Reposted from the web

Summary: This Dali halal food guide continues through Eryuan, Yangbi, and Weishan, covering ancient mosques, Bai and Hui Muslim villages, Dai-style barbecue, copper pot beef, Weishan Ancient City, and Yunnan Muslim food culture.

Dali Halal Food Map is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: The Yousuo Street Mosque in Eryuan County finished rebuilding in 2012. This mosque is less than three kilometers from Shipang Village. The account keeps its focus on Dali Mosques, Chinese Muslims, Muslim Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.











Yousuo Mosque



The Yousuo Street Mosque in Eryuan County finished rebuilding in 2012. This mosque is less than three kilometers from Shipang Village.







Jiming Village Mosque



Jiming Village is also a village of Bai and Hui Muslims. The mosque was first built in 1894, and the new mosque was just completed in 2023.



Jiming Mosque is bigger and more beautiful than Shipang Mosque.



















Xiajie Ancient Mosque in Yangbi



Xiajie Mosque was built during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. There are now three mosques in Yangbi County. This mosque was once turned into a Confucian mosque, a factory, and a school. It was not returned to its function as a mosque until 1994. Its architectural style has Bai ethnic features, and it is now a cultural relic protection unit of Dali Prefecture.





The calligraphy for 'Promoting Religion and Building the Nation' was written by Bai Chongxi. Of course, it was not originally written for this mosque, and his name has now been erased.





















Xiajie Hui Muslim Restaurant and Dai-style Barbecue



A halal restaurant next to Xiajie Mosque that serves local stir-fried dishes.



You pick the Dai-style barbecue yourself and pay after eating. The skewers are quite large.







I tried oil-splashed beef skin (youqiang niupi) for the first time. It tasted strange and was a bit spicy. I think fried beef skin is easier to enjoy.



I ordered the Dai-style pounded fish (chong yu). I expected a whole fish, but this is what arrived. It was very spicy, and you eat it wrapped in lettuce leaves.



Dai-style barbecue tastes pretty good. It is no wonder it is so popular in Yunnan.



There are no large halal restaurants in Yangbi County, just small snack shops. This seems to be the only place that serves stir-fried dishes.

Xiaoweigeng Mosque in Weishan County.

Xiaoweigeng Mosque was first built between the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. It is the first mosque you pass on the way from Dali to Weishan. Mosques in Weishan are clustered together; except for the one in the Weishan Ancient City, the others are all less than three kilometers apart.

















Huihuideng Mosque.



During the Yuan Dynasty, Huihuideng Mosque was called Huihuidun. It was first built in the third year of the reign of Mongke Khan (1253). It is also called Huihui Mosque, sharing the same name as the Huihui Mosque in Sanya.









The main prayer hall at Huihuideng is the largest one in the Dali region.







Donglianhua Mosque.



Donglianhua Mosque was built at the end of the Qing Dynasty and covers a building area of 3,000 square meters.



Donglianhua Village is a village for Hui Muslims. They are developing it into a special folk tourism village, and there is a food street here.

















This is a residential house in Donglianhua Village.

Yanqichang Mosque



The Qing government confiscated Yanqichang Mosque during the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty. It was rebuilt on a new site during the Guangxu reign. In the Ming Dynasty, this area was a garrison for the Eight Banners, and since the banner leader was named Yan, it became known as Yanqichang.









Hadith slogans on the wall.

Daweigeng Mosque



Daweigeng Mosque was first built in the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty. It is the largest mosque in this area and the one locals recommended I visit most.



My deepest impression from visiting mosques in Yunnan is that no one ever asks why I am there. I can just push open the door to the main prayer hall. Unlike in some other regions where you must state your identity and gatekeepers always ask your purpose, you will not find any guards at mosques in Yunnan.

















Mamingchang Mi Family Mosque



Mamingchang has a Mi family mosque, first built in the 50th year of the Kangxi reign (1711). There is also a Ma family mosque. These are the only two mosques left in Weishan after the failure of the Du Wenxiu uprising. Both are built on mountains, and the roads are hard to find.











Mamingchang Ma Family Mosque (Yongjian Ancient Mosque)



The Ma family mosque was first built in the Yuan Dynasty. Because there are more Hui Muslims with the surname Ma in Mamingchang than those with the surname Mi, the Ma family mosque is larger than the Mi family mosque, though the Mi family mosque is more exquisite. I met the director of the Mi family mosque management committee while asking for directions, and he brought me to the Ma family mosque.









The imam of the Ma family mosque took me to the top floor. From there, you can see a panoramic view of Weishan. The basketball court below is inside the Ma family mosque. There is also a scripture school here, which currently only enrolls local students.



Weiyi Yongjian fire-pot beef (huopiao niurou)



For dinner, we had a local Dali specialty called copper pot beef (huopiao niurou).



This place is run by locals and has been open for over ten years, so almost all the customers are local people.







Copper pot beef (huopiao niurou) is beef or beef offal cooked in a copper pot with your choice of side dishes, and you can choose a clear broth.



The fried rice with dried beef (niu ganba chaofan) is also delicious. The food here is so good that we finished the whole pot.

Weishan Ancient City



Most Hui Muslims in Weishan live in the villages below, so there are not many living inside the ancient city, which is why there is only one mosque there.





Weishan City Mosque



There used to be four mosques in Weishan City. The exact founding date of this remaining one is unknown, but it was rebuilt in 1992.



























I bought some grilled rice cakes (shao erkua) for breakfast at a snack shop near the mosque entrance.







While walking through the ancient city, I noticed that the local Han Chinese homes also use the term "guizhen" (returning to the truth). Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Egypt Muslim travel guide continues with ancient Egyptian history, the Egyptian Museum, Luxor, Nile-side dining, halal-friendly restaurant notes, local scams, travel traps, and reflections on Muslim life in Egypt.

A Guide to Avoiding Travel Traps in Egypt is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: If you are not interested in Egyptian history, you will just be a casual tourist here. However, seeing the high level of ancient Egyptian civilization is an experience unmatched anywhere else in the world. The account keeps its focus on Quanzhou Muslims, Hui Muslims, Islamic History while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.



If you are not interested in Egyptian history, you will just be a casual tourist here. However, seeing the high level of ancient Egyptian civilization is an experience unmatched anywhere else in the world.



Some say ancient Egyptians and modern Egyptians are not the same race, but that is not a fact. Ancient Egyptians did not disappear. Through thousands of years of cultural exchange, they were assimilated, and modern Egyptians carry the genes of the ancient Egyptians.



Although Egyptians are nominally divided into Arabs, Copts, or Nubians, their bloodlines are actually very similar. They all speak Arabic and have intermarried and assimilated so much that there is no such thing as a pure-blooded, independent ethnic group.

For example, the number of Copts in Egypt is decreasing every year because they are blending into the Arab population. When a Coptic Christian converts to Islam, by the third generation, they identify themselves as Arab.



In the 7th century, Copts helped the Arabs conquer the Eastern Roman Empire. Because Copts were Miaphysites, the Eastern Roman Empire viewed them as heretics. Under Arab rule, the Copts actually lived better. Some say many Copts converted to Islam to pay fewer taxes, but there were not many tax benefits for converting, so there was no large-scale conversion of Copts in the early days.



During the Fatimid Caliphate, because the rulers were Shia, they were even harsher toward Sunni Muslims than toward Coptic Christians. Copts and Jews were protected and thrived during this period. Even during the Ayyubid and Mamluk dynasties, Copts remained under protection. The Mamluks were former slaves who became rulers, so they empathized with the Copts.



By the mid-14th century, whenever there were large-scale riots, many Copts converted to protect themselves. According to Egyptian law at the time, a Muslim's property could not be inherited by a non-Muslim. This led the descendants of converts to choose Islam to keep their property. It was from this period that Copts became a minority in Egypt.



Later, Muslim citizens accused the converted Copts of not being true converts because they did not go to the mosque for namaz on time. So, even though Muslims are the majority in Egypt today, the country is not completely Islamized.



The second floor of the Egyptian Museum has a Tutankhamun gallery. There is a funny story here: a travel blogger on Douyin posted a video saying they received the highest honor in Egypt and were allowed to film inside the gallery, which is usually off-limits for photography. I was stopped by a staff member when I tried to take photos with my phone and had to delete them under his supervision. The photo below was taken from outside the museum using my phone's telephoto lens.



However, after I handed 200 Egyptian pounds (about 40 RMB) to the staff member, I was allowed to take photos. That is how I got this picture of Tutankhamun's golden mask.



Tutankhamun's golden mask is said to be the most valuable artifact in the world and is priceless. But in Egypt, as long as you have a tip, everything is negotiable. That includes the blogger who claimed they filmed the pyramids while the site was cleared. I checked the time of their video, and it was after sunset, which is after the pyramids close. Paying money to get in and film is definitely not the highest honor.

After getting this photo to prove the Douyin blogger was bluffing, I lost interest in seeing the rest of the exhibits. In the evening, we went to the local Star City Mall to eat Thai food.





It is rare to find a prayer room in public places in Egypt, unlike in the UAE or Saudi Arabia where you see them everywhere. This mall actually has a prayer room, which is worth noting.

SABAI Thai Food



This Thai restaurant is quite popular locally and attracts many Chinese diners. The owner seems to have a misunderstanding of East and Southeast Asia, mixing in Chinese and Japanese elements. Perhaps to Arabs, we all look the same, just as we might struggle to tell the difference between Egyptians, Moroccans, Tunisians, Saudis, Qataris, Emiratis, Lebanese, Yemenis, Syrians, Jordanians, Bahrainis, Libyans, and Algerians.



You do not see halal signs in restaurants in Egypt, so you can just walk in anywhere. However, you should be careful with Chinese food and ask clearly. This shop marks its menu as halal because many Arabs assume Chinese food is not halal, and some restaurants also sell alcohol.



The chef at this Thai place is Black, but the food is quite authentic. Sour and spicy Thai dishes are very appetizing in the hot Middle East. The portions are small, but the price is cheap, costing about 100 RMB per person.





Tom Yum Goong soup



MORISUSHI Japanese food



I had a Japanese meal at a shopping center in New Cairo. After traveling in the Middle East for over ten days and eating Arabic food almost every day, it was nice to change things up.



There is a halal sign on the soy sauce bottle, which is a new thing to see in an Arab country.







Patchi chocolate shop



This is a Lebanese chocolate brand, said to be the royal family's choice for desserts. It is sold very cheaply in Egypt, at about 300 RMB per kilogram.



Arabs love sweets, and there are many overweight people on the streets, which is really unhealthy. Eating too many sweets is also bad for children's brain development, so we should take this as a warning.



Le Passage Cairo Hotel



We ate at the hotel restaurant most of the time. If you are just using Cairo as a transit stop and want to stay near the airport, I recommend this place. It is an 800-meter walk to the terminal, and the hotel also provides a free shuttle service.



At this hotel's buffet, you have to ask the staff to get the food for you, which feels a bit less free.







We had steak and pasta at the hotel's Italian restaurant, and both were delicious. Friends, you can really choose a nice hotel for a vacation. If you do not want to go out, you can just stay by the hotel pool and soak up the sun, away from the noise outside.





Four Seasons Hotel



The Four Seasons in Cairo has newer facilities than the Ramses Hilton, but the buffet has fewer options.



The hotel buffet costs less than 200 yuan, and drinks are charged separately.









Outside the window is a view of the Nile. In Cairo, the most expensive rooms are the ones with a river view.

Luxor

Luxor is an ancient city in southern Egypt that was once the center of power in Egypt, similar to Xi'an in China. It only takes 50 minutes to fly from Cairo to Luxor. At the airport, the check-in staff ripped me off. He said I did not buy a child ticket for Fahim. I showed him my Trip.com order, but he still said he could not find the child ticket information. Since it was close to departure time, we paid him 1,000 Egyptian pounds (about 200 yuan) on the spot for the child ticket. Later, I contacted Trip.com and learned that my child ticket was used normally. This means the airport staff scammed me out of the price of a ticket, which is a very bad thing to do. I have asked Trip.com to investigate this with Cairo Airport, but I have not received an effective reply yet. Because it was a cash payment, unless they pull the surveillance footage from that time to prove the airport took my money, I have to swallow this loss.

Sonesta St. George Hotel Luxor



The climate in Luxor is much more comfortable than in Cairo. Cairo has serious pollution and is not suitable for long stays, but Luxor has fewer people and the pace of the whole city is much slower. You cannot use Uber in Luxor. You have to hail a taxi on the street. Always agree on the price before you get in and have plenty of small change ready. If you don't, the driver will keep whatever you give him and call it a tip.



Look at who has stayed at this hotel before. They play Chinese songs in the restaurant and have Chinese signs in the elevators, which feels very welcoming.



For our first meal, we chose the hotel's Italian restaurant again. It has a clean, tidy European style, and the view of the Nile outside the window is stunning.





For breakfast, they serve honey straight from the honeycomb. It is natural and healthy.







Famous sites in Luxor include the Valley of the Kings, Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple, the Colossi of Memnon, the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, and various pharaoh tombs. These are very attractive to archaeology fans, but for most tourists, it is just about taking photos. We booked a private one-day tour for two on Trip.com for 1,000 yuan per person. It included tickets, lunch, and a tour guide. The whole experience was pretty good.



Colossi of Memnon

The statues represent the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Both statues are of him. They are 18 meters tall and were built in 1350 BC, making them over 3,000 years old.





After a short stop at the statues, we went to the Valley of the Kings to see the tombs of Pharaoh Ramesses VI and Tutankhamun.















The murals in the tomb of Ramesses VI still have the same colors they had 3,000 years ago.





Tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun









Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut



The temple complex housing the pharaohs of past dynasties, along with the entire city of Luxor, was listed as a World Cultural Heritage site in 1979. This place was once used as a Christian monastery, and the reliefs unrelated to Christianity were removed.















Karnak Temple



The temple was built in 2000 BC, making it over four thousand years old, and it covers an area larger than half of Manhattan.



Visiting the temple during the day is a test of physical strength because the sun is so strong. When Fahim walked up to this ram-headed sphinx, he took a liking to the pebbles on the ground and refused to move. I stayed with him to play with the stones. During this time, Fahim was surrounded by Egyptian girls who took photos with him and kissed him.



The Egyptian tour guide said he could watch the child for me so I could go inside to look around, but I said forget it. I would rather stay and play with stones with Fahim. I am actually not interested in these temples. After seeing them, I just think they were built impressively and are very spectacular, and that is all.















Luxor Temple



The last stop was Luxor Mosque, which is also a landmark of Luxor with over three thousand years of history. However, what attracted me here was the gongbei built on top of the mosque. At the entrance, the guide asked if I wanted to visit the mosque or the mosque. I said the mosque. He looked surprised and confirmed it with me again. I was a bit tired by then, so I told him I would skip the mosque and just see the mosque before heading back.

Abu Haggag Mosque and Gongbei





This gongbei can be considered the only one in the world built on top of the world's oldest mosque, and it is the only mosque in the world built on mosque ruins.



This mosque dates back to the Fatimid dynasty and was built on the ruins of a church inside the mosque. It was completed around 1286 and contains the tomb of the Sufi mystic Yusuf Abu Haggag. Haggag was a scholar born in Baghdad in the 13th century. According to local legend, he captured Luxor from the Roman Queen Tarza.



Luxor Mosque was converted into a church by the Copts in 395 AD and then into a mosque in 640 AD. Therefore, it can be said that this is the oldest religious building in the world still in use, with a history spanning over three thousand four hundred years.



Inside the gongbei, there are some believers visiting the graves, with more women than men.









The mosque suffered a fire in 2007. When it was rebuilt, stones from the mosque were used, and you can see pharaonic hieroglyphs on the carvings of this pillar.







Looking out from the mosque railing, you can see the Luxor Mosque. The once arrogant pharaohs compared themselves to gods, but they never imagined that three thousand years later, their mosque would become a tourist attraction for people to glance at in passing.



Al Iman Mosque



This is the closest mosque to my hotel. Fewer than 10 people attend the adhan (banda). In Arab countries, people go back to sleep after the adhan, and almost no shops are open on the street. Only a few small shops selling flatbread (da bing) are open, so it is best to eat breakfast at the hotel, or you will have nothing to eat outside.









As a convenient fast food in the Arab region, shawarma (sharama) is as popular as our meat burger (roujiamo); it is economical, affordable, and delicious.



El-KABABGY RESTAURANT



This shop is the number one ranked restaurant in Luxor on the TripAdvisor app, and after eating there, I feel it truly deserves this ranking. This shop is only 1 kilometer away from our hotel on foot.



The outdoor part of the restaurant is right on the Nile pier. In December, the temperature in Luxor is only 20 degrees, which is very cool.



The grilled meat at this shop is extremely fragrant and clearly better than other restaurants we have eaten at. The per capita consumption is only about one hundred yuan. In China, at an Arab restaurant of the same level, two people would spend at least four or five hundred.



Tagine pot (tajiguo)





The drink I had most often in the Arab region was lemon mint juice. Its sour taste is great for opening up your appetite and quenching your thirst.



What is annoying about Luxor is that the streets are full of carriage drivers looking for customers. They really chase you and shout non-stop. One day, I wanted to take Fahim out for a walk, but I got so annoyed by the carriage drivers trying to get business that I just went back to the hotel and stayed inside.



The hotel has a garden, a view of the Nile, and a swimming pool. Staying inside and enjoying the sunshine is the most relaxing thing to do.



Some people say that Egypt without Egyptians would be a better Egypt. While this is an exaggeration, it reflects an abnormal social phenomenon in Egypt today. Everyone is driven by profit, corruption is rampant, and there are scammers and thieves everywhere. In the old Islamic streets of Cairo, I could not even feel the light of faith. For the first time, I stopped my plan to visit a mosque because I did not have money in my pocket for a tip. All of this is happening in Egypt, which has a thousand-year history of Islamic civilization. This seems to confirm a master's thesis from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London titled 'The Process of Islamization in Egypt, Possible Reasons and the Scope of Influence until the 14th Century.' The author, M. Wassermann, believes that Egypt is still not fully Islamized today. A considerable number of people, for various reasons, are only Muslims in name, because Islam considers that as long as one formally becomes a believer by verbal confession, they are treated as a Muslim.



This phenomenon of two-faced people everywhere makes Egypt like a powder keg that could explode at any time. You have to go through security checks and show identification to enter malls, hotels, and airports. Soldiers with guns are patrolling the streets everywhere. The old city of Cairo is just like a refugee camp, with groups of homeless people sleeping on the ground. Behind them are the ruins of demolished houses. Coptic people mainly make a living by picking up trash. The gap between rich and poor is huge. The poor see no hope and have no illusions about the future. An explosion is only a matter of time. So, if you want to come to Egypt, do it sooner rather than later. If you don't go now, you might not be able to go in the future. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Dali halal food guide closes the Weishan section with halal sign notes, Hui Muslim village context, remaining food-map leads, and the onward road trip toward Jianshui in Yunnan.

Dali Halal Food Map is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: The halal signs in Weishan County look just like the ones in Ningxia. The account keeps its focus on Dali Mosques, Chinese Muslims, Muslim Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.





The halal signs in Weishan County look just like the ones in Ningxia.



Our halal trip to Dali has come to an end for now. Even though this was my second visit, there are still many halal spots I haven't seen, so I will definitely come back again. After leaving Dali, we headed south toward our next stop, Jianshui. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Chengdu halal food guide maps authentic Hui Muslim Sichuan food, including Couscous, Huangchengba Beef, Dujiangyan mosque food streets, Maogong Mosque, Tangjia Mosque, braised snacks, and local Chengdu Muslim community life.

A Map of Halal Food in Chengdu is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Ten of my travel posts were deleted recently, likely due to title violations. I am reposting them now after making edits. The account keeps its focus on Halal Travel, Yiwu Food, Muslim Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

Ten of my travel posts were deleted recently, likely due to title violations. I am reposting them now after making edits.

I have visited Chengdu many times. My last article about halal restaurants in Chengdu was written in 2016, so it is outdated and needs an update. This time, I drove to Chengdu with my wife and children and found many more halal restaurants with a much wider variety of flavors. When I first came here, I visited Dujiangyan, one of the areas where Hui Muslims live. This time, I am adding Mimou Town, another place where Hui Muslims live in Sichuan.

Couscous (Gusigusi)



Couscous (Gusigusi) is a newly opened halal restaurant chain in Chengdu. They have two locations, and neither sells alcohol. They specialize in signature dishes from countries along the Silk Road, featuring classic food from Xinjiang to Morocco, including Central Asia, West Asia, and North Africa.



We chose the Joy City location for our first stop, making it the first restaurant we visited on our Chengdu trip.



I was very impressed with this restaurant. They actually have a children's play area, which I rarely see in halal restaurants. My son Fahim has a hard time sitting still while adults eat, so having a play area allowed us to enjoy our meal in peace.





We had Mediterranean salad with Xinjiang kvass (gewasi), plus my son's favorite tomato pasta.





The Moroccan seafood tagine (tajiguo) and desert roasted chicken leg were golden in color and the meat was tender.



Pita bread (koudaibing) and Moroccan eggplant stew with chickpeas are North African specialty snacks.





The address is on the third floor of Chengdu Joy City. The other location is on the 5th floor of Building A, Merchants Magic Cube in the High-tech Zone.

Huangchengba Beef



The Huangchengba Beef place I ate at is a stir-fry restaurant, not the Huangchengba hot pot place. The last character in the two shop names is written differently.



This shop has been open in Chengdu for over twenty years. It is a very authentic small Sichuan restaurant. They only serve beef dishes. The portions are small, but the taste is great. We arrived right when they opened at 11:00 a.m., as I heard there is a line by the evening.



Their sliced beef in chili sauce (fuqi feipian), steamed beef with rice flour (fenzheng niurou), stewed beef brisket with radish (luobo dun niunan), mapo tofu (mapo doufu), and twice-cooked beef (huiguo niurou) are all very authentic. This is the Sichuan flavor I love, and it made me eat several bowls of rice.



Sichuan food is mainly numbing. The spice level is fine, not as hot as the food we had later in Yunnan and Guizhou.



I have always hoped Beijing could have an authentic halal Sichuan stir-fry restaurant, but unfortunately, Hui Muslims from Chengdu rarely move away to start businesses.



The people eating here are mostly local residents from the neighborhood. There is basically no service, and you have to do everything yourself. That is just the vibe of a small street-side shop.





The address is at the Xiaojiahe Street intersection.

Desert Tour Dubai Restaurant



This is an Arabic restaurant that has been open in Chengdu for over ten years. The owner is Chinese, and one of the partners is Arab.



The restaurant space is quite large, and the decor has a distinct Middle Eastern style. The owner is very welcoming and the service is attentive.



We have eaten a lot of Arabic food, and I can confirm this place is very authentic. The owner is also very confident, saying they have stuck to their standards for over ten years to make good Arabic food.



I learned they opened a high-end Dubai restaurant on the eighth floor of Yintai in99. The average cost is around 200 yuan, so I might visit that one next time.



This Kehua branch is not expensive, costing about 100 yuan per person.









The address is on the third floor of the commercial building on Kehua Middle Road. Take the elevator up.

Hongpai Niu Chengdu Old Hot Pot



This Chengdu hot pot restaurant is run by people from Linxia. When we arrived at noon, the entrance was under renovation, and we were the only table in the shop.



The food came out quickly and the ingredients were fresh. We chose the mild spicy split pot (yuanyang guo), and it really wasn't too spicy.



The overall experience was just okay. It still has a gap compared to the Niububi I have eaten before.









The address is 3 Qidaoyan Street, and there are parking spaces at the entrance.

Tianfanglou Restaurant



I took these photos before 2016, and it has been renovated since then. The long-established Tianfanglou is the largest halal restaurant in Chengdu. It is very popular and requires waiting in line. Here, I tasted authentic Sichuan food like brown sugar rice cakes (hongtang ciba), beef brisket with bamboo shoots (zhusun niunan), steamed beef with rice flour (fenzheng niurou), roasted lamb chops (kao yangpai), baby cabbage with minced garlic (suanrong wawacai), kung pao chicken (gongbao jiding), and twice-cooked pork (huiguorou).



If you are coming to Chengdu for the first time, you should still try Tianfanglou. People say they have opened a tea restaurant next door.







Address: Next to the Huangcheng Mosque at Tianfu Square.

Halal Niububi Hot Pot



Niububi is currently the most popular halal hot pot in Chengdu. In the past, you had to wait in line for two hours. Now they have opened four or five chain stores, with the main store in Tangjiasi, so the waiting time has shortened. You can use your phone to book a number. Fortunately, Niububi does not cancel your spot if you miss your number. I already found the mild spicy pot very spicy, but it is delicious. The signature beef is a must-order.







Address: No. 59 Xiangnongshi Street, Jinniu District (Xunchi Building, Yingmenkou).

Yibenniu Halal Beef Hot Pot.



It used to be called Benbenniu, but they changed the name to Yibenniu, probably to avoid confusion with Niubenben. Make sure you go to the right place. Their hot pot is not as spicy as Niububi. The signature beef and goose intestines are delicious, and the environment is better. Remember to try the brown sugar sticky rice cake (hongtang ciba). If you go at noon, you do not have to wait in line.









Address: 15 meters northeast of the restaurant 'Those Years We Ate Skewers Together' at No. 171 Tongxin Road, Qingyang District.

Shunji Marinated Meats.



This shop has been around since 2016 and is still next to the Tuqiao Mosque. There are many snack shops in this area. I saw everyone lining up at Shunji, so I joined in. The chili oil rabbit cubes (hongyou tuding) and marinated duck are very popular. The shop owner will chop them up and mix them with Lao Gan Ma chili sauce, which is appetizing and satisfying.



Rabbits are not ruminants, but the Hadith clearly records them as animals that are permissible to eat. According to Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), we passed by Marr al-Zahran and found a rabbit that got scared and ran away. People rushed to catch it until they were tired, then I caught it and brought it to Abu Talha. He sent two rabbit legs to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and the Prophet accepted them. (Bukhari, Tirmidhi)



There is no such rule in Islam about only eating ruminants. Even today, many people wrongly believe that Hui Muslims can only eat ruminants. This idea about ruminants comes from the Old Testament of Judaism. What are the non-halal foods mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah? Mentioned.



Gulou Mosque.



Chengdu Gulou Mosque was first built in 1375 during the eighth year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty. It was destroyed at the end of the Ming Dynasty and restored during the Kangxi and Yongzheng reigns of the Qing Dynasty. It was rebuilt twice in October 1742 and 1794 during the Qianlong reign. The prayer hall is the only ancient building preserved in the mosque. It is the most complete and exquisitely constructed of the more than ten existing mosque prayer halls in the Chengdu area. The mosque is currently under renovation.















Address: 115 Gulou South Street, Qingyang District.

Upper Mosque (Tuqiao Mosque).



The Upper Mosque in Chengdu's Jinniu District, also called Tuqiao Mosque, was built during the Qianlong reign. When Tianfu Square was expanded, the Imperial City Mosque had to move. Some people stopped going there and started praying at Tuqiao Mosque instead. There are many Sichuan-style halal snack shops around Tuqiao Mosque.















Address: 26 Tuqiao North Street, Chengdu.

Imperial City Mosque.



Chengdu's Imperial City Mosque sits in the busiest part of the city. It features a blend of Chinese and Arabic architectural styles. The decorations only show plants and Arabic script, with no traditional Chinese roof beasts. Covering over 5,000 square meters, it is the largest mosque in Southwest China. The prayer hall has two floors, and the women's section is separated from the men's by a curtain. The mosque is open to the public for visits.

















Address: 2 Xiaohe Street, Qingyang District.

South Street, Guankou Town, Dujiangyan.



You can reach Dujiangyan in a half-hour drive from downtown Chengdu. On South Street in Guankou Town, there is an old Ming Dynasty mosque. Sichuan-style halal snacks line both sides of the street, including wontons (chaoshou), rice noodles (mifen), pastries (gaodian), hot pot (huoguo), spicy boiled dishes (maocai), and sticky rice balls (san da pao). This street brings together all kinds of Sichuan halal snacks. Dujiangyan has beautiful scenery and fewer crowds, making it perfect for a stroll.



















Address: South Street, Guankou Town, Dujiangyan Scenic Area.

Baoping Mosque (Maogong Mosque).



One morning, while walking in the light rain in the old town of Dujiangyan, I found a mosque called Maogong Mosque, also known as Baoping Mosque. It is located in the middle of Baoping Lane, outside the old West Street city wall. It was built in 1922 by Hui Muslims who moved to Guan County from Maogong County (now Xiaojin County). The existing buildings mainly include the main gate, the side rooms on the left and right, and the prayer hall.















Address: No. 20 Baoping Lane, Dujiangyan City.

Dujiangyan Ancient Mosque.



Dujiangyan Ancient Mosque was built in the Ming Dynasty. It is located inside the Dujiangyan Scenic Area and is free to visit. You can find many authentic Sichuan halal foods nearby.















Address: No. 49 South Street, Dujiangyan City.

Mimou Town (Tangjia Mosque).



Tangjia Mosque is a Hui Muslim community in the Qingbaijiang District of Chengdu. It is named after the Tangjia Mosque built there. This place has always been a hub for halal beef and mutton. It took us an hour of driving to get here.



I had a bowl of goose soup noodles at this noodle shop. The noodles were quite chewy, and the goose soup was very flavorful.











More than half of the shops on this street are halal. They mainly sell braised snacks, but there are also traditional pastries and Sichuan restaurants.







I bought some braised goose and braised rabbit at Muji. I feel safe eating their food because I ran into the owner while I was at the mosque for namaz.









According to netizens, the origin of the shop name Yugougou is that the current owner's father started making braised dishes in the 1980s. His nose was a bit high and hooked, so everyone called him Yugougou. Later, his children used Yugougou as the name of the shop.



Mimou Mosque (Tangjia Mosque)



Most of the Hui Muslims who settled here in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties built Tangjia Mosque first, and Mimou Town was established later. Mimou is said to be a transliteration of the Arabic letter 'م'. They also built Luojia Mosque, Hujia Mosque, and Majia Mosque nearby, making a total of four mosques. Only Tangjia Mosque remains today, and it is a protected cultural site in Chengdu.



The Hui Muslim community in Sichuan is much stronger than many people imagine. They have a high number of people going on Hajj every year, and People say over forty people went last year. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Chengdu halal food guide closes the local map with Qingbaijiang address notes, Hui Muslim community context, Pengzhou travel plans, and practical leads for future Muslim food exploration around Chengdu.

Chengdu Halal Food Map is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Address: No. 1 Xinxing Street, Qingbaijiang District, Chengdu. The account keeps its focus on Halal Travel, Yiwu Food, Muslim Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.



































Address: No. 1 Xinxing Street, Qingbaijiang District, Chengdu.

Pengzhou City is a one-hour drive from Chengdu and also has many Hui Muslims. I will visit it when I have the chance. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Egypt Muslim travel guide starts in Cairo after Umrah, covering airport arrival, ride-hailing, hotels, Al-Azhar Mosque, Imam Hussein Mosque, Saladin Citadel, Ibn Tulun Mosque, the pyramids, and real trap-avoidance tips.

A Guide to Avoiding Travel Traps in Egypt is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: I was disappointed by Mecca and Medina because they felt just like any other popular tourist spot. The account keeps its focus on Quanzhou Muslims, Hui Muslims, Islamic History while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

I was disappointed by Mecca and Medina because they felt just like any other popular tourist spot. Don't have high expectations for the people you meet in the two holy cities either. We originally planned to stay there for a few more days, but we changed our plans last minute and decided to head to Egypt for a week. I never expected the trip to Egypt to be the worst experience I've ever had in any country. Compared to Egypt, Saudi Arabia seems much more civilized. I hope this guide helps you avoid some pitfalls, but people never seem to learn. If you insist on going, I'm sure you will run into traps that I didn't even encounter.



The flight from Jeddah to Cairo is only two hours on Nile Air. A little Arab girl on the plane kept staring at Fahim. By the time we were about to land, they couldn't help themselves, so they sat together, kissing and hugging.

The girl sitting next to me was Saudi, as I saw her holding a Saudi passport. She wasn't wearing a headscarf in the waiting area. Once on the plane, she asked me how to fasten her seatbelt, and when we landed, she asked me to help her unbuckle it. It was clear this was her first time flying, and she kept taking photos from the moment she got on the plane.



Chinese passport holders can get a visa on arrival in Egypt. When you enter, just go to the bank at the entrance and pay 25 USD per person by card for the visa. Customs will stick it in your passport, and you can enter. No other documents are needed.



When you leave the airport, many drivers will try to solicit you; just ignore them. There are also people who will offer to help with your luggage. Don't let them help, even if they show you something that looks like a work ID. Still ignore them, because these services all require tips. If you don't know how to say no, you will end up spending money.



Sisi campaign poster.

I used Uber to call a car to the hotel. In Egypt, try to use Uber or the local ride-hailing app called Careem. Most Uber drivers speak English, making it easier to communicate. If you don't use a ride-hailing app, you will most likely be overcharged and the driver won't give you change.



We chose to stay at the Ramses Hilton by the Nile. The hotel is across from the old Egyptian Museum and near the Nile. This area is where many high-end hotels in Egypt are clustered, so the environment is a bit better.



December is the Christmas holiday season, so the whole city is full of Christmas vibes. This is normal in Cairo, as there are many Coptic Christians here.



I didn't want to go out at night, so I ordered a meal to the room. Every dish was extremely salty. Since I was feeding it to Fahim, and that much salt isn't good for a child, I called to complain to the restaurant. A while later, they sent someone to remake the meal, and the second time it tasted a bit better.



I was surprised that the bathroom at the Cairo Hilton didn't have a bidet sprayer, even though you could still find a Qibla direction indicator in the room.



Breakfast starts at 6:30 a.m., while it is still dark outside.











After a traditional Arabic breakfast, I planned to go to Al-Azhar for Jumu'ah prayer. I asked the hotel staff about the time for today's Jumu'ah, and they said around 11:40.



You can see this kind of bread sold everywhere on the streets of Old Cairo. It is like the steamed bun (mantou) in northern China and costs two mao (0.20 RMB) each. Fahim really likes eating it.



Al-Azhar Mosque



Al-Azhar Mosque was built in 972 AD. It is also the second oldest university in the world. The oldest is the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco, which was built in 859 AD.



Al-Azhar was once considered the highest institution of Sunni learning. After it was nationalized in 1952, negative opinions about the university have grown.



Al-Azhar is located in Old Cairo. When I reached the entrance, I saw several rows of security guards. Everyone entering the mosque had to go through a security check, which felt familiar to me.



I took a photo in the square, but a guard told me not to take pictures. After walking into the main hall, I saw several staff members walking back and forth, constantly reminding people not to take photos. This made the atmosphere feel strange.



The imam started by reciting the Quran. The tone was strange, like the old style I have heard back home: read a sentence, take a breath, wait a moment, then read another sentence, all very choppy. Very few people came for Jumu'ah prayer. Less than a quarter of the main hall was filled, making me wonder if I had gone to the wrong place.



After the prayer, I asked someone and learned that today was the first day Al-Azhar had reopened. The mosque had been closed because of the presidential election, so Al-Azhar has changed.

Imam Hussein Gongbei



Across from Al-Azhar is the Imam Hussein gongbei (Al-Hussein Mosque), built in 1154 AD. People say the head of the Prophet's grandson, Hussein, is buried here, though some Shia Muslims believe his head and body are both at the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, Iraq.



In 985 AD, the 15th Fatimid Caliph, Mansur, learned in Baghdad that Hussein's head had been buried at the Shrine of the Head of Hussein in Palestine for 250 years. It was not until 1154 AD that the 21st Fatimid Caliph, Qasim, had it transported to Cairo and built the mosque. The current building was rebuilt in 1874. Influenced by the Westernization of Cairo at the time, it was constructed in a mix of Gothic and Ottoman styles and fitted with sunshades like those at the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.



Imam Hussein passed away in 680 AD, dying in battle in Karbala, Iraq, during the war against Muawiyah. The Fatimid dynasty and Sunni Muslims believe Hussein's head was moved to Cairo in 1153. Starting from the time of Saladin, the mosque became Sunni, and to this day, its call to prayer and namaz rituals follow the Sunni tradition.



The tomb chamber is built behind the mihrab of the main hall, where you can see many people commemorating Hussein in various ways.





Inside the gongbei building is a room built in 1893. It is said to house relics of the Prophet, including a linen cloak he once wore, four strands of his hair, the staff he used when entering Mecca, a sword gifted to him by a companion, and a 501-page Quran written on deerskin in Kufic script by Ali ibn Abi Talib.







At the ticket office of the Saladin Citadel, I waited with Fahim to buy tickets. An Egyptian girl came over and asked if she could take a photo of Fahim. I said yes, and suddenly a group of schoolgirls surrounded us, taking turns snapping photos of him.

The girl asked for Fahim's name. I said, "Fahim," and they were surprised, "Fahim?" Are you Muslims? I said, "Praise be to Allah," and the girl screamed, cupped Fahim's cheeks, and kissed him.



We saw the same scene again at other spots later. Fahim is even more popular in the Middle East than in China.

Saladin Citadel



You need a ticket to enter the citadel. Most tourist spots in Egypt only take cards, not cash.

The Cairo Saladin Citadel was originally a fortress built by Saladin between 1176 and 1183 to defend against the Crusades. It served as the seat of the Egyptian government until 1874, when Ismail Pasha, the successor of Muhammad Ali, moved to a palace in the new city center of Cairo.



Records show there are four mosques inside the citadel: the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, the Mosque of Al-Nasir Muhammad, the Mosque of Suleiman Pasha, and the Azab Mosque.

Mosque of Al-Nasir Muhammad



Built in 1318, it stands on the site of an early Saladin dynasty main mosque. The mosque's columns came from buildings of the Pharaoh era, and this gate is a classic sign of the Mamluk period. Although the mosque structure is intact, most of its gorgeous marble decorations were removed and shipped to Istanbul after the Ottoman Sultan Selim I conquered Egypt.











Mosque of Muhammad Ali



Inside the Saladin Citadel stands the Mosque of Muhammad Ali. Built in 1848 in an Ottoman style, it commemorates Tusun Pasha, the eldest son of Muhammad Ali, who died in 1816.



Some say the building materials for the mosque were taken from the pyramids at Giza. Inside, there is a clock tower gifted to Muhammad Ali by the French King Louis Philippe around 1840, which corresponds to the Luxor Obelisk in the Place de la Concorde in Paris.



The tomb of Muhammad Ali is inside the mosque. He was the de facto ruler of Egypt from 1805 to 1848. Once a commander for the Ottoman Empire in Albania, he is considered the founder of modern Egypt. Although he may have been Albanian or Turkish, his dynasty lasted until 1952.



People sell shoe covers at the entrance of the Ali Mosque. It is a trap, so just ignore them. Carry your shoes in your hands and walk right in. You do not need to spend money on shoe covers.



There is a carpeted area in the main hall where you can perform namaz, but very few people actually show up for prayer times in Egypt.









Ibn Tulun Mosque



Built in 876, the Ibn Tulun Mosque is the oldest mosque in Egypt and all of Africa. It is also the largest mosque in the old city of Cairo.

The designer of this mosque was an Orthodox Christian named Saiid Ibn Kateb Al-Farghany.

This mosque is an open tourist site with no entry fee. However, they charge a tip for storing your shoes. I gave them 50 Egyptian pounds, but they said it was not enough and asked for another 50 pounds. The total was about 20 Chinese yuan.



This spiral minaret is believed to have been built in 1296.



The arched windows let in plenty of light.





Neither the left nor the right mihrab mentions Ali, which shows they were built during the early Fatimid Caliphate, a Shia dynasty.



The mihrab designed by Al-Afdal to commemorate Mustansir.

Mustansir was a caliph of the Fatimid dynasty. The original mihrab is kept at the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo, and this one is a replica. It is inscribed with the Shia Shahada: There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and Ali is the wali of Allah.



A mihrab from the pre-Fatimid period, with a star hanging on the emblem.



Parts of the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me were filmed here. It also appears in the game Serious Sam 3 and in Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, where Lara fights a minotaur in the mosque.









Al Fattah Al Aleem Mosque



Because Old Cairo became hopelessly dirty and messy, the Egyptian government had to plan a new Cairo in the desert. This mosque was built in the new city. It covers 8,600 square meters and became the largest mosque in Africa after it was finished in 2019.



New Cairo is an hour's drive from the old city. The roads in the new city are wide, the streets are clean, and the tallest building in Africa is currently being built here.



The main hall of the mosque was originally closed, but our driver, who is Egyptian, talked to the mosque staff and got them to open it for us. We prayed namaz together in the mosque, and he led the prayer. After the prayer, I offered the staff a tip, but he actually refused it. He is the only person I have met in Egypt who did not take a tip.















Sulayman Agha al-Silahdar Mosque



This mosque was built in 1839 in the Ottoman style. The carvings inside copy architecture from the European Renaissance.



The mosque is located on a busy street in the old city. It stands in sharp contrast to the bustling crowds outside, as the inside is very quiet and only a few people come for prayer.



Walk through this passage and enter the main hall on the second floor. It feels like a dark medieval castle inside.





Al-Hakim Mosque



This mosque was completed in 1013 and named after the sixth Fatimid caliph. The main gate features Kufic script left from that time.



Over the centuries, this mosque was renovated and closed several times until it finally reopened in 1980.



The architectural style is similar to Al-Azhar, but it is more than twice the size.







Sultan Barquq Mosque



You need to buy a ticket to enter this mosque, and you can buy a combined ticket with the Al-Refaei Mosque. Also, you have to tip when you store your shoes inside.

Located in the old city of Cairo, this large religious complex includes a mosque, a school, and a gongbei. It was first built in 1384. Barquq was born a slave and gained significant influence during the Mamluk period. In 1382, he deposed Sultan Hajji and declared himself king.



The film adaptation of Palace Walk, a work by the Egyptian Nobel laureate Mahfouz, was filmed here.









Al-Refaei Mosque



This mosque is across from the Sultan Hassan Mosque. It was first built in 1361 and contains the tombs of the Muhammad Ali family.















The tomb of Ali Abu Shubbak al-Refaei

Al-Refaei was the founder of the Sufi Refaei order.









This is the tomb of the last Shah of Iran, Pahlavi, who died in Cairo in 1980. Pahlavi's father, Reza Shah, also stayed here briefly after he died. Reza Shah died in exile in South Africa in 1944 and was sent back to Iran after World War II.



This place is also the burial site of the Sufi mystic Yahya al-Ansari, known as the patron saint of Cairo, along with several members of the Egyptian royal family.



There is a traditional Arabic music restaurant in Old Cairo with a stunning atmosphere and three floors.



We chose to sit on the rooftop to look down over the streets of the old city.



I noticed a detail: when it was time for namaz, the call to prayer echoed throughout the old city. The restaurant turned off its music and waited until the prayer time passed to play it again, though I did not see anyone praying during that time.







We ate grilled lamb chops and tagine (tajin), which are dishes you can hardly go wrong with when eating locally.





King Faisal bin Abdulaziz Mosque (Masged al Malik Faysal Bin Abd al’Aziz).



This is the closest mosque to Cairo Airport. It has an octagonal roof and is the cleanest mosque I visited in Cairo.



The non-traditional dome caught my eye, and there were not many people praying in the mosque during the sunset prayer (maghrib).







The Pyramids and the Sphinx.



After moving to a hotel near the airport, I planned to book a one-day tour of the Cairo pyramids online. I was told the airport was far away and it would cost an extra 270 yuan per person, bringing the total to over 1,000 RMB per person. I took an Uber from the airport to the pyramids for only 80 RMB, and it turned out that taking a taxi directly to the site was the most cost-effective way.



The Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Sphinx are located together. Seeing these images from my childhood textbooks in person was truly shocking. You cannot help but wonder how ancient Egypt built such huge and precise structures over 4,000 years ago; it seems beyond human capability.



There are many people around the pyramids trying to sell camel rides. Remember not to engage with anyone who approaches you. Camel rides are a trap with unpredictable prices, and if someone tells you it is free, that is a sign they are about to rip you off.



Don't listen to anyone outside the ticket office who says they can take you through a shortcut without a ticket; it's all a scam. You can avoid most traps by not interacting with locals. If you want to go inside the pyramids, you have to buy a separate ticket at the entrance, or you can tip the guard to get in. There is nothing to see inside, as it was looted by various people centuries ago.

Egyptian Museum



This is the old Egyptian Museum by the Nile. Cairo also has a new museum, but it doesn't have as many items as the old one. Although the old museum is run-down, the treasures inside are priceless and so numerous that they are just piled up like in a warehouse. You need to pay for museum tickets by card, as they don't accept cash. It opens at 9:00 AM and starts clearing out at 5:00 PM.



You can even touch these artifacts, and no one stops you. It feels just like a wet market inside. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Muslim travel guide to Medina covers Umrah preparation, the Prophet Mosque, high-speed rail from Jeddah, Medina hotels, Al-Ghamama Mosque, Quba Mosque, Uhud, Qiblatayn Mosque, and other sacred Islamic sites.

Map of Sacred Sites in Medina is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: This year, I successfully took my family of three to complete the Umrah. My son, Fahim, is likely the youngest little Haji in the Beijing area ever, at less than two years old. The account keeps its focus on Mosque Travel, Islamic Heritage, Beijing while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

This year, I successfully took my family of three to complete the Umrah. My son, Fahim, is likely the youngest little Haji in the Beijing area ever, at less than two years old. However, for a minor, both the Hajj and Umrah only count as voluntary acts of worship. He will need to perform the Hajj again after he reaches adulthood to fulfill his religious obligation.

I will explain the Umrah process in detail in my Mecca travelogue. Saudi Arabia's current tourist visa includes an Umrah option. Just check that box under the travel destination section and apply for an e-visa at this website: https://visa.visitsaudi.com/.

The Saudi tourist e-visa is approved instantly. Once you pay, the visa is issued. It costs 488 Saudi Riyals, which is about 930 RMB. It is valid for one year, allows multiple entries, and you can stay for up to 90 days each time.

Before starting our Umrah, we arrived in Medina from Jeddah. Medina is where the Prophet Muhammad migrated and passed away. Praying one unit of namaz in the Prophet's Mosque is worth more than a thousand prayers in other mosques, and some say it is worth fifty thousand. Regardless of the exact number, it shows the importance of the Prophet's Mosque. Medina is perfect for peaceful worship. The temperature here is cooler than in Mecca. In December, there is a big difference between day and night temperatures, so you need to add or remove layers of clothing. Many pilgrims prepare for their Umrah in Medina and make their intention to enter the state of ihram there.



You need to buy tickets for the high-speed train from Jeddah to Medina on the official Saudi app called HHR Train. I suggest ordering a few days in advance because if you buy them at the station on the day of travel, you might not get a seat. We traveled in December, which is the coolest season in Saudi Arabia. It is about 20 degrees Celsius during the day and over 10 degrees at night. This is also when the most people perform Umrah, so hotels and train tickets are in high demand.



I bought a coffee on the train. I stood between the train cars because our seats were taken by a veiled Arab woman. She sat in our spots with a little girl. When my wife told her the seats were ours, she said the seat next to her was for a man and she did not want to sit next to one. She had not bought a ticket for her child, did not understand why I bought a ticket for a toddler like Fahim, and insisted on staying in our seats.

I did not want to argue. The trip from Jeddah to Medina takes about two hours, so I just walked to the area between the cars. A passing train attendant saw me and told me I could sit in any empty seat.

A taxi from the station to the hotel usually costs 100 Saudi Riyals. There were seven of us, so we hired an Arab driver. It happened to be Friday, the day of Jumu'ah. Our hotel was right across from the Prophet's Mosque. The roads around the mosque were restricted, so the driver wanted to drop us off halfway and have us walk. I checked the map and we were still 3 kilometers away. It was noon with the sun beating down, and we had elderly people and children with us, so walking was very difficult. I insisted that the driver take us to our destination. The driver looked frustrated, drove a long way around, and finally dropped us off in front of the hotel. Then he asked for an extra 50 Riyals. After some bargaining, we gave him 5 more.

The Prophet's Mosque.



Our hotel was just across the street from the Prophet's Mosque. We could see the mosque from our room window. We did not even rest; we dropped off our luggage and went straight to the mosque to pray.



The Prophet's Mosque is the second-largest mosque in the world, after the Sacred Mosque in Mecca. It has a building area of 82,000 square meters. Including the plaza, it can hold 530,000 people for prayer at the same time. If you are in the south plaza and want to walk to the north gate, it takes at least 15 minutes. I once tried to meet a friend after the Fajr prayer. We were on opposite sides, north and south, and after waiting for 20 minutes, we still could not find each other.



When you arrive at the holy sites, you see people of all skin colors from around the world gathered together. The number of pilgrims grows every year, which is why Saudi Arabia keeps expanding the holy sites. People who live there often feel the strength of the faith. Some visitors from China feel sad when they see few people in local mosques, thinking faith is fading, but that is only true in some places. Looking at the world as a whole, the number of people practicing the faith is increasing every year.









The large umbrellas in the mosque courtyard open during the day and close at night. Shade is very precious in Saudi Arabia, as it is hard to handle the intense sun otherwise.





There are many water stations around the courtyard that provide free drinking water for believers.



To visit the Garden of Paradise (Rawdah), you must download an app called Nusuk and book a time. This is where the Prophet once prayed. The Prophet said, 'Between my house and my pulpit is one of the gardens of Paradise.' It is a pity I could not get a reservation, but men and women visit separately, and it is easier for women to book than men.



Fortunately, you do not need a reservation for the Prophet's Tomb. You just need to line up and follow the crowd. The Prophet's Tomb is right under the green dome. The green dome of the mosque was originally the house of Aisha, where the Prophet passed away and was buried.



Believers carry their shoes in their hands and walk barefoot into the Prophet's Tomb. Everything is orderly, and people respectfully offer their salaams to the Prophet.



The Caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar are also buried with the Prophet, and people offer their salaams to them as well.



The Prophet's Tomb is separated from the Garden of Paradise, and the Garden of Paradise is inside the railing. There is one empty space reserved in the tomb for when the Prophet Isa passes away. According to Abdullah ibn Salam (may Allah be pleased with him), the Torah describes the characteristics of the Prophet and states that Isa ibn Maryam will be buried alongside him. Abu Mawdud said, 'Indeed, there is still a grave site inside the house.' [Jami at-Tirmidhi: 3696]



Screenshot from History of Medina









Stand behind the railing and say your salam toward the round hole. You do not need to speak loudly; just recite it silently. Do not linger so you can make it easier for the brothers (dosti) behind you, because there are really too many people.







When I came out of the Prophet's tomb, I saw believers crying. They stood where they were, unable to bear leaving.





Inside the Prophet's Mosque, there are copies of the Quran in many languages, including a Chinese version.



Because the Holy Mosque is so large, many people stay in place to recite the Quran after finishing their namaz for convenience. There is also Zamzam water (senshen quan) provided in the main hall, with separate areas for men and women.









The Prophet's Mosque is crowded 24 hours a day, and there are even more people at night than during the day.







I actually saw Chinese signs at the stalls by the south gate of the Holy Mosque.



The signs at the main entrance also display different languages in turns, and I managed to snap a photo of the Chinese one.













































The north plaza of the Holy Mosque is busier than the south plaza and has more shops. If you are looking for a place to stay, you might want to prioritize the area near the north gate.



Many historical sites are scattered around the Prophet's Mosque. Due to historical changes, many no longer exist and only remain in books. Some of these historical sites are introduced below.

Al-Ghamama Mosque



Al-Ghamama Mosque (Almusalla Mosque - ALGhamama) is located on the southwest square next to the Prophet's Mosque. The Prophet led the Eid prayer here in 631. This place is also called the Mosque of the Prayer Ground. It was built by Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, the eighth caliph of the Umayyad dynasty. The current building was constructed by Abdulmejid I of the Ottoman Empire and later renovated by the King of Saudi Arabia.















Abu Bakr As-Siddiq Mosque



Abu Bakr As-Siddiq Mosque is 40 meters away from Al-Ghamama Mosque. It is also the place where the Prophet led the Eid prayer in 631, and later Abu Bakr also prayed here. The current building was constructed by Mahmud Khan of the Ottoman Empire.







Umar ibn al-Khattab Mosque



Located 133 meters next to Al-Ghamama Mosque, it was built in the 9th century of the Hijri calendar. The mosque and its surrounding area are currently under renovation and are not open.

Ali Mosque



It is 122 meters away from Al-Ghamama Mosque and north of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq Mosque. The Prophet once led the Eid prayer here, and a mosque was later built on this site. It is currently not open.

Mount Uhud and the Martyrs' Cemetery



The black rocky mountain in the distance is Mount Uhud. The small hill at the foot of the mountain is the site of the Battle of Uhud. Mount Uhud is about 4 kilometers away from the Prophet's Mosque.

In 625, more than 3,000 polytheists from Mecca launched a major attack on Medina. The Prophet consulted with his companions and decided to lead 1,000 men to Mount Uhud to meet the enemy. After arriving at Mount Uhud, the hypocrite Abdullah ibn Ubayy secretly led his 300 soldiers away. The Prophet led the remaining 700-plus men to defeat the 3,000 Meccan polytheists. The Prophet was injured in this battle, and Allah revealed verses 121-180 of Surah Al-Imran in the Quran at this location.



You can see many people standing on the hill to commemorate this event.



The Uhud Martyrs Cemetery is built next to the hill. It is surrounded by a wire fence, so you cannot walk inside. It is fine to look from a distance, as visiting the martyrs' graves is a sunnah.



Uhud Martyrs Mosque (Sayyid Al-Shuhada)



The Martyrs Mosque is on the east side of the cemetery. It is not a historical site, as it was built in 2017.





Mosque of the Two Qiblas (Masjid al-Qiblatayn)



This mosque is on Khalid ibn al-Walid Street. The Prophet once led the noon namaz here. After two rak'ahs, he received a revelation from Allah (Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 144) to change the direction of prayer from Jerusalem to the Kaaba.





On the wall directly facing the mihrab, there is a commemorative marker for the Jerusalem direction.



Note that the prayer direction in this mosque is still toward the Kaaba, not both directions. The Jerusalem direction is in the opposite direction of the Kaaba.





Trench Battle Mosque Complex

The Battle of the Trench is also called the Battle of the Confederates. The Meccan polytheists fought a decisive battle against the Muslims of Medina. The companion Salman the Persian suggested digging a trench, and the Prophet accepted his advice. During this time, verses 9-25 of Surah Al-Ahzab and verse 26 of Surah Al-Imran were revealed. The trench started near the Mustarah Mosque and ended near Mount Sal, facing the Fath Mosque complex. It was 2.5 kilometers long, 3 meters deep, and 4 meters wide, but the historical trench has long been filled in.

The Fath (Seven) Mosque complex is part of the trench area. These mosques served as stations and lookout points during the battle. Each mosque is named after the companion who was stationed there, except for the Fath Mosque, which was built on the site of the dome the Prophet used. These mosques were built during the era of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz and were restored at different times. The mosques are:

1. Ali Mosque

2. Abu Bakr Mosque.

3. Salman the Persian Mosque

4. Al-Fath Mosque

5. Umar Mosque

6. Sa'd ibn Mu'adh Mosque

Ali Mosque



Abu Bakr Mosque

















Salman Mosque







Al-Fath Mosque







Quba Mosque



Quba Mosque is 3.2 kilometers from the Prophet's Mosque. This is the site of the first mosque built by the Prophet and his companions in Medina. 'A mosque founded on righteousness from the first day is more worthy for you to stand in for prayer.' Verse 108 of the Repentance chapter in the Quran refers to Quba Mosque.



The Prophet said, 'Whoever performs wudu at home and then prays in Quba Mosque will receive the reward of an Umrah.' (Sunan Ibn Majah) People say those who live near Quba Mosque are blessed, as they can earn the reward of an Umrah just by performing namaz there.

Ring Well (Bir Aris)



Located on the west side of Quba Mosque, the Prophet once sat by this well with his legs dangling over it. Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman later came to see him and sat by the well as well, where the Prophet gave them the glad tidings of Paradise. (Sahih Muslim 2403)

The Prophet once wore a ring, which later passed to Abu Bakr, then to Umar, and finally to Uthman. Uthman accidentally dropped the ring into this well. The ring was engraved with the words, 'Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.'

This well was filled in at the end of the 14th century of the Hijri calendar to widen the road, and only the circle shown in the photo remains as a marker.

Jumu'ah Mosque



While traveling to Medina on a Friday, the Prophet performed his first Jumu'ah prayer with the Banu Salim tribe. He later built a mosque on that spot, which is now known as Jumu'ah Mosque, located one kilometer from Quba Mosque.







Aris Well



Aris Well is located one kilometer northeast of Quba Mosque. The Prophet often drank water from here and requested that this well's water be used to wash his body after he passed away.







This well is usually open for a short time in the afternoon, but it is not guaranteed. If you are lucky, you can drink the water and use it to perform wudu for namaz.



King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran



On the way to the Fatah Mosque complex, we passed the King Fahd Glorious Qur'an Printing Complex. It opened in 1984 and has published translations of the Quran in forty languages. Every friend (dosti) visiting Medina can get a free copy of the Quran. You do not need an appointment; just join the line and follow the crowd.







As you follow the line, you first pass through a Quran display case showing the various holy books published by the printing complex.







Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Muslim travel guide to Medina continues the sacred sites map, covering the King Fahd Quran Printing Complex, free Quran copies, camel pilaf, hotel dining, family travel, and practical notes near the Prophet Mosque.

Map of Sacred Sites in Medina is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Once you enter the workshop, you can see the printing process for the Quran, which is as impressive as a banknote factory. The account keeps its focus on Halal Travel, Yiwu Food, Mosque Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.



Once you enter the workshop, you can see the printing process for the Quran, which is as impressive as a banknote factory.



After leaving the workshop, you can pick up a free copy of the Quran at the room by the entrance. The default is the original Arabic version, but if you ask, they will give you the language you want. We requested the Chinese-Arabic bilingual version translated by Ma Jian.



If you feel one copy is not enough, you can go to the shop at the entrance to buy other books.



These are the historical sites we visited in Medina. There are still some on my list that we didn't get to see because the area outside the north gate of the Prophet's Mosque is under expansion. Outside the east gate is the Baqi Cemetery, where about 10,000 companions of the Prophet and some of his family members are buried. These places look like yellow dirt construction sites from a distance and you cannot enter them. Many locations recorded in history no longer exist, and even the historical sites I photographed earlier were mostly rebuilt on their original locations, so you can no longer see traces left from ancient times.



Most of the time, we ate buffets at our hotel. At the strong suggestion of Dosti, we tried camel pilaf (zhua fan) in Medina once. The restaurant in the picture below is a fast-food chain that also has locations in Mecca.



This is a very traditional Arabic restaurant. The first floor is for individual diners and is covered with carpets; you spread a piece of paper on the carpet to eat. This type of restaurant does not allow female guests on the first floor, so families must go to the private rooms on the second floor. The restaurant pauses business during namaz time, and the staff will pull the curtains shut.



To be honest, this camel meat pilaf was very authentic. The texture of the camel meat is similar to beef and has no strange smell. The staff will provide spoons, as most locals now choose to eat with spoons instead of using their hands. Remember to perform wudu (minor ablution) after eating camel meat, as this was recorded in the Hadith.





For accommodation, it is best to stay somewhere close to the Prophet's Mosque that is within walking distance. Although it is expensive, it is very troublesome to travel back and forth every day if you are far away, and taxis are both expensive and inconvenient. We mostly chose to eat buffets at the hotel because there were seven of us, and it is hard to please everyone, so the buffet was a convenient choice. The buffet restaurant at the Sofitel Hotel is ranked number one for food in Medina on the TripAdvisor app because it offers a view of the Prophet's Mosque.



When dining at the hotel, you don't need to worry about family members being separated; everyone can sit wherever they like.

















In our small Umrah group, only our family of three was here for the first time; everyone else had been here many times. Our first impression of the people we met in Medina was not good, which is consistent with the feelings of other families who come here often. Even some of our friends who have lived in the holy land for many years have mostly negative things to say about the locals. I was mentally prepared for this bad impression before I came. I see this phenomenon as proof of the backwardness of the believers. Just imagine, if everyone behaved with the character of the Prophet, I would actually be confused. If you were all that excellent, how could you be in such a backward position in today's world? Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Beijing halal food guide maps issue 37 of the restaurant series, featuring a Japanese barbecue buffet, Xinjiang cuisine, Heluo noodles, lamb soup, hot pot, sour soup, Lanzhou dishes, and practical notes for Muslim diners.

Beijing Halal Food Map (37) is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: It has been just two months since my last Beijing halal food map (36), and I have already found eight new halal restaurants worth visiting. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

It has been just two months since my last Beijing halal food map (36), and I have already found eight new halal restaurants worth visiting. I still have a long list of places saved that I have not tried yet. I stick to my rule of only writing original content based on my own experiences, so I will take my time to visit these spots one by one. Here is the list of restaurants for this issue:

1. Shixiang Japanese BBQ Buffet & Jiangguoer Xinjiang Cuisine

2. Xihan Meatball Soup

3. Yixiangyuan Restaurant

4. Niuwanfeng Heluo Noodles

5. Laohui Lamb Soup

6. Big Head Hot Pot (Danaodai Shuanrou)

7. Xiangshui Sour Soup Hot Pot

8. Lan 931

1. Shixiang Japanese BBQ Buffet & Jiangguoer Xinjiang Cuisine



This new Japanese BBQ buffet is right by the Guangqumen subway station. The owner used to run the Musefeilin Xinjiang Restaurant and the Yinmadeng Skewer Hot Pot. He also worked at the Xinjiang Office in Beijing for many years. After closing his previous two shops, he opened this new place. The buffet costs 188, 238, or 298 yuan per person, and the 298 yuan option includes all-you-can-eat fresh durian.



This is the menu. Once you sit down, just tell the server what you want to eat and wait for your food. You can help yourself to the fruit and drinks.



They have a full range of Japanese snacks like sushi, mixed rice (bibimbap), and cold noodles (lengmian).



They serve steamed seafood, and it arrives at the table alive. One crab even crawled out of the pot.



The server felt a bit embarrassed about the runaway crab, but I told them it was fine because it showed the food was fresh. The restaurant buys crabs in bulk without tying their legs with string. It is hard to tell if a tied crab is alive, and the string just adds extra weight anyway.



I think the best thing about this place is how fresh the ingredients are. The abalone also comes to the table alive, and you have to grill it on an iron plate before eating.



There is unlimited sushi.



They have beef rice bowls and ice cream. The ice cream is the Mengniu brand.



There is a four-part platter of marbled beef. The beef on top is my favorite; it is fragrant and tender once grilled.



Baked crab casserole with cheese.



Roasted durian.



Grilled oysters.



Cold noodles (lengmian).





Mustard shrimp balls



Pasteurized egg, a very small one, used for dipping sauce.



Matsutake mushroom soup



Sashimi platter



Unlimited drinks of all kinds

Mention Dosti to eat at Shixiang buffet, and friends of Tiyehaya can get 20 yuan off the set meal. You can get 15% off at Jiangguo Xinjiang Restaurant. This is a secret between us, so don't tell anyone else.

2. Xihan Xinjiang meatball soup



A Xinjiang meatball soup shop on the first floor of Jianwai SOHO East District, decorated in a fresh and artistic style.



The main color is Ili blue. They specialize in meatball soup and also serve various Xinjiang snacks.



Meatball soup

Meatball soup served with steamed flower rolls (huajuan), absolutely delicious.



Steamed flower rolls (huajuan)



Deep-fried cake (youzhagao)



Ili smoked horse sausage (yili xunmachang)

Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that on the day of the Battle of Khaybar, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade eating donkey meat but allowed eating horse meat. (Sahih al-Bukhari)

Asma bint Abu Bakr reported: During the time of the Prophet, we slaughtered a horse and ate its meat (Sahih Muslim).

3. Yixiangyuan Restaurant



There is a Yufa Town mosque (Yufa Zhen Qingzhensi) near Daxing Airport. After visiting the Yufa mosque, I went to the nearby Dongwenggezhuang Village for a quick meal.



This is the closest restaurant to the Yufa mosque. I ordered the stir-fried beef with chestnuts, and it tasted pretty good.

4. Niuwanfeng Heluo Noodles



A new Jia County noodle shop (hela mian) from Henan opened in Fengtai. I have been there twice, and the taste is quite authentic.



Jia County noodle soup is made with lamb broth. They use plenty of high-quality lamb, and the soup is good enough to drink on its own.



They fry their chili in lamb fat, so the flavor is very strong.





Besides the buckwheat noodles (heluo mian), their spiced beef (jiang niurou) is also quite good. The kitchen staff are all cousins from Henan.





Lamb liver



Spiced beef (jiang niurou)

5. Laohui Lamb Soup



Pingquan is a county in Chengde, Hebei, famous for its lamb soup (yangtang). This shop, Lao Hui, is a lamb soup restaurant opened by people from Pingquan.





You can get free refills on the lamb soup (yangtang). This shop really boils it from scratch, and you have to eat it with a sesame flatbread (shaobing).



A bowl of lamb soup (yangtang) on a cold day warms you right up. The shop also offers charity meal sets for people in specific professions.



6. Big Head Hot Pot (Danaodai Shuanrou)



A Beijing-style hot pot restaurant opened not far from the North Square of the West Railway Station. Now I have another option if I am not in a rush when visiting the station.



Fennel mini fried dough sticks (huixiang xiao youtiao)



Overall, the place feels quite affordable. They have copper charcoal pots and individual small pots, costing about 100 per person.







7. Xiangshui Sour Soup Hot Pot



The sour soup hot pot restaurant at the entrance of Nanxiapo Mosque uses property owned by the mosque, so they do not sell alcohol.





I recommend the yellow lantern chili and red tomato soup split pot, so you can try both flavors.



The signature Zhongjiang large fried dough sticks (youtiao) are delicious, especially when soaked in the soup.







Their hand-crushed lemon black tea and green tea are both great, and they are better to drink than alcohol.

8. Lan 931



This is a high-end Lanzhou specialty restaurant located quite far away in the Tongzhou National Defense Art District.



They have a full range of Lanzhou snacks and dishes, with an average cost of about 150 per person.



Cold starch noodles (niangpi)



Sweet pea soup (huidouzi)



Hand-grabbed lamb (shouzhu)



Cold sliced beef (niurou liangpian)



Fermented vegetable starch noodles (jiangshui yu)



Stir-fried meat with chili (lazi chaorou)



Spicy hot pot bowl (maocai)



Lily bulb (baihe)



Jingyuan lamb (Jingyuan yanggaorou)



Traditional Lanzhou mixed vegetable stew (lao Lanzhou huicai)



Hui Muslim meat-stuffed egg rolls (Hui min jiasha)



Hezhou steamed buns (Hezhou baozi)



Dongxiang potato slices (Dongxiang tudoupian)



Lamb bone broth (yangtang)

Except for the beef noodles, we tried all the signature Lanzhou dishes at the restaurant. Overall, it was just average. Unless you are staying nearby, there is no need to travel far to eat here. For snacks, it is better to visit smaller shops for more authentic flavor. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This China mosque travel guide visits Mojiang Talang Mosque in Yunnan, covering Jahriyya history, the Zhou school, Talang Hui Muslim village, Ma Shunqing gongbei, local halal food, and the mosque community.

Mojiang Talang Mosque—the Zhou Branch of the Jahriyya (Zheherenye) Order in Yunnan is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: On the way south from Dali to Jianshui, I passed through Talang Village in Mojiang County. The account keeps its focus on Halal Travel, Yiwu Food, Mosque Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

On the way south from Dali to Jianshui, I passed through Talang Village in Mojiang County. I knew before coming that there was a Jahriyya mosque here. In the 46th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1781), after the Jahriyya founder Ma Mingxin was killed by the Qing court, his eldest son Ma Shunqing and some followers were exiled to Talang Village in Mojiang, Yunnan. They were rescued by Ma Mingxin's student Ma Xuecheng and settled in Talang Village.



During the Xianfeng and Tongzhi reigns, the Du Wenxiu uprising failed and the Hui Muslims of Talang Village fled. It was not until 1936 that the Hui Muslims gradually returned and rebuilt the Talang Mosque.



The Talang Mosque used to have a dome, but after renovations, a hexagonal roof was added. It looks like the hexagonal cap often worn by Jahriyya followers. However, this hexagonal cap is not exclusive to the Jahriyya; other menhuan and even the Gedimu have a tradition of wearing it. The renovation of this mosque involved quite a struggle.



A couplet written by Shagou Taoye Ma Yuanzhang:

First line: 'Clouds shine on the child who replaces the brother, completing the work of the infant.'

Second line: 'Talang assists Pingliang and stands as a place of Jahriyya victory.'



After the prayer (namaz), the imam was reciting the Quran alone in the main hall. We chatted for a bit and I learned he is from Gansu and had just returned from visiting graves in his hometown.







The mosque is built on a mountain, and there is a Hui Muslim village below. There are not many Hui Muslims in Mojiang, and they are mostly concentrated in Talang Village.





Halal Ark Restaurant



There is a halal restaurant below the mosque run by locals that does not sell alcohol. We had lunch there and chatted with the owner, which is when I learned that most people here are followers of the 'Yunnan Zhou School'.



The Zhou School is what outsiders call them. They revere an elder from Yunnan named Ma Yuzhu, whose original surname was Zhou. It is said he is the son of the eighth-generation Jahriyya leader Ma Zhenwu, who was fostered by a Han Chinese family named Zhou in Yunnan and changed his name to Ma Yuzhu after growing up.



Ma Yuzhu grew up in Yunnan and now lives in Kunming. He is over eighty and used to be a pediatrician. When he began to publicly claim he was a descendant of the Jahriyya founder, his identity was never recognized by the current leaders of the Jahriyya in the Northwest. We can learn this from a conversation between a researcher and an imam from the Jahriyya order in Gansu, as recorded in the research report Investigation of Menhuan in Linxia, Gansu by the Institute of World Religions at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.





The restaurant owner was surprised that I, a Beijinger, knew about the Yunnan Zhou school. I first heard of this school about ten years ago when a website called Shengchuan Zhendao was based in Yunnan and posted many of Zhou's works in the name of Sufism. I shared my doubts about the Zhou school, but the owner had a different take. They knew that people in the Northwest did not recognize the Yunnan Zhou school, but he told me stories about the old man from Yunnan.

He mentioned that several of the old man's prophecies came true. For example, a few years ago, two brothers in the village asked the old man about their jobs. The old man told them not to learn how to drive. The brothers didn't listen and went to work at an auto repair shop. One day, they got into a car accident and both passed away (returned to Allah) on the same day. They were buried in the cemetery behind the Talang Mosque.



Another story is that in the last century, some social events led to all the imams being arrested. With no imams around, there was no one to give Islamic names to newborns. But before this happened, the old man from Yunnan had handwritten dozens of names for unborn babies. This allowed children to receive their names even during the time when there were no imams. The villagers see these events as signs of the old man's spiritual power.



The owner is a follower who has followed the old man from Yunnan for over 30 years. He is now the director of the Talang Mosque management committee. He told me that the people living around the mosque are mostly followers of the old man. I asked about rumors from the outside world regarding the old man, such as claims that he would go into seclusion and stop naming a successor. The owner denied this, and the imam of Talang Mosque also denied it.













Walking further up to the top of the mountain, you can see a cemetery overgrown with weeds. A small path on the right leads to the graves of Han and Hani people. You can see crosses on some of their tombstones because many Hani people are Christians.





There is also the tomb of the martyr Xiong Chaochun.



Another wider and cleaner path leads to the Hui Muslim cemetery.



The gongbei (a domed tomb for a Sufi saint) of Ma Shunqing, the eldest son of Ma Mingxin, is here. I saw the gate was locked, and since I needed to reach Jianshui before dark, I prepared to leave. On the way back, I met the imam of Talang Mosque. He said he could contact the person with the key to open it, but I declined and drove onto the highway.



Something interesting happened. Half an hour after getting on the highway, my wife realized she had left her bag at the mosque gate. We had to turn back. I thought to myself that maybe it was meant to be and I wasn't supposed to leave just yet. After getting the bag, I asked the imam for the key to the gongbei. He told me to call the gatekeeper myself. When I called and the person learned I was from Beijing, he quickly came over to open the gate of the Talang gongbei.



This return trip brought new discoveries. The person guarding the gongbei is the only villager who follows the traditional Jahriyya order and does not associate with the Yunnan Zhou school. Because of this, the Zhou school cannot get the key to hold religious gatherings (a'ermaili) there. The Zhou school once wanted to build another gongbei next to it, but the local government rejected the proposal.



Ma Yuzhu had been here before, but he only got the doors opened because he was accompanied by the relevant authorities. I listened to the caretaker share stories about his family guarding this gongbei for generations. He told me about many unpleasant events that happened here, which made me feel quite sad. He said I was likely the second person from Beijing to visit. Zhang Chengzhi had been here, but he did not say who he was, so the caretaker did not recognize him.



To tell the truth, a DNA test would be enough to figure out what is real and what is fake. But I suspect things are not that simple. Even if the test results did not match, some people would still find a way to rationalize them with irrational reasons. It is hard to change someone's mind through logic between different sects or religions. Once you realize this, you stop trying to convince anyone. People often change their minds in a split second.



My short trip to Mojiang Talang turned out to be a very special side story of my Yunnan journey, and it is worth writing a travelogue about. I am not a member of the Jahriyya, but over the years, I have visited almost all the important Jahriyya gongbei across China. I have even been a guest in the homes of elders in Ningxia. I know the Jahriyya keep a low profile now and do not want to get involved in trouble. I have no intention of starting any disputes, so some things must stay in my heart. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Beijing halal food guide maps issue 36 of the series, covering Samosa China-Pakistan restaurant, halal food verification, lamb hot pot, Chaoshan beef hot pot, Ningxia-style fine dining, and Xinjiang noodles at Daxing Airport.

Beijing Halal Food Map (36) is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: I often get private messages from followers asking if a certain restaurant is halal. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

I often get private messages from followers asking if a certain restaurant is halal. Even when I post photos showing the halal sign hanging in the shop, a few people still feel uneasy and want to get to the bottom of it. I have talked about which foods are not halal according to the scriptures and teachings before. Once I see a business display a halal sign, I stop asking about the source of the ingredients. My reasoning is based on the following hadith:

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that a group of people came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, 'Some people (nomads from the countryside) bring us meat, and we do not know if they mentioned the name of Allah when slaughtering it.' The Prophet said, 'You mention the name of Allah over it and eat it.' Aisha said, 'Those people had only recently embraced the faith.' — Sahih al-Bukhari

This hadith contains a lot of information and gives clear guidance. Aisha did not trust the newcomers from the countryside and doubted the meat they brought. The Prophet did not tell Aisha to avoid eating it just because she had doubts, nor did he ask her to verify how the ingredients were slaughtered. This was to make life easier for Muslims so they do not have to struggle over food. Strictly speaking, unless you see the halal slaughter process with your own eyes, you have reason to doubt the meat provided by anyone. Even if the restaurant staff wears a headscarf and does not sell alcohol, it still does not prove that the ingredients they purchased are definitely halal. Even if the other party provides non-halal meat, it is their faith that is harmed, not the faith of the person who eats it by mistake. Otherwise, we would only be able to eat meat we slaughtered ourselves to feel at ease.

Of course, some people say that a restaurant selling alcohol is not halal. I am not here to defend restaurant owners who sell alcohol; they will receive their own reward. From the perspective of the scriptures and teachings, as a diner, there is no evidence that you cannot eat at a restaurant that serves alcohol. There is only a hadith mentioning not to sit at the same table as those drinking alcohol. Even regarding the issue of sitting at the same table as drinkers, Sheikh al-Qaradawi suggested that if the intention is to unite with others, then sitting at the same table without drinking is permissible. This is even different from just eating in the same restaurant. If we take it further, would it also be forbidden to be in the same building, on the same street, or even in the same city as someone who drinks? Life is not easy today. I hope we do not spend too much energy on food and drink, as there are more meaningful things to do.

1. SAMOSA China-Pakistan Friendship Restaurant



Samosa is a common fried triangular snack in Indian and Pakistani cuisine. The owner used to run another Indian-Pakistani buffet called ZamZam. This Samosa is located in Xibahe and still offers an 88-yuan buffet.



It just opened and is still in the trial phase. The variety of dishes is not huge, but they have all the essential Indian and Pakistani classics.





This is butter naan (naan) fresh out of the pan. It is one of my favorite Indian-Pakistani treats. I can eat a whole basket of bread with curry.











The buffet includes two desserts and three drinks. I like the green mint drink. The ingredients are high quality, the meat portions are generous, and everything is clean and hygienic.



2. Wanfu Halal Iron Pot Stew



This Harbin-style iron pot stew in Daxing has been open for three months. Three of us ate a pot of beef tendon and brisket (jintoubabao). Aside from the small portions and high price, the taste was very good. I think it tastes better than Uncle Oyster's.





Besides iron pot stew, they also serve Northeast Chinese stir-fry. The biggest surprise was the sweet and sour pork (guobaorou), which comes in several styles.











This is called sticky roll (nianjuanzi). It is made without yeast. You put it into the pot and steam it for 15 minutes while the stew cooks. It is very fragrant.



The owner gave us stone-ground tofu on the house. They make the tofu themselves. With the sauce and seasonings, it feels like eating savory tofu pudding (doufunao), and it is delicious.





We added dried green beans and dried potatoes to the iron pot. These two ingredients taste even better stewed than when they are fresh.



The sweet and sour pork (guobaorou) made by Hui Muslims in Harbin is savory. Their version is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. We finished a whole plate in no time. It is great to finally find authentic savory sweet and sour pork in Beijing again.

3. Tianqiao Lao Jin Hot Pot (Lao Jin Shuanrou)



Tianqiao Lao Jin Hot Pot opened a new branch at Hufangqiao. They now have two locations, with the other one on Jiaozihu Hutong in Niujie.





Lao Jin cooked the quick-boiled tripe (baodu) for us himself. Their cooking keeps the old Beijing Hui Muslim traditions, such as the way they slice the meat and their dipping sauce recipe. It is very different from modern hot pot styles.













4. Azerbaijan National Pavilion - Maiden Tower Restaurant



The Azerbaijan National Pavilion opened a new restaurant on the third floor called Maiden Tower, which is named after a famous tourist site in Azerbaijan.



The restaurant is inside the pavilion, so you can look at Azerbaijani handicrafts while you eat.





















Many Azerbaijani chefs work abroad. Many of the Turkish restaurants we often visit are actually run by Azerbaijanis.



The dishes here suit our tastes well, including these snacks, which are also good for babies to eat.



Creamy eggplant rolls



Jelitme roasted chicken



Beef rice with chestnut and pomegranate sauce



Nut flatbread (jianguobing)

The restaurant is near Sanyuanqiao. It costs about 150 yuan per person, making it a good spot for business dinners and dates.

5. Yangzhilian Fusion Restaurant



This is a new place in the Hui Muslim village of Xueying, Daxing. They sell beef and lamb and also run a restaurant on the side.



Their lamb is really good. It is high quality, not gamey, and not greasy.





This is a hot pot made with lamb chops. After you finish the chops, you can cook vegetables in the broth. These are live vegetables, cut straight from the hydroponic tank, so they are incredibly fresh.





6. Yu

Shanfang Chaoshan Beef Restaurant



This shop near the Pingle Yuan subway station has seen at least three halal restaurants come and go, from Yinmadeng skewers to Qinghai pan-cooked dishes, and now this Chaoshan beef hot pot. Every place here has actually tasted good, so I hope this new style lasts a bit longer.









Every plate of meat comes with a label showing how many seconds to cook it.



This is the first halal restaurant in Beijing to serve Chaoshan beef hot pot, and you can even get stir-fried beef rice noodles (ganchao niuhe) here.









7. Jingyu Yanyan Halal Cuisine



A high-end restaurant opened by a Ningxia owner in the China World Trade Center, focusing on Beijing dishes and Ningxia specialties.



The complimentary lychees served before the meal are icy, sweet, and delicious.



The snack platter features one piece of each dessert, all made with great care.



Their signature roast duck is carved by the chef right in front of the guests, and it tastes great.





The lamb chops and cold dishes are Ningxia-style, and you can taste the excellent quality of the salt-lake lamb (tanyang).





For the main course, we chose the noodle soup slices (tangmianpian), which arrived in a large pot with a flavorful broth and plenty of ingredients.





The yogurt rice dumplings (suannai zongzi) and mango pomelo sago (yangzhi ganlu) are the desserts, though I prefer the yogurt rice dumplings.



The average cost is about 200 yuan per person, but the food quality is top-notch and the service is attentive, making it worth bringing a loved one here.

8. Yixiaomei Silk Road Cuisine



A Xinjiang restaurant at Daxing Airport, located next to the service desk on the second floor of the P1 parking garage, making it very easy to find.



The owner of this Xinjiang restaurant is from Xinjiang, and the chefs were brought here from Yili, Xinjiang.



You can eat authentic Yili mixed noodles (banmian) and yogurt here, because their yogurt is truly shipped in from Yili.





Even these steamed flower rolls (huajuan) are shipped from Yili. Since the airport restaurant cannot easily add new equipment, some dishes are hard to make. You might ask how I know these things come from Yili; it is because I just returned to Beijing from Yili, where I met the owner and the local elders who supply the yogurt and flower rolls.





The yellow noodles with grilled meat (huangmian kaorou) are very satisfying. I usually do not eat at the airport and prefer to save my appetite for after I land, but I am truly grateful (shukr) to be able to eat such authentic Xinjiang food at Daxing Airport now.



Show the Yixiaomei card below at the shop to get a 10% discount. Remember to save the image, friends (dosti), so you can enjoy good food when you fly out of Daxing Airport.

Collapse Read »