming and Qing Beijing, right on the ancient and modern main road leading north from the capital, connecting to the bustling city in the south and the vast plains stretching for hundreds of miles in the north. Along the Changping Road, there are endless trees. Traveling to Nankou, the Yan Mountains rise one after another, blocking the vast grazing lands of the Bashang plateau. The weather outside the Great Wall is bitterly cold, making it hard to raise sheep. The Hui Muslims of Madian did not avoid the hard work, braving the elements to bring them back, raising and grazing the wild animals until they survived and grew stronger. They earned a meager income, which was their livelihood. This was the sheep trade.
Madian Mosque is located on a terrace on the west side of the ancient road. It was first built during the Kangxi era. In 1850 (the 30th year of the Daoguang reign), it was rebuilt with funds raised by fourteen sheep and horse shops in Madian. It was rebuilt again during the Republic of China and is quite large in scale. In 1930, Ding Ziyu, the principal of Madian Guangyu Primary School, published 'An Investigation of the Madian Mosque Outside Deshengmen, Beiping' in 'Zhengdao' magazine. The article mentioned that more than 300 people attended the Taraweeh prayers at Madian Mosque during Ramadan, 500 to 600 people fasted, and one-third of them fasted for the entire month. According to the memories of the elders in Madian, until the early days after liberation, whenever Ramadan ended and the new moon appeared, people on the front and back streets of Madian would shout, 'The fast is broken!' The fast is broken! ''
The international students who come to Madian Mosque for iftar include friends (dosti) from India and Pakistan, and they are friends with each other.
Fried dough (youxiang) at the mosque.
Stir-fried dough bits (chaogeda) made at the mosque.
Eating steamed buns (baozi) at Madian Mosque, the carrot and fennel fillings are very filling!
I ate the sweet rice balls (yuanxiao) from Yaofengcheng, a Shandong-style restaurant at the mosque gate, for several days during my fast.
Stir-fried dishes at Madian Mosque; international students from nearby countries all love the food at Madian.
Fried tofu (zhadoufu).
Stir-stir-fried meat with oyster mushrooms (pinggu chaorou).
Beef stewed with Chinese cabbage and vermicelli (baicai fentiao dun niurou).
Stir-fried lamb with scallions (congbao yangrou).
Stir-stir-fried meat with celery (qincai chaorou).
Stir-fried potato slices (chao tudoupian).
Braised winter melon with shiitake mushrooms (donggua shao donggu).
Exhibits about the local Muslim community in Haidian at the Madian Mosque gallery.
Hand-pulled noodles (shouganmian) with tomato sauce and eggplant sauce; our international friends all love Beijing hand-pulled noodles, haha.
After eating, I bought food for my fast at Yaofengcheng by the gate, steamed buns (mantou) with spiced beef (jiang niurou); they give out fried dough (youxiang) during Eid al-Fitr.
Nanxiapo Mosque.
As an important hub for water transport, there were historically several mosques and neighborhoods outside Chaoyang Gate, such as Nanzhong Street, Nanxiapo, and Shegutang, but only the Nanxiapo neighborhood remains today. According to the elders, Nanxiapo Mosque dates back to the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. At that time, a shed builder used fir poles and reed mats to build a large shed at Nanxiapo, and an imam named Hu Zhonghe led the local Hui Muslims in prayer there; this was the earliest Nanxiapo Mosque. In the early years of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, a Hui Muslim surnamed Ma who sold bows and arrows inside Chaoyang Gate heard about the situation at Nanxiapo. He had just received a payment for bows and arrows that had been owed by some Mongols, so he donated the money to formally build the Nanxiapo Mosque.
Most of the leaders of Nanxiapo Mosque were descendants of the first leader, Hu Zhonghe. Hu Zhonghe's 12th-generation descendant, Hu Degui, was born in 1883 (the ninth year of the Guangxu reign). Because his parents died early, 15-year-old Hu Zichen inherited his father's business in 1898 (the 24th year of the Guangxu reign) and became the second leader (haitui bu) of Nanxiapo Mosque, known as Master Hu the Second. At that time, the imam of Nanxiapo Mosque was Hu Wenzhi, and the third master was Ma Shikuan, known as Master Ma the Third.
In 1900, when Empress Dowager Cixi fled west, bandits were everywhere, and many merchants on Chaowai Street were robbed. Seventeen-year-old Imam Hu Zichen organized a local militia in Nanxiapo. Young Hui Muslims joined eagerly. Some were wrestlers, some were martial artists, some were cart drivers, and the wealthy ones even bought muskets. Every night, everyone gathered at the gate of the Nanxiapo mosque to take turns patrolling the streets and keeping watch, and they finally made it through the crisis.
On February 15, 1928, after the martyr Ma Jun died, his body (maiti) was washed at the Nanxiapo mosque by Imam Hu Wenzhi and Imam Hu Zichen. Then, the village elders and the community (dost) donated burial shroud cloth (kafan), and he was buried in the northwest corner of Ritan.
In 1947, the Nationalist army was rounding up young men for conscription near the South Barracks outside Chaoyang Gate. The young Hui Muslims of Nanxiapo were terrified, so with the help of the imam and the elders, they climbed wooden ladders onto the roof of the main hall of the Nanxiapo mosque. After they were hidden, the imam and the elders immediately hid the ladders. When the Nationalist troops came to the mosque to grab people, the imam persuaded them to leave. Everyone lay on the roof for the whole day and finally escaped the danger.
The second Friday (Jumu'ah) of Ramadan is the day Beijing mosques hold charity events for the holy month.
The Nanxiapo mosque has the most abundant selection of pastries for breaking the fast (iftar).
Haji Li treated everyone to stewed meat, with both beef and lamb available. The iftar at Nanxiapo was held at the nearby Hongqingxuan restaurant with eighteen dishes. Over a hundred people attended, including many young people, and it was a very blessed occasion.
Fayuan Mosque.
Fayuan Mosque is also called Dewai Guanxiang Mosque. It was originally located at the north slope of Xiaochangkou outside Deshengmen. It was relocated and expanded during the Kangxi reign. During the Republic of China era, the main hall was expanded again, featuring four interlocking roofs and a four-cornered pavilion roof.
Fayuan Mosque built a new dining hall, and so many people come to break their fast every day that there are often not enough seats. The iftar meal includes meat, vegetables, shrimp, fruit, pastries, and fried dough cakes (youxiang).
The meat sauce noodles (zhajiangmian) served for iftar at Fayuan Mosque come with seven vegetable toppings: shredded carrots, shredded cucumber, shredded cabbage, shredded radish (xinlimei), diced celery, green garlic, and bean sprouts. It is very hearty! Every Ramadan, I look forward to this bowl of noodles at the mosque.
Silk Road Yilan in Niujie donated small fried dough cakes (youxiang), and Youyishun on Huangsi Street donated boxed meals of kung pao chicken and stir-fried egg with vinegar (culiu muxu). Every Ramadan, many restaurants donate iftar meals to the mosque, which is a very good deed (nietie).
Youyishun is a restaurant founded in 1948 by Ding Deshan, the founder of Donglaishun. There is a saying: 'Donglai goes west and Youyishun follows, north and south, there are only these two.' The original location of Youyishun was at the Xidan intersection. It combined the quick-frying, roasting, and hot-pot styles of Donglaishun with the delicate stir-fries of Xilaishun, bringing the strengths of both together into its own unique style. In the 1950s, Youyishun opened a branch in the Xidan shopping center. Business was booming, and it became an important place for hosting foreign guests. When U. S. President Nixon visited China in 1972, he dined at the restaurant. After Chang'an Avenue was renovated in 1999, Youyishun moved to its current location on Huangsi Street, specializing in traditional famous dishes like stir-fried egg with vinegar (culiu muxu), honey-glazed lamb (tashimi), and deep-fried lamb tails.
Dongzhimenwai Mosque.
Dongzhimenwai Mosque was originally called Erlizhuang Mosque. It was first built in the Yuan Dynasty and renovated during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty. In the late 1980s, Shougang and a Danish company built international apartments in Erlizhuang, so the mosque was moved one kilometer northwest and rebuilt. It was finished in 1991 and reopened in 1993.
I broke my fast at the mosque outside Dongzhimen. The snacks available after the prayer included pea flour cake (wandouhuang), candied yam rolls (tangjuanguo), and steamed rice cakes (aiwowo), all made by the mosque. After the prayer, there was a mix of meat and vegetable dishes, including stir-stir-fried meat with wood ear mushrooms and eggs (mushurou), yam with wood ear mushrooms, braised eggplant, braised fish chunks, and roast chicken. They also boiled sweet rice balls (yuanxiao) for the occasion. Although there are not many people at the mosque outside Dongzhimen every year, the atmosphere during Ramadan is very good.
Silk Road Legend (Silu Chuanqi) served baked buns (kaobaozi) with millet porridge and various cold dishes. These baked buns were actually invented by Gansu friends (dost), so they are different from Uyghur baked buns, but they still taste good.
At the naan shop by the gate of the mosque outside Dongzhimen, I finished my fast-breaking meal at 6:40, just as the naan and baked buns were coming out of the oven. The skin of the baked bun is very thin but a bit chewy, and there is plenty of meat inside, making it perfect for the pre-dawn meal (suhoor) the next day.
Zhengyuan Mosque
The predecessor of Zhengyuan Mosque was the Beigouyan Mosque inside Xizhimen, which was first built during the Daoguang era. After 1946, Beigouyan was renamed Zhaodengyu Road, so it was also called Zhaodengyu Road Mosque. In 1997, it was demolished and rebuilt at its current location, and renamed Zhengyuan Mosque.
Zhengyuan Mosque is very low-key, and this year was my first time going there to break my fast. I ate steamed buns (baozi) and sesame flatbread (shaobing) with lamb offal soup (yangza) at the mosque, and also had fried toon sprouts and fried meatballs. The mosque said not to post photos of the fast-breaking meal, so I will not post them here.
Sudanese Embassy
For the past few years, I have gone to the Sudanese Embassy every Ramadan to pray Taraweeh. The atmosphere is great, and the whole family can go together.
During the last ten days, it starts at 8:30 and lasts for over an hour. Taraweeh consists of eight rak'ahs, with a sermon (wa'z) after every four. The Witr dua is two rak'ahs followed by one, and during the third rak'ah, we raise our hands for a long dua. In the embassy courtyard, you can brew your own mint black tea and coffee, and after the prayer, there were chickpeas distributed by friends (dost).
Sudan follows the Maliki school of thought, which most of North and West Africa belongs to, and it has many differences from the Hanafi school in China. I think it is a rare opportunity to come here every year to experience a different religious cultural atmosphere.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, Sufi sages began to spread the faith along the upper Nile River toward the Sudan region. In the early 16th century, the Funj Sultanate ruling Sudan had nominally converted to the faith, but it still kept traditions of witchcraft and ritual sacrifice. The Funj Sultanate changed dynasties in 1718, which started a push for a more orthodox faith and the beginning of Arabization. By the 19th century, Sudan had become a region that followed orthodox Sunni Islam and began using Arabic as its common language. Today, the vast majority of Sudanese people follow the Maliki school of Sunni Islam and are deeply influenced by Sufism.
Houheyan Mosque
On the last night of Ramadan, I broke my fast at Houheyan Mosque. There were three tables of elderly people in the mosque, which is hard to find deep in the alleyways. We had steamed buns (baozi), millet porridge (xiaomizhou), sesame flatbread (shaobing), soy sauce fried rice (jiangyouchaofan), and fried dough (youxiang), and everyone also received a bag of Tongxian crispy fried snacks (gezhihe).
Houheyan Mosque sits right on the south bank of the moat. During the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era, many transport workers and restaurant owners lived nearby. In 1944, Yang Yuting of the 'Heyan Yang family' and his sons Yang Hongda and Yang Honglai donated their own ice cellar. Then, village elders Yang Zengbin and Yang Zengsen led the fundraising efforts. They received active support from Hui Muslims in Beijing and Dachang, including Peking Opera master Ma Lianliang and Wan Qirui, the owner of the Kaorouwan restaurant, and built the mosque in 1948. Houheyan Mosque originally covered a large area. In the 1970s, part of the land was taken to fill in the moat for the subway, and the current building was rebuilt in 2012.
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Summary: This Beijing Ramadan 2026 diary follows iftar meals and mosque visits at Madian, Fayuan, Zhengyuan, Nanxiaopo, Dongwai, Houheyan, and the Sudan Embassy, with food and community details kept in full.
I returned to Beijing from Sichuan during the second week of Ramadan. This year, I had to take my son to kindergarten by electric scooter every morning, so I couldn't break my fast at Balizhuang like I did last year (see 'A Wonderful Look Back at Ramadan 2025 in Beijing Balizhuang'). Instead, I mostly went to the mosques near my office and home. I visited seven in total: Madian Mosque, Fayuan Mosque, Zhengyuan Mosque, Nanxiaopo Mosque, Dongwai Mosque, Houheyuan Mosque, and the Sudan Embassy. I will share them with you below.
Madian Mosque
Madian Mosque is the closest mosque to my office, and it is the one I visited the most. The iftar at Madian Mosque is quite generous. Before breaking the fast, there is a plate of fruit and a plate of pastries. After breaking the fast, there are noodles, stir-fried dishes, stir-fried dough bits (chaogeda), steamed buns (baozi), and more. Usually, there are two tables of international students, one table of friends (dosti) from Northwest China, one table of female elders, and one table of male elders at iftar. I met many old friends and made many new ones at Madian Mosque this year, which was very blessed. We set up over a dozen tables in the courtyard for the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr), which I will write about in my next post.
Madian is located on the Jingbei Avenue outside Deshengmen in Beijing. After the Ming Dynasty overthrew the Yuan Dynasty, they moved the northern wall of the capital city south. However, the main road from Beijing through Deshengmen to outside the Great Wall still passed through the Jiande Gate gap of the Yuan capital. The trade of horses, cattle, and sheep coming from the north gradually formed a market inside the Jiande Gate gap, attracting a large number of Hui Muslims to settle there. It was said that the number of Hui Muslims there was no less than at Niujie. Since the Qing Dynasty, hundreds of thousands of cattle, sheep, and horses entered Beijing from Mongolia via Zhangjiakou every year. Hui Muslims opened many horse shops and sheep shops in Madian, responsible for feeding and selling the livestock to earn commissions. After the Daoguang era, the horse trade moved to the suburbs outside Deshengmen, and most of the businesses in Madian changed into sheep shops, keeping only a few horse shops. Since it formed in the Qing Dynasty, Madian was called 'Madian' (Horse Shop). It wasn't until the early Republic of China, when place names were made to sound more elegant, that it was changed to 'Madian' (Horse Station), a name that is still used today.
The inscriptions inside Madian Mosque also record the situation of the Hui Muslims in Madian: Madian is located inside the rammed earth walls of the Yuan capital, outside the brick walls of the Ming and Qing Beijing, right on the ancient and modern main road leading north from the capital, connecting to the bustling city in the south and the vast plains stretching for hundreds of miles in the north. Along the Changping Road, there are endless trees. Traveling to Nankou, the Yan Mountains rise one after another, blocking the vast grazing lands of the Bashang plateau. The weather outside the Great Wall is bitterly cold, making it hard to raise sheep. The Hui Muslims of Madian did not avoid the hard work, braving the elements to bring them back, raising and grazing the wild animals until they survived and grew stronger. They earned a meager income, which was their livelihood. This was the sheep trade.
Madian Mosque is located on a terrace on the west side of the ancient road. It was first built during the Kangxi era. In 1850 (the 30th year of the Daoguang reign), it was rebuilt with funds raised by fourteen sheep and horse shops in Madian. It was rebuilt again during the Republic of China and is quite large in scale. In 1930, Ding Ziyu, the principal of Madian Guangyu Primary School, published 'An Investigation of the Madian Mosque Outside Deshengmen, Beiping' in 'Zhengdao' magazine. The article mentioned that more than 300 people attended the Taraweeh prayers at Madian Mosque during Ramadan, 500 to 600 people fasted, and one-third of them fasted for the entire month. According to the memories of the elders in Madian, until the early days after liberation, whenever Ramadan ended and the new moon appeared, people on the front and back streets of Madian would shout, 'The fast is broken!' The fast is broken! ''
The international students who come to Madian Mosque for iftar include friends (dosti) from India and Pakistan, and they are friends with each other.
Fried dough (youxiang) at the mosque.
Stir-fried dough bits (chaogeda) made at the mosque.
Eating steamed buns (baozi) at Madian Mosque, the carrot and fennel fillings are very filling!
I ate the sweet rice balls (yuanxiao) from Yaofengcheng, a Shandong-style restaurant at the mosque gate, for several days during my fast.
Stir-fried dishes at Madian Mosque; international students from nearby countries all love the food at Madian.
Fried tofu (zhadoufu).
Stir-stir-fried meat with oyster mushrooms (pinggu chaorou).
Beef stewed with Chinese cabbage and vermicelli (baicai fentiao dun niurou).
Stir-fried lamb with scallions (congbao yangrou).
Stir-stir-fried meat with celery (qincai chaorou).
Stir-fried potato slices (chao tudoupian).
Braised winter melon with shiitake mushrooms (donggua shao donggu).
Exhibits about the local Muslim community in Haidian at the Madian Mosque gallery.
Hand-pulled noodles (shouganmian) with tomato sauce and eggplant sauce; our international friends all love Beijing hand-pulled noodles, haha.
After eating, I bought food for my fast at Yaofengcheng by the gate, steamed buns (mantou) with spiced beef (jiang niurou); they give out fried dough (youxiang) during Eid al-Fitr.
Nanxiapo Mosque.
As an important hub for water transport, there were historically several mosques and neighborhoods outside Chaoyang Gate, such as Nanzhong Street, Nanxiapo, and Shegutang, but only the Nanxiapo neighborhood remains today. According to the elders, Nanxiapo Mosque dates back to the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. At that time, a shed builder used fir poles and reed mats to build a large shed at Nanxiapo, and an imam named Hu Zhonghe led the local Hui Muslims in prayer there; this was the earliest Nanxiapo Mosque. In the early years of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, a Hui Muslim surnamed Ma who sold bows and arrows inside Chaoyang Gate heard about the situation at Nanxiapo. He had just received a payment for bows and arrows that had been owed by some Mongols, so he donated the money to formally build the Nanxiapo Mosque.
Most of the leaders of Nanxiapo Mosque were descendants of the first leader, Hu Zhonghe. Hu Zhonghe's 12th-generation descendant, Hu Degui, was born in 1883 (the ninth year of the Guangxu reign). Because his parents died early, 15-year-old Hu Zichen inherited his father's business in 1898 (the 24th year of the Guangxu reign) and became the second leader (haitui bu) of Nanxiapo Mosque, known as Master Hu the Second. At that time, the imam of Nanxiapo Mosque was Hu Wenzhi, and the third master was Ma Shikuan, known as Master Ma the Third.
In 1900, when Empress Dowager Cixi fled west, bandits were everywhere, and many merchants on Chaowai Street were robbed. Seventeen-year-old Imam Hu Zichen organized a local militia in Nanxiapo. Young Hui Muslims joined eagerly. Some were wrestlers, some were martial artists, some were cart drivers, and the wealthy ones even bought muskets. Every night, everyone gathered at the gate of the Nanxiapo mosque to take turns patrolling the streets and keeping watch, and they finally made it through the crisis.
On February 15, 1928, after the martyr Ma Jun died, his body (maiti) was washed at the Nanxiapo mosque by Imam Hu Wenzhi and Imam Hu Zichen. Then, the village elders and the community (dost) donated burial shroud cloth (kafan), and he was buried in the northwest corner of Ritan.
In 1947, the Nationalist army was rounding up young men for conscription near the South Barracks outside Chaoyang Gate. The young Hui Muslims of Nanxiapo were terrified, so with the help of the imam and the elders, they climbed wooden ladders onto the roof of the main hall of the Nanxiapo mosque. After they were hidden, the imam and the elders immediately hid the ladders. When the Nationalist troops came to the mosque to grab people, the imam persuaded them to leave. Everyone lay on the roof for the whole day and finally escaped the danger.
The second Friday (Jumu'ah) of Ramadan is the day Beijing mosques hold charity events for the holy month.
The Nanxiapo mosque has the most abundant selection of pastries for breaking the fast (iftar).
Haji Li treated everyone to stewed meat, with both beef and lamb available. The iftar at Nanxiapo was held at the nearby Hongqingxuan restaurant with eighteen dishes. Over a hundred people attended, including many young people, and it was a very blessed occasion.
Fayuan Mosque.
Fayuan Mosque is also called Dewai Guanxiang Mosque. It was originally located at the north slope of Xiaochangkou outside Deshengmen. It was relocated and expanded during the Kangxi reign. During the Republic of China era, the main hall was expanded again, featuring four interlocking roofs and a four-cornered pavilion roof.
Fayuan Mosque built a new dining hall, and so many people come to break their fast every day that there are often not enough seats. The iftar meal includes meat, vegetables, shrimp, fruit, pastries, and fried dough cakes (youxiang).
The meat sauce noodles (zhajiangmian) served for iftar at Fayuan Mosque come with seven vegetable toppings: shredded carrots, shredded cucumber, shredded cabbage, shredded radish (xinlimei), diced celery, green garlic, and bean sprouts. It is very hearty! Every Ramadan, I look forward to this bowl of noodles at the mosque.
Silk Road Yilan in Niujie donated small fried dough cakes (youxiang), and Youyishun on Huangsi Street donated boxed meals of kung pao chicken and stir-fried egg with vinegar (culiu muxu). Every Ramadan, many restaurants donate iftar meals to the mosque, which is a very good deed (nietie).
Youyishun is a restaurant founded in 1948 by Ding Deshan, the founder of Donglaishun. There is a saying: 'Donglai goes west and Youyishun follows, north and south, there are only these two.' The original location of Youyishun was at the Xidan intersection. It combined the quick-frying, roasting, and hot-pot styles of Donglaishun with the delicate stir-fries of Xilaishun, bringing the strengths of both together into its own unique style. In the 1950s, Youyishun opened a branch in the Xidan shopping center. Business was booming, and it became an important place for hosting foreign guests. When U. S. President Nixon visited China in 1972, he dined at the restaurant. After Chang'an Avenue was renovated in 1999, Youyishun moved to its current location on Huangsi Street, specializing in traditional famous dishes like stir-fried egg with vinegar (culiu muxu), honey-glazed lamb (tashimi), and deep-fried lamb tails.
Dongzhimenwai Mosque.
Dongzhimenwai Mosque was originally called Erlizhuang Mosque. It was first built in the Yuan Dynasty and renovated during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty. In the late 1980s, Shougang and a Danish company built international apartments in Erlizhuang, so the mosque was moved one kilometer northwest and rebuilt. It was finished in 1991 and reopened in 1993.
I broke my fast at the mosque outside Dongzhimen. The snacks available after the prayer included pea flour cake (wandouhuang), candied yam rolls (tangjuanguo), and steamed rice cakes (aiwowo), all made by the mosque. After the prayer, there was a mix of meat and vegetable dishes, including stir-stir-fried meat with wood ear mushrooms and eggs (mushurou), yam with wood ear mushrooms, braised eggplant, braised fish chunks, and roast chicken. They also boiled sweet rice balls (yuanxiao) for the occasion. Although there are not many people at the mosque outside Dongzhimen every year, the atmosphere during Ramadan is very good.
Silk Road Legend (Silu Chuanqi) served baked buns (kaobaozi) with millet porridge and various cold dishes. These baked buns were actually invented by Gansu friends (dost), so they are different from Uyghur baked buns, but they still taste good.
At the naan shop by the gate of the mosque outside Dongzhimen, I finished my fast-breaking meal at 6:40, just as the naan and baked buns were coming out of the oven. The skin of the baked bun is very thin but a bit chewy, and there is plenty of meat inside, making it perfect for the pre-dawn meal (suhoor) the next day.
Zhengyuan Mosque
The predecessor of Zhengyuan Mosque was the Beigouyan Mosque inside Xizhimen, which was first built during the Daoguang era. After 1946, Beigouyan was renamed Zhaodengyu Road, so it was also called Zhaodengyu Road Mosque. In 1997, it was demolished and rebuilt at its current location, and renamed Zhengyuan Mosque.
Zhengyuan Mosque is very low-key, and this year was my first time going there to break my fast. I ate steamed buns (baozi) and sesame flatbread (shaobing) with lamb offal soup (yangza) at the mosque, and also had fried toon sprouts and fried meatballs. The mosque said not to post photos of the fast-breaking meal, so I will not post them here.
Sudanese Embassy
For the past few years, I have gone to the Sudanese Embassy every Ramadan to pray Taraweeh. The atmosphere is great, and the whole family can go together.
During the last ten days, it starts at 8:30 and lasts for over an hour. Taraweeh consists of eight rak'ahs, with a sermon (wa'z) after every four. The Witr dua is two rak'ahs followed by one, and during the third rak'ah, we raise our hands for a long dua. In the embassy courtyard, you can brew your own mint black tea and coffee, and after the prayer, there were chickpeas distributed by friends (dost).
Sudan follows the Maliki school of thought, which most of North and West Africa belongs to, and it has many differences from the Hanafi school in China. I think it is a rare opportunity to come here every year to experience a different religious cultural atmosphere.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, Sufi sages began to spread the faith along the upper Nile River toward the Sudan region. In the early 16th century, the Funj Sultanate ruling Sudan had nominally converted to the faith, but it still kept traditions of witchcraft and ritual sacrifice. The Funj Sultanate changed dynasties in 1718, which started a push for a more orthodox faith and the beginning of Arabization. By the 19th century, Sudan had become a region that followed orthodox Sunni Islam and began using Arabic as its common language. Today, the vast majority of Sudanese people follow the Maliki school of Sunni Islam and are deeply influenced by Sufism.
Houheyan Mosque
On the last night of Ramadan, I broke my fast at Houheyan Mosque. There were three tables of elderly people in the mosque, which is hard to find deep in the alleyways. We had steamed buns (baozi), millet porridge (xiaomizhou), sesame flatbread (shaobing), soy sauce fried rice (jiangyouchaofan), and fried dough (youxiang), and everyone also received a bag of Tongxian crispy fried snacks (gezhihe).
Houheyan Mosque sits right on the south bank of the moat. During the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era, many transport workers and restaurant owners lived nearby. In 1944, Yang Yuting of the 'Heyan Yang family' and his sons Yang Hongda and Yang Honglai donated their own ice cellar. Then, village elders Yang Zengbin and Yang Zengsen led the fundraising efforts. They received active support from Hui Muslims in Beijing and Dachang, including Peking Opera master Ma Lianliang and Wan Qirui, the owner of the Kaorouwan restaurant, and built the mosque in 1948. Houheyan Mosque originally covered a large area. In the 1970s, part of the land was taken to fill in the moat for the subway, and the current building was rebuilt in 2012.
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Hidden Mosques in Mianyang Yanting: Sichuan Hui Muslim Villages and Old Mosque History
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Yanting County travelogue explores old mosques, Hui Muslim villages, family histories, and mountain roads around Mianyang during a Spring Festival drive through Sichuan.
On February 20, I drove for one hour and 20 minutes from Nanchong at noon to reach Dajiaping Mosque in Yanting County, Mianyang City, for Jumu'ah prayer. The mosque was very crowded, and everyone there was a local Hui Muslim.
Yanting is the county with the most Hui Muslims in Mianyang, with ten major surnames: Jiang, Jin, Mu, Da, Ma, Yang, Wu, Ha, Ran, and Sa. The ancestor of the Da surname was a man from the Western Regions during the Yuan Dynasty named Wubalesha. Research shows he belonged to the Kipchak Yuliboli tribe and served as a Darughachi in Zhenjiang Road before passing away in Zhenjiang. His sixth-generation descendant, Da Shanyu, moved from Zhenjiang to Liuhe, Nanjing, in the early Ming Dynasty to serve as a county assistant. He settled in Liuhe, making this the oldest Western Regions Hui Muslim family in Liuhe, Nanjing. In 1644 (the first year of the Shunzhi reign), Da Chengzong was ordered to move from Liuhe to Sichuan. He settled at the foot of Jianzi Mountain in Fenghe, Yanting, which established the Da surname Hui Muslim community in Yanting.
Dajiaping Mosque was originally located on a small hill behind the current kiln hall and was quite small. It was later moved to its current location below the hill. In 1812 (the 17th year of the Jiaqing reign), it was rebuilt into the current courtyard style with donations from Sichuan Baoning Prefecture military officials Da Tengchao, Da Tengrui, Da Tianheng, and Da Guankui. It was renovated in 1908 (the 34th year of the Guangxu reign), and the main gate and side schools were expanded in 1928.
Dajiaping Mosque features the traditional Sichuan courtyard structure known as "four waters flowing into the hall" (si shui dao tang), with elegant, unique bracket sets and flying eaves. There is a path platform in the courtyard's central patio and gardens on both sides.
Dajiaping Mosque houses 30 volumes of scriptures hand-copied by Jin Wanx in the ninth year of the Guangxu reign.
The mosque also preserves three plaques from the Qing Dynasty and two from the Republic of China era:
The "Jiao Long Zhen Yi" plaque from the fourth year of the Daoguang reign: Respectfully erected by Da Tianheng, a specially appointed military official of the Jianzhou garrison in Guangyuan, Sichuan, who was promoted to the rank of thousand-man commander (qian zong) and received honors five times.
Da Tianheng passed the military examination in 1801 (the sixth year of the Jiaqing reign) and was immediately appointed as a thousand-man commander (qian zong) in the Chuanbei Town garrison. He was promoted several times, eventually reaching the rank of regional commander (zong bing) of Chuanbei Town, stationed in Baoning Prefecture, Sichuan. Locals respectfully called him "Commander-in-Chief" (zong zhen du du). In 1854 (the fourth year of the Xianfeng reign), the imperial court ordered him to lead troops to suppress the Taiping Rebellion. Because he did not act immediately, he was falsely accused of "colluding with the enemy and rebelling." The Xianfeng Emperor recalled him to Beijing and had him beheaded in public.
The "Yu Yin Guang Zong" plaque from the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign: Erected by his descendants Da Yuguan, Yu Chun, and Yu Sheng, along with their sons Fenggang, Fengge, and Fengzhu. The plaque honors their ancestor, a military official of the Tongchuan garrison in Chuanbei, Sichuan, who held a fifth-rank blue feather and served as a garrison commander (ba zong) in Tibet and an acting official in Sanchuan County.
The "Du Yi Zhu Zai" plaque from the 21st year of the Guangxu reign: Respectfully inscribed by Bao Daosheng, a specially appointed inspector of Fucun Station in Nanbu County, Baoning Prefecture.
The Arabic plaque from the second year of the Republic of China reading "I created the jinn and mankind only to worship Me": Erected by local imam Ma Huaifang, Da Pengju, Ran Mingli, Ran Minglun, Ran Mingyao, Ha Mayu, Ha Huaide, Huang Anju, Da Yugao, Da Yuliang, Da Yude, Da Yulin, Da Yulong, Da Fengwu, Da Fengzhi, Da Fengwen, Da Fengwu, Da Fengtai, Da Fengyou, Da Fengyuan, Da Fenghao, Da Fengge, Da Fengdou, Da Fengkui, Da Fengxian, Da Fengyi, Da Pengshun, Da Pengqian, Da Penglin, Da Pengshan, Da Pengyun, Da Fengchun, Da Yugang, and Da Yuyin.
Ma Huaifang, also known as Ma Nanxuan, was originally from Lanzhou, Gansu. He fled to Yanting during the early years of the Republic of China and settled there, serving successively as the imam of Dajiaping Mosque and the mosque in Yanting county town. He was a master of martial arts, possessed extraordinary strength, stood up against evil, and was known for helping those in need, earning him high prestige. In 1913, when the Sichuan Army's Zhong Tidao unit was forcibly conscripting men at Lingshan Market, Imam Ma protected the people by driving away an entire squad of soldiers with his bare hands. In 1916, Imam Ma again drove away chaotic soldiers who were forcibly conscripting men at Daxing Market. From 1921 to 1934, Imam Ma opened the "Shou'an Martial Arts Academy" at the Yanting county town mosque, training hundreds of martial arts students. In 1933 and 1934, Imam Ma participated in martial arts competitions in Langzhong and Santai counties, winning silver medals both times. His martial arts style gradually formed into one that was "short, powerful, full of energy, quick to strike, simple, clear, versatile, and focused on winning through strength." In 1932, Imam Ma opened a "Hui Language School" (huiwen xuexiao), training a group of excellent students who were skilled in both literature and martial arts.
The 1943 plaque titled 'Leader of the Community': We honor Imam (imam) Pengju, courtesy name Yuncheng. A man of virtue, he was a true scholar, a fifth-rank official, and the son of Master Tong. He was upright and righteous, setting a standard for Hui Muslims. He served as imam, managed the Yannan district, and led the Progressive Association. Elected by the people as director-general, he was firm and honest, working hard to remove corruption and starting schools to teach both Arabic and Chinese. The old mosque was renovated with Chinese-style architecture. Its scale is grand, reflecting the prosperity of the community. His virtue will be remembered by descendants forever. We carve this plaque to honor the great Master Da, whose reputation will last for generations. Respectfully dedicated by the family members.
Imam Da Pengju studied religious texts in Chengdu from 1885 to 1891. He became the imam of Dajiaping Mosque in 1912 and taught himself veterinary medicine. In 1914, Imam Da founded an Arabic-Chinese bilingual school in Dajiaping. After the Yanting County Hui Progressive Association was established in 1925, he served as its first president. He also served as president of the Yanting Islamic Association after its founding in 1942. After 1930, Imam Da served as the imam of the Fuyi County Mosque, and after 1951, he served as the imam of the Yanting County Mosque. He was an upright man who helped those in need. He also worked as a veterinarian with excellent skills, saving many sick cattle and earning the respect of everyone.
There are many inscriptions on the wooden structures inside the courtyard:
Craftsmen Li Changshou and Li Changkai from Anle Township, Tongchuan Prefecture, Yanting County, are masters of their art. The family of Imam Ma Hong and others rebuilt this, respectfully inscribed by the prominent members.
Craftsmen Li Jiong, Zhang Shifu, and Li Jianming from Anle Township, Tongchuan Prefecture, Yanting County, are masters of their art. Da Tianqu, a Confucian scholar from Yanting County, Tongchuan Prefecture, Sichuan, respectfully washed his hands and wrote this, inscribed by the successful candidates.
Donors: Da Tianhui, Tianwei, Tianci, Tianyou, Tianchang, Tianzi, Tianxiang, Tianli, and Tianbang. Founding donors: Da Tianjianzhao, Tianfu, Tiande, Tianxing, Tianshun, Tianzhen, Tiancai, and Tianming.
Arabic calligraphy in the main hall of Dajiaping Mosque, and the view looking down from the small hill behind the mosque.
The countryside around Dajiaping is peaceful and quiet. A clear pond reflects the sky, and fields spread out between the hills. It is quiet all around, with only the crisp chirping of birds and the relaxed sounds of cattle and sheep, creating a moving pastoral scene.
Returning from Dajiaping Mosque to Yanting County, I broke my fast at the North Street Mosque. In the evening, hundreds of people came to the mosque to break their fast. Men, women, old, and young gathered together, showing the prosperity of the faith in Yanting. We had radish beef stew, served with crispy flatbread (subing) and rice. Although it was simple, the atmosphere was exceptionally warm and harmonious.
Yanting County Mosque was first built in 1738 (the third year of the Qianlong reign). It was originally located on Xinxie Street next to the Sanbu Liangdong Bridge. In 1796 (the first year of the Jiaqing reign), it moved to its current location at the city gate on Shangbei Street. It was expanded in 1898 and 1947, and rebuilt into its current form in 2006.
There are many Hui Muslim restaurants near the North Street Mosque in Yanting, especially on Tuanjie Road, which is a 'Hui Muslim food street'. In northern Sichuan, besides Songpan, Yanting is the most convenient place to eat. Even Langzhong does not have as many options as Yanting. Opposite the mosque gate is a shop called 'Benwei Banlu', which sells braised beef, braised chicken feet, and braised duck. The 'Jin's Braised Duck' next door is also very popular. Walking a little further, you reach Tuanjie Road. 'Dehua Kaiyuan Rice Noodles' at the intersection has been open for thirty years. They specialize in bamboo shoot rice noodles, meatball rice noodles, chicken soup rice noodles, and pea and kelp rice noodles. Many people eat there, and they are open early in the morning. Walking into Tuanjie Road, you find many halal restaurants with names like Huixiang Renjia, Huihuixiang, Huiweiju, and Xiaohuimin. They specialize in Sichuan-style braised dishes, stews, stir-fries, steamed beef with rice flour (fenzheng niurou), and beef and mutton hot pots.
After finishing the Taraweeh prayers, I stopped by Muji Noodle Shop on Tuanjie Road in Yanting for a bowl of spicy hot pot (maocai) to get some vegetables.
Near the North Street Mosque in Yanting, you can find restaurants owned by families named Jin, Mu, and Ma. The Jin family seems especially common, with places like Jin Family All-Beef and Mutton Soup House (Jin Jia Quan Niuyang Tangguan), Jincuiyuan Restaurant, and Little Jin Beef (Xiao Jin Niu). Among the Hui Muslims in Yanting, the main family names are Jiang, Mu, Da, Jin, Ma, and Yang, based on when they first arrived in Sichuan. The Jiang family's ancestral home is Qili Village in Penglai, Shandong. They moved to Sichuan in 1465 (the first year of the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty) when an ancestor became the magistrate of Leshan, and they settled in Yanting after he left office. The Mu family's ancestral home is Mujiaping in Hanzhong, Shaanxi. They moved to Yanting in 1615 (the 43rd year of the Wanli reign). The Da family's ancestral home is Liuhe in Nanjing, Jiangsu. They moved to Yanting in 1644 (the first year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty). The Jin family's ancestral home is Wangjiao Village in Dali, Tongchuan, Shaanxi. They moved to Yanting in 1690 (the 29th year of the Kangxi reign). The Ma family's ancestral home is Weinan, Shaanxi. Their ancestor came to Sichuan during the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, and the family moved to Yanting in 1691 (the 30th year of the Kangxi reign). The Yang family's ancestral home is Shaanxi. They moved to Yanting in 1723 (the first year of the Yongzheng reign).
Breakfast starts after 5:00 a.m. near the North Street Mosque in Yanting, which is perfect for eating suhoor. Breakfast here includes steamed buns (baozi), rice porridge (xifan), rice noodles (mifen), and tea-oil porridge (youtiao). I ordered a bowl of rice noodles and a steamed bun. Yanting rice noodles are quite thin. They have a soft, smooth, and slightly chewy texture. They are quickly blanched in boiling water using a bamboo strainer. After draining the water, they are put into a bowl and topped with beef sauce (niurou saozi). The Hui Muslims' beef sauce is made by stir-frying rapeseed oil mixed with beef fat until fragrant, then adding bean paste (doubanjiang) to create a red oil. The beef is firm, flavorful, tender, and not dry. When you eat it, it is spicy, numbing, and rich with a fresh aroma. It is spicy without being harsh, numbing without being bitter, and fresh without being greasy.
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Summary: This Yanting County travelogue explores old mosques, Hui Muslim villages, family histories, and mountain roads around Mianyang during a Spring Festival drive through Sichuan.
On February 20, I drove for one hour and 20 minutes from Nanchong at noon to reach Dajiaping Mosque in Yanting County, Mianyang City, for Jumu'ah prayer. The mosque was very crowded, and everyone there was a local Hui Muslim.
Yanting is the county with the most Hui Muslims in Mianyang, with ten major surnames: Jiang, Jin, Mu, Da, Ma, Yang, Wu, Ha, Ran, and Sa. The ancestor of the Da surname was a man from the Western Regions during the Yuan Dynasty named Wubalesha. Research shows he belonged to the Kipchak Yuliboli tribe and served as a Darughachi in Zhenjiang Road before passing away in Zhenjiang. His sixth-generation descendant, Da Shanyu, moved from Zhenjiang to Liuhe, Nanjing, in the early Ming Dynasty to serve as a county assistant. He settled in Liuhe, making this the oldest Western Regions Hui Muslim family in Liuhe, Nanjing. In 1644 (the first year of the Shunzhi reign), Da Chengzong was ordered to move from Liuhe to Sichuan. He settled at the foot of Jianzi Mountain in Fenghe, Yanting, which established the Da surname Hui Muslim community in Yanting.
Dajiaping Mosque was originally located on a small hill behind the current kiln hall and was quite small. It was later moved to its current location below the hill. In 1812 (the 17th year of the Jiaqing reign), it was rebuilt into the current courtyard style with donations from Sichuan Baoning Prefecture military officials Da Tengchao, Da Tengrui, Da Tianheng, and Da Guankui. It was renovated in 1908 (the 34th year of the Guangxu reign), and the main gate and side schools were expanded in 1928.
Dajiaping Mosque features the traditional Sichuan courtyard structure known as "four waters flowing into the hall" (si shui dao tang), with elegant, unique bracket sets and flying eaves. There is a path platform in the courtyard's central patio and gardens on both sides.
Dajiaping Mosque houses 30 volumes of scriptures hand-copied by Jin Wanx in the ninth year of the Guangxu reign.
The mosque also preserves three plaques from the Qing Dynasty and two from the Republic of China era:
The "Jiao Long Zhen Yi" plaque from the fourth year of the Daoguang reign: Respectfully erected by Da Tianheng, a specially appointed military official of the Jianzhou garrison in Guangyuan, Sichuan, who was promoted to the rank of thousand-man commander (qian zong) and received honors five times.
Da Tianheng passed the military examination in 1801 (the sixth year of the Jiaqing reign) and was immediately appointed as a thousand-man commander (qian zong) in the Chuanbei Town garrison. He was promoted several times, eventually reaching the rank of regional commander (zong bing) of Chuanbei Town, stationed in Baoning Prefecture, Sichuan. Locals respectfully called him "Commander-in-Chief" (zong zhen du du). In 1854 (the fourth year of the Xianfeng reign), the imperial court ordered him to lead troops to suppress the Taiping Rebellion. Because he did not act immediately, he was falsely accused of "colluding with the enemy and rebelling." The Xianfeng Emperor recalled him to Beijing and had him beheaded in public.
The "Yu Yin Guang Zong" plaque from the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign: Erected by his descendants Da Yuguan, Yu Chun, and Yu Sheng, along with their sons Fenggang, Fengge, and Fengzhu. The plaque honors their ancestor, a military official of the Tongchuan garrison in Chuanbei, Sichuan, who held a fifth-rank blue feather and served as a garrison commander (ba zong) in Tibet and an acting official in Sanchuan County.
The "Du Yi Zhu Zai" plaque from the 21st year of the Guangxu reign: Respectfully inscribed by Bao Daosheng, a specially appointed inspector of Fucun Station in Nanbu County, Baoning Prefecture.
The Arabic plaque from the second year of the Republic of China reading "I created the jinn and mankind only to worship Me": Erected by local imam Ma Huaifang, Da Pengju, Ran Mingli, Ran Minglun, Ran Mingyao, Ha Mayu, Ha Huaide, Huang Anju, Da Yugao, Da Yuliang, Da Yude, Da Yulin, Da Yulong, Da Fengwu, Da Fengzhi, Da Fengwen, Da Fengwu, Da Fengtai, Da Fengyou, Da Fengyuan, Da Fenghao, Da Fengge, Da Fengdou, Da Fengkui, Da Fengxian, Da Fengyi, Da Pengshun, Da Pengqian, Da Penglin, Da Pengshan, Da Pengyun, Da Fengchun, Da Yugang, and Da Yuyin.
Ma Huaifang, also known as Ma Nanxuan, was originally from Lanzhou, Gansu. He fled to Yanting during the early years of the Republic of China and settled there, serving successively as the imam of Dajiaping Mosque and the mosque in Yanting county town. He was a master of martial arts, possessed extraordinary strength, stood up against evil, and was known for helping those in need, earning him high prestige. In 1913, when the Sichuan Army's Zhong Tidao unit was forcibly conscripting men at Lingshan Market, Imam Ma protected the people by driving away an entire squad of soldiers with his bare hands. In 1916, Imam Ma again drove away chaotic soldiers who were forcibly conscripting men at Daxing Market. From 1921 to 1934, Imam Ma opened the "Shou'an Martial Arts Academy" at the Yanting county town mosque, training hundreds of martial arts students. In 1933 and 1934, Imam Ma participated in martial arts competitions in Langzhong and Santai counties, winning silver medals both times. His martial arts style gradually formed into one that was "short, powerful, full of energy, quick to strike, simple, clear, versatile, and focused on winning through strength." In 1932, Imam Ma opened a "Hui Language School" (huiwen xuexiao), training a group of excellent students who were skilled in both literature and martial arts.
The 1943 plaque titled 'Leader of the Community': We honor Imam (imam) Pengju, courtesy name Yuncheng. A man of virtue, he was a true scholar, a fifth-rank official, and the son of Master Tong. He was upright and righteous, setting a standard for Hui Muslims. He served as imam, managed the Yannan district, and led the Progressive Association. Elected by the people as director-general, he was firm and honest, working hard to remove corruption and starting schools to teach both Arabic and Chinese. The old mosque was renovated with Chinese-style architecture. Its scale is grand, reflecting the prosperity of the community. His virtue will be remembered by descendants forever. We carve this plaque to honor the great Master Da, whose reputation will last for generations. Respectfully dedicated by the family members.
Imam Da Pengju studied religious texts in Chengdu from 1885 to 1891. He became the imam of Dajiaping Mosque in 1912 and taught himself veterinary medicine. In 1914, Imam Da founded an Arabic-Chinese bilingual school in Dajiaping. After the Yanting County Hui Progressive Association was established in 1925, he served as its first president. He also served as president of the Yanting Islamic Association after its founding in 1942. After 1930, Imam Da served as the imam of the Fuyi County Mosque, and after 1951, he served as the imam of the Yanting County Mosque. He was an upright man who helped those in need. He also worked as a veterinarian with excellent skills, saving many sick cattle and earning the respect of everyone.
There are many inscriptions on the wooden structures inside the courtyard:
Craftsmen Li Changshou and Li Changkai from Anle Township, Tongchuan Prefecture, Yanting County, are masters of their art. The family of Imam Ma Hong and others rebuilt this, respectfully inscribed by the prominent members.
Craftsmen Li Jiong, Zhang Shifu, and Li Jianming from Anle Township, Tongchuan Prefecture, Yanting County, are masters of their art. Da Tianqu, a Confucian scholar from Yanting County, Tongchuan Prefecture, Sichuan, respectfully washed his hands and wrote this, inscribed by the successful candidates.
Donors: Da Tianhui, Tianwei, Tianci, Tianyou, Tianchang, Tianzi, Tianxiang, Tianli, and Tianbang. Founding donors: Da Tianjianzhao, Tianfu, Tiande, Tianxing, Tianshun, Tianzhen, Tiancai, and Tianming.
Arabic calligraphy in the main hall of Dajiaping Mosque, and the view looking down from the small hill behind the mosque.
The countryside around Dajiaping is peaceful and quiet. A clear pond reflects the sky, and fields spread out between the hills. It is quiet all around, with only the crisp chirping of birds and the relaxed sounds of cattle and sheep, creating a moving pastoral scene.
Returning from Dajiaping Mosque to Yanting County, I broke my fast at the North Street Mosque. In the evening, hundreds of people came to the mosque to break their fast. Men, women, old, and young gathered together, showing the prosperity of the faith in Yanting. We had radish beef stew, served with crispy flatbread (subing) and rice. Although it was simple, the atmosphere was exceptionally warm and harmonious.
Yanting County Mosque was first built in 1738 (the third year of the Qianlong reign). It was originally located on Xinxie Street next to the Sanbu Liangdong Bridge. In 1796 (the first year of the Jiaqing reign), it moved to its current location at the city gate on Shangbei Street. It was expanded in 1898 and 1947, and rebuilt into its current form in 2006.
There are many Hui Muslim restaurants near the North Street Mosque in Yanting, especially on Tuanjie Road, which is a 'Hui Muslim food street'. In northern Sichuan, besides Songpan, Yanting is the most convenient place to eat. Even Langzhong does not have as many options as Yanting. Opposite the mosque gate is a shop called 'Benwei Banlu', which sells braised beef, braised chicken feet, and braised duck. The 'Jin's Braised Duck' next door is also very popular. Walking a little further, you reach Tuanjie Road. 'Dehua Kaiyuan Rice Noodles' at the intersection has been open for thirty years. They specialize in bamboo shoot rice noodles, meatball rice noodles, chicken soup rice noodles, and pea and kelp rice noodles. Many people eat there, and they are open early in the morning. Walking into Tuanjie Road, you find many halal restaurants with names like Huixiang Renjia, Huihuixiang, Huiweiju, and Xiaohuimin. They specialize in Sichuan-style braised dishes, stews, stir-fries, steamed beef with rice flour (fenzheng niurou), and beef and mutton hot pots.
After finishing the Taraweeh prayers, I stopped by Muji Noodle Shop on Tuanjie Road in Yanting for a bowl of spicy hot pot (maocai) to get some vegetables.
Near the North Street Mosque in Yanting, you can find restaurants owned by families named Jin, Mu, and Ma. The Jin family seems especially common, with places like Jin Family All-Beef and Mutton Soup House (Jin Jia Quan Niuyang Tangguan), Jincuiyuan Restaurant, and Little Jin Beef (Xiao Jin Niu). Among the Hui Muslims in Yanting, the main family names are Jiang, Mu, Da, Jin, Ma, and Yang, based on when they first arrived in Sichuan. The Jiang family's ancestral home is Qili Village in Penglai, Shandong. They moved to Sichuan in 1465 (the first year of the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty) when an ancestor became the magistrate of Leshan, and they settled in Yanting after he left office. The Mu family's ancestral home is Mujiaping in Hanzhong, Shaanxi. They moved to Yanting in 1615 (the 43rd year of the Wanli reign). The Da family's ancestral home is Liuhe in Nanjing, Jiangsu. They moved to Yanting in 1644 (the first year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty). The Jin family's ancestral home is Wangjiao Village in Dali, Tongchuan, Shaanxi. They moved to Yanting in 1690 (the 29th year of the Kangxi reign). The Ma family's ancestral home is Weinan, Shaanxi. Their ancestor came to Sichuan during the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, and the family moved to Yanting in 1691 (the 30th year of the Kangxi reign). The Yang family's ancestral home is Shaanxi. They moved to Yanting in 1723 (the first year of the Yongzheng reign).
Breakfast starts after 5:00 a.m. near the North Street Mosque in Yanting, which is perfect for eating suhoor. Breakfast here includes steamed buns (baozi), rice porridge (xifan), rice noodles (mifen), and tea-oil porridge (youtiao). I ordered a bowl of rice noodles and a steamed bun. Yanting rice noodles are quite thin. They have a soft, smooth, and slightly chewy texture. They are quickly blanched in boiling water using a bamboo strainer. After draining the water, they are put into a bowl and topped with beef sauce (niurou saozi). The Hui Muslims' beef sauce is made by stir-frying rapeseed oil mixed with beef fat until fragrant, then adding bean paste (doubanjiang) to create a red oil. The beef is firm, flavorful, tender, and not dry. When you eat it, it is spicy, numbing, and rich with a fresh aroma. It is spicy without being harsh, numbing without being bitter, and fresh without being greasy.
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Hidden Mosques in Longchang: Neijiang Hui Muslim Community and Sichuan Road Trip
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Longchang stop near Neijiang follows the author into a local mosque and Hui Muslim community, keeping the route, dates, places, and road trip details from the Chinese original.
On February 18, I drove 50 minutes from Fushun to Longchang City, which is almost at the border of Chongqing. There are five mosques (si-fang) for Hui Muslims spread across Longchang City and Rongchang District, right on the border of Sichuan and Chongqing. This area has the strongest religious community in the region. The Hui Muslims in Longchang and Rongchang mainly have the surnames Su, Ma, Cai, Yang, and Hai. Most of their ancestors moved here from Macheng in Hubei and Shaoyang in Hunan during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty as part of the 'Huguang fills Sichuan' migration. They first settled in Yinjia Dam in Longchang, then gradually spread to Longchang's city center, Jieshi Town, Shunhe Town in the Dongxing District of Neijiang City, and Qingliu Town in the Rongchang District of Chongqing.
Longchang Mosque is located at the south end of the bridge in Jine Town in the city center. It was built in 1878 (the fourth year of the Guangxu reign) after Yang Dachang and Ye Shaosheng raised funds to buy the land. The main hall was expanded in 1957, and it was rebuilt into the current building between 1995 and 1996. The imam (ahong) at the mosque is from Xichang. It turns out he is a relative of the imam at Qinggang Mosque in Renshou, whom I visited just two days ago. The imams from Xichang play a vital role in keeping the faith alive in Sichuan.
I prayed my first Tarawih of Ramadan at Longchang Mosque. This was the first time I had met so many local elders since I started visiting mosques in southern Sichuan. The names of the elders who will provide the iftar meals each day are already listed on the blackboard in the mosque, which shows that the community spirit here is quite good.
On February 19, the imam at Longchang Mosque in Sichuan invited me to have my first suhoor of Ramadan. We had pressed duck (banya), sour soup fish, stir-fried beef with two types of peppers, pea shoots, and baby bok choy. It was a delicious mix of meat and vegetables. The skin of the pressed duck was fragrant and the meat was firm. It was salty, flavorful, and tasted better the more you chewed. The sour soup fish was clean and refreshing. The stir-fried beef with two types of peppers was a classic Sichuan-style dish, and the shredded beef was very tender. Pea shoots are a seasonal vegetable in Sichuan during winter, and they were sweet and crisp. I chatted with the imam's family at the time. After I got back, I found out that the imam's daughter and I had actually known each other on Douban a long time ago. It really is a small world.
There are several Hui Muslim restaurants next to Longchang Mosque that serve stir-fried dishes, beef offal hot pot, and beef soup. I will definitely try them if I come back.
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Summary: This Longchang stop near Neijiang follows the author into a local mosque and Hui Muslim community, keeping the route, dates, places, and road trip details from the Chinese original.
On February 18, I drove 50 minutes from Fushun to Longchang City, which is almost at the border of Chongqing. There are five mosques (si-fang) for Hui Muslims spread across Longchang City and Rongchang District, right on the border of Sichuan and Chongqing. This area has the strongest religious community in the region. The Hui Muslims in Longchang and Rongchang mainly have the surnames Su, Ma, Cai, Yang, and Hai. Most of their ancestors moved here from Macheng in Hubei and Shaoyang in Hunan during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty as part of the 'Huguang fills Sichuan' migration. They first settled in Yinjia Dam in Longchang, then gradually spread to Longchang's city center, Jieshi Town, Shunhe Town in the Dongxing District of Neijiang City, and Qingliu Town in the Rongchang District of Chongqing.
Longchang Mosque is located at the south end of the bridge in Jine Town in the city center. It was built in 1878 (the fourth year of the Guangxu reign) after Yang Dachang and Ye Shaosheng raised funds to buy the land. The main hall was expanded in 1957, and it was rebuilt into the current building between 1995 and 1996. The imam (ahong) at the mosque is from Xichang. It turns out he is a relative of the imam at Qinggang Mosque in Renshou, whom I visited just two days ago. The imams from Xichang play a vital role in keeping the faith alive in Sichuan.
I prayed my first Tarawih of Ramadan at Longchang Mosque. This was the first time I had met so many local elders since I started visiting mosques in southern Sichuan. The names of the elders who will provide the iftar meals each day are already listed on the blackboard in the mosque, which shows that the community spirit here is quite good.
On February 19, the imam at Longchang Mosque in Sichuan invited me to have my first suhoor of Ramadan. We had pressed duck (banya), sour soup fish, stir-fried beef with two types of peppers, pea shoots, and baby bok choy. It was a delicious mix of meat and vegetables. The skin of the pressed duck was fragrant and the meat was firm. It was salty, flavorful, and tasted better the more you chewed. The sour soup fish was clean and refreshing. The stir-fried beef with two types of peppers was a classic Sichuan-style dish, and the shredded beef was very tender. Pea shoots are a seasonal vegetable in Sichuan during winter, and they were sweet and crisp. I chatted with the imam's family at the time. After I got back, I found out that the imam's daughter and I had actually known each other on Douban a long time ago. It really is a small world.
There are several Hui Muslim restaurants next to Longchang Mosque that serve stir-fried dishes, beef offal hot pot, and beef soup. I will definitely try them if I come back.
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Hidden Mosques in Zigong Fushun: Sichuan Hui Muslim Heritage and Road Trip Notes
Reposted from the web
Summary: This short stop in Fushun County, Zigong, records a Sichuan mosque visit with local Hui Muslim heritage, county history, and the details preserved from the original road trip.
It takes a 2-hour drive north from Sujiaqiao Mosque in Yibin to reach Fushun County in Zigong City. Fushun Mosque is located on Fujiang Lane in the old town of Fushun. I contacted Imam Hai at the mosque beforehand, and he gave me a warm welcome.
Fushun Mosque is the only mosque in Zigong. During the late Qing Dynasty, Hui Muslims with the surnames Ma, Feng, Su, Zhang, and Cai moved here from places like Longchang, Neijiang, and Rongchang to settle down. At first, the Hui Muslims in Fushun did not have a mosque. They held their annual Eid prayers in the living room of a Ma family home at No. 1 Bo'ai Road. A local Hui Muslim named Ma Xutang once ran a small salt industry bank called Furonghao in Ziliujing. After his business failed, he moved his funds back to Fushun to buy land. He set aside 45 shi of rental grain under the name 'Ma Siyi Tang' to cover the costs of building a mosque and hiring an imam. In 1929, led by Ma Renpei, they used the Ma Siyi Tang funds to buy a house next to the Yaowang Mosque from Chen Tongxing and others of the Yongji Association. After renovations, it became the current Fushun Mosque, which was rebuilt into its present form between 1986 and 1987.
After Fushun Mosque was established, they hired Ma Huiting as the imam, who served for nearly 50 years until 1975. During the 1930s and 1940s, Imam Ma used the summer breaks to teach Islamic classics. One of his students, Master Su Xueliang, later led the ritual slaughter (xiadao) and worked at the religious school around the time of liberation. After the 1986 reconstruction, they hired Imam Hai Weijun from Rongchang, Chongqing, who has been there for 40 years. When Imam Hai first arrived at the mosque, he was only in his early 20s. He relied on Master Su Xueliang to visit Hui Muslim households each month to collect donations (nietie) for his living expenses. Three months later, Imam Hai decided to support himself. He started working part-time performing ritual slaughter (xiadao) at a Hui Muslim restaurant, and later sold fruit and ran a restaurant, which allowed Fushun Mosque to keep running for the past 40 years.
According to Imam Hai, the only local Hui Muslim restaurant in Zigong right now is Cai's Lamb Soup (Cai shi yangrou tang) near Beihuan Road, though it is not very easy to reach by public transport since it is outside the city center. Luckily, Imam Hai invited me to try the bamboo shoot stewed lamb with skin and stir-fried lamb that had been donated (chusai) to the mosque from Cai's Lamb Soup, allowing me to experience the unique Sichuan-style cuisine of Zigong's Hui Muslims. Their bamboo shoot lamb with skin had tender meat and soft skin. The bamboo shoots were fresh and slightly sweet, their fragrance cutting through the richness of the meat, which was mellow and savory. The stir-fried lamb was cooked quickly over high heat to lock in the juices. The fresh ginger added a spicy kick, the small chili peppers provided a great flavor, and the dish had that distinct 'wok hei' (guoqie) that gives Zigong Hui Muslim stir-fries their authentic, home-cooked feel. Any friends (dost) passing through Zigong next time should go and have a meal there.
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Summary: This short stop in Fushun County, Zigong, records a Sichuan mosque visit with local Hui Muslim heritage, county history, and the details preserved from the original road trip.
It takes a 2-hour drive north from Sujiaqiao Mosque in Yibin to reach Fushun County in Zigong City. Fushun Mosque is located on Fujiang Lane in the old town of Fushun. I contacted Imam Hai at the mosque beforehand, and he gave me a warm welcome.
Fushun Mosque is the only mosque in Zigong. During the late Qing Dynasty, Hui Muslims with the surnames Ma, Feng, Su, Zhang, and Cai moved here from places like Longchang, Neijiang, and Rongchang to settle down. At first, the Hui Muslims in Fushun did not have a mosque. They held their annual Eid prayers in the living room of a Ma family home at No. 1 Bo'ai Road. A local Hui Muslim named Ma Xutang once ran a small salt industry bank called Furonghao in Ziliujing. After his business failed, he moved his funds back to Fushun to buy land. He set aside 45 shi of rental grain under the name 'Ma Siyi Tang' to cover the costs of building a mosque and hiring an imam. In 1929, led by Ma Renpei, they used the Ma Siyi Tang funds to buy a house next to the Yaowang Mosque from Chen Tongxing and others of the Yongji Association. After renovations, it became the current Fushun Mosque, which was rebuilt into its present form between 1986 and 1987.
After Fushun Mosque was established, they hired Ma Huiting as the imam, who served for nearly 50 years until 1975. During the 1930s and 1940s, Imam Ma used the summer breaks to teach Islamic classics. One of his students, Master Su Xueliang, later led the ritual slaughter (xiadao) and worked at the religious school around the time of liberation. After the 1986 reconstruction, they hired Imam Hai Weijun from Rongchang, Chongqing, who has been there for 40 years. When Imam Hai first arrived at the mosque, he was only in his early 20s. He relied on Master Su Xueliang to visit Hui Muslim households each month to collect donations (nietie) for his living expenses. Three months later, Imam Hai decided to support himself. He started working part-time performing ritual slaughter (xiadao) at a Hui Muslim restaurant, and later sold fruit and ran a restaurant, which allowed Fushun Mosque to keep running for the past 40 years.
According to Imam Hai, the only local Hui Muslim restaurant in Zigong right now is Cai's Lamb Soup (Cai shi yangrou tang) near Beihuan Road, though it is not very easy to reach by public transport since it is outside the city center. Luckily, Imam Hai invited me to try the bamboo shoot stewed lamb with skin and stir-fried lamb that had been donated (chusai) to the mosque from Cai's Lamb Soup, allowing me to experience the unique Sichuan-style cuisine of Zigong's Hui Muslims. Their bamboo shoot lamb with skin had tender meat and soft skin. The bamboo shoots were fresh and slightly sweet, their fragrance cutting through the richness of the meat, which was mellow and savory. The stir-fried lamb was cooked quickly over high heat to lock in the juices. The fresh ginger added a spicy kick, the small chili peppers provided a great flavor, and the dish had that distinct 'wok hei' (guoqie) that gives Zigong Hui Muslim stir-fries their authentic, home-cooked feel. Any friends (dost) passing through Zigong next time should go and have a meal there.
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Hidden Mosques in Yibin: Sichuan Hui Muslim History, Old Streets and Local Food
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Yibin travel account follows old mosques, riverside streets, Hui Muslim history, and local halal food notes from the next stop on a Spring Festival road trip through Sichuan.
On the afternoon of February 17, I drove south from Luocheng for an hour and a half and arrived at the old town in the Cuiping District of Yibin, right by the Yangtze River. Parking in Yibin's old town is very difficult during the Spring Festival. I found a spot on the side of the road near the Dabeixiang Mosque, but unfortunately, the imam, Imam Su, was not there at the time. I went to Yao's Beef Restaurant (Yaoji Niurouguan) on nearby Xuesheng Street for dinner instead. Yao's Beef Restaurant was packed that night. I waited nearly an hour after ordering before I could eat. They ran out of ingredients several times, and the owner said they hadn't prepared enough. I didn't expect business to be this good on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Yao's has been open for 30 years. Since the 1990s, they have been selling steamed beef with rice flour (fenzheng niurou), clear-stewed beef (qingdun niurou), and braised beef (hongshao niurou) on Xuesheng Street, standing out for their commitment to never using overnight meat. They serve the most authentic Yibin-style Sichuan cuisine, focusing on various stir-fried (huobao), minced meat topping (saozi), and water-boiled (shuizhu) dishes. I ordered stir-fried beef tripe (huobao taihua), minced meat with spinal cord (saozi jisu), and red oil greens (hongyoucai).
This was my first time hearing of taihua. I asked the server, and they said it is a type of beef tripe that is very crispy, bouncy, and chewy. It requires high heat and fast cooking to get that perfect wok aroma.
The minced meat with spinal cord melts in your mouth and is soft and creamy. The minced meat topping (saozi) is salty, fresh, spicy, and rich in sauce, making it perfect with rice.
Red oil greens are red vegetable stalks (hongcaitai), a classic vegetable dish in Yibin from autumn through early spring. They are stir-fried over high heat with garlic slices until just cooked, making them crispy, tender, slightly sweet, and fragrant. In Hui Muslim banquets, this is usually the final vegetable dish, balancing out the spicy stir-fried beef dishes.
The Dabeixiang Mosque in Yibin was first built in 1821 (the first year of the Daoguang reign). It was originally a traditional courtyard house in southern Sichuan, but after being demolished in 1993, it became a multi-story building. As early as the Qianlong reign, Hui Muslims with the surnames Su, Ma, Hai, Zhang, and Cai from Shaoyang, Hunan, moved to Yibin due to the 'Huguang fills Sichuan' migration. During the Jiaqing reign, a Hui Muslim named Li became wealthy running a money shop in Yibin, so he donated money to build the mosque on Dabeixiang in the first year of the Daoguang reign. During the Guangxu reign, a military official named Ma Chaoxuan retired from his post as a provincial commander and settled in Yibin, where he built a mosque on Shuijing Street in the north of the city. During the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era, Ma Chaoxuan's descendant, Ma Pinsan, became the manager of the Dabeixiang Mosque and merged the northern city mosque into the Dabeixiang Mosque.
That night, I drove from the Cuiping District in Yibin's old town to Nanxi District, stayed the night, and planned to try the Yibin Hui Muslim-style meat-topped spicy noodles (hunranmian) the next morning. The most authentic Hui Muslim noodle shop in Nanxi is Su's Huihui Fragrance (Suji Huihuixiang) on Xiazheng Street. The meat they use is personally butchered by Imam Su from the Sujiaqiao Mosque. Unfortunately, Huihui Fragrance was closed when I arrived, so I went to another Su's Beef Noodle shop nearby, which is also run by local Hui Muslims surnamed Su.
Beef hunranmian is a classic breakfast for Yibin Hui Muslims. It uses local Yibin flat, thin alkaline noodles (shuiezi jianshuimian) made from high-gluten flour and alkaline water. They are boiled until 80% cooked, drained, and tossed with cooked rapeseed oil to keep them separate and dry—this is the key to the 'ran' (burning/oily) style. The beef topping (saozi) is made by mincing beef and stir-frying it slowly in rapeseed oil with various spices until dry and fragrant. Then, they add secret red oil, Yibin preserved mustard greens (suimi yacai), freshly crushed peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, Sichuan peppercorn oil, and chopped green onions. When eating, you mix it quickly to use the residual heat to bring out all the aromas. Once you take a bite, the noodles are chewy and bouncy, the beef topping is dry and rich, the mustard greens are salty and fresh, the peanuts are crunchy, the red oil is spicy, and the peppercorn oil adds a slight numbing sensation. It is very dry and refreshing.
After breakfast, I drove for 1 hour and 10 minutes from Nanxi District to the Yunding Mosque in Liduan Town, deep in the mountains of Shu. The Yunding Mosque is surrounded by big mountains. The Hui Muslim village where the mosque is located sits on a high piece of land, as if it were above the clouds, which is how it got the name Yunding (Cloud Top) Mosque.
Yunding Mosque was first built during the Xianfeng era. The local Ma family, who are Hui Muslims, moved here from Shaoyang, Hunan, during the Qing Dynasty migration known as 'Huguang filling Sichuan'. Yunding Mosque was originally a traditional courtyard in the southern Sichuan style, but it was later rebuilt as a concrete building. I took photos of some old pictures of the mosque before its reconstruction from Imam Su at Dabeixiang Mosque. Because of building renovations, traditional mosque architecture in Sichuan is disappearing rapidly.
After the reconstruction of Yunding Mosque, only the Qing Dynasty mihrab and stone column bases remain. The mihrab has a very distinct southern Sichuan style and features many floral patterns.
In early spring at Yunding Mosque, I walked through the front gate and straight into a sea of bamboo. The leaves were layered thick, and the wind made them rustle. The mosque is surrounded by fields of blooming rapeseed flowers. The golden waves of flowers spread along the gentle slopes, reaching the foot of the distant mountains and the edges of the fields, full of rural peace and vitality. In a nearby pond, the water is clear and bright, with little ducks playing on the surface from time to time. As I was driving away, I happened to see the ducks lining up to cross the road. They waddled along, looking very cute and charming.
Driving for another 50 minutes from Yunding Mosque, I arrived at Sujiaqiao Mosque in the Nanxi District. This area is now part of the Sanjiang New Area in Yibin. There are large industrial parks in the nearby Songjia Town, but Sujiaqiao remains hidden deep in the mountains.
Sujiaqiao Mosque is the only traditional Hui mosque in Yibin that has been preserved to this day. The local Hui Muslims are mainly from the Su family, who moved here from Shaoyang, Hunan, during the 'Huguang filling Sichuan' migration in the Qianlong era. Sujiaqiao Mosque was first built in 1789 (the 54th year of the Qianlong reign) after Su Tianqi and others bought land in Qinjiagou. In 1799 (the 4th year of the Jiaqing reign), the community gave grain to Su Xinhan to manage for ten years. With the profits, they bought land from the Yin family and moved the mosque to its current site. In 1822 (the 2nd year of the Daoguang reign), two corridors were added. It was renovated in 1837 (the 17th year of the Daoguang reign). In 1864 (the 3rd year of the Tongzhi reign), Imam Su Liangchun led the effort, and with donations from Su Shunfang and other community members, the main hall was expanded. In 1944, Su Cailun led another renovation of the main hall.
The main hall of Sujiaqiao Mosque also preserves a precious Qing Dynasty mihrab, and there is an inscription from 1866 (the 5th year of the Tongzhi reign) on the main beam of the entrance hall. I met two Imams named Su from Sujiaqiao Mosque and Dabeixiang Mosque, and I learned a lot about the local religious situation in Yibin from them. The two Imams showed me the stone tablet from the Daoguang renovation kept in the mosque. Unfortunately, it was damaged during a difficult period, and only the last part of the donor list remains. You can still see the surnames Su, Ma, Jin, and Cai, as well as a business named Renhetai.
Behind Sujiaqiao Mosque is a cemetery for Hui Muslims. When I arrived, Imam Su was leading the local Hui Muslims in visiting the graves. The Sujiaqiao Hui Muslim whole-cow feast was named a Nanxi District intangible cultural heritage in 2018. However, because of the remote location, there are no restaurants run by Hui Muslims here. If you want to experience the local food, it is best to come to the mosque during holidays.
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Summary: This Yibin travel account follows old mosques, riverside streets, Hui Muslim history, and local halal food notes from the next stop on a Spring Festival road trip through Sichuan.
On the afternoon of February 17, I drove south from Luocheng for an hour and a half and arrived at the old town in the Cuiping District of Yibin, right by the Yangtze River. Parking in Yibin's old town is very difficult during the Spring Festival. I found a spot on the side of the road near the Dabeixiang Mosque, but unfortunately, the imam, Imam Su, was not there at the time. I went to Yao's Beef Restaurant (Yaoji Niurouguan) on nearby Xuesheng Street for dinner instead. Yao's Beef Restaurant was packed that night. I waited nearly an hour after ordering before I could eat. They ran out of ingredients several times, and the owner said they hadn't prepared enough. I didn't expect business to be this good on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Yao's has been open for 30 years. Since the 1990s, they have been selling steamed beef with rice flour (fenzheng niurou), clear-stewed beef (qingdun niurou), and braised beef (hongshao niurou) on Xuesheng Street, standing out for their commitment to never using overnight meat. They serve the most authentic Yibin-style Sichuan cuisine, focusing on various stir-fried (huobao), minced meat topping (saozi), and water-boiled (shuizhu) dishes. I ordered stir-fried beef tripe (huobao taihua), minced meat with spinal cord (saozi jisu), and red oil greens (hongyoucai).
This was my first time hearing of taihua. I asked the server, and they said it is a type of beef tripe that is very crispy, bouncy, and chewy. It requires high heat and fast cooking to get that perfect wok aroma.
The minced meat with spinal cord melts in your mouth and is soft and creamy. The minced meat topping (saozi) is salty, fresh, spicy, and rich in sauce, making it perfect with rice.
Red oil greens are red vegetable stalks (hongcaitai), a classic vegetable dish in Yibin from autumn through early spring. They are stir-fried over high heat with garlic slices until just cooked, making them crispy, tender, slightly sweet, and fragrant. In Hui Muslim banquets, this is usually the final vegetable dish, balancing out the spicy stir-fried beef dishes.
The Dabeixiang Mosque in Yibin was first built in 1821 (the first year of the Daoguang reign). It was originally a traditional courtyard house in southern Sichuan, but after being demolished in 1993, it became a multi-story building. As early as the Qianlong reign, Hui Muslims with the surnames Su, Ma, Hai, Zhang, and Cai from Shaoyang, Hunan, moved to Yibin due to the 'Huguang fills Sichuan' migration. During the Jiaqing reign, a Hui Muslim named Li became wealthy running a money shop in Yibin, so he donated money to build the mosque on Dabeixiang in the first year of the Daoguang reign. During the Guangxu reign, a military official named Ma Chaoxuan retired from his post as a provincial commander and settled in Yibin, where he built a mosque on Shuijing Street in the north of the city. During the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era, Ma Chaoxuan's descendant, Ma Pinsan, became the manager of the Dabeixiang Mosque and merged the northern city mosque into the Dabeixiang Mosque.
That night, I drove from the Cuiping District in Yibin's old town to Nanxi District, stayed the night, and planned to try the Yibin Hui Muslim-style meat-topped spicy noodles (hunranmian) the next morning. The most authentic Hui Muslim noodle shop in Nanxi is Su's Huihui Fragrance (Suji Huihuixiang) on Xiazheng Street. The meat they use is personally butchered by Imam Su from the Sujiaqiao Mosque. Unfortunately, Huihui Fragrance was closed when I arrived, so I went to another Su's Beef Noodle shop nearby, which is also run by local Hui Muslims surnamed Su.
Beef hunranmian is a classic breakfast for Yibin Hui Muslims. It uses local Yibin flat, thin alkaline noodles (shuiezi jianshuimian) made from high-gluten flour and alkaline water. They are boiled until 80% cooked, drained, and tossed with cooked rapeseed oil to keep them separate and dry—this is the key to the 'ran' (burning/oily) style. The beef topping (saozi) is made by mincing beef and stir-frying it slowly in rapeseed oil with various spices until dry and fragrant. Then, they add secret red oil, Yibin preserved mustard greens (suimi yacai), freshly crushed peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, Sichuan peppercorn oil, and chopped green onions. When eating, you mix it quickly to use the residual heat to bring out all the aromas. Once you take a bite, the noodles are chewy and bouncy, the beef topping is dry and rich, the mustard greens are salty and fresh, the peanuts are crunchy, the red oil is spicy, and the peppercorn oil adds a slight numbing sensation. It is very dry and refreshing.
After breakfast, I drove for 1 hour and 10 minutes from Nanxi District to the Yunding Mosque in Liduan Town, deep in the mountains of Shu. The Yunding Mosque is surrounded by big mountains. The Hui Muslim village where the mosque is located sits on a high piece of land, as if it were above the clouds, which is how it got the name Yunding (Cloud Top) Mosque.
Yunding Mosque was first built during the Xianfeng era. The local Ma family, who are Hui Muslims, moved here from Shaoyang, Hunan, during the Qing Dynasty migration known as 'Huguang filling Sichuan'. Yunding Mosque was originally a traditional courtyard in the southern Sichuan style, but it was later rebuilt as a concrete building. I took photos of some old pictures of the mosque before its reconstruction from Imam Su at Dabeixiang Mosque. Because of building renovations, traditional mosque architecture in Sichuan is disappearing rapidly.
After the reconstruction of Yunding Mosque, only the Qing Dynasty mihrab and stone column bases remain. The mihrab has a very distinct southern Sichuan style and features many floral patterns.
In early spring at Yunding Mosque, I walked through the front gate and straight into a sea of bamboo. The leaves were layered thick, and the wind made them rustle. The mosque is surrounded by fields of blooming rapeseed flowers. The golden waves of flowers spread along the gentle slopes, reaching the foot of the distant mountains and the edges of the fields, full of rural peace and vitality. In a nearby pond, the water is clear and bright, with little ducks playing on the surface from time to time. As I was driving away, I happened to see the ducks lining up to cross the road. They waddled along, looking very cute and charming.
Driving for another 50 minutes from Yunding Mosque, I arrived at Sujiaqiao Mosque in the Nanxi District. This area is now part of the Sanjiang New Area in Yibin. There are large industrial parks in the nearby Songjia Town, but Sujiaqiao remains hidden deep in the mountains.
Sujiaqiao Mosque is the only traditional Hui mosque in Yibin that has been preserved to this day. The local Hui Muslims are mainly from the Su family, who moved here from Shaoyang, Hunan, during the 'Huguang filling Sichuan' migration in the Qianlong era. Sujiaqiao Mosque was first built in 1789 (the 54th year of the Qianlong reign) after Su Tianqi and others bought land in Qinjiagou. In 1799 (the 4th year of the Jiaqing reign), the community gave grain to Su Xinhan to manage for ten years. With the profits, they bought land from the Yin family and moved the mosque to its current site. In 1822 (the 2nd year of the Daoguang reign), two corridors were added. It was renovated in 1837 (the 17th year of the Daoguang reign). In 1864 (the 3rd year of the Tongzhi reign), Imam Su Liangchun led the effort, and with donations from Su Shunfang and other community members, the main hall was expanded. In 1944, Su Cailun led another renovation of the main hall.
The main hall of Sujiaqiao Mosque also preserves a precious Qing Dynasty mihrab, and there is an inscription from 1866 (the 5th year of the Tongzhi reign) on the main beam of the entrance hall. I met two Imams named Su from Sujiaqiao Mosque and Dabeixiang Mosque, and I learned a lot about the local religious situation in Yibin from them. The two Imams showed me the stone tablet from the Daoguang renovation kept in the mosque. Unfortunately, it was damaged during a difficult period, and only the last part of the donor list remains. You can still see the surnames Su, Ma, Jin, and Cai, as well as a business named Renhetai.
Behind Sujiaqiao Mosque is a cemetery for Hui Muslims. When I arrived, Imam Su was leading the local Hui Muslims in visiting the graves. The Sujiaqiao Hui Muslim whole-cow feast was named a Nanxi District intangible cultural heritage in 2018. However, because of the remote location, there are no restaurants run by Hui Muslims here. If you want to experience the local food, it is best to come to the mosque during holidays.
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Hidden Mosques in Leshan: Luocheng Ancient Town, Hui Muslim Families and Sichuan History
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Sichuan mosque road trip reaches Luocheng Ancient Town in Leshan, where Luocheng Mosque, local Hui Muslim family histories, and old-town streets show a deeper side of Muslim life in southwest China.
It takes an hour to drive south from Renshou Mosque to reach Luocheng Ancient Town in Qianwei County, Leshan. The ancient town was first built in 1628 (the first year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty) and gradually took its final shape during the Qing Dynasty. It served as a land port and a frontier military hub for Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou.
The town's parking lot is at the West Gate. Once you park and enter the town, you can see Luocheng Mosque (Luocheng Si) on the far west side. The first time I visited, the imam was away, so I had to go back a second time to get inside. Imam Su at Luocheng Mosque is a local Hui Muslim. During the Spring Festival, the mosque is crowded with visitors. Imam Su patiently explains things to everyone, answering questions about the faith and Hui Muslim customs. It is very rare to see someone so dedicated to helping more people understand the faith. According to Imam Su, there were still a few Hui Muslim restaurants in Luocheng Ancient Town a few years ago, but they have all closed down. The mosque now hosts a grand Mawlid (Shengji) celebration every year, which is the best time to taste local Hui Muslim food in Luocheng.
The Hui Muslims in Luocheng are mainly from the Su, Cai, Zhang, Ma, Hai, Chen, and Li families. The Su and Cai families moved here from Shaoyang, Hunan, in 1671 (the tenth year of the Kangxi reign) during the 'Huguang fills Sichuan' migration. The Zhang family moved from Qinggang Township in Renshou during the Jiaqing reign, and the Ma family moved from Hunan during the same period, with another branch arriving from Neijiang and Rong County. The Hai family moved from Yinjia Ba in Longchang during the Guangxu reign, the Chen family moved from Xichengge in Yibin during the Guangxu reign, and the Li family moved from Longchang during the Republic of China era.
Luocheng Ancient Town once had four ancient mosques. In 1744 (the ninth year of the Qianlong reign), Su Tianshi, Su Tianming, and Cai Hongshan led a fundraising effort to build the Luocheng North Mosque at Xiajiapo, north of Luocheng. It was the first mosque in the town. In 1807 (the twelfth year of the Jiaqing reign), as the economic situation of the Hui Muslims in Luocheng improved and the North Mosque was relatively far from the town, the mosque was moved to Ganjiyuan on the east side of Luocheng, becoming known as the Luocheng East Mosque. In 1808 (the thirteenth year of the Jiaqing reign), Hui Muslim families living on the south side of Luocheng—the Ma, Su, Zhang, and Luo families—led by Su Hengtai, raised funds together to build the Luocheng South Mosque at Daping in the south of the town.
The current Luocheng Mosque, also called the West Mosque, was actually the last of the four mosques to be built. In 1876 (the second year of the Guangxu reign), Cai Chunfang, Cai Mingde, Hai Fengwan, Cai Yunxiang, Cai Yunlian, Cai Yunchang, Ma Youzhen, Su Minghai, Ma Chaokai, Ma Shenglu, and others funded the construction of the Luocheng West Mosque on the west side of the town entrance. The West Mosque is a small blue-tiled courtyard structure with a three-bay main hall. In 1995, the entrance hall was converted into a two-story building, resulting in its current form.
In modern times, Luocheng produced two famous local imams: Su Dexun and Zhang Xueqing. Su Dexun served as the imam at Luocheng Mosque for 40 years, from 1949 to 1952 and from 1960 to 1997. In 1954, he attended a Sichuan minority delegation to study in various places. He was very open-minded and held in high regard by the Hui Muslims in Luocheng. In his later years, he insisted on serving as the imam at his local mosque until he passed away (gui zhen) in 1997 at the age of 86. Zhang Xueqing served as the imam at Luocheng Mosque from 1941 to 1949, then moved to Kangding Mosque to serve as imam until he passed away (gui zhen) in 1984. He studied Arabic, Persian, and Chinese. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, he founded the Hui Muslim Anti-Japanese National Salvation Association. He was deeply respected by the people in Kangding and made great contributions to maintaining ethnic unity and social stability.
Exquisite wood carvings on the front porch of the main hall.
In the mosque's exhibition hall, you can see various handwritten scriptures: 'Su Yushui and Zhang Shaonan of the South Mosque invited Liang'an Ma Ahong to respectfully copy the entire Heavenly Scripture, bound in the 33rd year of Guangxu' and 'Respectfully invited Diannan Shaoxuan Sa Ahong to copy this in the auspicious mid-spring of the Wuxu year of Guangxu, noted by the owner of Jiuxian Hall.'
The only plaque at Luocheng Mosque with a specific date is the 'Ti Yong Hun Ran' plaque at the South Mosque. It is inscribed: 'In celebration of the completion of the South Mosque, respectfully presented by the fellow believers of Ganziyuan, on a lucky day in the second month of summer, in the year of Xinsi, the seventh year of the Guangxu reign.' There are four other plaques—'Zui Chu Wu Cheng,' 'Wu Sheng Wu Chou,' 'Shi Shou Liang Gui,' and 'You Jiao Wu Lei'—that were likely inscribed during the Qing Dynasty. However, their inscriptions were cut off during a turbulent period, so the specific details are unknown.
The front courtyard of Luocheng Mosque has 58 nanmu trees (zhennan), and the back courtyard has 36 pine trees. They are so lush and green that it feels like being in a forest. In 1969, Luocheng Mosque donated 32 century-old nanmu trees to help build the Chengdu Mao Zedong Thought Exhibition Hall. In 1984, the mosque management committee bought new nanmu saplings from the Forestry Bureau. The Su Zunyao family raised the seedlings, and Zhang Zemin carried water to irrigate them. In 1985, Su Dekui and others replanted them in the mosque, restoring the grounds to a thriving scene full of lush leaves, flowers, birdsong, and butterflies.
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Summary: This Sichuan mosque road trip reaches Luocheng Ancient Town in Leshan, where Luocheng Mosque, local Hui Muslim family histories, and old-town streets show a deeper side of Muslim life in southwest China.
It takes an hour to drive south from Renshou Mosque to reach Luocheng Ancient Town in Qianwei County, Leshan. The ancient town was first built in 1628 (the first year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty) and gradually took its final shape during the Qing Dynasty. It served as a land port and a frontier military hub for Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou.
The town's parking lot is at the West Gate. Once you park and enter the town, you can see Luocheng Mosque (Luocheng Si) on the far west side. The first time I visited, the imam was away, so I had to go back a second time to get inside. Imam Su at Luocheng Mosque is a local Hui Muslim. During the Spring Festival, the mosque is crowded with visitors. Imam Su patiently explains things to everyone, answering questions about the faith and Hui Muslim customs. It is very rare to see someone so dedicated to helping more people understand the faith. According to Imam Su, there were still a few Hui Muslim restaurants in Luocheng Ancient Town a few years ago, but they have all closed down. The mosque now hosts a grand Mawlid (Shengji) celebration every year, which is the best time to taste local Hui Muslim food in Luocheng.
The Hui Muslims in Luocheng are mainly from the Su, Cai, Zhang, Ma, Hai, Chen, and Li families. The Su and Cai families moved here from Shaoyang, Hunan, in 1671 (the tenth year of the Kangxi reign) during the 'Huguang fills Sichuan' migration. The Zhang family moved from Qinggang Township in Renshou during the Jiaqing reign, and the Ma family moved from Hunan during the same period, with another branch arriving from Neijiang and Rong County. The Hai family moved from Yinjia Ba in Longchang during the Guangxu reign, the Chen family moved from Xichengge in Yibin during the Guangxu reign, and the Li family moved from Longchang during the Republic of China era.
Luocheng Ancient Town once had four ancient mosques. In 1744 (the ninth year of the Qianlong reign), Su Tianshi, Su Tianming, and Cai Hongshan led a fundraising effort to build the Luocheng North Mosque at Xiajiapo, north of Luocheng. It was the first mosque in the town. In 1807 (the twelfth year of the Jiaqing reign), as the economic situation of the Hui Muslims in Luocheng improved and the North Mosque was relatively far from the town, the mosque was moved to Ganjiyuan on the east side of Luocheng, becoming known as the Luocheng East Mosque. In 1808 (the thirteenth year of the Jiaqing reign), Hui Muslim families living on the south side of Luocheng—the Ma, Su, Zhang, and Luo families—led by Su Hengtai, raised funds together to build the Luocheng South Mosque at Daping in the south of the town.
The current Luocheng Mosque, also called the West Mosque, was actually the last of the four mosques to be built. In 1876 (the second year of the Guangxu reign), Cai Chunfang, Cai Mingde, Hai Fengwan, Cai Yunxiang, Cai Yunlian, Cai Yunchang, Ma Youzhen, Su Minghai, Ma Chaokai, Ma Shenglu, and others funded the construction of the Luocheng West Mosque on the west side of the town entrance. The West Mosque is a small blue-tiled courtyard structure with a three-bay main hall. In 1995, the entrance hall was converted into a two-story building, resulting in its current form.
In modern times, Luocheng produced two famous local imams: Su Dexun and Zhang Xueqing. Su Dexun served as the imam at Luocheng Mosque for 40 years, from 1949 to 1952 and from 1960 to 1997. In 1954, he attended a Sichuan minority delegation to study in various places. He was very open-minded and held in high regard by the Hui Muslims in Luocheng. In his later years, he insisted on serving as the imam at his local mosque until he passed away (gui zhen) in 1997 at the age of 86. Zhang Xueqing served as the imam at Luocheng Mosque from 1941 to 1949, then moved to Kangding Mosque to serve as imam until he passed away (gui zhen) in 1984. He studied Arabic, Persian, and Chinese. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, he founded the Hui Muslim Anti-Japanese National Salvation Association. He was deeply respected by the people in Kangding and made great contributions to maintaining ethnic unity and social stability.
Exquisite wood carvings on the front porch of the main hall.
In the mosque's exhibition hall, you can see various handwritten scriptures: 'Su Yushui and Zhang Shaonan of the South Mosque invited Liang'an Ma Ahong to respectfully copy the entire Heavenly Scripture, bound in the 33rd year of Guangxu' and 'Respectfully invited Diannan Shaoxuan Sa Ahong to copy this in the auspicious mid-spring of the Wuxu year of Guangxu, noted by the owner of Jiuxian Hall.'
The only plaque at Luocheng Mosque with a specific date is the 'Ti Yong Hun Ran' plaque at the South Mosque. It is inscribed: 'In celebration of the completion of the South Mosque, respectfully presented by the fellow believers of Ganziyuan, on a lucky day in the second month of summer, in the year of Xinsi, the seventh year of the Guangxu reign.' There are four other plaques—'Zui Chu Wu Cheng,' 'Wu Sheng Wu Chou,' 'Shi Shou Liang Gui,' and 'You Jiao Wu Lei'—that were likely inscribed during the Qing Dynasty. However, their inscriptions were cut off during a turbulent period, so the specific details are unknown.
The front courtyard of Luocheng Mosque has 58 nanmu trees (zhennan), and the back courtyard has 36 pine trees. They are so lush and green that it feels like being in a forest. In 1969, Luocheng Mosque donated 32 century-old nanmu trees to help build the Chengdu Mao Zedong Thought Exhibition Hall. In 1984, the mosque management committee bought new nanmu saplings from the Forestry Bureau. The Su Zunyao family raised the seedlings, and Zhang Zemin carried water to irrigate them. In 1985, Su Dekui and others replanted them in the mosque, restoring the grounds to a thriving scene full of lush leaves, flowers, birdsong, and butterflies.
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Best Halal Food in Urumqi During Sha'ban: Hui Muslim Street, Beiliang Mosque and Xinjiang Meals
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Urumqi Sha'ban account begins on February 12, 2026, before Ramadan, and covers family meals, Jumu'ah at Shaanxi Grand Mosque, Beiliang Mosque history, and local Hui Muslim food. It keeps the source's dates, mosque history, dishes, religious gatherings, and photographs.
I flew from Beijing to Urumqi for the Spring Festival holiday on February 12, 2026. With a few days left before Ramadan, I attended some religious gatherings (ermei) and sat for several meals. I am sharing my experiences here.
February 13.
I spent the morning at home reciting prayers (nianye). We had braised beef steak, clear-stewed lamb, and braised fish. The fried dough (youxiang) had been prepared the day before.
At noon, I went to the Shaanxi Grand Mosque in Urumqi for Friday prayers (Jumu'ah). This was the last Friday prayer before Ramadan. It was very crowded, and the main hall was almost full.
The restaurants behind the Shaanxi Grand Mosque are all delicious. I wrote about them in my previous article, '2025 Urumqi Hui Muslim Street Tour'.
I only learned last year that the main hall of Urumqi's first mosque, Beiliang Mosque, still exists. It is now open to the public as the Wenchang Pavilion. After Friday prayers at the Shaanxi Grand Mosque, I took the subway one stop from South Gate to North Gate to visit it.
After the Qing Dynasty built Dihua City in Urumqi in 1758, it promoted policies to station troops and settle immigrants for border defense. Since then, Hui Muslims from the northwest moved there to settle. In 1780, they built Beiliang Mosque on a small hill inside the North Gate of Dihua City, making it the first mosque in Urumqi.
The first imam of Beiliang Mosque was an elder from the Weijiapu area, who belonged to the Salar people from Xunhua. When the elder from Weijiapu was young, he studied at the Jiezi Gongbei and the Grand Mosque in Xunhua. In 1763, he left to seek enlightenment during the Hehuang menhuan conflicts. He traveled through Linxia, Lanzhou, and Wuwei, eventually reaching Hami and Turpan to teach. In 1780, he was officially invited to Beiliang Mosque as its first imam.
In the mid-18th century, Yihewan Gali, a disciple of the Indian Sufi leader Imam Rabbani, entered Aksu to teach the Khufiyya doctrine. Ma Fang, a Qing military officer stationed in Aksu, accepted his teachings. Later, Ma Fang resigned from his post to preach across Xinjiang. He took five students, one of whom was Ma Pei, who went to Urumqi to preach. The elder from Weijiapu became his student. The elder from Weijiapu taught at Beiliang Mosque for nearly 30 years. He taught religious knowledge to ordinary community members and guided Khufiyya followers in their spiritual practice. He balanced the relationships between different groups well and was respected by everyone.
Beiliang Mosque existed for 94 years in total. Its last imam was Ma Zongfu. Ma Zongfu came from Datong, Qinghai. People called him the Datong Elder. When he was young, he taught at various mosques in Qinghai and practiced the Khufiyya path. Later, because he opposed the planting and selling of opium, he was persecuted by local wealthy landowners. In 1850, he led his family through great hardships to Xinjiang and settled at Beiliang Mosque. At that time, the mosque's religious leader, Qitaizhou, was the second-generation disciple of Ma Pei. Imam Ma Zongfu then became his student. In 1852, Ma Zongfu became the imam of Beiliang Mosque and oversaw its renovation in 1861.
In 1876, Zuo Zongtang sent Liu Jintang to lead the Qing army west, where they defeated Yaqub Beg and recaptured Urumqi. After the Qing army entered the city, they occupied Beiliang Mosque. In 1884, Xinjiang Governor Liu Jintang renamed it Wenchang Pavilion. Beiliang Mosque was not used as the Wenchang Pavilion for very long. During the Republic of China era, it was occupied by Kuomintang communication troops. After 1949, it was taken over by the People's Liberation Army communication troops and used as a military factory for a long time. It was not returned to the cultural heritage department for management until 2002.
In 2003, the cultural heritage department renovated the only remaining main hall of Beiliang Mosque. Citing 'site constraints and ease of public access,' they changed the traditional east-west orientation of the Hui Muslim hall to face south. Today, it is open as a place to introduce Taoist Wenchang culture.
Hidden in the storefronts of the Guangyuan residential complex on Zhujiang Road in Urumqi is Li Yingping's Meatball and Vermicelli Soup (wanzifen tang). The owner has been selling meatball soup in the neighborhood for over twenty years and only moved to the Guangyuan complex in the last two years. This area is far from the food streets, so mostly only locals know about it.
Their signature dish is braised beef meatball noodle soup served with a steamed flower roll (huajuan). The beef is stewed until very flavorful and has a great texture, served with tofu, starch noodles, and wood ear mushrooms. I first thought their 'wonton dumplings' were two separate dishes, but I later learned they are dumplings shaped like wontons made by the owner. They have a lamb and onion (piyazi) filling, and you can eat them dry or in soup. The soup dumplings are served in the beef noodle soup, which I think is especially comforting in winter. I also tried their lentil noodle squares (biandou mianqizi). Small flag-shaped dough pieces simmer in the soup, paired with the creamy texture of lentils. It is a winter staple that warms the stomach for people in Xinjiang.
February 14
Urumqi has so many food streets. From the early days of Shanxi Alley and Erdaoqiao to the later Lingguan Alley and Hotan Street, more and more places have become popular spots for food lovers. My biggest discovery on this trip back to Urumqi is that the area from Yingawati Road toward Zhujiang Road is getting busier. The ground-floor shops in the new residential area near the plastic factory are all restaurants newly opened by people from Hotan, each with its own unique style.
We first ate at this 1980s-style pan-fried bun (shuijianbao) shop. Pan-fried buns are a specialty of Ili, but this shop also sells Hotan-style corn naan (baogu nang) and old pigeon soup, making it a mix of northern and southern Xinjiang styles.
We ordered old pigeon soup, goose eggs, corn naan with milk tea, pan-fried buns, yogurt, and dried milk curds (naigeda). The old pigeon was delicious and very fragrant, though the soup was a little salty. The goose egg was large and looked crystal clear. The corn naan with milk tea is an incredible combination. The corn naan is a purely healthy food. The corn dough is filled with walnuts and topped with fried onions. It is a bit hard when dry, but it becomes soft on the outside and crispy on the inside when soaked in milk tea. Their milk tea is also very fresh. Of course, you can find fresh milk everywhere on the streets of Urumqi, so fresh milk tea is a given. They also sell various types of dried milk curds, including sheep milk, cow milk, and yogurt versions, some sour and some milder.
I had only eaten Henan-style pan-fried buns before. The biggest difference with Ili pan-fried buns is the use of a lamb and onion filling, seasoned with cumin and pepper. The dough is made with sourdough starter and fried in a flat pan just like in Henan, but it is served with salty milk tea instead of spicy soup. Ili pan-fried buns taste a bit like a leavened version of a baked bun (kaobaozi). Many people here love them and buy a lot at once.
In the afternoon, while visiting relatives, we passed by the Chaiwopu No. 22 Spicy Chicken on Wuxing South Road. It is a 30-year-old shop, and it was packed with people and very lively. They serve Hui Muslim-style Xinjiang cuisine. A large portion of spicy chicken is a whole bird, and a medium portion is half. It is stir-fried to order, so it takes a while and you have to wait when it is busy, but the taste is better than Yang Le. Adding wide belt noodles (pidai mian) to it is very satisfying. Because the kids couldn't eat spicy food, we also ordered the mixed vegetable soup (dazahuai tang), which has beef meatballs, fried egg strips (jiasha), tofu, and wood ear mushrooms. The portion was large, and it was very warming in the winter. We also ordered stir-fried chestnut squash (banligua). The salty, fragrant, stir-fried squash was soft, waxy, and sweet. It was my first time eating it prepared this way, and it was quite good. The place is always too crowded and the service is just average, but the food is truly excellent. You cannot find this kind of spicy chicken (lazi ji) in Beijing.
In the evening, we went to the cute Xinjiang Silk Road Feast (Silu Yan) at Shengda Plaza near the high-speed railway station. It is great for family gatherings. They have song and dance performances at night, and the menu is a fusion of many different things.
February 15
In the morning, I took Suleiman to the top of Yaomo Mountain in Urumqi. It was his first time climbing a snow-covered mountain. We entered through the southeast gate. The path up to Yunmantai is quite gentle and the shortest route, so both the elderly and children can climb it. We took a dirt path going up and the paved road coming down. The scenery on both sides was different, and we even saw a pheasant on the way down.
Another restaurant on Zhujiang Road, Hotan Flower Black Pilaf (Heizhuafan), is also very unique. It was my first time eating black pilaf in Urumqi. They only sell it at noon. We asked at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and it was sold out both times. We finally got to eat it when we went after 4 p.m.
Black pilaf is made by frying onions (piyazi) until they are completely charred and caramelized, rather than frying them to a light golden color like regular pilaf. They also add whole garlic cloves for flavor. Black pilaf has a richer flavor than white pilaf. I had it before in Tashkent and loved it, so I was happy to eat it again this time. You can actually find black pilaf in Southern Xinjiang, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, but it is rare in Northern Xinjiang. My relatives said an elderly Uzbek man used to sell black pilaf on Zhujiang Road, but we don't know if he is still there.
Their black pilaf comes with lemonade, yogurt, and mung bean jelly (liangfen). The spicy vinegar in the jelly adds a great kick. The waiter will come over and ask if you want more rice.
We also ordered the Hotan-style corn porridge. Hotan corn porridge is called 'umash' in the Uyghur language. To make it, you stir-fry onions in lamb fat, add diced lamb, then pour in lamb broth and bring it to a boil. You also add fresh corn kernels. It is completely different from the clear corn porridge in inland China. It is salty, rich, and full of ingredients, making it very warming in autumn and winter.
There are some new Uyghur restaurants on Zhujiang Road. I want to try this Hotan noodle soup next time.
In the evening, we had a meal at a relative's house, eating meatball soup and slow-cooked beef bone marrow. The homemade meatballs have lots of meat and very little starch; you really can't find this taste in restaurants. The beef bone marrow was stewed until soft and flavorful, so even the elderly could eat it easily. Steamed oil bread (youxiang) is a specialty of Xinjiang Hui Muslims. It is not deep-fried, making it healthier. It is fluffy in layers and carries the unique aroma of vegetable oil and fragrant clover (xiangdouzi).
February 16
In the morning, we attended a meal at the Huashenglou Banquet Hall, located across from the Changsheng Brigade Mosque in the southern suburbs of Urumqi. This land originally belonged to my wife's relatives, but later it was rented to a friend (dost) from Midong to open a restaurant. Whenever the family hosts a banquet, they replace the kitchen staff with relatives to cook and serve their friends and family themselves.
Changsheng is located at the southern foot of Yamalike Mountain. Under the Qing Dynasty's policy of settling soldiers to farm the border and the migration waves during the Republic of China, Hui Muslims from Shaanxi, Ningxia, and Gansu arrived here to clear wasteland and farm, gradually forming a village. After the founding of New China, these Hui Muslim farming households were organized into the Changsheng Brigade, creating a stable Hui Muslim community. Compared to Hui Muslims living scattered in the city, the people here have kept more traditional customs, and their banquets are much larger.
Following the order, nine small plates are served first while waiting for the main dishes, so people can drink tea and chat. The small plates contain things like dried fruits, snacks, and candied fruit. Then the small plates are cleared away and cold dishes are served, such as spiced dried tofu (xianggan), mung bean jelly (liangfen), and cold-tossed beef. Next come the stir-fried and stewed dishes, including clear-stewed lamb, braised beef steak, braised eggplant, pickled cabbage with lamb, fried hairtail fish, oil-seared meat (guoyourou), sauced meat-stuffed egg slices (jiashajiasha), stir-fried chives, and braised meatballs. These are all very traditional and have the true taste of a family banquet. Finally, they serve a sweet plate, also called eight-treasure rice (babaofan), which is very satisfying when drizzled with syrup.
At noon, we had a gathering at Ma Laosan Huixiangge Restaurant in the Sangong area of Urumqi. The restaurant is near the northern edge of the city and specializes in Xinjiang Hui Muslim banquet dishes.
We ate the nine-bowl three-row banquet (jiuwan sanxingzi), which included sauced meat-stuffed egg slices, braised fish chunks, pearl meatballs, braised beef steak, sweet plate, yellow-braised beef, braised meatballs, spicy chicken chunks, and sauced jelly (menzi). The nine-bowl three-row banquet comes in large and small sizes. Ordering a small portion along with a few other dishes is just right. We had light dishes like shrimp with snow peas and wontons, as well as bold-flavored dishes like peppercorn fish and peppercorn chicken. The restaurant also gave us complimentary chive and meat dumplings.
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Summary: This Urumqi Sha'ban account begins on February 12, 2026, before Ramadan, and covers family meals, Jumu'ah at Shaanxi Grand Mosque, Beiliang Mosque history, and local Hui Muslim food. It keeps the source's dates, mosque history, dishes, religious gatherings, and photographs.
I flew from Beijing to Urumqi for the Spring Festival holiday on February 12, 2026. With a few days left before Ramadan, I attended some religious gatherings (ermei) and sat for several meals. I am sharing my experiences here.
February 13.
I spent the morning at home reciting prayers (nianye). We had braised beef steak, clear-stewed lamb, and braised fish. The fried dough (youxiang) had been prepared the day before.
At noon, I went to the Shaanxi Grand Mosque in Urumqi for Friday prayers (Jumu'ah). This was the last Friday prayer before Ramadan. It was very crowded, and the main hall was almost full.
The restaurants behind the Shaanxi Grand Mosque are all delicious. I wrote about them in my previous article, '2025 Urumqi Hui Muslim Street Tour'.
I only learned last year that the main hall of Urumqi's first mosque, Beiliang Mosque, still exists. It is now open to the public as the Wenchang Pavilion. After Friday prayers at the Shaanxi Grand Mosque, I took the subway one stop from South Gate to North Gate to visit it.
After the Qing Dynasty built Dihua City in Urumqi in 1758, it promoted policies to station troops and settle immigrants for border defense. Since then, Hui Muslims from the northwest moved there to settle. In 1780, they built Beiliang Mosque on a small hill inside the North Gate of Dihua City, making it the first mosque in Urumqi.
The first imam of Beiliang Mosque was an elder from the Weijiapu area, who belonged to the Salar people from Xunhua. When the elder from Weijiapu was young, he studied at the Jiezi Gongbei and the Grand Mosque in Xunhua. In 1763, he left to seek enlightenment during the Hehuang menhuan conflicts. He traveled through Linxia, Lanzhou, and Wuwei, eventually reaching Hami and Turpan to teach. In 1780, he was officially invited to Beiliang Mosque as its first imam.
In the mid-18th century, Yihewan Gali, a disciple of the Indian Sufi leader Imam Rabbani, entered Aksu to teach the Khufiyya doctrine. Ma Fang, a Qing military officer stationed in Aksu, accepted his teachings. Later, Ma Fang resigned from his post to preach across Xinjiang. He took five students, one of whom was Ma Pei, who went to Urumqi to preach. The elder from Weijiapu became his student. The elder from Weijiapu taught at Beiliang Mosque for nearly 30 years. He taught religious knowledge to ordinary community members and guided Khufiyya followers in their spiritual practice. He balanced the relationships between different groups well and was respected by everyone.
Beiliang Mosque existed for 94 years in total. Its last imam was Ma Zongfu. Ma Zongfu came from Datong, Qinghai. People called him the Datong Elder. When he was young, he taught at various mosques in Qinghai and practiced the Khufiyya path. Later, because he opposed the planting and selling of opium, he was persecuted by local wealthy landowners. In 1850, he led his family through great hardships to Xinjiang and settled at Beiliang Mosque. At that time, the mosque's religious leader, Qitaizhou, was the second-generation disciple of Ma Pei. Imam Ma Zongfu then became his student. In 1852, Ma Zongfu became the imam of Beiliang Mosque and oversaw its renovation in 1861.
In 1876, Zuo Zongtang sent Liu Jintang to lead the Qing army west, where they defeated Yaqub Beg and recaptured Urumqi. After the Qing army entered the city, they occupied Beiliang Mosque. In 1884, Xinjiang Governor Liu Jintang renamed it Wenchang Pavilion. Beiliang Mosque was not used as the Wenchang Pavilion for very long. During the Republic of China era, it was occupied by Kuomintang communication troops. After 1949, it was taken over by the People's Liberation Army communication troops and used as a military factory for a long time. It was not returned to the cultural heritage department for management until 2002.
In 2003, the cultural heritage department renovated the only remaining main hall of Beiliang Mosque. Citing 'site constraints and ease of public access,' they changed the traditional east-west orientation of the Hui Muslim hall to face south. Today, it is open as a place to introduce Taoist Wenchang culture.
Hidden in the storefronts of the Guangyuan residential complex on Zhujiang Road in Urumqi is Li Yingping's Meatball and Vermicelli Soup (wanzifen tang). The owner has been selling meatball soup in the neighborhood for over twenty years and only moved to the Guangyuan complex in the last two years. This area is far from the food streets, so mostly only locals know about it.
Their signature dish is braised beef meatball noodle soup served with a steamed flower roll (huajuan). The beef is stewed until very flavorful and has a great texture, served with tofu, starch noodles, and wood ear mushrooms. I first thought their 'wonton dumplings' were two separate dishes, but I later learned they are dumplings shaped like wontons made by the owner. They have a lamb and onion (piyazi) filling, and you can eat them dry or in soup. The soup dumplings are served in the beef noodle soup, which I think is especially comforting in winter. I also tried their lentil noodle squares (biandou mianqizi). Small flag-shaped dough pieces simmer in the soup, paired with the creamy texture of lentils. It is a winter staple that warms the stomach for people in Xinjiang.
February 14
Urumqi has so many food streets. From the early days of Shanxi Alley and Erdaoqiao to the later Lingguan Alley and Hotan Street, more and more places have become popular spots for food lovers. My biggest discovery on this trip back to Urumqi is that the area from Yingawati Road toward Zhujiang Road is getting busier. The ground-floor shops in the new residential area near the plastic factory are all restaurants newly opened by people from Hotan, each with its own unique style.
We first ate at this 1980s-style pan-fried bun (shuijianbao) shop. Pan-fried buns are a specialty of Ili, but this shop also sells Hotan-style corn naan (baogu nang) and old pigeon soup, making it a mix of northern and southern Xinjiang styles.
We ordered old pigeon soup, goose eggs, corn naan with milk tea, pan-fried buns, yogurt, and dried milk curds (naigeda). The old pigeon was delicious and very fragrant, though the soup was a little salty. The goose egg was large and looked crystal clear. The corn naan with milk tea is an incredible combination. The corn naan is a purely healthy food. The corn dough is filled with walnuts and topped with fried onions. It is a bit hard when dry, but it becomes soft on the outside and crispy on the inside when soaked in milk tea. Their milk tea is also very fresh. Of course, you can find fresh milk everywhere on the streets of Urumqi, so fresh milk tea is a given. They also sell various types of dried milk curds, including sheep milk, cow milk, and yogurt versions, some sour and some milder.
I had only eaten Henan-style pan-fried buns before. The biggest difference with Ili pan-fried buns is the use of a lamb and onion filling, seasoned with cumin and pepper. The dough is made with sourdough starter and fried in a flat pan just like in Henan, but it is served with salty milk tea instead of spicy soup. Ili pan-fried buns taste a bit like a leavened version of a baked bun (kaobaozi). Many people here love them and buy a lot at once.
In the afternoon, while visiting relatives, we passed by the Chaiwopu No. 22 Spicy Chicken on Wuxing South Road. It is a 30-year-old shop, and it was packed with people and very lively. They serve Hui Muslim-style Xinjiang cuisine. A large portion of spicy chicken is a whole bird, and a medium portion is half. It is stir-fried to order, so it takes a while and you have to wait when it is busy, but the taste is better than Yang Le. Adding wide belt noodles (pidai mian) to it is very satisfying. Because the kids couldn't eat spicy food, we also ordered the mixed vegetable soup (dazahuai tang), which has beef meatballs, fried egg strips (jiasha), tofu, and wood ear mushrooms. The portion was large, and it was very warming in the winter. We also ordered stir-fried chestnut squash (banligua). The salty, fragrant, stir-fried squash was soft, waxy, and sweet. It was my first time eating it prepared this way, and it was quite good. The place is always too crowded and the service is just average, but the food is truly excellent. You cannot find this kind of spicy chicken (lazi ji) in Beijing.
In the evening, we went to the cute Xinjiang Silk Road Feast (Silu Yan) at Shengda Plaza near the high-speed railway station. It is great for family gatherings. They have song and dance performances at night, and the menu is a fusion of many different things.
February 15
In the morning, I took Suleiman to the top of Yaomo Mountain in Urumqi. It was his first time climbing a snow-covered mountain. We entered through the southeast gate. The path up to Yunmantai is quite gentle and the shortest route, so both the elderly and children can climb it. We took a dirt path going up and the paved road coming down. The scenery on both sides was different, and we even saw a pheasant on the way down.
Another restaurant on Zhujiang Road, Hotan Flower Black Pilaf (Heizhuafan), is also very unique. It was my first time eating black pilaf in Urumqi. They only sell it at noon. We asked at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and it was sold out both times. We finally got to eat it when we went after 4 p.m.
Black pilaf is made by frying onions (piyazi) until they are completely charred and caramelized, rather than frying them to a light golden color like regular pilaf. They also add whole garlic cloves for flavor. Black pilaf has a richer flavor than white pilaf. I had it before in Tashkent and loved it, so I was happy to eat it again this time. You can actually find black pilaf in Southern Xinjiang, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, but it is rare in Northern Xinjiang. My relatives said an elderly Uzbek man used to sell black pilaf on Zhujiang Road, but we don't know if he is still there.
Their black pilaf comes with lemonade, yogurt, and mung bean jelly (liangfen). The spicy vinegar in the jelly adds a great kick. The waiter will come over and ask if you want more rice.
We also ordered the Hotan-style corn porridge. Hotan corn porridge is called 'umash' in the Uyghur language. To make it, you stir-fry onions in lamb fat, add diced lamb, then pour in lamb broth and bring it to a boil. You also add fresh corn kernels. It is completely different from the clear corn porridge in inland China. It is salty, rich, and full of ingredients, making it very warming in autumn and winter.
There are some new Uyghur restaurants on Zhujiang Road. I want to try this Hotan noodle soup next time.
In the evening, we had a meal at a relative's house, eating meatball soup and slow-cooked beef bone marrow. The homemade meatballs have lots of meat and very little starch; you really can't find this taste in restaurants. The beef bone marrow was stewed until soft and flavorful, so even the elderly could eat it easily. Steamed oil bread (youxiang) is a specialty of Xinjiang Hui Muslims. It is not deep-fried, making it healthier. It is fluffy in layers and carries the unique aroma of vegetable oil and fragrant clover (xiangdouzi).
February 16
In the morning, we attended a meal at the Huashenglou Banquet Hall, located across from the Changsheng Brigade Mosque in the southern suburbs of Urumqi. This land originally belonged to my wife's relatives, but later it was rented to a friend (dost) from Midong to open a restaurant. Whenever the family hosts a banquet, they replace the kitchen staff with relatives to cook and serve their friends and family themselves.
Changsheng is located at the southern foot of Yamalike Mountain. Under the Qing Dynasty's policy of settling soldiers to farm the border and the migration waves during the Republic of China, Hui Muslims from Shaanxi, Ningxia, and Gansu arrived here to clear wasteland and farm, gradually forming a village. After the founding of New China, these Hui Muslim farming households were organized into the Changsheng Brigade, creating a stable Hui Muslim community. Compared to Hui Muslims living scattered in the city, the people here have kept more traditional customs, and their banquets are much larger.
Following the order, nine small plates are served first while waiting for the main dishes, so people can drink tea and chat. The small plates contain things like dried fruits, snacks, and candied fruit. Then the small plates are cleared away and cold dishes are served, such as spiced dried tofu (xianggan), mung bean jelly (liangfen), and cold-tossed beef. Next come the stir-fried and stewed dishes, including clear-stewed lamb, braised beef steak, braised eggplant, pickled cabbage with lamb, fried hairtail fish, oil-seared meat (guoyourou), sauced meat-stuffed egg slices (jiashajiasha), stir-fried chives, and braised meatballs. These are all very traditional and have the true taste of a family banquet. Finally, they serve a sweet plate, also called eight-treasure rice (babaofan), which is very satisfying when drizzled with syrup.
At noon, we had a gathering at Ma Laosan Huixiangge Restaurant in the Sangong area of Urumqi. The restaurant is near the northern edge of the city and specializes in Xinjiang Hui Muslim banquet dishes.
We ate the nine-bowl three-row banquet (jiuwan sanxingzi), which included sauced meat-stuffed egg slices, braised fish chunks, pearl meatballs, braised beef steak, sweet plate, yellow-braised beef, braised meatballs, spicy chicken chunks, and sauced jelly (menzi). The nine-bowl three-row banquet comes in large and small sizes. Ordering a small portion along with a few other dishes is just right. We had light dishes like shrimp with snow peas and wontons, as well as bold-flavored dishes like peppercorn fish and peppercorn chicken. The restaurant also gave us complimentary chive and meat dumplings.
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Hidden Islamic Art in Shanghai: Persian Sufi Poetry at Museum of Art Pudong
Reposted from the web
Summary: The Museum of Art Pudong in Shanghai displayed 300 Louvre artworks from India, Iran, and the Ottoman Empire from December 13, 2025, to May 6, 2026. This article preserves the source's Persian Sufi poetry translations, object notes, historical context, and photographs.
From December 13, 2025, to May 6, 2026, the Museum of Art Pudong in Shanghai displayed 300 artworks from the 16th to 19th centuries from India, Iran, and the Ottoman Empire, all from the Louvre's collection. Many of these items were purchased by King Louis XIV of France (1638-1715) from the Mughal and Ottoman empires and were once used to decorate royal palaces like the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles.
Many of these pieces feature Persian Sufi poetry, but the exhibition hall provided almost no information about them. Fortunately, the Louvre's official website has translations for these poems. You can visit the site, search using the location 'Shanghai,' and view all the items from this Shanghai exhibition at once.
Here are the items from the Shanghai exhibition that feature Persian poetry:
This jade cup from the Iranian Aq Qoyunlu dynasty (1450-1500), once in the collection of King Louis XIV, is inscribed with two Sufi poems in Arabic and Persian:
Because of the purity of the wine and the delicacy of the cup,
The color of the cup and the wine blend into one.
Everything in the world is like a cup,
As if no wine exists,
Or as if everything is fine wine,
And the cup itself is nowhere to be found.
The horizon is stained with the color of the morning sun,
Shedding the cloak of twilight,
Day and night are reconciled,
And all things in the world return to their proper order.
The imagery of the 'cup and wine' is frequently mentioned in Sufi poetry. Sufi sheikhs often use the cup and wine to represent the concepts of 'blending' and 'oneness' in Sufi thought, using the fusion of the two as a metaphor for spiritual elevation and unity. Therefore, when reading Sufi poetry, you should not interpret the meaning only from the surface.
The Arabic in the poem comes from Sahib ibn Abbad, a grand vizier of the Buyid dynasty in 10th-century Iran. He was a Persian scholar from Isfahan, Iran, who had a deep interest in Arabic culture and created many literary works.
The Persian text comes from the famous 15th-century Persian Sufi sheikh, Mir Shams-ud-Din Araqi. Araqi was from Iran and belonged to the Noorbakshia order. He traveled to Kashmir to preach, which led many local Tibetan-speaking Balti people to embrace the faith, leaving a profound impact on the development of the religion in the Kashmir region. After the 16th century, the Nurbakhshiyya order was gradually assimilated by the Twelver Shia sect in Iran, but it has been passed down to this day in the Kashmir region.
A copper alloy jar from the Mughal or Safavid dynasty, dating between 1585 and 1615, was once used to hold gemstones. Engraved on it is a poem from the 'Divan' by the famous 15th-century Persian Sufi poet Jami:
Your ruby cup is made from the pearls of the soul.
The longing of every person withered by love is hidden within this cup.
Everything that was once hidden behind the veil of the unseen,
Becomes clearly visible in the form of love.
This is the opening of a Sufi ode and a classic text where religious artifact art, Sufism, and Persian poetry become one. The 'withered person' refers to a seeker whose soul is tempered and obsessed with the love of Allah. The 'veil of the unseen' refers to the barrier between the secular world and the divine essence, where the mundane cannot glimpse the ultimate beauty and subtlety of Allah. 'Love' refers to the ultimate devotion to Allah, which is the only path to break through the veil of the unseen.
The cup in the poem is the physical manifestation of the soul's essence, corresponding to the Sufi ontology that 'all existence is a manifestation of Allah'. The divine nature is hidden by the 'veil of the unseen,' and divine love is the only power that can remove this cover. The seeker's devotion is poured into the object, turning the invisible divine subtlety into the visible beauty of the cup's body. The 'longing' hidden in the cup is the original intention of the Sufi practitioner and their yearning for Allah. The object becomes a 'medium' for practice; holding the cup and contemplating it means contemplating the connection between one's own soul and the divine.
A copper alloy candlestick from the Safavid or Mughal dynasty, dating between 1585 and 1600, has two Persian Sufi poems engraved on its upper and middle sections. The upper poem is by the Khorasan poet Mulla Hayrati Tuni (died 1554):
When the soul burns because of the love of an idol,
Love burns me every moment with another flame.
I am just like a butterfly near a candle flame,
If I take one step forward, my wings will be burned away.
I burn in the pain of loving you, and this burning has already witnessed,
The glory of the candle flame burning above me.
'Idol love' in the poem does not refer to worshipping material idols, but is a common rhetorical device in Sufi literature. It uses 'idol' to represent secular love or obsession with non-divine things, contrasting it with pure love for Allah to highlight the intensity and exclusivity of divine love.
The middle poem is from the famous 'Butterfly and Candle' passage in the masterpiece 'Bustan' (The Orchard) by the great Persian poet Saadi (1210-1291).
I remember a dim night.
With eyes closed, I heard a butterfly say to the candle flame,
I am worn out for love.
Burning is also a form of completion.
Why so many tears?
Why exhaust yourself?
The butterfly and the candle flame is a classic metaphor in Persian Sufi poetry. The butterfly represents the soul longing to unite with Allah, and the candle flame represents divine love and the light of Allah. Throwing oneself into the fire to burn one's wings means the soul is willing to dissolve itself in pursuit of divine love. It is a poetic expression of the Sufi state of selflessness.
A copper alloy candlestick from the Safavid or Mughal dynasty, dating between 1550 and 1600. The upper part is inscribed with Persian Sufi verses, also by the Khorasan poet Mulla Hairati Tuni, titled When the soul burns for the love of the idol.
A bronze candlestick from the 16th-century Mughal or Safavid dynasty. The upper part of the candlestick shaft is divided into four panels, each engraved with a Persian Sufi quatrain:
The lamp of the gnostic shines because of your face.
I see you, and the souls of all who know the heart turn toward your face.
My heart looks to you, for you are the ultimate destination of the universe.
May not a single hair on your head perish, for this world relies entirely on you.
In the poem, the gnostic refers to a practitioner in a Sufi order seeking inner enlightenment, and those who know the heart refers to Sufi mystics or those with spiritual awareness. This poem was written during the 15th-century Timurid dynasty, but it was very common on metalware and ceramics during the 16th-century Safavid dynasty.
A tinned copper bowl from the Safavid dynasty, dating from 1585 to 1650. It is engraved with the Persian name Firuz-i Rustam-i Firuz, which belonged to a Safavid court noble. Rustam is taken from the hero in the Persian epic Shahnameh, symbolizing bravery and nobility.
The bowl is engraved with two Persian Sufi quatrains:
This cup is filled with the nectar of the Kawthar spring.
Its outline is just like the lines of a beauty's cheek.
Whoever drinks the sweet dew from this cup,
Will be like Khidr, possessing the breath that gives life.
I travel fast through the desert of your love,
And see two thousand bloodthirsty black men.
They spoke to each other in mysterious, coded language:
Tilt the cup in your hand, but do not spill it!
The Kawsar (Kawsar) is the sacred pond in Paradise mentioned in the scriptures, known as the 'Pool of Abundance.' On the Day of Resurrection, people will rise from thirst, and the noble Prophet will offer the believers refreshing water from the pool.
'Desert' and 'cup' sound similar in Persian, so they are common metaphors in Sufi poetry. They refer to the use of the vessel while expressing a persistent search for divine love.
Khidr (Khidr) is considered by the faith to be an immortal saint, symbolizing life, wisdom, and guidance.
A bronze bath bucket from the Safavid or Mughal dynasty, dating between 1585 and 1615, is inscribed with Persian poetry:
When my moon-faced beauty steps into the bathhouse, I rise
I fill my eyes with water and pour it over her feet
To bathe you, oh, blooming rose
The sun becomes a golden cup, the new moon becomes the handle
Whenever my moon-faced beauty steps into the bathhouse
The water cup is my eye, and the eyebrow is its handle
This is a specialized bucket for a traditional Middle Eastern public bath (hammam), used to carry toiletries or hold water, and was a daily object for the wealthy class at the time. Using parts of everyday objects to describe a lover's appearance is a common rhetorical technique in Persian poetry. Blending the bathing scene with intense longing is a classic expression of the 'lover' (ashiq) theme in religious art.
A bronze bath bucket from the Safavid dynasty dated 1589 is inscribed with the same Persian poem as the previous one, along with the name 'Giyan Big' and the date '998,' which corresponds to the Hijri year 998 or 1589-90 AD.
An underglaze painted ceramic plate from the Safavid dynasty, dating between 1585 and 1615, is inscribed with a Persian quatrain:
May this plate always be full of blessings and delicious food
Long accompanying the table of elegant scholars and good friends
May the delicacies in the plate never run dry
Whoever eats from this plate (will have health and longevity)
This anonymous lyric poem was popular at the time and is commonly found on metal and ceramic wares used by the Safavid court and nobility. After the Safavid dynasty moved its capital to Isfahan in 1587, ceramic art was influenced by Chinese Wanli blue-and-white porcelain, leading to mass production of blue and white glazed wares. Meanwhile, Persian poetic inscriptions became a signature decoration for high-end items, reflecting the Safavid dynasty's appreciation for literature and calligraphy.
A miniature painting from the Bukhara Khanate between 1585 and 1600 shows an Uzbek or Mongol warrior leaning against a large Chinese porcelain vase. Above it is a Persian couplet:
Kissing our wine cup
They lift it to their foreheads
The fate of a wine lover
Is tied to the pattern on the rim of the cup
This is a classic wine and cup image in Sufi literature. In these Persian miniature poems, the wine cup symbolizes a spiritual vessel for union with Allah, and drinking symbolizes spiritual intoxication and soul awakening.
A Mughal dynasty calligraphy album page from 1772-1789 with floral decorations, featuring a Persian lyric poem:
I can no longer ask you for more, nor can I beg you
I can give up all hope for myself, but I can never give up on you
Written by the sinful servant Ali Reza. May Allah forgive him.
Using worldly love to describe absolute devotion to Allah is a classic pattern in classical Persian literature. Giving up the self while being unable to let go of the beloved is the core spirit of Sufi selflessness and devotion.
A portrait of a young man made during the Safavid dynasty in 1560. Persian poetry is written around it:
I long again for the breeze of the garden
My heart yearns for the beauty of the cypress and jasmine
The cypress symbolizes uprightness, immortality, and the integrity of a gentleman; it is an eternal image of nobility in Persian poetry. Jasmine represents fragrance and softness. Together with the cypress, they balance strength and gentleness, creating a perfect blend of nature and humanity in Persian aesthetics. The poem uses the garden scenery to express a longing for beautiful nature and pure states of mind, which is a typical way to express feelings through scenery in religious art.
A Rose and Nightingale book cover from the Qajar dynasty in Iran, 1775-1825. This period in Iran was the founding and consolidation of the Qajar dynasty. Fath-Ali Shah highly valued art, and court workshops gathered top lacquer artists. The center of the image shows irises, hyacinths, carnations, roses, and hazelnuts, surrounded by verses from The Orchard (Bustan) by the great Persian poet Saadi:
A rose without scent or color is a strange thing, and the nightingale would never fall in love with it.
O wise one, I admire its character and soul, not its handsome appearance.
The rose and nightingale theme matches the book cover decoration. Here, the idea that a nightingale still loves a rose without scent or color suggests that love is not based on looks, but on inner character and loyalty. This is a common moral poem in religious book binding, used to explain the values of true love, loyalty, and prioritizing the heart over material things.
The rose and nightingale is also one of the most classic themes in Persian Sufi literature and art, symbolizing the Sufi practitioner's longing for Allah.
A glazed ceramic bowl from the Qajar dynasty of Iran, dated 1808-09.
The center features a lyric poem by the great Persian poet Hafez:
Last night I saw angels busy in the tavern.
They kneaded the essence of human souls and poured it into a wine cup.
Written in the city on the first day of the month following Rabi al-Awwal.
Made by the craftsman Ramazan in the year 1223 of the Hijri calendar.
This is a typical Sufi poem. The tavern symbolizes a spiritual retreat, the essence of human souls (guli adam) represents personified spiritual knowledge, and the wine cup symbolizes a spiritual vessel for communion with Allah.
The first line around the edge contains verses from The Rose Garden (Gulistan) by the great Persian poet Saadi:
One day, I picked up a piece of scented clay dropped by a loved one,
I was intoxicated and obsessed by its fragrance,
So I asked: 'Are you ambergris, or are you musk?'
The clay replied softly:
'I was originally just a piece of common, humble earth,
But because I stayed close to a rose,
I became stained with the noble character of my companion,
Even though my essence remains the same, my spirit has become something different.'
This poem is a classic fable from The Rose Garden. Its core message is that character comes from one's companions, and that one's environment and friends can elevate an ordinary nature. By comparing itself to common earth and using the rose to represent good friends, wise people, and noble souls, it expresses the philosophy that one becomes like those they associate with. This fits the tradition of religious moral literature while using beautiful imagery suitable for ceramic housewares, making it a representative literary decoration for Iranian practical ceramics from the 18th and 19th centuries. Glazed ceramics from 18th and 19th-century Iran often featured famous lines from Persian poets like Saadi, Hafez, and Rumi, serving practical, aesthetic, and literary purposes.
The second line around the edge contains a Persian Sufi proverb:
The fool who gives his soul never leaves the path of the wise.
The nightingale with a heart burned by love never leaves the rose garden.
The true nature of a sincere lover is just like this.
Even if their head falls, they do not break their oath or promise.
The "nightingale with a heart burned by love" is a classic theme in Persian poetry, representing a seeker who sacrifices everything for love. While the oath refers to romantic love, it actually symbolizes loyalty to the path of Allah.
The third line around the edge comes from the narrative poem "Shapur and Shirin" (Maṯnawī-ye Šāpūr va Šhnāz):
One night, a performer sighed to himself in the wilderness.
In these mountains and deserts, where must I wander?
Come, let us spread our wings and fly to the royal city.
To talk and keep company with princes and nobles.
Sometimes acting as a close friend at the king's banquet.
This is a couplet from a classical Persian epic, a long romantic poem. It uses wandering in the wilderness to represent life's confusion and the royal city to represent ideals, power, and spiritual destination, making it perfect for decorating court-style objects.
A glazed ceramic bowl from the Qajar dynasty of Iran, dated 1800–1815.
The bottom of the bowl says:
For all who recite scripture and offer dua for me, I have my own hopes.
Because I am only a lowly servant burdened by sin.
The surrounding area features verses from the book "The Orchard" (Bustan) by the great Persian poet Saadi.
One day, I picked up a piece of scented clay dropped by a loved one,
I was intoxicated and obsessed by its fragrance,
So I asked: 'Are you ambergris, or are you musk?'
The clay replied softly:
'I was originally just a piece of common, humble earth,
But because I stayed close to a rose,
I became stained with the noble character of my companion,
Even though my essence remains the same, my spirit has become something different.'
A glazed ceramic bowl from the Qajar dynasty of Iran, dating to 1820-1821.
The bottom of the bowl says:
For all who recite scripture and offer dua for me, I have my own hopes.
Because I am only a lowly servant burdened by sin.
The inscription along the inner rim of the bowl reads:
Drink up, you gentle and sweet-mannered beauty.
Come drink this water of life from the palm of my hand.
May you drink in joy all your life, and be safe and healthy year after year.
May life be sweeter than rock sugar (bingtang), granulated sugar (shatang), dried fruits, and fragrant herbs.
There is also a fragment of a Shia text: Drink this water, you... fragrant lips, keep Ali and Abbas in your heart, and remember the grace of the king.
Ali was the fourth Caliph of the faith, and Abbas was a martyr of the Battle of Karbala.
The first part is a humble prayer poem at the bottom of the bowl, expressing the user's humility and desire for blessings. The second part is a celebratory poem for banquets on the rim, using the imagery of the water of life to encourage drinking and wish for a long, sweet life. The third part commemorates the Shia sages Ali and Abbas, serving both dining etiquette and devotional purposes. Together, these three parts form a typical inscription pattern for daily ritual vessels of the Qajar period, blending secular banquet culture, religious ethics, and Shia faith, serving as an important example of how classical Persian literature continued on everyday objects.
A glazed ceramic tile from Ottoman Syria, dating to 1570-1620, inscribed with Persian poetry:
Your poetry feast makes the heavens dance at this moment,
The poems of Hafez, with their sweet words and wonderful language, are your songs.
This is the final couplet of a classic lyric poem (ghazal) by the great Persian poet Hafez, and it is also a classical Persian couplet (masnavi).
In this context, the 'poetry feast (majlisat)' refers to a sacred gathering in the Sufi tradition where the divine and human connect. In Sufi literature, this poem means that the beauty and wisdom of Allah are the source of the universe's movement, and poetry is a way to speak about divine beauty. The heavens dance for the poetic feast, not for human entertainment, but because they are called by the beauty of sacred words. Hafiz's poetry turns divine beauty into human language, acting as a bridge between the mortal world and the heavens.
A copper ewer from the Safavid or Mughal dynasty in 1615 is engraved with a Persian classical lyric couplet (mathnawī):
At the feast of the enlightened, servants stand ready to serve.
Beauties from all directions stand holding pure water ewers.
The beloved washes their hands with soul and heart.
As the beauty pours the water, she still holds the ewer in her hand.
In Sufi literature, the "feast of the enlightened" refers to a Sufi gathering, "the beloved" refers to one who loves Allah, "water" refers to Allah's grace, and "washing with soul and heart" means cleansing the soul of worldly distractions and selfish desires, while "beauties" refers to the ways Allah's grace is delivered. Sufi practice emphasizes being clean in body and soul. Washing hands is not just a matter of hygiene; it is a spiritual ritual to wash away the dust of the soul with sacred water and offer sincerity to Allah. The poem turns an everyday object into a spiritual vessel for those seeking the Sufi path.
A 16th-century copper plate from the Safavid dynasty is engraved with three Persian poetic couplets.
The first couplet is from the Orchard (Bustan) by the great Persian poet Saadi:
May you enjoy all you wish for in this world, and may the heavens be your close friend.
May the Lord of Creation protect you forever.
The second couplet is from the work of the Persian poet Daqiqi:
May everything go as you wish.
May the Lord God protect your health.
The third couplet is from the story of Bijan and Manijeh in the Book of Kings (Shahnameh) by the great Persian poet Ferdowsi:
May the high heavens follow your heart's desire.
May the evil eye never be able to harm you.
A copper ewer with a dragon-shaped handle from Herat, Afghanistan, during the Timurid dynasty, dated 1480-1500.
The craftsman's signature on the bottom of the ewer reads: A work by Abd al-Husayn ibn Mubarak Shah.
Four panels on the belly of the ewer are engraved with lyric poetry by the 12th-13th century Persian Sufi poet Qasim al-Anwar.
When the eastern shadow of the eternal dawn appears
The beautiful face of the Beloved emerges from the dust of creation
The jar of eternal wine was clear and without dregs from the start
After entering my heart's cup, it reaches an even purer state
This poem is a typical Sufi literary work, using the morning shadow as a metaphor for the manifestation of Allah, and wine to represent the infusion of divinity into the heart and the purification of the soul.
The four panels on the neck of the pot are carved with another Persian poem, though unfortunately, it can no longer be fully read:
The star of fortune has arrived at your orbit and conjunction
...among the free
...a copper cup
A drinking vessel for those intoxicated by love... a place for drinking
This poem continues the Sufi metaphorical tradition of wine, love, and auspicious signs, sharing the same poetic lineage as the poem on the belly of the pot.
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Summary: The Museum of Art Pudong in Shanghai displayed 300 Louvre artworks from India, Iran, and the Ottoman Empire from December 13, 2025, to May 6, 2026. This article preserves the source's Persian Sufi poetry translations, object notes, historical context, and photographs.
From December 13, 2025, to May 6, 2026, the Museum of Art Pudong in Shanghai displayed 300 artworks from the 16th to 19th centuries from India, Iran, and the Ottoman Empire, all from the Louvre's collection. Many of these items were purchased by King Louis XIV of France (1638-1715) from the Mughal and Ottoman empires and were once used to decorate royal palaces like the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles.
Many of these pieces feature Persian Sufi poetry, but the exhibition hall provided almost no information about them. Fortunately, the Louvre's official website has translations for these poems. You can visit the site, search using the location 'Shanghai,' and view all the items from this Shanghai exhibition at once.
Here are the items from the Shanghai exhibition that feature Persian poetry:
This jade cup from the Iranian Aq Qoyunlu dynasty (1450-1500), once in the collection of King Louis XIV, is inscribed with two Sufi poems in Arabic and Persian:
Because of the purity of the wine and the delicacy of the cup,
The color of the cup and the wine blend into one.
Everything in the world is like a cup,
As if no wine exists,
Or as if everything is fine wine,
And the cup itself is nowhere to be found.
The horizon is stained with the color of the morning sun,
Shedding the cloak of twilight,
Day and night are reconciled,
And all things in the world return to their proper order.
The imagery of the 'cup and wine' is frequently mentioned in Sufi poetry. Sufi sheikhs often use the cup and wine to represent the concepts of 'blending' and 'oneness' in Sufi thought, using the fusion of the two as a metaphor for spiritual elevation and unity. Therefore, when reading Sufi poetry, you should not interpret the meaning only from the surface.
The Arabic in the poem comes from Sahib ibn Abbad, a grand vizier of the Buyid dynasty in 10th-century Iran. He was a Persian scholar from Isfahan, Iran, who had a deep interest in Arabic culture and created many literary works.
The Persian text comes from the famous 15th-century Persian Sufi sheikh, Mir Shams-ud-Din Araqi. Araqi was from Iran and belonged to the Noorbakshia order. He traveled to Kashmir to preach, which led many local Tibetan-speaking Balti people to embrace the faith, leaving a profound impact on the development of the religion in the Kashmir region. After the 16th century, the Nurbakhshiyya order was gradually assimilated by the Twelver Shia sect in Iran, but it has been passed down to this day in the Kashmir region.
A copper alloy jar from the Mughal or Safavid dynasty, dating between 1585 and 1615, was once used to hold gemstones. Engraved on it is a poem from the 'Divan' by the famous 15th-century Persian Sufi poet Jami:
Your ruby cup is made from the pearls of the soul.
The longing of every person withered by love is hidden within this cup.
Everything that was once hidden behind the veil of the unseen,
Becomes clearly visible in the form of love.
This is the opening of a Sufi ode and a classic text where religious artifact art, Sufism, and Persian poetry become one. The 'withered person' refers to a seeker whose soul is tempered and obsessed with the love of Allah. The 'veil of the unseen' refers to the barrier between the secular world and the divine essence, where the mundane cannot glimpse the ultimate beauty and subtlety of Allah. 'Love' refers to the ultimate devotion to Allah, which is the only path to break through the veil of the unseen.
The cup in the poem is the physical manifestation of the soul's essence, corresponding to the Sufi ontology that 'all existence is a manifestation of Allah'. The divine nature is hidden by the 'veil of the unseen,' and divine love is the only power that can remove this cover. The seeker's devotion is poured into the object, turning the invisible divine subtlety into the visible beauty of the cup's body. The 'longing' hidden in the cup is the original intention of the Sufi practitioner and their yearning for Allah. The object becomes a 'medium' for practice; holding the cup and contemplating it means contemplating the connection between one's own soul and the divine.
A copper alloy candlestick from the Safavid or Mughal dynasty, dating between 1585 and 1600, has two Persian Sufi poems engraved on its upper and middle sections. The upper poem is by the Khorasan poet Mulla Hayrati Tuni (died 1554):
When the soul burns because of the love of an idol,
Love burns me every moment with another flame.
I am just like a butterfly near a candle flame,
If I take one step forward, my wings will be burned away.
I burn in the pain of loving you, and this burning has already witnessed,
The glory of the candle flame burning above me.
'Idol love' in the poem does not refer to worshipping material idols, but is a common rhetorical device in Sufi literature. It uses 'idol' to represent secular love or obsession with non-divine things, contrasting it with pure love for Allah to highlight the intensity and exclusivity of divine love.
The middle poem is from the famous 'Butterfly and Candle' passage in the masterpiece 'Bustan' (The Orchard) by the great Persian poet Saadi (1210-1291).
I remember a dim night.
With eyes closed, I heard a butterfly say to the candle flame,
I am worn out for love.
Burning is also a form of completion.
Why so many tears?
Why exhaust yourself?
The butterfly and the candle flame is a classic metaphor in Persian Sufi poetry. The butterfly represents the soul longing to unite with Allah, and the candle flame represents divine love and the light of Allah. Throwing oneself into the fire to burn one's wings means the soul is willing to dissolve itself in pursuit of divine love. It is a poetic expression of the Sufi state of selflessness.
A copper alloy candlestick from the Safavid or Mughal dynasty, dating between 1550 and 1600. The upper part is inscribed with Persian Sufi verses, also by the Khorasan poet Mulla Hairati Tuni, titled When the soul burns for the love of the idol.
A bronze candlestick from the 16th-century Mughal or Safavid dynasty. The upper part of the candlestick shaft is divided into four panels, each engraved with a Persian Sufi quatrain:
The lamp of the gnostic shines because of your face.
I see you, and the souls of all who know the heart turn toward your face.
My heart looks to you, for you are the ultimate destination of the universe.
May not a single hair on your head perish, for this world relies entirely on you.
In the poem, the gnostic refers to a practitioner in a Sufi order seeking inner enlightenment, and those who know the heart refers to Sufi mystics or those with spiritual awareness. This poem was written during the 15th-century Timurid dynasty, but it was very common on metalware and ceramics during the 16th-century Safavid dynasty.
A tinned copper bowl from the Safavid dynasty, dating from 1585 to 1650. It is engraved with the Persian name Firuz-i Rustam-i Firuz, which belonged to a Safavid court noble. Rustam is taken from the hero in the Persian epic Shahnameh, symbolizing bravery and nobility.
The bowl is engraved with two Persian Sufi quatrains:
This cup is filled with the nectar of the Kawthar spring.
Its outline is just like the lines of a beauty's cheek.
Whoever drinks the sweet dew from this cup,
Will be like Khidr, possessing the breath that gives life.
I travel fast through the desert of your love,
And see two thousand bloodthirsty black men.
They spoke to each other in mysterious, coded language:
Tilt the cup in your hand, but do not spill it!
The Kawsar (Kawsar) is the sacred pond in Paradise mentioned in the scriptures, known as the 'Pool of Abundance.' On the Day of Resurrection, people will rise from thirst, and the noble Prophet will offer the believers refreshing water from the pool.
'Desert' and 'cup' sound similar in Persian, so they are common metaphors in Sufi poetry. They refer to the use of the vessel while expressing a persistent search for divine love.
Khidr (Khidr) is considered by the faith to be an immortal saint, symbolizing life, wisdom, and guidance.
A bronze bath bucket from the Safavid or Mughal dynasty, dating between 1585 and 1615, is inscribed with Persian poetry:
When my moon-faced beauty steps into the bathhouse, I rise
I fill my eyes with water and pour it over her feet
To bathe you, oh, blooming rose
The sun becomes a golden cup, the new moon becomes the handle
Whenever my moon-faced beauty steps into the bathhouse
The water cup is my eye, and the eyebrow is its handle
This is a specialized bucket for a traditional Middle Eastern public bath (hammam), used to carry toiletries or hold water, and was a daily object for the wealthy class at the time. Using parts of everyday objects to describe a lover's appearance is a common rhetorical technique in Persian poetry. Blending the bathing scene with intense longing is a classic expression of the 'lover' (ashiq) theme in religious art.
A bronze bath bucket from the Safavid dynasty dated 1589 is inscribed with the same Persian poem as the previous one, along with the name 'Giyan Big' and the date '998,' which corresponds to the Hijri year 998 or 1589-90 AD.
An underglaze painted ceramic plate from the Safavid dynasty, dating between 1585 and 1615, is inscribed with a Persian quatrain:
May this plate always be full of blessings and delicious food
Long accompanying the table of elegant scholars and good friends
May the delicacies in the plate never run dry
Whoever eats from this plate (will have health and longevity)
This anonymous lyric poem was popular at the time and is commonly found on metal and ceramic wares used by the Safavid court and nobility. After the Safavid dynasty moved its capital to Isfahan in 1587, ceramic art was influenced by Chinese Wanli blue-and-white porcelain, leading to mass production of blue and white glazed wares. Meanwhile, Persian poetic inscriptions became a signature decoration for high-end items, reflecting the Safavid dynasty's appreciation for literature and calligraphy.
A miniature painting from the Bukhara Khanate between 1585 and 1600 shows an Uzbek or Mongol warrior leaning against a large Chinese porcelain vase. Above it is a Persian couplet:
Kissing our wine cup
They lift it to their foreheads
The fate of a wine lover
Is tied to the pattern on the rim of the cup
This is a classic wine and cup image in Sufi literature. In these Persian miniature poems, the wine cup symbolizes a spiritual vessel for union with Allah, and drinking symbolizes spiritual intoxication and soul awakening.
A Mughal dynasty calligraphy album page from 1772-1789 with floral decorations, featuring a Persian lyric poem:
I can no longer ask you for more, nor can I beg you
I can give up all hope for myself, but I can never give up on you
Written by the sinful servant Ali Reza. May Allah forgive him.
Using worldly love to describe absolute devotion to Allah is a classic pattern in classical Persian literature. Giving up the self while being unable to let go of the beloved is the core spirit of Sufi selflessness and devotion.
A portrait of a young man made during the Safavid dynasty in 1560. Persian poetry is written around it:
I long again for the breeze of the garden
My heart yearns for the beauty of the cypress and jasmine
The cypress symbolizes uprightness, immortality, and the integrity of a gentleman; it is an eternal image of nobility in Persian poetry. Jasmine represents fragrance and softness. Together with the cypress, they balance strength and gentleness, creating a perfect blend of nature and humanity in Persian aesthetics. The poem uses the garden scenery to express a longing for beautiful nature and pure states of mind, which is a typical way to express feelings through scenery in religious art.
A Rose and Nightingale book cover from the Qajar dynasty in Iran, 1775-1825. This period in Iran was the founding and consolidation of the Qajar dynasty. Fath-Ali Shah highly valued art, and court workshops gathered top lacquer artists. The center of the image shows irises, hyacinths, carnations, roses, and hazelnuts, surrounded by verses from The Orchard (Bustan) by the great Persian poet Saadi:
A rose without scent or color is a strange thing, and the nightingale would never fall in love with it.
O wise one, I admire its character and soul, not its handsome appearance.
The rose and nightingale theme matches the book cover decoration. Here, the idea that a nightingale still loves a rose without scent or color suggests that love is not based on looks, but on inner character and loyalty. This is a common moral poem in religious book binding, used to explain the values of true love, loyalty, and prioritizing the heart over material things.
The rose and nightingale is also one of the most classic themes in Persian Sufi literature and art, symbolizing the Sufi practitioner's longing for Allah.
A glazed ceramic bowl from the Qajar dynasty of Iran, dated 1808-09.
The center features a lyric poem by the great Persian poet Hafez:
Last night I saw angels busy in the tavern.
They kneaded the essence of human souls and poured it into a wine cup.
Written in the city on the first day of the month following Rabi al-Awwal.
Made by the craftsman Ramazan in the year 1223 of the Hijri calendar.
This is a typical Sufi poem. The tavern symbolizes a spiritual retreat, the essence of human souls (guli adam) represents personified spiritual knowledge, and the wine cup symbolizes a spiritual vessel for communion with Allah.
The first line around the edge contains verses from The Rose Garden (Gulistan) by the great Persian poet Saadi:
One day, I picked up a piece of scented clay dropped by a loved one,
I was intoxicated and obsessed by its fragrance,
So I asked: 'Are you ambergris, or are you musk?'
The clay replied softly:
'I was originally just a piece of common, humble earth,
But because I stayed close to a rose,
I became stained with the noble character of my companion,
Even though my essence remains the same, my spirit has become something different.'
This poem is a classic fable from The Rose Garden. Its core message is that character comes from one's companions, and that one's environment and friends can elevate an ordinary nature. By comparing itself to common earth and using the rose to represent good friends, wise people, and noble souls, it expresses the philosophy that one becomes like those they associate with. This fits the tradition of religious moral literature while using beautiful imagery suitable for ceramic housewares, making it a representative literary decoration for Iranian practical ceramics from the 18th and 19th centuries. Glazed ceramics from 18th and 19th-century Iran often featured famous lines from Persian poets like Saadi, Hafez, and Rumi, serving practical, aesthetic, and literary purposes.
The second line around the edge contains a Persian Sufi proverb:
The fool who gives his soul never leaves the path of the wise.
The nightingale with a heart burned by love never leaves the rose garden.
The true nature of a sincere lover is just like this.
Even if their head falls, they do not break their oath or promise.
The "nightingale with a heart burned by love" is a classic theme in Persian poetry, representing a seeker who sacrifices everything for love. While the oath refers to romantic love, it actually symbolizes loyalty to the path of Allah.
The third line around the edge comes from the narrative poem "Shapur and Shirin" (Maṯnawī-ye Šāpūr va Šhnāz):
One night, a performer sighed to himself in the wilderness.
In these mountains and deserts, where must I wander?
Come, let us spread our wings and fly to the royal city.
To talk and keep company with princes and nobles.
Sometimes acting as a close friend at the king's banquet.
This is a couplet from a classical Persian epic, a long romantic poem. It uses wandering in the wilderness to represent life's confusion and the royal city to represent ideals, power, and spiritual destination, making it perfect for decorating court-style objects.
A glazed ceramic bowl from the Qajar dynasty of Iran, dated 1800–1815.
The bottom of the bowl says:
For all who recite scripture and offer dua for me, I have my own hopes.
Because I am only a lowly servant burdened by sin.
The surrounding area features verses from the book "The Orchard" (Bustan) by the great Persian poet Saadi.
One day, I picked up a piece of scented clay dropped by a loved one,
I was intoxicated and obsessed by its fragrance,
So I asked: 'Are you ambergris, or are you musk?'
The clay replied softly:
'I was originally just a piece of common, humble earth,
But because I stayed close to a rose,
I became stained with the noble character of my companion,
Even though my essence remains the same, my spirit has become something different.'
A glazed ceramic bowl from the Qajar dynasty of Iran, dating to 1820-1821.
The bottom of the bowl says:
For all who recite scripture and offer dua for me, I have my own hopes.
Because I am only a lowly servant burdened by sin.
The inscription along the inner rim of the bowl reads:
Drink up, you gentle and sweet-mannered beauty.
Come drink this water of life from the palm of my hand.
May you drink in joy all your life, and be safe and healthy year after year.
May life be sweeter than rock sugar (bingtang), granulated sugar (shatang), dried fruits, and fragrant herbs.
There is also a fragment of a Shia text: Drink this water, you... fragrant lips, keep Ali and Abbas in your heart, and remember the grace of the king.
Ali was the fourth Caliph of the faith, and Abbas was a martyr of the Battle of Karbala.
The first part is a humble prayer poem at the bottom of the bowl, expressing the user's humility and desire for blessings. The second part is a celebratory poem for banquets on the rim, using the imagery of the water of life to encourage drinking and wish for a long, sweet life. The third part commemorates the Shia sages Ali and Abbas, serving both dining etiquette and devotional purposes. Together, these three parts form a typical inscription pattern for daily ritual vessels of the Qajar period, blending secular banquet culture, religious ethics, and Shia faith, serving as an important example of how classical Persian literature continued on everyday objects.
A glazed ceramic tile from Ottoman Syria, dating to 1570-1620, inscribed with Persian poetry:
Your poetry feast makes the heavens dance at this moment,
The poems of Hafez, with their sweet words and wonderful language, are your songs.
This is the final couplet of a classic lyric poem (ghazal) by the great Persian poet Hafez, and it is also a classical Persian couplet (masnavi).
In this context, the 'poetry feast (majlisat)' refers to a sacred gathering in the Sufi tradition where the divine and human connect. In Sufi literature, this poem means that the beauty and wisdom of Allah are the source of the universe's movement, and poetry is a way to speak about divine beauty. The heavens dance for the poetic feast, not for human entertainment, but because they are called by the beauty of sacred words. Hafiz's poetry turns divine beauty into human language, acting as a bridge between the mortal world and the heavens.
A copper ewer from the Safavid or Mughal dynasty in 1615 is engraved with a Persian classical lyric couplet (mathnawī):
At the feast of the enlightened, servants stand ready to serve.
Beauties from all directions stand holding pure water ewers.
The beloved washes their hands with soul and heart.
As the beauty pours the water, she still holds the ewer in her hand.
In Sufi literature, the "feast of the enlightened" refers to a Sufi gathering, "the beloved" refers to one who loves Allah, "water" refers to Allah's grace, and "washing with soul and heart" means cleansing the soul of worldly distractions and selfish desires, while "beauties" refers to the ways Allah's grace is delivered. Sufi practice emphasizes being clean in body and soul. Washing hands is not just a matter of hygiene; it is a spiritual ritual to wash away the dust of the soul with sacred water and offer sincerity to Allah. The poem turns an everyday object into a spiritual vessel for those seeking the Sufi path.
A 16th-century copper plate from the Safavid dynasty is engraved with three Persian poetic couplets.
The first couplet is from the Orchard (Bustan) by the great Persian poet Saadi:
May you enjoy all you wish for in this world, and may the heavens be your close friend.
May the Lord of Creation protect you forever.
The second couplet is from the work of the Persian poet Daqiqi:
May everything go as you wish.
May the Lord God protect your health.
The third couplet is from the story of Bijan and Manijeh in the Book of Kings (Shahnameh) by the great Persian poet Ferdowsi:
May the high heavens follow your heart's desire.
May the evil eye never be able to harm you.
A copper ewer with a dragon-shaped handle from Herat, Afghanistan, during the Timurid dynasty, dated 1480-1500.
The craftsman's signature on the bottom of the ewer reads: A work by Abd al-Husayn ibn Mubarak Shah.
Four panels on the belly of the ewer are engraved with lyric poetry by the 12th-13th century Persian Sufi poet Qasim al-Anwar.
When the eastern shadow of the eternal dawn appears
The beautiful face of the Beloved emerges from the dust of creation
The jar of eternal wine was clear and without dregs from the start
After entering my heart's cup, it reaches an even purer state
This poem is a typical Sufi literary work, using the morning shadow as a metaphor for the manifestation of Allah, and wine to represent the infusion of divinity into the heart and the purification of the soul.
The four panels on the neck of the pot are carved with another Persian poem, though unfortunately, it can no longer be fully read:
The star of fortune has arrived at your orbit and conjunction
...among the free
...a copper cup
A drinking vessel for those intoxicated by love... a place for drinking
This poem continues the Sufi metaphorical tradition of wine, love, and auspicious signs, sharing the same poetic lineage as the poem on the belly of the pot.
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Hidden Mosques Near Chengdu: Renshou Qinggang Hui Community and Sichuan Beef Broth
Reposted from the web
Summary: Qinggang Township in Renshou County, Meishan City is described as the first Hui Muslim community south of Chengdu. This Spring Festival road-trip note keeps the source's Maqing Ecological Farmhouse meal, Qinggang Hui migration history, Renshou Mosque dates, imam details, and photographs.
On February 17, I flew from Urumqi to Chengdu Tianfu Airport in the morning. I picked up a car at the parking garage and drove for over 40 minutes to reach Qinggang Township in Renshou County, Meishan City. This is the first Hui Muslim community south of Chengdu.
At noon, I ordered a bowl of original broth beef (yuantang niurou) at the Maqing Ecological Farmhouse in the township. It was authentic and tasted great with rice when dipped in chili powder. Parking at their place is very convenient.
The village scenery is very beautiful.
A halal restaurant on Halal Street (Qingzhen Jie).
Qinggang Township was originally called Qinggangya. Most local Hui Muslims moved here from Xiaogan Township in Macheng County, Hubei, during the 'Huguang Fills Sichuan' migration in the Kangxi era. They first settled in Yinjia Dam in Longchang, Sichuan, then moved to Qinggangya in Renshou during the Qianlong era, making a living through farming, animal husbandry, and the food business.
Renshou Mosque was first built in 1803 (the eighth year of the Jiaqing reign). It was rebuilt in 1919 as a wooden-frame courtyard with small grey tiles in the style of southern Sichuan. In recent years, the mosque was rebuilt due to issues like rotting roof beams and pillars, cracked walls, and a leaking roof. When I arrived, the main hall courtyard had already been rebuilt. It still follows the southern Sichuan courtyard layout but is now taller. Inside the main hall, there is beautiful traditional calligraphy written by Imam Ma. Imam Ma is from Xichang, Sichuan, and is just over thirty years old. He gave up a promising career to come here and serve the faith, which is very admirable.
From the eighth year of the Jiaqing reign, the plaque reads 'Ancient Religion of Opening Heaven' (Kaitian Gujiao), presented by Ma XX, a military official of the Chengdu Left Battalion stationed in Renshou. The right side is hard to read, and I welcome everyone to help complete it.
From the 25th year of the Daoguang reign, the plaque reads 'Unique' (Duyi Wuer), presented by Ma Pengcheng, a thousand-man commander of the Zhangying Battalion stationed in Renshou.
From the eighth year of the Republic of China, the plaque reads 'Utmost Stillness and Silence' (Zhijing Wuwen), marking the mosque's reconstruction, erected by nine people of the Cai family from the 'Kai' generation.
From the eighth year of the Republic of China, the plaque reads 'A Different World' (Bie You Yitian), marking the mosque's reconstruction, presented by Han Chinese residents of Qinggang. This inscription is extremely rare.
From the eighth year of the Republic of China, the plaque reads 'Mosque' (Qingzhensi), erected by the mosque committee members.
The mosque houses a Qing Dynasty 'Long Live' stele, which is carved with nine coiled dragons.
There are old Republic-era architectural niches and stone tablets, which I hope will be properly preserved in the future.
There is a Qing Dynasty carved wooden block; one side shows the Holy Image, and the other side contains praises to the Prophet.
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Summary: Qinggang Township in Renshou County, Meishan City is described as the first Hui Muslim community south of Chengdu. This Spring Festival road-trip note keeps the source's Maqing Ecological Farmhouse meal, Qinggang Hui migration history, Renshou Mosque dates, imam details, and photographs.
On February 17, I flew from Urumqi to Chengdu Tianfu Airport in the morning. I picked up a car at the parking garage and drove for over 40 minutes to reach Qinggang Township in Renshou County, Meishan City. This is the first Hui Muslim community south of Chengdu.
At noon, I ordered a bowl of original broth beef (yuantang niurou) at the Maqing Ecological Farmhouse in the township. It was authentic and tasted great with rice when dipped in chili powder. Parking at their place is very convenient.
The village scenery is very beautiful.
A halal restaurant on Halal Street (Qingzhen Jie).
Qinggang Township was originally called Qinggangya. Most local Hui Muslims moved here from Xiaogan Township in Macheng County, Hubei, during the 'Huguang Fills Sichuan' migration in the Kangxi era. They first settled in Yinjia Dam in Longchang, Sichuan, then moved to Qinggangya in Renshou during the Qianlong era, making a living through farming, animal husbandry, and the food business.
Renshou Mosque was first built in 1803 (the eighth year of the Jiaqing reign). It was rebuilt in 1919 as a wooden-frame courtyard with small grey tiles in the style of southern Sichuan. In recent years, the mosque was rebuilt due to issues like rotting roof beams and pillars, cracked walls, and a leaking roof. When I arrived, the main hall courtyard had already been rebuilt. It still follows the southern Sichuan courtyard layout but is now taller. Inside the main hall, there is beautiful traditional calligraphy written by Imam Ma. Imam Ma is from Xichang, Sichuan, and is just over thirty years old. He gave up a promising career to come here and serve the faith, which is very admirable.
From the eighth year of the Jiaqing reign, the plaque reads 'Ancient Religion of Opening Heaven' (Kaitian Gujiao), presented by Ma XX, a military official of the Chengdu Left Battalion stationed in Renshou. The right side is hard to read, and I welcome everyone to help complete it.
From the 25th year of the Daoguang reign, the plaque reads 'Unique' (Duyi Wuer), presented by Ma Pengcheng, a thousand-man commander of the Zhangying Battalion stationed in Renshou.
From the eighth year of the Republic of China, the plaque reads 'Utmost Stillness and Silence' (Zhijing Wuwen), marking the mosque's reconstruction, erected by nine people of the Cai family from the 'Kai' generation.
From the eighth year of the Republic of China, the plaque reads 'A Different World' (Bie You Yitian), marking the mosque's reconstruction, presented by Han Chinese residents of Qinggang. This inscription is extremely rare.
From the eighth year of the Republic of China, the plaque reads 'Mosque' (Qingzhensi), erected by the mosque committee members.
The mosque houses a Qing Dynasty 'Long Live' stele, which is carved with nine coiled dragons.
There are old Republic-era architectural niches and stone tablets, which I hope will be properly preserved in the future.
There is a Qing Dynasty carved wooden block; one side shows the Holy Image, and the other side contains praises to the Prophet.
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Urumqi During Sha'ban, Part Two: Hui Muslim Food and Community Photo Notes
Reposted from the web
Summary: This short second part of the Urumqi Sha'ban travel note is primarily a photo continuation from the local Hui Muslim food and community visit. It preserves the source's image sequence and article structure without adding details that were not present in the Chinese source.
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Summary: This short second part of the Urumqi Sha'ban travel note is primarily a photo continuation from the local Hui Muslim food and community visit. It preserves the source's image sequence and article structure without adding details that were not present in the Chinese source.
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Authentic Damascus Heritage Hotels: Ottoman Mansions, Courtyards and Old City Restaurants
Reposted from the web
Summary: Damascus old city has heritage hotels and restaurants converted from Ottoman mansions, especially in the Christian Quarter east of the Umayyad Mosque. This guide keeps the source's nine hotel and restaurant notes, December 2025 prices, locations, bargaining details, and photographs.
In recent years, I have really enjoyed staying in heritage hotels while traveling. Even if some are a bit pricey or have thin walls, they let you fully experience the local history. Many people in Damascus choose Chinese-run guesthouses because they are cheaper and easier to communicate in. But if you really want to understand this thousand-year-old city, staying in an old Ottoman house inside the ancient city is a much better way to get close to history.
The east and west sides of the old city of Damascus are very different. The west has the busy Ottoman markets, the Umayyad Mosque, and the citadel. The east is the Christian Quarter, filled with churches and hotels or restaurants converted from old Ottoman mansions. I spent my days in Damascus staying in different mansions in the Christian Quarter. It is about a 1-kilometer walk to the Umayyad Mosque, but the road is full of shops, so it does not feel long.
Here are 9 places I stayed at or asked about, with prices from December 2025.
1. My top recommendation is Mamlouka Hotel, which has two locations: Dar Al Mamlouka and Beit al-Mamlouka. They asked for $122 for a single room, but I bargained it down to $110. I think this place offers the best value. The environment is great, it is the closest to the Umayyad Mosque, and it is right next to the market. The courtyard is a bit small. I only stayed at Dar Al Mamlouka this time because Beit al-Mamlouka had no rooms for two days.
2. Dar Al Yasmin Hotel asked for $140 for a single room, and I bargained it down to $125. It is in a small alley behind a church. It is very quiet and quite large inside.
3. Beit Zaman Hotel asked for $150 for a single room, and I bargained it down to $135. It is right on the East Gate street. There are many shops nearby, and many young people come here to take photos.
4. Beit Rumman has a great environment, but unfortunately, it has no Wi-Fi. I did not buy a SIM card, so I would have been disconnected. I missed out on it and did not ask for the price.
5. Beit Al Wali Hotel is the most popular mansion hotel in the old city of Damascus, and it is also the most expensive. When I asked on the first day, they only had a royal suite for $500. On the second day, they asked for $290 for a single room, and they would not go below $200, so I did not stay there.
6. Albal Hotel charges $80 for a single room. It is the cheapest, but the facilities are the worst. The power was weak, and my phone would barely charge.
7. Al Zaytouna Hotel has an average environment. When I went in, some men were watching a ball game, so I did not ask for the price.
8. Beit Zafran Hotel is very close to Beit Al Wali Hotel. It looked nice in photos, but it was full when I went, so I did not ask for the price.
9. Al Shahbandar Palace Hotel has a cafe in its courtyard. I had a coffee there, but I did not stay.
Dar Al Mamlouka is located on the far west side of the Bab Touma Christian Quarter in the old city of Damascus. The main building is a merchant mansion from the 17th-century Ottoman period, but it still has a strong 16th-century Mamluk style. The mansion has an inward-facing layout centered around a courtyard, with high ceilings on one side. The walls are built with alternating black basalt and white limestone bricks in the Mamluk style, and there is a marble fountain in the center of the courtyard.
Dar Al Mamlouka was turned into a hotel in 2005. It is run by the same management as another nearby mansion, Beit al-Mamlouka, but that one is often fully booked. The single room was listed at 122 dollars, but I bargained it down to 110 dollars. The hotel has electricity and Wi-Fi all night. The single room is nice, and a staff member brought me tea right after I checked in. There are orange and lemon trees in the courtyard, which makes it very relaxing.
The Islamic decor at Dar Al Mamlouka includes the Hand of Fatima (Hamsa). Its five fingers represent the five pillars of the faith, and it is named after the Prophet's daughter, Fatima. During the Austro-Turkish War in 1788, the Ottoman Empire carried flags featuring the Hand of Fatima as the Grand Vizier led an army of 80,000 against Austria.
Breakfast at Dar Al Mamlouka is a typical Levantine cold platter served with bread and hot tea. They bring the full set even if you are eating alone. It mainly includes various cheeses, pickled olives, chickpea dip (hummus), jam, fresh cucumber and tomato, fruit juice, olive oil, and sausages. A special item is the pickled eggplant (makdous). These are miniature eggplants stuffed with walnuts, chili, garlic, olive oil, and salt. Syrians usually start pickling them in autumn to eat as an appetizer during winter. The powder on the table is the classic Levantine spice blend (za'atar). It is a mix of Syrian oregano, toasted sesame seeds, dried sumac, and thyme. It has an earthy taste with a hint of citrus and nuttiness, which is very unique.
Dar Al Yasmin Hotel is located in the heart of the Christian Quarter of Bab Touma in the Old City of Damascus. The hotel is tucked away in a small alley, and it feels like a hidden world once you step inside. The hotel is made up of three 18th-century Ottoman mansions—two large and one small. It features a central courtyard, a fountain, a reception area (liwan), hand-painted wooden ceilings, traditional brick and stone structures, and carved doors and windows. The mansion changed hands many times after the 19th century until the Jasmine Hotels group took it over in 2005. They restored and opened it, making it a classic example of revitalizing a traditional Middle Eastern residence.
The single room was listed at 140 dollars, but I bargained it down to 125 dollars. The small alley at the entrance can get flooded when it rains, but overall it is a great value.
For breakfast at Dar Al Yasmin Hotel, the chickpea and sesame paste dip (hummus musabaha) is worth trying. Musabaha means swimming, as if the chickpeas are swimming in the sesame paste.
They also serve flatbread (manakish) in three varieties: with spice blend (za'atar), tomato, or cheese. Manakish originated from the traditional bread of the ancient Phoenicians and was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2023.
Beit Zaman Hotel is in the Christian Quarter of Bab Touma in the Old City of Damascus, right on the ancient Roman street (Via Recta). Their single room was listed at 150 dollars, but I bargained it down to 135 dollars.
The hotel opened in 2008 after five years of connecting and restoring three 17th-century Ottoman mansions. It kept original features like stone carvings, wood carvings, mosaics, and fountains. The wooden Ajami-style ceilings and the traditional courtyard layout are the most impressive parts.
The buffet breakfast at Beit Zaman Hotel includes sausages, cheese, bread, olives, and chickpea dip (hummus). The red dipping sauce is called Muhammara. It is a Syrian appetizer made from walnuts, red bell peppers, pomegranate molasses, and breadcrumbs.
Albal Hotel is near the Bab Touma gate in the Old City of Damascus. It is likely the most convenient for transportation. A single room costs 80 dollars, which is the lowest price, but the power is weak and it is almost impossible to charge a phone. Choose carefully.
Albal Hotel is a converted Ottoman mansion rebuilt after the 1759 Damascus earthquake. It has a courtyard fountain and wood carvings. The breakfast is quite good, and they light a stove in the courtyard during winter.
Al Shahbandar Palace Hotel is on the west side of the Christian Quarter near Bab Touma in the Old City of Damascus, right on the busy Al Qemaryeh market street.
The hotel is inside an Ottoman noble mansion built in the 16th century. The Shahbandar family, a famous modern political family in Damascus, lived here for a long time. The famous nationalist leader Abdul Rahman Shahbandar came from this family. The Shahbandar family renovated the mansion on a large scale in the early 20th century and used it as a place to host guests for a long time. In 2007, it was converted into a historic hotel after adding private bathrooms, air conditioning, and electrical systems, while strictly preserving the facade, courtyard, and historical components.
Today, the mansion's courtyard is open as a cafe. You can drink coffee there, so you do not have to stay at the hotel to experience this Ottoman mansion.
Besides historic hotels, many restaurants and cafes in the Old City of Damascus are also converted from Ottoman mansions. The first place I recommend had just opened when I visited, so you cannot even find it online. It is located on the road after entering the Old City of Damascus from the Bab Touma gate and turning west into Qanayet Al-Hatab street. They only had tea and coffee when I went, but the environment was quite nice. I ordered a cup of sand-brewed coffee. The owner speaks English. He was very enthusiastic and invited me to the second floor to see the old building.
Lady Cafe is on the Al Nawfara pedestrian street outside the east gate of the Umayyad Mosque. It is very lively in the afternoon and evening. I ate a Damascus specialty snack called Toshka pie at the cafe. It is known as a national snack of Syria. Toshka is made by putting spicy sausage (Sujuk) and Kashkawan cheese inside pita bread, then pressing it on an iron griddle on both sides until the cheese melts and the bread is crispy. When you eat it, it is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The bread is charred and fragrant, and the meat and cheese are rich and stretchy.
Beit Jabri is on As Sawwaf street, southeast of the Umayyad Mosque. It is an Ottoman mansion restaurant in the Old City of Damascus that is well worth a visit.
This mansion was built in the early 18th century. The current owner Raad Jabri's grandfather bought the property in the late 19th century, and their family lived there from 1905 to 1973. The house was gradually abandoned after the 1970s and later became a workshop for carpenters and blacksmiths. Raad Jabri restored the place in the 1990s and turned it into a restaurant. He also hosts cultural seminars, poetry readings, and classical music evenings from time to time.
Beit Jabri is a classic three-courtyard Ottoman mansion in Damascus. The arched hall (Iwan) is a typical example of 18th-century Damascus architecture, and the exquisite Ajrum roof was built in the mid-19th century. Influenced by Europe and the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, Damascus architecture generally tended to decorate exterior walls more gorgeously. This is especially obvious on the north wall of Beit Jabri. We can clearly see the transition from 18th-century decorative styles to 19th-century patterns on the north wall, with complex wall paintings layered over traditional stone masonry (Ablaq).
I ordered the iron pot cheesy baked chicken and mushrooms, served with Arabic pita bread and mint tea. The iron pot came straight to the table. The cheese on top was baked to a golden, crispy brown and stretched into long strings. The chicken was tender, and the mushrooms were soaked in the rich, creamy white sauce. It tasted quite good.
Bab Al Hara is located on Al Qaimarryeh pedestrian street, just outside the east gate of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. It is very lively every night. The restaurant is a converted traditional Ottoman mansion built in the late 19th century. It features a central courtyard with a fountain, wrap-around arcades, plaster carvings, and stained glass windows. This place was originally the home of a wealthy merchant. During the French Mandate period (1920–1946), it served as a community gathering spot. Later, it was used as a multi-family residence for a long time before gradually falling into disrepair in the late 20th century. The hit Syrian drama "Bab Al Hara" premiered in 2006, sparking a craze across the Arab world for the folk customs of the Old City of Damascus. The restaurant opened in 2007, starting as a cafe that focused on Syrian breakfast and snacks, then added full meals in 2010.
I had the grilled chicken skewers (Shish Taouk). The chicken was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It was very refreshing paired with garlic yogurt sauce (Tzatziki), along with a corn and cabbage salad and french fries. However, restaurants all over the Old City of Damascus are full of people smoking shisha at night. If you mind the shisha smoke, try to go at noon or in the afternoon.
Finally, I had some sand-boiled coffee at Café Ishq Sharqi in Bab Touma, Damascus. The name translates to "Love of the Orient." There are dozens more restaurants and cafes converted from Ottoman mansions in the Old City of Damascus. I only visited a small portion this time, so there are plenty more for everyone to discover.
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Summary: Damascus old city has heritage hotels and restaurants converted from Ottoman mansions, especially in the Christian Quarter east of the Umayyad Mosque. This guide keeps the source's nine hotel and restaurant notes, December 2025 prices, locations, bargaining details, and photographs.
In recent years, I have really enjoyed staying in heritage hotels while traveling. Even if some are a bit pricey or have thin walls, they let you fully experience the local history. Many people in Damascus choose Chinese-run guesthouses because they are cheaper and easier to communicate in. But if you really want to understand this thousand-year-old city, staying in an old Ottoman house inside the ancient city is a much better way to get close to history.
The east and west sides of the old city of Damascus are very different. The west has the busy Ottoman markets, the Umayyad Mosque, and the citadel. The east is the Christian Quarter, filled with churches and hotels or restaurants converted from old Ottoman mansions. I spent my days in Damascus staying in different mansions in the Christian Quarter. It is about a 1-kilometer walk to the Umayyad Mosque, but the road is full of shops, so it does not feel long.
Here are 9 places I stayed at or asked about, with prices from December 2025.
1. My top recommendation is Mamlouka Hotel, which has two locations: Dar Al Mamlouka and Beit al-Mamlouka. They asked for $122 for a single room, but I bargained it down to $110. I think this place offers the best value. The environment is great, it is the closest to the Umayyad Mosque, and it is right next to the market. The courtyard is a bit small. I only stayed at Dar Al Mamlouka this time because Beit al-Mamlouka had no rooms for two days.
2. Dar Al Yasmin Hotel asked for $140 for a single room, and I bargained it down to $125. It is in a small alley behind a church. It is very quiet and quite large inside.
3. Beit Zaman Hotel asked for $150 for a single room, and I bargained it down to $135. It is right on the East Gate street. There are many shops nearby, and many young people come here to take photos.
4. Beit Rumman has a great environment, but unfortunately, it has no Wi-Fi. I did not buy a SIM card, so I would have been disconnected. I missed out on it and did not ask for the price.
5. Beit Al Wali Hotel is the most popular mansion hotel in the old city of Damascus, and it is also the most expensive. When I asked on the first day, they only had a royal suite for $500. On the second day, they asked for $290 for a single room, and they would not go below $200, so I did not stay there.
6. Albal Hotel charges $80 for a single room. It is the cheapest, but the facilities are the worst. The power was weak, and my phone would barely charge.
7. Al Zaytouna Hotel has an average environment. When I went in, some men were watching a ball game, so I did not ask for the price.
8. Beit Zafran Hotel is very close to Beit Al Wali Hotel. It looked nice in photos, but it was full when I went, so I did not ask for the price.
9. Al Shahbandar Palace Hotel has a cafe in its courtyard. I had a coffee there, but I did not stay.
Dar Al Mamlouka is located on the far west side of the Bab Touma Christian Quarter in the old city of Damascus. The main building is a merchant mansion from the 17th-century Ottoman period, but it still has a strong 16th-century Mamluk style. The mansion has an inward-facing layout centered around a courtyard, with high ceilings on one side. The walls are built with alternating black basalt and white limestone bricks in the Mamluk style, and there is a marble fountain in the center of the courtyard.
Dar Al Mamlouka was turned into a hotel in 2005. It is run by the same management as another nearby mansion, Beit al-Mamlouka, but that one is often fully booked. The single room was listed at 122 dollars, but I bargained it down to 110 dollars. The hotel has electricity and Wi-Fi all night. The single room is nice, and a staff member brought me tea right after I checked in. There are orange and lemon trees in the courtyard, which makes it very relaxing.
The Islamic decor at Dar Al Mamlouka includes the Hand of Fatima (Hamsa). Its five fingers represent the five pillars of the faith, and it is named after the Prophet's daughter, Fatima. During the Austro-Turkish War in 1788, the Ottoman Empire carried flags featuring the Hand of Fatima as the Grand Vizier led an army of 80,000 against Austria.
Breakfast at Dar Al Mamlouka is a typical Levantine cold platter served with bread and hot tea. They bring the full set even if you are eating alone. It mainly includes various cheeses, pickled olives, chickpea dip (hummus), jam, fresh cucumber and tomato, fruit juice, olive oil, and sausages. A special item is the pickled eggplant (makdous). These are miniature eggplants stuffed with walnuts, chili, garlic, olive oil, and salt. Syrians usually start pickling them in autumn to eat as an appetizer during winter. The powder on the table is the classic Levantine spice blend (za'atar). It is a mix of Syrian oregano, toasted sesame seeds, dried sumac, and thyme. It has an earthy taste with a hint of citrus and nuttiness, which is very unique.
Dar Al Yasmin Hotel is located in the heart of the Christian Quarter of Bab Touma in the Old City of Damascus. The hotel is tucked away in a small alley, and it feels like a hidden world once you step inside. The hotel is made up of three 18th-century Ottoman mansions—two large and one small. It features a central courtyard, a fountain, a reception area (liwan), hand-painted wooden ceilings, traditional brick and stone structures, and carved doors and windows. The mansion changed hands many times after the 19th century until the Jasmine Hotels group took it over in 2005. They restored and opened it, making it a classic example of revitalizing a traditional Middle Eastern residence.
The single room was listed at 140 dollars, but I bargained it down to 125 dollars. The small alley at the entrance can get flooded when it rains, but overall it is a great value.
For breakfast at Dar Al Yasmin Hotel, the chickpea and sesame paste dip (hummus musabaha) is worth trying. Musabaha means swimming, as if the chickpeas are swimming in the sesame paste.
They also serve flatbread (manakish) in three varieties: with spice blend (za'atar), tomato, or cheese. Manakish originated from the traditional bread of the ancient Phoenicians and was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2023.
Beit Zaman Hotel is in the Christian Quarter of Bab Touma in the Old City of Damascus, right on the ancient Roman street (Via Recta). Their single room was listed at 150 dollars, but I bargained it down to 135 dollars.
The hotel opened in 2008 after five years of connecting and restoring three 17th-century Ottoman mansions. It kept original features like stone carvings, wood carvings, mosaics, and fountains. The wooden Ajami-style ceilings and the traditional courtyard layout are the most impressive parts.
The buffet breakfast at Beit Zaman Hotel includes sausages, cheese, bread, olives, and chickpea dip (hummus). The red dipping sauce is called Muhammara. It is a Syrian appetizer made from walnuts, red bell peppers, pomegranate molasses, and breadcrumbs.
Albal Hotel is near the Bab Touma gate in the Old City of Damascus. It is likely the most convenient for transportation. A single room costs 80 dollars, which is the lowest price, but the power is weak and it is almost impossible to charge a phone. Choose carefully.
Albal Hotel is a converted Ottoman mansion rebuilt after the 1759 Damascus earthquake. It has a courtyard fountain and wood carvings. The breakfast is quite good, and they light a stove in the courtyard during winter.
Al Shahbandar Palace Hotel is on the west side of the Christian Quarter near Bab Touma in the Old City of Damascus, right on the busy Al Qemaryeh market street.
The hotel is inside an Ottoman noble mansion built in the 16th century. The Shahbandar family, a famous modern political family in Damascus, lived here for a long time. The famous nationalist leader Abdul Rahman Shahbandar came from this family. The Shahbandar family renovated the mansion on a large scale in the early 20th century and used it as a place to host guests for a long time. In 2007, it was converted into a historic hotel after adding private bathrooms, air conditioning, and electrical systems, while strictly preserving the facade, courtyard, and historical components.
Today, the mansion's courtyard is open as a cafe. You can drink coffee there, so you do not have to stay at the hotel to experience this Ottoman mansion.
Besides historic hotels, many restaurants and cafes in the Old City of Damascus are also converted from Ottoman mansions. The first place I recommend had just opened when I visited, so you cannot even find it online. It is located on the road after entering the Old City of Damascus from the Bab Touma gate and turning west into Qanayet Al-Hatab street. They only had tea and coffee when I went, but the environment was quite nice. I ordered a cup of sand-brewed coffee. The owner speaks English. He was very enthusiastic and invited me to the second floor to see the old building.
Lady Cafe is on the Al Nawfara pedestrian street outside the east gate of the Umayyad Mosque. It is very lively in the afternoon and evening. I ate a Damascus specialty snack called Toshka pie at the cafe. It is known as a national snack of Syria. Toshka is made by putting spicy sausage (Sujuk) and Kashkawan cheese inside pita bread, then pressing it on an iron griddle on both sides until the cheese melts and the bread is crispy. When you eat it, it is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The bread is charred and fragrant, and the meat and cheese are rich and stretchy.
Beit Jabri is on As Sawwaf street, southeast of the Umayyad Mosque. It is an Ottoman mansion restaurant in the Old City of Damascus that is well worth a visit.
This mansion was built in the early 18th century. The current owner Raad Jabri's grandfather bought the property in the late 19th century, and their family lived there from 1905 to 1973. The house was gradually abandoned after the 1970s and later became a workshop for carpenters and blacksmiths. Raad Jabri restored the place in the 1990s and turned it into a restaurant. He also hosts cultural seminars, poetry readings, and classical music evenings from time to time.
Beit Jabri is a classic three-courtyard Ottoman mansion in Damascus. The arched hall (Iwan) is a typical example of 18th-century Damascus architecture, and the exquisite Ajrum roof was built in the mid-19th century. Influenced by Europe and the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, Damascus architecture generally tended to decorate exterior walls more gorgeously. This is especially obvious on the north wall of Beit Jabri. We can clearly see the transition from 18th-century decorative styles to 19th-century patterns on the north wall, with complex wall paintings layered over traditional stone masonry (Ablaq).
I ordered the iron pot cheesy baked chicken and mushrooms, served with Arabic pita bread and mint tea. The iron pot came straight to the table. The cheese on top was baked to a golden, crispy brown and stretched into long strings. The chicken was tender, and the mushrooms were soaked in the rich, creamy white sauce. It tasted quite good.
Bab Al Hara is located on Al Qaimarryeh pedestrian street, just outside the east gate of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. It is very lively every night. The restaurant is a converted traditional Ottoman mansion built in the late 19th century. It features a central courtyard with a fountain, wrap-around arcades, plaster carvings, and stained glass windows. This place was originally the home of a wealthy merchant. During the French Mandate period (1920–1946), it served as a community gathering spot. Later, it was used as a multi-family residence for a long time before gradually falling into disrepair in the late 20th century. The hit Syrian drama "Bab Al Hara" premiered in 2006, sparking a craze across the Arab world for the folk customs of the Old City of Damascus. The restaurant opened in 2007, starting as a cafe that focused on Syrian breakfast and snacks, then added full meals in 2010.
I had the grilled chicken skewers (Shish Taouk). The chicken was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It was very refreshing paired with garlic yogurt sauce (Tzatziki), along with a corn and cabbage salad and french fries. However, restaurants all over the Old City of Damascus are full of people smoking shisha at night. If you mind the shisha smoke, try to go at noon or in the afternoon.
Finally, I had some sand-boiled coffee at Café Ishq Sharqi in Bab Touma, Damascus. The name translates to "Love of the Orient." There are dozens more restaurants and cafes converted from Ottoman mansions in the Old City of Damascus. I only visited a small portion this time, so there are plenty more for everyone to discover.
Collapse Read »
