Reposted from the web

Summary: This is the second part of a Ramadan visit to Qingzhou, focusing on Zhenjiao Mosque, Chengli Mosque, and Zhaode Ancient Street. It keeps the original mosque and street details, image order, and historical context.

Reposted from the web

Summary: This is the first part of a visit to halal Chinese food around Little India in Kuala Lumpur. The English version preserves the original food names, shop details, routes, observations, and photographs in the same order.

Hainan chicken rice (hainanjifan)

After landing at Kuala Lumpur airport, we took the airport express train to the final stop, KL Sentral. We went upstairs to the Nu Sentral shopping mall, where we almost always eat whenever we visit Kuala Lumpur. The mall has many types of restaurants. There are three halal Nyonya restaurants alone, plus many other halal Chinese options.

This time, we ate at The Chicken Rice Shop, a famous halal Hainan chicken rice chain in Malaysia. The founder, Wong Kah Heng, was once an executive director at KFC Malaysia and had worked in the fast-food industry for 25 years before starting this business. In 2000, 54-year-old Wong Kah Heng and her daughter, Gaik Lean, opened the first The Chicken Rice Shop in Taipan, Selangor, officially launching their halal Hainan chicken rice brand.

Wong Kah Heng's parents were from Penang and her grandmother was from Hainan, so she loved Hainan chicken rice since she was a child. During the 20th century, Hainan chicken rice was mostly sold at food stalls, and almost none of it was halal. When they started the business, the mother and daughter had a clear goal: to bring Hainan chicken rice into clean, comfortable shopping malls suitable for family meals, and to make it halal for everyone to enjoy. Today, The Chicken Rice Shop has 135 locations and is the largest halal Hainan chicken rice chain in Malaysia. Led by their success, more halal Chinese food has appeared in Malaysia, allowing friends (dosti) from all over the world to taste delicious Chinese food here.

We ordered a 3-person set meal, which included Nyonya top hats (pai tee), mango salad, roasted chicken, Hainan chicken curry, okra, wolf herring fish balls (xidao yuwan), and rice. We also ordered a side of roasted tofu, which was perfect for our family. Nyonya top hats (pai tee) are a classic snack for weddings and New Year celebrations among Malaysian Peranakan Chinese. They originated in Singapore, where they are also called little gold cups (xiao jin bei), and are filled with shredded carrots and daikon radish. Wolf herring fish balls (xidao yuwan) are Teochew-style fish balls made from wolf herring, and they are very popular in Malaysia.



















National Mosque of Malaysia

After lunch, we went to the National Mosque of Malaysia to perform namaz. The National Mosque was built in 1965 and renovated in 1987. It was the largest mosque in Malaysia until the Blue Mosque in Shah Alam was completed in 1988. There is a stall at the mosque entrance selling Musang King durian ice cream. It is very refreshing to have one after prayer.



















Malay wooden house homestay

This time, we stayed in a Malay wooden house just two subway stops away from the Petronas Twin Towers. The wooden house is located in Kampung Datuk Keramat, a famous traditional Malay village in Kuala Lumpur. Like Kampung Baru, it is one of the best places in the city to experience traditional Malay culture.

Kampung Datuk Keramat was originally a tin mining site. After 1920, it became a Malay village made up of descendants of Javanese, Minangkabau, Baweanese, and Bugis people. The area is named after two respected graves once located here: one belonging to the Bugis man Haji Ali, and the other to the Sumatran man Sheikh Taih. Datuk Keramat is a product of the fusion between indigenous Malay beliefs and Sufism. Datuk refers to a respected person in Malay society, while Keramat refers to the miraculous signs of the pious predecessors of the faith. In Malay society, Datuk Keramat figures held special social status during their lifetimes, whether as leaders, warriors, doctors, or devout believers. Their graves are respected, and people light incense, place flowers, and perform dua at the gravesites.

After the 1970s, as the wave of Islamic orthodoxy advanced in Malaysia, Datuk Keramat practices gradually declined among the Malays. Kampung Datuk Keramat officially stopped Datuk Keramat activities in the 1990s, but the village name remains.

The wooden house we stayed in is very close to the Damai LRT station. It is called Classic Malay House KL. The owner is a kind auntie, and the courtyard is full of wooden houses. Once you step inside, you are instantly away from the city noise. The only thing is that because Kuala Lumpur is in the tropics, staying in a wooden house means there will definitely be mosquitoes, so everyone must take anti-mosquito precautions.



















Malay village (kampung)

Whatever Works Coffee in the courtyard of the Classic Malay House KL is a gathering place for artistic youth in Kampung Datuk Keramat. Many young people come here at night to drink coffee and watch art film screenings.

Not far from the wooden house is a small mosque (surau), Surau Al-Ikhlasiah Datuk Keramat, which makes it convenient to perform daily prayers.

















Malay breakfast

Right at the LRT station entrance next to the wooden house is the Keramat Mall, which has many traditional Malay snacks and is a great place for breakfast. We ate stuffed flatbread (murtabak), coconut milk rice (nasi lemak), meatball soup (bakso), and soft-boiled eggs. I must say, the environment in this urban village is quite good and very convenient.

























Kuala Lumpur Little India

Brickfields is located right next to the south side of KL Sentral station. It is an Indian residential area in Kuala Lumpur known as Little India.

In 1878, a railway was built from the city center to the port, and in 1891, a Selangor state factory was established south of the railway at the current site of the central station, which brought in a large number of laborers from South India and Sri Lanka. In 1905, a 'hundred-man dormitory' was built in Brickfields to provide housing for the laborers. From then on, Brickfields gradually developed into the most important Indian community in Kuala Lumpur.

Brickfields is also called a 'sacred place.' It brings together Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, and Eastern Orthodox communities from South India and Sri Lanka, and it also has a Hanafi mosque (surau), which is rare in Kuala Lumpur.

The Madrasathul Gouthiyyah Surau in Brickfields is a small mosque built by South Indian Tamils. Like Hui Muslims in China, the Tamils follow the Hanafi school of thought. Therefore, the order, movements, and timing of their prayers are the same as those of Hui Muslims, which differs from the Malays who follow the Shafi'i school. The prayer time here is one hour different from the surrounding Shafi'i mosques. I encountered this same situation before at a Hanafi mosque in Singapore's Little India.

During Friday prayers (Jumu'ah), the sermon (wa'z) is delivered in Tamil. Hanafi Tamil Muslims from downtown Kuala Lumpur all come here, and it is very crowded even during the five daily prayers.

Tamil Hanafi Muslims are mainly divided into two groups, the majority of whom belong to the Rowther people, who have a history spanning over a thousand years. The Rowther people were originally cavalrymen during the Chola dynasty in South India. In the 10th and 11th centuries, they converted to Islam after being influenced by the saint Nathar Shah, who came from Anatolia to preach to the Tamil community. Rowther means rider in the Telugu language. Another group is the Labbay people, descendants of Arab merchants who married Tamil women. They are known for being skilled in business and very knowledgeable. Besides merchants, many Labbay people are imams, which gives them high social status.



















A Chinese restaurant in Little India.

Brickfields is famous for South Indian Tamil food, but it hides a halal Chinese restaurant that people of all backgrounds love: Yaa's Restaurant (Ya'e Fandian). The owner of Yaa's Restaurant is a Nanyang Chinese, and the staff are Malay. They serve authentic Nanyang halal Chinese food that Indians, Chinese, and Malays all enjoy.

We ordered tamarind prawns (asam xia), Teochew-style steamed fish (chaozhou zheng yu), Shenjiang tofu (shenjiang doufu), and stir-fried mustard greens with salted fish (xianyu jielan). Except for the seafood, you can choose small or large portions for the stir-fried dishes, and the prices are very affordable. The grandfather who takes orders can speak and write Chinese, giving the place a classic old-school Nanyang Chinese feel.









Teochew-style steamed fish is a Nanyang Chinese dish I personally love. To make it, you layer tomatoes, pickled mustard greens (suan baicai), and tofu over the fish, then drizzle it with fish sauce after steaming.



Tamarind prawns are a Nyonya dish. Asam means sour in Malay. It uses tamarind mixed with sugar to create a rich, sweet-and-sour caramel-colored sauce that goes perfectly with rice.



Shenjiang tofu, also called Sing Kong tofu, is fried tofu cooked in egg sauce with mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, and other ingredients. It is very nutritious.







Jamek Mosque in Kuala Lumpur.

Jamek Mosque sits at the meeting point of the Klang River and the Gombak River. Sultan Sulaiman of Selangor laid the foundation in 1908, and it was finished in 1909. British architect Arthur Benison Hubback designed the mosque. He also designed other Malaysian landmarks like the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, the Ubudiah Mosque in Perak, and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building.

In the 19th century, Malays, Javanese, Minangkabau, and other groups lived where the Klang and Gombak rivers meet. This area became known for places like Java Street (now Jalan Tun Perak) and Malay Street. In the 1870s, the Rawa tribe of the Minangkabau people from western Sumatra received permission from the Sultan of Selangor to build the Java Street Mosque on the east side of the Klang River. The original Java Street Mosque had a pyramid-shaped roof and wooden pillars, following traditional Sumatran style.

In 1903, the Java Street Mosque was torn down for road widening, so the mosque committee petitioned to build a new one. In 1905, Sultan Sulaiman of Selangor and the British Resident agreed to build the new mosque on the site of an old Malay cemetery at the river junction. The new mosque used the popular Mughal Revival style. The British built many public buildings in this style across British India and British Malaya in the late 19th century.



















Jamek Mosque displays old photos and a stone tablet from when Sultan Sulaiman of Selangor laid the foundation in 1908.









Cartoon panels at the entrance of Jamek Mosque vividly show the history of its construction. This includes the Java Street Mosque built by the Minangkabau in the 1870s and the current Jamek Mosque, which Sultan Sulaiman of Selangor approved to be built on the old Malay cemetery after road expansion in 1903.





















The souvenir shop at the entrance of Jamek Mosque is worth a visit. We bought beautiful headscarves there and tried some free traditional Malay snacks. We bought a jar and it was delicious.











Traditional Malay dance

While walking around the old town of Kuala Lumpur, we happened upon a festival at the DBKL City Theatre. Children in traditional Malay formal wear performed welcoming and celebration rituals, and even danced. It was a rare sight!

Built between 1896 and 1904, the DBKL City Theatre is one of the Moorish-style buildings in the heart of Kuala Lumpur's old town. It has hosted plays and musicals for 120 years.



















Traditional Malay headscarf

The Jalan Masjid India area in Kuala Lumpur's old town is a famous wholesale market for traditional clothing where you can buy all kinds of traditional Malay outfits. I bought a traditional Malay headpiece called a tengkolok at one of the shops.

A tengkolok headpiece is folded from traditional Malay brocade fabric known as songket and is usually worn for celebrations and weddings. Leaders across Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia have their own styles of tengkolok. In Malaysia, the sultans, rajas, and the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of every state except Johor wear a tengkolok for formal ceremonies. Only the Sultan of Johor wears a crown due to British influence.





















Traditional Malay food

Before leaving, we went back to the Nu Sentral mall next to Kuala Lumpur Sentral station. The fruit salad here is also served with sour plum powder and chili powder. There is a huge variety of tropical fruits, and bananas cost one ringgit each.













Inside Nu Sentral mall, there is a restaurant called Ah Cheng Laksa that specializes in food from Kedah in northern Malaysia. They started selling sour tamarind noodle soup (asam laksa) in a village in Kedah in 1960. Later, a descendant named Ah Cheng turned it into a chain in Kuala Lumpur. Now, the staff includes both Chinese and Malay employees, and they serve both Malay laksa and Chinese flat noodles (banmian).

Reposted from the web

Summary: This is the second part of a visit to halal Chinese food around Little India in Kuala Lumpur. It keeps the original restaurant names, dishes, prices, street details, and photographs while making the English smooth and easy to follow.





We ordered asam laksa, curry laksa, pan mee, dry pan mee, curry fish balls, fish crackers (keropok lekor), and longan drink.

Asam laksa and curry laksa are the two most common types of laksa in Malaysia. Curry laksa uses a curry coconut milk broth. Asam laksa uses a rich broth made from mackerel (kembung) or Spanish mackerel (tenggiri), seasoned with asam fruit slices, tamarind paste (asam keping), and various spices. It is the spiciest and most sour of all laksa varieties. To make the fish broth, you first boil the whole fish, then shred the meat and add it back into the soup to simmer until the flavors are fully absorbed. Asam laksa is usually served with Cantonese rice noodles (lai fun). These are round, chewy, and smooth noodles made by steaming a mixture of rice flour and water.





Fish crackers (keropok lekor) are fried snacks made from fish and fine rice flour. They originated in the Terengganu region of Malaysia. They are chewy and a classic street food in West Malaysia.



Pan mee comes from the Hakka snack called daomaoqie. It started when Hakka people in Malaysia used large knives to cut dough into strips. Later, Hakka restaurants in Kuala Lumpur worried that local Cantonese-speaking Chinese would not understand the term daomaoqie. They started calling it pan mee, and the name became popular across Malaysia. Pan mee is usually served as either soup pan mee or dry pan mee. Soup pan mee uses a fish-based broth. Dry pan mee is mixed with minced meat, fried onions, and dried anchovies, and can be served with dried chili or sambal sauce.











Malaysia Series:

Visiting the Filipino Market and eating Hainanese food in Kota Kinabalu

Indian temples and nasi kandar in Kuching, Malaysia

Malay history and culture and indigenous food in Kuching

Selected collection of the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia

92 handwritten scriptures at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia

[Exhibition Visit] Sabah Islamic Civilization Museum, Malaysia

[Exhibition Visit] Sarawak Islamic History Museum

Indian and Malay mosques in Ipoh, Malaysia

Negeri Sembilan, home of the Minangkabau people in Malaysia

Attending Jumu'ah prayer at a Chinese mosque in Malaysia

Eating Nyonya food in Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tasting halal Chinese food in Malaysia

Halal Chinese food in Penang, Malaysia

Indian Tamil Muslims in Penang, Malaysia

Johor Bahru, the royal city of the Temenggong dynasty of the Johor Sultanate

The Perak Sultanate royal city and the lively Malay night market

Malay wooden houses and historical sites in Malacca

Eight traditional mosques in Malacca

A guide to eating and staying in the ancient city of Malacca

Selangor Sultanate royal cities: Jugra and Klang

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel account explores Malay history, culture, and indigenous food in Kuching. It keeps the original place names, museum and street details, food notes, and photographs while using natural English for international readers.

At a traditional snack stall on a Kuching street, we bought a traditional Malay pastry called Kuih gulung. It is made from a mix of rice flour, eggs, and coconut milk, colored with pandan leaf juice, and filled with shredded coconut and palm sugar. After dessert, we took a walk along the Kuching riverfront. The temperature had not risen yet in the early morning, so it felt very cool.













The classic Kuching street snack is Sarawak layer cake (kek lapis). Many shops in the old town sell it. Sarawak layer cake comes from the Betawi people's layer cake in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is a local version of a European cake made by the wives of Dutch officials during the Dutch East Indies era. After the Indonesian layer cake reached Sarawak, locals made it more colorful and flavorful. Today, it is a classic snack for celebrations like Eid al-Fitr, birthdays, and weddings.









On Wayang Street (Lebuh Wayang) in Kuching's old town, there is a Borneo food restaurant. It has a Chinese owner and an indigenous Borneo chef, where you can eat authentic indigenous Borneo food.

We ordered cassava leaves with torch ginger, bamboo chicken, stir-fried bamboo shoots, and stir-fried stink beans with local red rice. It was very much in the style of Borneo. Torch ginger is a special ingredient in Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The stir-fried bamboo shoots were very fresh and went well with rice.

Bamboo chicken is called Ayam pansuh in Malay, and it is a specialty of Borneo. To make it, chicken and seasonings are placed in a bamboo tube, covered with cassava leaves, and cooked. You eat the chicken and cassava leaves together.



















Across from downtown Kuching is a traditional Malay village. Many people still live in stilt houses there. There are many small piers along the riverbank where you can take a wooden boat to cross quickly. The village on the other side is shaded by trees and full of blooming flowers, like a hidden paradise.



















There are large gardens on the north bank of the Sarawak River. There are very few tourists, and the scenery is beautiful. There is a free orchid garden inside. It is very pretty during the orchid season. Not many were blooming when we went, but it was still very pleasant. The orchid garden also has a small prayer hall, so you can sightsee and perform your prayers.



















The Sarawak River sunset cruise runs daily from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. It costs 70 Malaysian Ringgit for adults and includes free orange juice, Sarawak layer cake, fried snacks, and traditional indigenous dances.



















In the evening, we performed namaz at the Sarawak State Mosque. The State Mosque is the largest in Sarawak. The main hall can hold 14,000 people. It is the largest mosque I have visited in Malaysia. The experience was moving, and under the huge dome, people felt as small as ants. When I went, the main hall was full of children learning to recite the Quran. After the prayer, they all rushed to the small shop to buy snacks, which was very cute.



















The Kuching City Mosque was built in 1847 under the leadership of Datu Patinggi Ali. It was rebuilt in 1968 to its current form. The mosque is on a hill west of Kuching and overlooks the whole city. We performed Dhuhr prayer at the mosque and chatted with the imam, who was very friendly.













Artifacts in the Borneo Cultures Museum.



Artifacts from the Brunei Sultanate era, unearthed in 2003 in a village near Kuching called Kampung Benat. This place may have been where the Brunei Sultanate sent representatives to collect taxes and tributes from the Sarawak region.





A Brunei Sultanate cannon unearthed in Samarahan. Samarahan was once an important trading port for the Brunei Sultanate. In the 19th century, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin II of Brunei (reigned 1828-52) gifted the cannon to his representative in Sarawak, symbolizing the Brunei Sultanate's rule over the region. Shortly after this, however, Sarawak was ceded by the Brunei Sultanate to James Brooke's Kingdom of Sarawak.



The gate of the 19th-century Sarawak indigenous leader (Rajah) Aban Jau (Tama Long) bears an inscription: 'This is the gate of Tama Long, the Rajah who holds power in the Tinjar region and controls all trade.' This leader once opposed the rule of the Kingdom of Sarawak but later became a friend of the British official and ethnologist Charles Hose. This gate was later gifted to Charles Hose by Aban Jau's daughter.





Fajar Sarawak, the first Malay-language newspaper in Sarawak, founded in 1929. At that time, communication between East and West Malaysia grew stronger, and publications were constantly arriving in Kuching from Singapore by steamship.



The prayer drum (beduk) used at the Sarawak State Mosque between 1852 and 1967. In the past, Malay people would strike the mosque's beduk to signal the call to prayer, the end of a fast, or Friday prayers.





The Brooke Gallery inside Fort Margherita in Kuching.



A dagger (keris) used by Sarawak Malays in the mid-19th century, which has always been a symbol of Malay bravery.





A swivel gun (lantaka) used by the Brunei Sultanate in the mid-19th century, which could be mounted on sailing ships.







A portrait of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin II of Brunei drawn by British naturalist Arthur Adams in 1846. Under his rule, the Brunei Sultanate ceded the Sarawak region to James Brooke's Kingdom of Sarawak.





The west side of the Old Bazaar in Kuching faces the former site of the Kingdom of Sarawak courthouse, built between 1868 and 1874. After 2003, this site became the Sarawak Tourism Complex, housing a museum, restaurants, and other institutions. The old courthouse features a roof made of Borneo ironwood (belian) and is a typical example of Kingdom of Sarawak architecture.

In the courtyard is The Ranee Museum, which introduces Margaret, the wife of the second Rajah of the Kingdom of Sarawak. She published her memoir, 'My Life in Sarawak,' in 1913, which serves as a precious record of the region.



A precious photo taken by Ranee Margaret in 1880, featuring four Malay chiefs of the Kingdom of Sarawak at the time. From left to right: Datu Hakim, Dato Bandar, First Resident Francis Maxwell, translator Inchi Bakar, Dato Imam, and Haji Suden. You can see that these four Malay chiefs are all wearing ornate robes and headscarves (destar).



A painting by British biologist Marianne North from the 1870s, showing the view of the Old Bazaar from the Sarawak Palace. Margaret wrote in her memoir, "There is a picturesque commercial street by the water, which is the Chinese bazaar (pasar)." Parked near the coast are all kinds of strange boats—Chinese junk sailboats, Malay schooner sailboats, and barge rowboats.











In front of the old courthouse stands the Brooke Memorial, built in 1924 to honor the second Rajah of the Kingdom of Sarawak, Charles Brooke, who reigned from 1868 to 1917. The monument features bronze reliefs of the four major ethnic groups of the Kingdom of Sarawak: Chinese, Malay, Dayak, and Kayan, with the Rajah's birth and death years inscribed in each group's language.

Reposted from the web

Summary: This article records Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Beijing from the viewpoint of a Muslim traveler. It keeps the original scenes, prayers, food, people, and photographs while avoiding extra commentary not found in the Chinese source.

Because of a bad pollen allergy, fasting this year was very difficult. My brain often felt like it was shutting down in the afternoon. After keeping at it, I finally finished my duties and welcomed the noble Eid al-Fitr.

Before the Eid prayer, there are seven recommended acts (mustahabb). At dawn (fajr), I made sure to eat one thing, so I ate a date. I performed the full ritual wash (ghusl), brushed my teeth, put on clean clothes before leaving, lit some incense (balan xiang), recited the takbir quietly on the way to the mosque, and paid my zakat al-fitr upon entering.

This year, I went to the Balizhuang Mosque just like in previous years. By seven in the morning, the mosque was already full of friends (dosti). There were international friends, brothers visiting Beijing from other places, local residents of Balizhuang, and the elders who broke their fast at the mosque every day during Ramadan.

The mosque had already prepared meat porridge, fried dough (youxiang), and various pastries and fruits. To make the meat porridge, you must crush the oil out of beef or lamb bones a day in advance, remove the bone fragments, and then simmer it with barley kernels. Drinking a bowl on the morning of Eid al-Fitr is very comforting for the stomach.

Beijing-style fried dough (youxiang) is made with leavened dough. It puffs up when fried and becomes very fluffy. After draining the oil, you should tear it apart to eat it.













After everyone caught up, chatted, and drank the good meat porridge, it was time for the ceremony of welcoming the imam to the main hall. Everyone held a stick of incense (balan xiang), followed the imam, recited the takbir, and walked slowly into the main hall.



After entering the hall, we began the opening scripture recitation, which consisted of the eighteen traditional surahs (suole) of North China. Each person in the front recited one surah, and the last person recited the Al-Fatiha and the first five verses of Al-Baqarah.



After the scripture reading, Imam Yang gave a sermon (wa'z) about the meaning of Eid al-Fitr, encouraged good deeds, warned against evil, and explained the procedure for the Eid prayer.



Then, we began the two-unit (rak'ah) Eid prayer. After the prayer, Imam Jin stood on the pulpit (minbar), held a wooden staff (al-asa), and recited the sermon (khutbah). Then we prayed four units of voluntary prayer (nafl). After finishing, we recited Al-Fatiha twice, followed by two duas. Finally, everyone gathered in a circle to shake hands. In North China, it is customary to recite blessings upon the Prophet (salawat) while shaking hands, while some friends from other places say 'salam' when shaking hands.





When the prayer ended, everyone lined up at the door to receive meat porridge and fried dough (youxiang). After that, we went out to the vegetable market near the mosque to buy ingredients for making starch noodle soup (fen tang).



After leaving the mosque, we went to Tiankelai at Jintai Road intersection for a meal. We ordered stir-fried eggs with yellow chives and shrimp, snow peas with garlic, mustard-marinated cabbage (jiemodun), a platter of savory and sweet fried yam rolls (juan-guo), slow-cooked beef (wei niurou), and roast duck. The stir-fried dishes are not pre-made, so you can ask them to leave out sugar or MSG. The slow-cooked beef was very tender, and my family loved it. The mustard-marinated cabbage was very pungent and a great appetizer. The roast duck is roasted to order. We waited an hour for it, but it tasted pretty good.

There are not many traditional Beijing-style stir-fry restaurants around the East Fourth Ring Road, so it is impressive that the old Niujie brand Tiankelai opened a branch here. The restaurant is right next to Jintai Road subway station. It is not crowded on weekday lunchtimes, and the environment is nice. The only regret is that many dishes on the menu were marked as unavailable, perhaps due to the chef, which limited our choices quite a bit.



















We passed by the Longfu Mosque snack shop on Dongsi North Street.



I came home after work and had some noodle soup (fen tang). On this day, all Xinjiang Hui Muslims make festive noodle soup. They prepare pea starch in advance and then cook braised lamb chops. Stir-fry meat slices, cabbage, greens, and tomatoes, add water, then mix in the braised lamb chops and starch cubes to finish. One bowl is simply not enough. It tastes best when served with fried dough (youxiang).

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel account follows the fifth weekend of Ramadan 2025 in Beijing, with stops around Qianmen and Balizhuang. It keeps the original prayer, food, street, mosque, and community details while making the English easy to read.

First, I wish all my friends (dosti) a blessed Eid al-Fitr! I am starting by catching up on a record from the last weekend of Ramadan.

On Friday, I broke my fast at the mosque on Saozhou Hutong outside Qianmen in Beijing. I had various teas, snacks, and fruits, especially the traditional Beijing pastry known as ganglu.

The Qianmen Mosque was first built in the late Ming Dynasty and renovated in 1680 (the 19th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty) and 1795 (the 60th year of the Qianlong reign). It features the classic North China mosque architectural style of the Qing Dynasty and is very well preserved. The famous modern Islamic educator Imam Wang Kuan served as the head imam at Qianmen Mosque in 1894 (the 20th year of the Guangxu reign). His student, the great Imam Da Pusheng, served as an imam at the mosque from 1909 to 1911. Another great imam, Wang Jingzhai, studied under the famous teacher Imam Yu Mianweng at the mosque when he was young.

From the Qing Dynasty to the Republican era, many Hui Muslims outside Qianmen worked in the jade, jewelry, and antique calligraphy and painting trades. The famous novel 'Jade King' (Muslim's Funeral) is based on the Hui Muslim jade trade in this area. The Qianmen Mosque was very busy back then, but as times have changed, the century-old mosque has returned to peace and quiet.













After the sunset prayer (maghrib), I was invited by my friend (dosti) Li Ding to have hot pot at 93 Tieshu Xiejie outside Qianmen. I met many new and old friends, and I was especially honored to meet the 81-year-old senior jade appraisal expert, Mr. Wang Ruimin.







Saturday was the last Taraweeh prayer of Ramadan, and I felt very reluctant to see it end! Balizhuang was still very lively. I met many old friends again and made some new ones. There are more women than men among the local community members breaking their fast in Balizhuang, which is quite rare in Beijing. After the sunset prayer (maghrib), I had lamb offal soup (yangza tang), roasted chicken, stewed kelp with carrots, braised chicken legs, and minced meat with green beans. It was very heartwarming.



















I broke my fast at home on Sunday and made a big plate of goose (dapan yan). The way to make big plate goose is the same as big plate chicken (dapan ji), but the texture of the goose is better than chicken, almost like steak. Hui Muslims in Xinjiang love to make big plate goose, but it seems rare in Xinjiang restaurants in Beijing. This might be because after stir-frying the goose, it must be pressure-cooked for 40 minutes, unlike the big plate chicken made with broiler chickens in some restaurants, which can be stir-fried directly. Also, when eating big plate goose, you must have it with Xinjiang chili peppers (xian lazi). It needs to be spicy enough to be delicious, and it is impossible to stop eating when paired with freshly made belt noodles (pidai mian).









Before going to bed on Sunday, I mixed pea starch at home to prepare for the pea starch soup (hui fencai) for the Eid al-Fitr breakfast the next day. This is a must-have for every Hui Muslim family in Xinjiang before Eid (Eid al-Fitr).

Reposted from the web

Summary: This is the first part of a Ramadan visit to historic mosques in Jinan, including Jinan South Mosque, North Mosque, and other Hui Muslim sites. It preserves the original routes, mosque history, food and community details, and all photographs in clear English.

I went to Jinan, Shandong, on the second Saturday of Ramadan in 2025. I visited the South Great Mosque, North Great Mosque, Nanguan Mosque, and Dikou Mosque. Adding these to the Dangxi Mosque and Dangdong Mosque I visited earlier, I am now sharing information about these six ancient mosques in Jinan.

Jinan South Great Mosque

The earliest mosque in Jinan was in Wumanla Lane, southeast of the government city. In 1295 (the first year of the Yuan-Yuanzhen era), it moved outside the west gate of the city to make room for the Shandong East Road Salt Transport Commission. This is the current site of the South Great Mosque. Later, an imam (mulla) named Aidi led the religious affairs. The Hui Muslims who originally lived in the east of the city moved west, forming a new mosque community near the west gate.

After Chen Li became the leader in 1436 (the first year of the Ming-Zhengtong era), he expanded the South Great Mosque significantly. Further expansions and repairs happened during the Ming dynasties of Hongzhi, Jiajing, and Wanli, and the Qing dynasties of Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Tongzhi, as well as the Republic of China era, creating the scale we see today.

The main prayer hall was rebuilt in 1436 (Zhengtong first year) and expanded in 1492 (Hongzhi seventh year). It stands on a twelve-step platform and looks very tall and grand. The main hall consists of three parts: the front porch, the front hall, and the rear hall. The front porch has a hip roof (wudian ding), the front hall has a gable-and-hip roof (xieshan ding), and the rear hall has a hip roof. There are 50 eaves pillars supporting the surrounding corridor. The main hall uses a beam-lifting wooden frame, and there is an arched door cover between the front and rear halls.



















The circular windows on the north and south gable walls of the main hall feature wooden carvings of scripture.









The twelve wooden windows carved with scripture in the main hall represent a high achievement in traditional Chinese Arabic-style wood carving. Unfortunately, the oil painting used during later repairs was not high quality, making some of the wood carvings blurry.













According to the "Stele Preface of the Hei Family" inside the mosque, the calligraphy on the wall facing the mihrab was written in 1810 (Jiaqing fifteenth year) by Hei Faxiang, who served as the imam of the South Great Mosque. In the 110 years following that until 1920, members of the Hei family, including Hei Yuanji, Hei Yonghua, Hei Qingjie, and Hei Guangzhi, served as imams of the South Great Mosque.

















The gate tower was built in 1914 and the moon-watching tower (wangyue lou) in 1936. Both have features from the Republic of China era. Teacher Liu Zhiping noted that the architectural style has many "new" ideas.

The center of the gate tower has a plaque reading "Mosque," with "Repaired in April of the Jia-Yin year of the Republic of China" written on it, signed by "The Community." Next to the main gate is a stone tablet from the thirteenth year of the Daoguang era titled "Record of the Screen Wall Outside the Mosque Gate."



















The back door of the mosque features beautiful plum blossom patterns carved into the bracket sets (que-ti).







On the north side of the front porch of the South Great Mosque are the two most important steles in the mosque: the "Laifu Ming" and the "Record of the Repair of the Mosque in Licheng County, Jinan Prefecture." They have a protective cover and display boards explaining the content, though the original text is hard to see through the glass.

The "Laifu Ming" was written in 1528 (Ming-Jiajing seventh year) by Chen Si, the leader of the South Great Mosque. His great-grandfather, Chen Ying, was a diplomat in the early Ming Dynasty who traveled to the Western Regions three times and worked in the Court of Imperial Entertainments. His descendants served as leaders of the South Great Mosque for over a hundred years. The "Laifu Ming" is the first Chinese-language stele written by a mosque leader. It is also the first work in China to combine Islamic teachings with Song and Ming Neo-Confucianism, starting the tradition of interpreting scripture through Confucianism in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. It has very high historical and philosophical value.









The "Record of the Repair of the Mosque in Licheng County, Jinan Prefecture" was carved in 1495 (Ming-Hongzhi eighth year) and is the earliest religious stone tablet in Jinan. The inscription records that the South Great Mosque moved from Wumanla Lane at the east gate of Jinan to the west gate in 1295 (Yuan-Yuanzhen first year). It was small at first, then expanded by Chen Li, the son of Chen Ying, in 1436 (Ming-Zhengtong first year), and expanded again by Chen Xi in 1492 (Hongzhi eighth year). The stele records these two expansion processes.











The Preface to the Permanent Prohibition of Hereditary Succession for the Three Religious Leaders was carved in 1715 (the 54th year of the Qianlong reign). The text was copied from a mosque (libaisi) in Jining Prefecture. Since the original Jining stele no longer exists, the Jinan stele has become the most important stone inscription representing the theological views of the Shandong school of scripture hall education (jingtang jiaoyu). The stele was written by Xue Zongjun, an official in the Imperial Board of Astronomy (qintianjian) who served at the Hall of Mental Cultivation (yangxindian). The text opposes the hereditary system for the three religious leaders and advocates for a selection system based on merit and ability. The text mentions that the author consulted with the founders of the Shandong school, teachers Chang Zhimei and Li Yanling, and received their approval for these views.



















The 1810 Record of Rebuilding the Mosque (libaisi). This records how the head of the Black Sect (hei jiaozhang) worked tirelessly to raise funds from all directions. It took ten years to gather materials and start construction, and the project was completed in five months.



The 1845 Stele of Ding Songnian Donating Storefronts. This records how Ding Songnian bought storefronts and donated them to the mosque, with the rent used to cover the needs of the bathhouse.





The 1872 Stele of the Zuo Ma Family Donating Land. This records how the Zuo Ma family donated farmland in Chenjiazhuang to the mosque's school to support grave visits, scripture recitation, and the maintenance of the imam (ahong) and students.





The 1921 Stele Record of Rebuilding the Two Lecture Halls of the Main Hall.



The 1890 Stele of Wang Qingchun's Aunt Donating Land. This records how Wang Qingchun donated land on behalf of his aunt.



The 1914 Stele Record of Rebuilding the Pillars, Wrapped Porch, and Brick Floor Around the Main Hall of the South Mosque.



The 1874 Inscription on Rebuilding the Two Lecture Halls. This records the construction of two lecture halls on the left and right sides of the main hall, where people studied and researched theology together after completion.



Jinan North Mosque (Beidasi).

During the Kangxi reign, Yang Kuiyuan Baba, a student of Chang Zhimei and a leader at the Jinan South Mosque, went out to collect funds and grain. During this time, an imam (ahong) from the Western Regions passed through the South Mosque and taught from the scriptures he carried. Later, Ren Runzhi Baba returned from the Hajj and brought back many scriptures, beginning to preach at the South Mosque and advocating for following the scriptures and reforming customs (zun jing ge su). After Yang Kuiyuan Baba returned to the South Mosque from his fundraising, he insisted on following ancient traditions and opposed the reforms. This led to him setting up a sorghum-stalk screen in the main hall so that each side could perform their namaz separately. History calls this the conflict between the new practice of 'Ikhwan' (houdusi) and the old practice of 'Gedimu' (gedimu). As the conflict between the new and old factions intensified, Imam Yang Kuiyuan led the followers of the old practice to build the North Mosque at the north end of Yongchang Street. It was continuously rebuilt during the Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, Guangxu, and Republican periods, eventually reaching its current scale.

The main hall of the North Mosque is built on a stone foundation. It features a large timber-framed roof with a triple-connected hip-and-gable design and upturned eaves. A pavilion-style moon-viewing tower is built above the middle hall, which can be accessed via stairs inside the hall.





































The main gate and ceremonial gate of the Jinan North Mosque.







The gutter between the main hall and the porch features dragon-head water spouts, and rainwater flows down the roof tiles of the hanging-flower gate (chuihuamen) between the two halls.



The two plaques from the Republic of China era at the North Mosque (Beidasi) match those inside the Ming-Shan Hall at the Qingjing Mosque in Quanzhou. I wonder if they are replicas.

Recognize the Oneness of Allah.

Respectfully erected in the eighth month of the eleventh year of the Republic of China.

Respectfully written by Tang Kesan, Superintendent of the Xiamen Customs, after ritual washing.



Three Awe-Inspiring Things and Four Admonitions.

An auspicious day in the latter ten days of the sixth month of the thirteenth year of the Republic of China.

Respectfully written by Tang Kesan, holder of the Second Class Order of the Golden Grain, former Superintendent of the Xiamen Customs, and Intendant of the Jinan Circuit in Shandong.

The text on the plaque comes from the Analects of Confucius, Book of Ji Shi: A gentleman has three things to stand in awe of: he stands in awe of the Mandate of Heaven, he stands in awe of great men, and he stands in awe of the words of the sages. And from the Analects of Confucius, Book of Yan Yuan: Do not look at what is contrary to propriety, do not listen to what is contrary to propriety, do not speak what is contrary to propriety, and do not do what is contrary to propriety.

Tang Kesan was a Hui Muslim from Zoucheng, Shandong. He was a famous social activist during the Republic of China era, serving as a negotiator for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Shandong, director of the Shandong Epidemic Prevention Office, Superintendent of the Xiamen Customs, director of the Shandong Road Administration, and Intendant of the Jinan West Circuit. He served as principal of the Chengda Normal School, founded the Yuehua magazine, helped establish the Chinese Islamic Progress Association, and organized and led the Hui Muslim movement to resist Japan and save the nation, making great contributions to the faith.



A glazed incense burner kept in front of the main prayer hall of the North Mosque.







Stone inscriptions at the Jinan North Mosque.

The 1806 Stele Record of the North Mosque. It records that someone donated funds to buy land, with the income used to cover the expenses of the mosque's school.





The 1938 Stele Record of the Extension and Repair of the Jinan North Mosque Main Hall. It records that the wife of Ma Runhan, Madam Hei, donated funds to buy land adjacent to the main hall, and Zhu Shouqing donated funds to extend the two-story main hall into a three-story structure. During this time, Zhu Shouqing passed away, and his brothers Zhu Guanzhou and Zhu Yunshan continued to renovate the beams and colorful paintings.





The 1943 Memorial Stele for the Virtuous Deeds of Mr. Mu Huating. Mu Huating was a Hui Muslim from Jinan and one of the founders of the Chengda Normal School. He joined the army at age 20 and served in the Shandong Army, the Nanjing Garrison, the Jinan Town Office, the Tianjin Customs, and the Second Border Defense Division, protecting merchants and civilians everywhere during the Zhili-Anhui War. After retiring home, he was devoted to the faith, went on the Hajj, participated in the repairs of the Jinan South Mosque and North Mosque, and collected nearly a hundred volumes of scriptures to store at the North Mosque. In 1925, he donated his own Mu Family Mosque (Mujia Chemen Si) to open the Chengda Normal School.





The 1850 Record of the Renovation of the North Mosque. The father of the author Jin Baofu helped rebuild the North Mosque in the 14th year of the Daoguang reign and again in the 30th year, which is why this stone tablet was erected.





The 1918 stone tablet titled 'Notice of Land Purchase by the Charity Hall' (Cishantang Goudi Yuanqi). It records how elders from the Mu, Fa, Ma, and Wang families donated money to buy land and storefronts inside Linxiang Gate in Jinan. The rent from these properties, along with rent from the Yuchang Soy Sauce Shop, paid for water heating fuel and supported the mosque's primary and secondary schools. The tablet is inscribed with the names of Jinan Garrison Commander Ma Zizhen (Ma Liang) and Jinan Circuit Intendant Tang Kesan.





The 1941 stone tablet titled 'Mr. Zhou's Donation of Property and Land' (Zhoujun Juanfang Juandi Bei). It records that the ancestors of the Hui Muslim youth Zhou Xiaopeng lived in Jinan for generations, and his family left official life to live in seclusion at the end of the Qing Dynasty. Zhou Xiaopeng followed his ancestors' wishes by studying books and scriptures and fulfilling the five pillars of Islam. His community had high hopes for him, but he unexpectedly passed away from illness at only twenty years old. On his deathbed, he left a will donating his ancestral home on the east side of Jiuxin Street in the West Gate area of Jinan and his family graveyard at Sili Mountain to the women's mosque, with the income to be used for mosque expenses.



The 1883 stone tablet titled 'Madam You's Land Donation' (Youshi Juandi Bei). It records that before Madam You died, she instructed her son and nephew to donate land to the North and South Mosques of Jinan to pay for the imams to visit the graves and recite prayers every year.



The 1922 stone tablet titled 'Record of the North Mosque' (Qingzhen Beisi Beiji). It records the initial establishment of a Chinese-language school at the North Mosque.



The 1909 stone tablet titled 'Resolving Disputes' (Painan Jiefen Bei). It records that a merchant named Wan Qingyan was doing business in Yuncheng. When his wife, Madam Yang, wanted to visit her parents, Wan Qingyan refused, and she became distraught and committed suicide by taking poison. Wan Qingyan asked his younger brother to send her body to Jinan, but Madam Yang's brothers found the situation suspicious and wanted to report it to the authorities. After mediation prevented a lawsuit, Wan Qingyan donated land and money to the North Mosque in Jinan.



The 1850 stone tablet titled 'Record of the North Mosque Redeeming Farmland' (Qingzhen Beisi Shutian Ji). It records that Huang Tingzhu sold farmland on the west side of Chenjiazhuang to the North Mosque.



The 1933 stone tablet titled 'Defending the Honor of the Faith' (Wei Jiao Zheng Guang). It records the 1932 protests by Hui Muslims against the Beixin Book Company and the Nanhua Literary Society in Shanghai for publishing articles that insulted their faith. The Nanhua Literary Society had described Hui Muslims as descendants of the pig demon Zhu Bajie, which angered the entire Hui Muslim community. The Shandong branch of the North China Hui Muslim Defense Association was formed, and they sent Mu Huating to Beijing to petition for strict punishment. They eventually succeeded in getting the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China to issue an order to punish the book company and the literary society according to the law.



The 1923 stone tablet titled 'Record of Building the Muslim School' (Xiujian Qingzhen Xuexiao Ji). Originally a tablet from the Mujia Chemen Mosque in Jinan, it records how Mu Huating donated the mosque, a kiln factory, city storefronts, and a public cemetery in 1922 to establish a school. This school was likely the predecessor to the Chengda Normal School founded in 1925. The original stone tablet is lost, and the current one is a replica.



The 19XX Republic of China era tablet inscription for the construction of the women's mosque. The women's mosque attached to the North Mosque sat just to its north. A female teacher (shiniang) led the local women in worship, and there was also an Arabic primary school. It was destroyed after 1966.



Jinan Nanguan Mosque.

Jinan Nanguan Mosque was first built during the Ming Dynasty. It moved to its current location in 1603 (the 31st year of the Wanli reign) and was renovated several times during the Xianfeng, Tongzhi, and Guangxu periods. The mosque now faces south, with the main prayer hall in the north building. The mihrab is on the west side, which is very rare for a traditional mosque. There is a screen wall outside the main gate, which features Qing Dynasty-style stone door piers. The side gate has a lintel from a renovation in the eighth year of the Xianfeng reign.

During the late Qing and early Republic period, the mosque's head elder was Ma Yunting, a famous Jinan doctor. He opened the Jinan Fourth Halal Primary School inside the mosque and served as its principal. In 1919, during the May Fourth Movement, Ma Yunting was killed for organizing the Hui Muslims National Salvation Group of Ten.

When I visited, it was time for the afternoon prayer (peshin), and only the imam and I were there to pray.



















The stele corridor on the east side of Jinan Nanguan Mosque.

Reposted from the web

Summary: This is the second part of a Ramadan visit to historic mosques in Jinan, including Nanguan Mosque, Dikou Mosque, Dangxi Mosque, and Dangdong Mosque. The English version keeps the original architectural notes, mosque names, historical details, and photographs in their source order.



A 1614 (42nd year of Wanli, Ming Dynasty) stone tablet records the completion of the Nanguan Mosque and lists the donors. It explains that there was an older mosque south of Jinan city, but it was hard to reach when the nearby canal flooded in summer and autumn. Three elders named Yang, Yu, and Tang led the community to fund and build a new mosque in 1603 (31st year of Wanli). The tablet lists the names of 147 people, including mosque leaders, military commanders, local officials, scholars, and students.





The 1864 (3rd year of Tongzhi) tablet records the renovation of the ancient Nanguan Mosque. It describes how the Nanguan Mosque was renovated in the early Xianfeng years and how a school was established there.



The 1906 (32nd year of Guangxu) tablet records the renovation of the Nanguan Mosque. It notes that the mosque was renovated during the Tongzhi era and again in 1904 (30th year of Guangxu) with funds donated by the military commander Ma Longbiao.





Additionally, a tablet from 1864 (3rd year of Tongzhi) titled 'Zuo Fengsheng Donates Property to Support Education' is embedded in the west lecture hall. It records that Zuo Fengsheng and his family donated two properties near the Nanguan Mosque to help pay for the school's food, oil, and coal.







Jinan Dikou Mosque.

The Cui family of Jinan originally came from Sanlihe in Beijing. They moved to Dikou Village in Jinan during the Zhengde years of the Ming Dynasty and built the Cui family's Dikou Mosque at the end of the Wanli era. In 1708 (47th year of Kangxi), leaders like General Cui Zhiyun and officer Cui Zhenyu arranged to move the main hall of the Yang Bo residence from Shangcai County, Henan, to Dikou Village. They used the military to transport it via the Grand Canal and the Yellow River. The mosque was renovated again in 1865 (4th year of Tongzhi) to reach its current state.

















The mosque originally had a 1708 renovation tablet. Today, only the top stone carving of two dragons playing with a pearl remains, and the body of the tablet is a replica.





A 1789 (54th year of Qianlong) 'Land Donation Tablet' is embedded in the wall. It records that Cui Zhili, a military officer, donated his mother's burial land and his own fields to the Dikou Mosque to fund grave visits.







While visiting the mosque, I was recognized by Imam Wang. We had been WeChat friends for a long time but had never met in person. Imam Wang told me about the Dikou Mosque and took me to the second-floor exhibition hall. It shows the folk culture of Dikou Village and the history of the local Cui family of Hui Muslims.









Dangxi Mosque.

Dangxi Mosque is in Dangjia Village in the southern suburbs. It was first built at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, burned down by the Red Turban Army, and rebuilt in 1397 (30th year of Hongwu). It was renovated many times during the Ming, Qing, and Republican eras and is an important ancient mosque in Jinan.



















On May 3, 1928, the Japanese army intentionally massacred Chinese troops in Jinan, an event known as the May 3rd Incident. On May 6, Chiang Kai-shek and Bai Chongxi led their troops to retreat into the Dangxi Mosque, where they held an emergency meeting to plan military strategy. During this time, the Japanese army shelled Dangxi Village. One shell pierced the main beam of the Dangxi Mosque but did not explode, becoming a historical witness to the Jinan Incident. When the Dangxi Mosque was renovated in 1995, the beam was replaced and has been on display in the main hall ever since to remind future generations not to forget the national humiliation.







The 1891 (17th year of Guangxu) 'Jin Family Repeated Donations and Renovations Tablet'. It records how four generations of the Jin family donated money and goods to renovate the mosque during the Jiaqing, Daoguang, Tongzhi, and Guangxu eras.



The 1941 stele record for the renovation of the mosque walls and bathhouse.



The 1941 stele for the renovation of the Dangjiazhuang Elementary School. Both steles were written and calligraphed by Zhang Fengji, the principal of Dangjiazhuang Elementary School.









Dangdong Mosque.

Dangdong Mosque is located in the East Village of Dangjiazhuang in the southern suburbs. It was first built in 1510 (the fifth year of the Zhengde reign of the Ming Dynasty) and was renovated several times during the Qing Dynasty reigns of Yongzheng and Qianlong, as well as during the Republican period. Records show that Dangdong Village was originally Zhuguanzhuang, a place set up for refugees in the early years of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty. Local Hui Muslims originally went to Dangxi Mosque for namaz. In the early years of the Zhengde reign, Chen Xi, the chief imam (zhangjiao) of Shandong, raised funds. Fa Zongxian, the commander of the Jinan Guard, and local Hui Muslims managed the purchase of land and materials to build Zhuguanzhuang Mosque, which was later renamed Dangdong Mosque.



















The 1844 stele, Official Proclamation of Licheng County. It records how the Licheng County magistrate handled a civil lawsuit in Dangjiazhuang. It mentions that four families of imams (zhangjiao) passed their positions down through generations and controlled mosque affairs, which caused public anger. The court ruled that imams could not pass their positions to their descendants and could not privately sell or handle the mosque's farmland. This stele is an important document for studying the changes in the imam system of mosques in Shandong.



The 1762 stele, Commending Good Deeds (Jingshan Bei). It records that Madam Zhou, the wife of the village elder Jin Ziliang, donated land to the mosque.

Reposted from the web

Summary: This article records Laylat al-Qadr at Balizhuang Mosque in Beijing during Ramadan. It keeps the original Quranic passage, iftar dishes, community details, and photographs in a natural English travel style.

Indeed, We sent it down during the Night of Power. And what can make you know what the Night of Power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is, until the emergence of dawn. (97)

Yesterday, we gathered at Balizhuang Mosque to revive the Night of Power. It was the busiest night of Ramadan, and I saw many old friends. Yesterday also featured the most abundant iftar meal at Balizhuang. Thanks to the hard work of Director Li and the elders, it was a great success. We enjoyed sticky rice cake (qiegao) made by Elder Fu, along with beef stew, stir-fried beef with green onions, steamed rice flour cakes (aiwowo), stir-fried shrimp, baked buns (kaobaozi), savory fried yam rolls (xianjuanguo), spiced beef, tofu puff soup, and lotus seed porridge. The dining hall was full, with over eighty people.





Imam Yang gave a very powerful sermon (wa'az).











































The imam led everyone in one hundred units of voluntary prayer (nafl namaz), using dates to keep count, with each date representing two units.

Reposted from the web

Summary: This account covers the fourth weekend of Ramadan 2025, moving from Madian Mosque in Beijing to the Sudanese Embassy and Tianjin Tianmu. It preserves the original details on Jumuah prayer, iftar, local Hui Muslim history, mosque visits, and photographs.

On Friday, I attended Jumu'ah prayers at Madian Mosque in Beijing under a clear blue sky. The mosque was packed with fellow Muslims (dost) from nearby universities like Beijing Normal University, Beihang University, and Beijing Jiaotong University.

Madian sits on the North Beijing Avenue outside Deshengmen. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, it has been a hub for cattle and sheep trading with a large Hui Muslim population. People say the number of Hui Muslims here is second only to Niujie. After the Qing dynasty, hundreds of thousands of cattle, sheep, and horses came from Mongolia through Zhangjiakou into Beijing. Hui Muslims opened many horse and sheep shops in Madian to feed and sell the livestock for a commission. Madian Mosque was first built during the Kangxi era. In 1850 (the 30th year of Daoguang), it was rebuilt with funds from over ten local sheep and horse shops. It was renovated again during the Republic of China era and is quite large.













I stayed at Madian Mosque for iftar that evening, eating braised fish (hongshao yu), sliced pork with daylily (huanghua roupian), and stir-fried scallion lamb (congbao yangrou). Many foreign Muslims (dost) also came to break their fast at Madian Mosque. It is great for our brothers and sisters from around the world to taste Beijing's Ramadan meals.



















That night, I went to the Sudanese Embassy in Sanlitun for Taraweeh prayers. This year, you need to be accompanied by a foreigner to get in. The Taraweeh prayer consisted of eight rak'ahs. A young Libyan hafiz led the first four, followed by a sermon (wa'z) from the Sudanese imam, and then the Sudanese imam led the final four. During the third rak'ah of Witr, we raised our hands for a long dua. There was another sermon (wa'z) after the dua. I think it is a rare opportunity to come here every year and experience a different cultural atmosphere of our faith.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, Sufi scholars began spreading the faith along the upper Nile River toward the Sudan region. In the early 16th century, the Funj Sultanate ruling Sudan nominally converted to the faith but kept traditional witchcraft and sacrificial rituals. In 1718, the Funj Sultanate changed dynasties, began seeking a more orthodox faith, and started the process of Arabization. By the 19th century, Sudan had become a region that followed orthodox Sunni Islam and began using Arabic as its common language. Today, the vast majority of Sudanese are Sunni Muslims of the Maliki school and are deeply influenced by Sufism.

















On Saturday night, I broke my fast at the North Mosque in Tianmu, Tianjin, where the elders served green tea and dates. After the Maghrib prayer, they handed out boxed meals of stir-fried lotus root slices and garlic sprouts with pork, served with steamed buns (mantou), which everyone took home to eat.

The Mu family originally lived in Muja Village, Qiantang County, Hangzhou Prefecture, Zhejiang. During the Jianwen era of the Ming dynasty, they were moved to Guyilang inside Shuiximen in Nanjing. In the early Yongle era, they followed the Prince of Yan to Nanpi County, Cangzhou, Hebei. In 1404 (the first year of Ming Yongle), the Mu brothers used canal boats to transport imperial grain to Tongzhou. After unloading, they received special favor and were gifted the boats. They traveled south along the Grand Canal to a place twenty miles north of Tianjin Wei, where they settled, established Muja Village, and built the Muja Village Mosque, which is now the Tianmu North Mosque.

The Tianmu North Mosque was repaired many times in history. It was burned down by Kuomintang troops in 1948, rebuilt after 1950, and renovated to its current size after 2007.



In a previous article, some readers asked about the translation "laimaizhuannai." This is actually a traditional term used in Tianjin and surrounding areas for hundreds of years. The pronunciation of "laimaizhuannai" is Ramzan. The way the letter "d" (ḍād) is pronounced as a "z" and the emphasis on the final syllable both come from Persian. In regions influenced by Persian culture, such as Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Pakistan, and Turkey, the word for Ramadan is pronounced Ramazan.





















Plaque at the North Mosque (Beidasi) in Tianmu, Tianjin

Ancient Islamic Faith (Qingzhen Gujiao)

Auspicious day in the first month of autumn, in the Gengxu year of the Xuantong reign (1910)

Respectfully presented by Xiao Liangtong, acting head of the Tianjin Garrison, holding the rank of Du-si and wearing the blue feather.

Calligraphy by Prince Su



Greatest and Most Just

Erected on an auspicious day in the fifth month of summer, in the Guimo year of the Guangxu reign (1883)

Calligraphy by Xu Ziming

Respectfully presented by Mu Tongchun, a presented scholar (jinshi) and imperial guard, appointed as commander of the Huzhou Garrison in Zhejiang, with a two-grade promotion.



Upholding the ancestors and awaiting the future

Auspicious day in the first month of autumn, in the ninth year of the Guangxu reign (1883)

Respectfully erected by Hei Yaozeng, a magistrate-elect holding the rank of Du-si.

Hei Zhaorong, a commander of the Ziya station in Jinghai County, holding the fourth-rank title and wearing the blue feather.

Reprinted by Hei Pengnian, a commander of the South Grand Canal Garrison, holding the fifth-rank title and wearing the blue feather.



















The brick carving of 'Ancient Islamic Faith' behind the kiln hall, with the inscription 'Rebuilt in the 20th year of the Republic of China'.



Shunyi Road in Tianmu is so lively at night, with long lines at many barbecue stalls. There are also alcohol-free restaurants like Muyangren Beef Rice and Shangpin Lamb Soup at the intersection, offering plenty of choices.

























I had old-fashioned shaved ice (baobing) on Shunyi Road in Tianmu, topped with sour plum paste (suanmogao), sour apricots, hawthorn berries (hongguo), and red beans, then bought whole-wheat nut bread and egg yolk and pork floss green sticky rice balls (qingtuan) at Huiwei Pastry Shop. Then I had an original beef burger at Ershen Beef Burger. Tianmu has really returned to the lively state it was in before 2020!





















I started my fast at home on Sunday morning, eating lamb spine pilaf (yangxiezi zhuafan).



I also broke my fast at home on Sunday night, eating bamboo shoot and meat hand-pulled noodles (latiazi).

Reposted from the web

Summary: This English travel account follows a 2016 route through 16 ancient mosques in China, including sites in Anhui, Jiangsu, Xinjiang, and other regions. It keeps the original mosque names, dates, routes, photographs, and Hui Muslim history while presenting the journey in clear everyday English.

In 2016, I officially began visiting Hui Muslim communities along the Grand Canal and the Huai River, as well as several ancient mosques. I also used the October National Day holiday to take a loop tour of Xinjiang.

In May, I visited 4 mosques in Anhui.

Shouxian Great Mosque: It is generally believed that the mosque moved from the northwest corner of the city, where it was built in the Song Dynasty, to the southwest corner during the Tianqi period of the Ming Dynasty (1621-1627). It was renovated multiple times during the Qing Dynasty's Daoguang period and the Republic of China era.



Huainan Laishanji Mosque: Built in 1619 (the 47th year of the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty), it was constructed after a branch of the Yang family moved from Hongnong County in Shaanxi to Yanghu Town in Yingshang, Anhui, and settled in Laishanji. In 1872 (the 11th year of the Tongzhi period), Yang Qizhen, the Admiral of the Fujian Navy, donated funds to expand it.



Linbei Ancient Mosque: Located in Linbei Hui Muslim village, it was built in the late Ming Dynasty. Because it sits in the Huai River flood zone, the entire village moved behind the northern Huai River levee in 2015, leaving only the abandoned Linbei Ancient Mosque behind.



Fengyang Fucheng Mosque: This mosque was built shortly after the Fengyang Prefecture city was completed in 1755. In 1924 (the 13th year of the Republic of China), it was renovated through donations led by Imam Chang Jiasheng. It was renovated again in 2004 to its current appearance.



In June, I visited 2 mosques in Jiangsu.

Hushu Mosque: First built in 1392 (the 25th year of the Hongwu period), it was destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion. The main prayer hall was rebuilt in 1896 (the 22nd year of the Guangxu period). In 1911, five tile-roofed rooms were built on the left side in front of the main hall, with a water room (shuifang) on the left, dormitories on the right, and a guest hall in the middle. In 1919, the three rooms of the front hall, the five rooms of the main prayer hall, and two side rooms at the east end of the main gate were rebuilt.



Xiaowangfu Lane Mosque: First built in 1874 (the 13th year of the Tongzhi period), it hosted the Wuben Primary School in 1917, which operated until it was taken over by the local government in 1951. Later, the mosque was occupied by a wire and cable factory to serve as staff dormitories.



In October, I visited 5 mosques in Xinjiang.

Hami Shaanxi Great Mosque: In 1875, Zuo Zongtang entered Xinjiang and stationed troops in Hami for five years. One of the five battalions of the Jianrui Army stationed there was composed of Hui Muslims from the Guanzhong region of Shaanxi. After the troops left in 1881, some Hui Muslims chose to stay in Hami, forming the Shaanxi community (Shaanxi dafang) and building the Shaanxi Great Mosque in 1898. The current nine-bay-wide main prayer hall was renovated in 1999, but it retains the old hanging flower gate (chuihuamen), which features very delicate carvings of various fruits.



Shanshan East Great Mosque: Construction began in 1906 and was completed in 1911. It belongs to the Jahriyya Shagou menhuan.



Yining Shaanxi Great Mosque: The earliest Hui mosque in Yili was built in 1751. In 1757, after the Qing Dynasty defeated Amursana of the Dzungar Khanate, some Hui Muslim soldiers and civilians from Shaanxi were demobilized and stayed here. The mosque was expanded into the Shaanxi Great Mosque in 1760. In 1762, the Qing dynasty established the Ili General and built the Nine Cities of Ili. The Shaanxi Grand Mosque (Shaanxi Dasi) near Ningyuan City, which is now Yining City, was also named Ninggu Mosque, meaning peace and stability forever. The Shaanxi Grand Mosque was expanded in 1781, the 46th year of the Qianlong reign, and has been repaired many times since.



Yining Uzbek Mosque: After 1919, wealthy Uzbek merchants, landlords, nobles, intellectuals, White Army officers, and religious figures who originally lived in Central Asian cities like Tashkent entered Xinjiang to seek refuge. From 1929 to 1932, a large number of Uzbeks came to Xinjiang because the Soviet Union implemented agricultural collectivization. Ili is the most important settlement for Uzbeks in northern Xinjiang and was their first stop when they arrived in the region. In 1933, Uzbek merchants in Ili raised funds to build the Uzbek Mosque.



Baitula Mosque minaret: The Baitula Mosque was built in 1773, the 38th year of the Qianlong reign, by order of the Qing government under the Ili Hakim Beg, Oromzhab. The Baitula Mosque was located in the center of Ningyuan City, one of the Nine Cities of Ili, and it remains the most important architectural relic of that city. The main building was demolished in 1995, and only the minaret remains of the historical structure.



November, 2 mosques in Beijing

Tongzhou Grand Mosque: Built during the Yuan dynasty Yanyou period (1314–1320), it was originally named Chaozhen Mosque. It was repaired in 1516, the 11th year of the Ming Zhengde reign, and expanded again in 1593, the 21st year of the Wanli reign.



Zhangjiawan Mosque: Built in the early Ming dynasty, it was renovated during the Qing Daoguang reign, and the fourth section of the prayer hall was expanded in 1956. It was renovated in 1998, but the layout of the third and fourth sections of the prayer hall was reversed, and the south lecture hall and the main gate were rebuilt.



December, 3 mosques in Shandong

Jining Shunhe East Grand Mosque: Built around 1420 in the late Ming Yongle period, it was renovated in 1459, the third year of the Tianshun reign, expanded during the Kangxi reign, and renovated during the Qianlong reign, eventually reaching its current size.



Liuhang East Mosque: Built during the Wanli reign and expanded during the Kangxi reign.



Dezhou Beiying Mosque: During the Ming Wanli reign, descendants of the Sultan of Sulu built this mosque southwest of the Sultan of Sulu's tomb. The Ming dynasty issued an imperial decree to select one person from the Wen and An families to serve as the religious leader, inherit the sect, and manage the Hui Muslims. In 1917, the canal levee broke, and the mosque along with Beiying Village was washed away. It was not rebuilt until 1940, becoming the building seen today. According to an old imam, the pavilions at the four corners of the mosque could actually be used as watchtowers.

Reposted from the web

Summary: This 2017 mosque-visit record follows 27 historic mosques and Muslim heritage sites across different places. The English version keeps the original route, mosque names, photos, and local details while making the long record easier to read.

In 2017, I continued visiting Hui Muslim communities along the Grand Canal and started visiting those along the Yangtze River. That year, I traveled to Cangzhou in Hebei, Linqing, Liaocheng, Xuzhou, Huai'an, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang in Jiangsu, and Jiaxing and Hangzhou in Zhejiang along the Grand Canal. Along the Yangtze, I visited Shanghai, Nanjing in Jiangsu, Wuhu, Hexian, and Anqing in Anhui, Jiujiang in Jiangxi, and Wuhan and Jingzhou in Hubei. I recorded the scenes of these Hui Muslim communities and visited some of their ancient mosques and historical sites. Some of these communities, like those in Wuhan and Jingzhou, have since been demolished, making these records a piece of history. In the summer, I also went to Dali to visit some ancient mosques in Weishan and Eryuan. I actually visited many ancient mosques in 2017, but some were revisited later and included in previous articles, so they were not counted here. This article includes 27 of them.

January: 3 mosques in Jiangsu.

Yangzhou Puhading Tomb Mosque: Puhading is said to be a 16th-generation descendant of the Prophet. He came to Yangzhou during the Southern Song dynasty (1265-1274) and passed away in 1275 during the Yuan dynasty. He was buried on a high ridge east of the Dongguan River in the new city, a place later called Huihui Tang (commonly known as Baba Yao). The main prayer hall of the mosque is next to the gate of the Puhading tomb complex. Stone carvings inside the gate record that in 1845, people of various surnames donated funds to build a stone embankment and renovate the hall.



Zhenjiang Xinhe Street Mosque: Built in 1930, it was originally a private residence purchased with donations from Hui Muslims in both Shanghai and Zhenjiang. It is a traditional Jiangnan-style house with three courtyards and two side wings. In 1926, Fa Jiesan, who moved from Zhenjiang to Shanghai, discussed theology with Imam Ha Cheng of the Xiaotaoyuan Mosque. After accepting the teachings of the Ikhwan sect, he returned to Zhenjiang and began practicing his faith at home according to Ikhwan rituals. Later, funds were raised in Shanghai and Zhenjiang to build an Ikhwan-style mosque on Xinhe Street. In 1958, the Xinhe Street Mosque merged with the Dashan Lane Mosque. It later became a dormitory for a forestry machinery factory and has been abandoned ever since.



Zhenjiang Gurun Mosque: First built in the Yuan dynasty, it was destroyed at the end of the Yuan and beginning of the Ming dynasty. It was rebuilt during the Hongwu reign of the Ming dynasty and moved to Jianzi Lane in the city in 1602. It was occupied after 1958, destroyed in the 1970s and 1980s, and completely demolished in 2005 before being rebuilt at its current location. The site preserves a stone tablet from the Ming dynasty renovation, an ancient well railing, three Qing dynasty renovation tablets, and the mihrab from the original mosque outside the south gate of Zhenjiang.



February: 2 mosques in Zhejiang.

Jiaxing Mosque: First built in 1602, it was renovated in 1747 when a lecture hall was added to the east side of the main hall. The gate was rebuilt in 1774. After the Taiping Rebellion, it fell into ruin until it was reused by Hui Muslims who moved there from Henan after the Republic of China was established.



Hangzhou Phoenix Mosque: Originally named Zhenjiao Mosque, it was destroyed at the end of the Southern Song dynasty and rebuilt in the early Yuan dynasty. When Zhongshan Road was widened in 1929, the gate and the Moon-Watching Tower (Wangyue Lou) were demolished. The main hall was torn down in 1953. Today, only the kiln-style hall (yaodian) remains from the Yuan and Ming dynasties.



March: 3 mosques in Jiangsu.

Huai'an Hexia Mosque: Located in the ancient town of Hexia, it was built between the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Ten of its rooms were burned down by the Nian Army in the late Qing dynasty, but it was later repaired.



Huai'an Qingjiang Mosque: First built during the Jiajing reign of the Ming dynasty, it was renovated and expanded twice during the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns. It was destroyed by the Nian Army in 1860 and rebuilt in 1870.



Huai'an Wangjiaying Mosque: Located on the north bank of the old Yellow River course, it was built during the Yongzheng reign. It was destroyed in the war with the Nian Army in 1860 and rebuilt in 1867. It was damaged in 1966, with the main hall used as a warehouse for a shoe and hat factory, and was rebuilt in 1979. The old imam of the Wangying Mosque, Chang Tingzhang, studied at a daotang in Lingwu County (Lingzhou), Ningxia, during the Qianlong reign. Subsequent imams also went to Ningxia to study, making it a mosque of the Jahriyya (Zhe) sect.



March: 2 mosques in Hebei.

Cangzhou North Mosque: The area near the south gate of Cangzhou was a key path to the Grand Canal. Most Hui Muslims, who were mostly craftspeople and small traders, chose to live here. In 1420 (the 18th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty), the Cangzhou North Mosque was officially built in the south of the city, with land donated and construction led by Wu Yongzuo.



Cangzhou Botou Mosque: In 1404 (the second year of the Yongle reign), the Ming Emperor Chengzu, Zhu Di, ordered residents to move to Cangzhou. Many Hui Muslims arrived in Botou because of this. Records show that Hui Muslims with the seven surnames of Yang, Cao, Dai, Hui, Zhang, Wang, and Shi all moved to Botou in 1404 by imperial decree from Erlanggang, Shangyuan County, Yingtian Prefecture, Nanjing. Research shows that Erlanggang was a camp for Semu people who surrendered to the Ming from the Yuan Dynasty. The Botou Mosque was officially completed that year. The Botou Mosque underwent large-scale expansion during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, reaching its current form.



April, 1 mosque in Hubei

Wuhan Qiyi Street Mosque: The first mosque in Wuchang with a recorded history is the Qingjing Mosque, built in the early Ming Dynasty. Because it was located at the east gate of the Huguang Governor's Office inside the Wangshan Gate in the south of Wuchang city, it was later called the Yuanmenkou Mosque. It was also commonly known as the Shanqian Mosque because it sat south of Snake Hill. According to the Kangxi edition of the Wuchang Prefecture Gazetteer of Huguang, the Yuanmenkou Mosque once held the famous 'Imperial Praise of the Prophet in One Hundred Words' stone tablet by the Ming Emperor Taizu. The courtyard of the current Qiyi Street Mosque holds three 'One Hundred Word Praise' tablets. Besides one carved in the Qing Dynasty, the other two broken tablets are very likely the originals from the Yuanmenkou Mosque.



May, 1 mosque in Jiangxi

Jiujiang Mosque: In 1450 (the first year of the Jingtai reign of the Ming Dynasty), Hui Muslim general Ma Hazhi was transferred to be the commander-in-chief of Jiujiang. He led three imams and over 1,500 Hui Muslim officers and soldiers, along with their families, to station in Jiujiang. They built the first Jiujiang Mosque next to the military camp at Jiwan outside the West Gate. During the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the political situation was unstable, so many Hui Muslims left Jiujiang and the mosque was destroyed. It is said the mosque was rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty, and two imperial tablets were carved during the Qianlong reign, but they were later destroyed in war. In 1821 (the first year of the Daoguang reign), Hui Muslim generals Tao Kuichen and Zhao Zhenqing from Shouzhou, Anhui, were transferred to be the garrison commander and city defense battalion leader in Jiujiang. They brought 500 Hui Muslim Flying Tiger Battalion soldiers and their families to station in Jiujiang. After that, many Hui Muslims from Anhui and Henan came to Jiujiang to do business and settle down. In 1850 (the 30th year of the Daoguang reign), Qian Baochang, an antique dealer from Huaining, Anhui, took the lead in donating timber to build two rooms and renovate the Jiujiang Mosque. In 1898 (the 24th year of the Guangxu reign), Hui Muslim general Zhu Tianqing from Shouzhou, Anhui, who served as the Jiujiang garrison commander, and Jiujiang commander-in-chief Tao Zhan led an expansion of the Jiujiang Mosque. The boundary stone set during this renovation remains today.



June, 2 mosques in Anhui

Anqing Nanguan Mosque: In 1469 (the fifth year of the Chenghua reign), the hereditary Cavalry General Ma Yi built the Anqing Nanguan Mosque on Zhongxiao Street inside the Zhenhai Gate (South Gate) of Anqing. The main gate faced the city wall, and he also built the Ma Family Muslim Dunyue Hall as a residence next to the mosque. In 1643 (the 16th year of the Chongzhen reign), the late Ming warlord Zuo Liangyu led his troops through Anqing, and the Nanguan Mosque was damaged. It was renovated during the Kangxi reign. In 1853 (the third year of the Xianfeng reign), the Nanguan Mosque was destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion. In 1876 (the second year of the Guangxu reign), the main hall was built in the style of the Wanshou Palace and Fengzhi Guild Hall with a round ridge, and the reconstruction was finally completed in 1897 (the 23rd year of the Guangxu reign).



Anqing Xiguan Mosque: During the Qianlong reign, the number of Hui Muslims outside the West Gate of Anqing grew, but the prayer times did not match the city gate opening and closing times, making it very inconvenient to go to the Nanguan Mosque. Therefore, Ma Tianrong, a 12th-generation descendant of the Ma family of the Dunyue Hall in Huaining, donated two public houses outside the South Gate to build a new mosque at Gou'erkou outside the West Gate. In 1877 (the 13th year of the Guangxu reign), the Xiguan Mosque moved to the street behind Gou'er Mountain outside the West Gate. In 1995, Xiguan Mosque was renovated and expanded into a kindergarten for ethnic minorities, and today only the main gate remains.



Three mosques in Shanghai in June.

Shanghai Fuyou Road Mosque: It was first called Chuanxin Street Prayer Hall, later renamed Chuanxin Street Mosque, and is commonly known as the North Mosque. In 1863 (the second year of the Tongzhi reign), Hui Muslims from Nanjing living near the Old North Gate of Shanghai rented two single-story houses on Xiaopi Lane as a temporary place for namaz. In 1870 (the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign), 31 community elders including Ma Hanzhang, Ha Qingtang, and Jin Lanpo raised funds under the name Wubentang to rebuild it into a main prayer hall on Chuanxin Street. In 1897 (the 23rd year of the Guangxu reign), 22 elders including Ha Shaofu and Jiang Xingjie raised money to buy land and expand the mosque by two halls, completing the work in 1900 (the 26th year of the Guangxu reign). In 1905 (the 31st year of the Guangxu reign), 31 elders including Ha Shaofu, Jiang Xingjie, Sha Yunjun, Jin Dongxu, and Yang Zhuping raised funds again to buy land and expand the mosque to three halls. In 1935, the famous Hui Muslim merchant Ha Shaofu initiated the conversion of the street-facing stone-gate (shikumen) residence into a three-story reinforced concrete building, with a moon-viewing pavilion built on the rooftop terrace.



Shanghai Xiaotaoyuan Mosque: Formerly known as the West City Mosque, it is commonly known as the West Mosque. In 1917, the famous Hui Muslim merchant Jin Ziyun bought a garden residence on Xiaotaoyuan Street in Xicang and donated the land to build the mosque. In 1925, Jin Ziyun initiated another fundraising campaign, including donations from places like Hong Kong, to rebuild the mosque into its current form.



Shanghai Zhejiang Road Mosque: Formerly known as the Concession Mosque, it is commonly known as the Foreign Mosque. In 1855 (the fifth year of the Xianfeng reign), an Indian named Dosti, who worked as a chef at the Indian Bapali Trading Company in Shanghai, bought land to serve as a cemetery for foreign nationals and built a prayer hall. In 1870 (the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign), the Bapali Trading Company funded the construction of an official Concession Mosque and appointed an Indian named Wuliamu Ali as the first imam. At that time, many Hui Muslim fur and cotton merchants from Henan and Hubei provinces had shops around the Concession Mosque and visited it frequently. In 1880 (the sixth year of the Guangxu reign), Wuliamu Ali traveled to Henan, Hubei, and other places to raise funds to rebuild the mosque. Later, the mosque was destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt in 1900 (the 26th year of the Guangxu reign) with more than 10 buildings constructed along the street to collect rent for the mosque's upkeep.



Six mosques in Yunnan in July.

Dali Xiaoweigeng Mosque: Built at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, it was destroyed in the first month of the 12th year of the Tongzhi reign (1873), rebuilt in 1908, expanded in 1976, and rebuilt again in 1990.



Dali Kelizhuang Mosque: Located in Xizhou Town, it was rebuilt in 1908, with a significant portion of the funding coming from overseas Chinese in Myanmar. Kelizhuang is a famous hometown for overseas Chinese. Historically, it had powerful horse caravans that traveled throughout Yunnan to Kunming, Simao, and Zhongdian, and connected south to cities in Myanmar like Mandalay, Mawlamyine, and Lashio. Since the end of the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era, hundreds of families from Kelizhuang have moved to Myanmar, and people from Kelizhuang have often served as the imam at the Chinese mosque in Yangon's Chinatown.



Dali Sanmei Mosque: The Sanmei Mosque on the Dengchuan Plain was built in 1908. The Hui Muslims here speak the Bai language and wear Bai ethnic clothing, and their architectural style is very similar to that of the Bai people, so outsiders call them the White Hui Muslims.



Dali Huihuideng Mosque: The front part of the main hall is a reinforced concrete structure built in 1993, while the back part is a wooden structure built in 1944, so it looks like a new mosque from the front and an old one from the back.



Dali Shenhe Village Mosque: The main hall was rebuilt in 1995, and the minaret was built in 1946.



Dalishi Pang Mosque: Built in 1896, with its minaret added in 1920, this is also a white-style mosque (baihuisi).



August, 1 mosque in Jiangsu.

Liuhe Changjiang Road Mosque: Originally named Chengqingfang Mosque, it is also called Liuhe North Mosque and Dashi Mosque. It was built during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty. Its architectural style mimics the Liuhe South Gate Mosque. It was destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion and rebuilt during the Guangxu reign. In 1928, Lady Da (the aunt of Da Pusheng), the widow of wealthy merchant Wang Zuochen, donated funds to build the Wuxin Pavilion on the original site of the Wangyue Tower.



August, 2 mosques in Anhui.

Wuhu Mosque: Hui Muslims began settling in Wuhu no later than the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. The earliest mosque was built in the early Qing Dynasty near Jixiang Mosque at the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Qingyi River. It was burned down during the Taiping Rebellion. In 1864, migrants purchased land outside the North Gate at Beilangpu to rebuild it, and it was expanded again in 1902.



Hexian Mosque: The Great Mosque of Hezhou was first built in 1368 (the first year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty). According to the Records of Rebuilding the Confucian School in Hezhou, in 1525 (the fourth year of the Jiajing reign), the newly appointed Hezhou magistrate Yi Luan visited the Confucian Mosque and declared that the "licentious shrine" was indulging the Hui people too much, so he ordered the destruction of the Hezhou Mosque. It was not until 1637 (the tenth year of the Chongzhen reign) that the Hezhou Mosque was rebuilt, after the insurgent army of Ma Shouying, a Hui Muslim from Shaanxi, joined forces with other late Ming rebel groups to capture Hezhou. It was rebuilt into its current structure in 1837 (the seventeenth year of the Daoguang reign).



December, 1 mosque in Shanghai.

Songjiang Mosque: Originally named Zhenjiao Mosque, it was built during the Zhizheng years of the Yuan Dynasty, rebuilt in 1391, and later expanded and renovated many times.



In 2018, I visited 101 ancient mosques across 5 countries and 8 provinces. It was a very fulfilling year. In February, I went to Shanhaiguan. During the Spring Festival holiday, I visited the Cham community in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and then traveled to Delhi, India, to visit many historical sites from the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire periods. During the Qingming holiday, I went to Xinjiang to search for the history of the Yarkent Khanate. During the May Day holiday, I went to Lhasa to visit the Tibetan Hui Muslim community. In June, I went to the UAE for Eid al-Fitr, and then I went to Tianjin to eat and explore. In July, I used my weekends to visit Nanjing and Suizhong in Liaoning to eat and explore. In September, I went to Taiyuan to do the same. At the end of September, I used my annual leave and the National Day holiday to visit Azerbaijan and Turkey, where I saw over a hundred old buildings. In November, I went to Kaifeng for sightseeing and food. See "101 Ancient Mosques Visited in 2018".

By 2019, I had mastered the skill of using holidays to visit ancient mosques abroad. I would first research a lot of information, pick the mosques worth seeing, and then use map websites to plan my route to visit as many as possible in the limited time. I visited a total of 64 ancient mosques across 7 countries and 2 provinces. See '64 Ancient Mosques Visited in 2019'.

At the start of 2020, I went to Urumqi for the Spring Festival holiday and visited the Shaanxi Old Quarter mosque. Later, I was almost locked down and unable to return to Beijing. I worked from home during the first half of the year. Once restrictions were lifted in early July, we spent a weekend visiting the Hongshuiquan Grand Mosque in Qinghai. In August, we took our honeymoon and visited 18 ancient mosques in Yunnan and Sichuan. During the National Day holiday, we traveled upstream along the Han River and visited 3 ancient mosques in southern Shaanxi. In total, I visited 23 ancient mosques across 5 provinces in 2020. See '23 Ancient Mosques Visited in 2020'.

In January 2021, mosques in Beijing were closed. In mid-March, travel restrictions were lifted, so I rushed to visit ancient mosques in Henan, Jiangsu, Hebei, Xinjiang, Liaoning, Shanxi, Tianjin, Qinghai, and Inner Mongolia. By July, travel out of Beijing was restricted again. During the National Day holiday, there were no new cases nationwide, so we went on a road trip to Yunnan to visit ancient mosques. After the holiday, I could not leave Beijing again. In 2021, with less than half a year of actual freedom, I visited 47 ancient mosques across 11 provinces and cities. See '47 Ancient Mosques Visited in 2021'.

2022 was the most difficult year, as I was unable to leave Beijing for the entire year. That year, I visited some ruins of former ancient mosques in Beijing and some mosques I had never been to before, totaling 25 ancient mosques for the year. See "Visiting 25 Ancient Mosques in Beijing in 2022."

Travel restrictions within Beijing were lifted in early 2023, and international travel restrictions were lifted in May. This year saw an explosion of travel, covering 11 provinces and cities, 6 countries, and three continents—Europe, Asia, and Africa—for a total of 124 ancient mosques. See "Visiting 124 Ancient Mosques in 2023."

Life gradually returned to normal in 2024, and the number of ancient mosques I visited dropped due to work changes and spending time with my children. This year I went to 6 provinces and 3 countries, visiting 63 ancient mosques. I visited Malaysia three times, touring 24 ancient mosques, which covers almost all the ancient mosques in Malaysia. See "Visiting 63 Ancient Mosques in 2024."

Reposted from the web

Summary: This first part of the 2018 mosque-visit record covers a wide route through historic mosques, local Muslim communities, and Islamic heritage sites. It preserves the original mosque names, photos, dates, and travel observations in clear English.

In 2018, I visited 101 ancient mosques across 5 countries and 8 provinces. It was a very fulfilling year. In February, I went to Shanhaiguan to see the winter sea and visit the ancient mosque there. During the Spring Festival holiday, I visited the Cham community in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Then I went to Delhi, India, to see many historical sites from the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire periods. During the Qingming Festival holiday, I went to Yarkant (Shache) in Xinjiang to listen to Muqam music and look for the history of the Yarkand Khanate. During the May Day holiday, I went to Lhasa to visit the Tibetan Hui Muslim community. In June, I went to the UAE for Eid al-Fitr, and then I went to Tianjin to eat and explore. In July, I used my weekends to visit Nanjing and Suizhong in Liaoning to eat and explore. In September, I went to Taiyuan to do the same. At the end of September, I used my annual leave and the National Day holiday to visit Azerbaijan and Turkey, where I saw over a hundred old buildings. In November, I went to Kaifeng to eat and explore.

By 2019, I had mastered the skill of using holidays to visit ancient mosques abroad. I would first research a lot of information, pick the mosques worth seeing, and then use map websites to plan my route to visit as many as possible in the limited time. I visited a total of 64 ancient mosques across 7 countries and 2 provinces. See '64 Ancient Mosques Visited in 2019'.

At the start of 2020, I went to Urumqi for the Spring Festival holiday and visited the Shaanxi Old Quarter mosque. Later, I was almost locked down and unable to return to Beijing. I worked from home during the first half of the year. Once restrictions were lifted in early July, we spent a weekend visiting the Hongshuiquan Grand Mosque in Qinghai. In August, we took our honeymoon and visited 18 ancient mosques in Yunnan and Sichuan. During the National Day holiday, we traveled upstream along the Han River and visited 3 ancient mosques in southern Shaanxi. In total, I visited 23 ancient mosques across 5 provinces in 2020. See '23 Ancient Mosques Visited in 2020'.

In January 2021, mosques in Beijing were closed. In mid-March, travel restrictions were lifted, so I rushed to visit ancient mosques in Henan, Jiangsu, Hebei, Xinjiang, Liaoning, Shanxi, Tianjin, Qinghai, and Inner Mongolia. By July, travel out of Beijing was restricted again. During the National Day holiday, there were no new cases nationwide, so we went on a road trip to Yunnan to visit ancient mosques. After the holiday, I could not leave Beijing again. In 2021, with less than half a year of actual freedom, I visited 47 ancient mosques across 11 provinces and cities. See '47 Ancient Mosques Visited in 2021'.

2022 was the most difficult year, as I was unable to leave Beijing for the entire year. That year, I visited some ruins of former ancient mosques in Beijing and some mosques I had never been to before, totaling 25 ancient mosques for the year. See "Visiting 25 Ancient Mosques in Beijing in 2022."

Travel restrictions within Beijing were lifted in early 2023, and international travel restrictions were lifted in May. This year saw an explosion of travel, covering 11 provinces and cities, 6 countries, and three continents—Europe, Asia, and Africa—for a total of 124 ancient mosques. See "Visiting 124 Ancient Mosques in 2023."

Life gradually returned to normal in 2024, and the number of ancient mosques I visited dropped due to work changes and spending time with my children. This year I went to 6 provinces and 3 countries, visiting 63 ancient mosques. I visited Malaysia three times, touring 24 ancient mosques, which covers almost all the ancient mosques in Malaysia. See "Visiting 63 Ancient Mosques in 2024."

February: 1 in Hebei.

Shanhaiguan Mosque: Located outside the west gate of Shanhaiguan city. According to the Kangxi-era "Shanhaiguan Gazetteer," in the first month of 1381 (the 14th year of the Hongwu reign), "General Xu Da sent 15,100 soldiers from the Yanshan Guard to build 32 passes, including Yongping and Jieling." According to the "Veritable Records of the Ming Emperor Taizu," in September of the same year, the "Beiping Shanhaiguan Guard Command" was established, marking the beginning of Shanhaiguan. People say the Shanhaiguan Mosque was built by Muslim officers and soldiers under Xu Da.



February: 24 in India.

Delhi Qutb Mosque: This is the first mosque in Delhi, started in 1193. After the Ghurid dynasty general Qutb occupied Delhi, many building components from Hindu and Jain temples were reused.



Delhi Jamaat Khana Mosque: Located at the heart of the Sufi holy site of Nizamuddin, it is likely the second mosque in Delhi after the Qutb Mosque, with an architectural style very close to the Khalji dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.



Delhi Tohfe Wala Gumbad Mosque: In 1303, the Chagatai Khanate besieged the military fortress of Siri in Delhi for two months but could not break the city and eventually retreated. After this, Sultan Alauddin Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate's Khalji dynasty began to focus on building up Siri, which included the Tohfe Wala Gumbad Mosque. This mosque is very different from other buildings constructed during the Alauddin period, but some of its wall structures have the characteristics of Khalji dynasty architecture.



Delhi Begampur Mosque: This is the most important mosque in the city of Jahanpanah in Delhi and the most representative mosque of the Tughlaq dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate that still exists today. It is said to have been designed by the Iranian architect Zahir al-Din al-Jayush. The building is very grand but relatively simple, with only a small amount of carving inside the main hall.



Delhi Feroz Shah Kotla Mosque: Sultan Feroz Shah Tughlaq of the Tughlaq dynasty built the fifth city of Delhi, Ferozabad, in 1354. The mosque is the main building in the fortress and has a typical Tughlaq dynasty style. Some scholars believe that the great emperor Timur prayed here in 1398 and later built a mosque of the same design in Samarkand.



Delhi Khirki Mosque: Another important mosque in the city of Jahanpanah, besides the Begampur Mosque. This building looks very different from the Begumpur mosque, but it is almost certainly one of the seven mosques built by Khan-i-Jahan Maqbul, the prime minister to Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq, and was likely built in the 1370s.



Delhi Kali Mosque: This is also one of the seven mosques built by Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq's prime minister, Khan-i-Jahan Maqbul, and it stands near the Sufi shrine of Nizamuddin. This mosque and the Khirki Mosque are very similar in design and construction date, and both were once abandoned. The difference is that this mosque returned to use in the early 20th century, with some changes made to its original design.



Delhi Kalan Mosque: This is the northernmost of the seven mosques built by Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq's prime minister, Khan-i-Jahan Maqbul. It is thought to have been built to honor a Sufi saint, and it has been in use ever since.



Delhi Bara Bumbad Mosque: Located inside Lodi Gardens, the inscriptions carved inside show it was built on November 30, 1494, by a man named Mughal Abdu Amjad. The mosque features very intricate carvings, which are a great example of the lime plaster and stone-cutting techniques used for decoration during the Lodi dynasty.



Delhi Madhi Mosque: Found in the Mehrauli Archaeological Park in Delhi, its exact construction date is unknown, but its design clearly shows the Lodi dynasty style. The main hall of this mosque is open-air and consists only of a qibla wall. There are many other mosques in Delhi made of just one wall, but this one is the largest.



Delhi Nili Mosque: Located between the city of Siri and the Hauz Khas reservoir area, this is a Lodi-era mosque that is still in use.



Delhi Rajon ki Baoli Mosque: Located in the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, it features what is considered the most beautiful stepwell (baoli) in Delhi, said to have been built by Daulat Khan Khwaja Muhammad in 1506 during the reign of Sultan Sikandar Lodi (1489-1517).



Delhi Muhammad Wali Mosque: Situated right next to the northwest wall of the city of Siri, it features a typical Lodi dynasty style.



Delhi Jamali Kamali Mosque: Located in the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, this is a tomb-mosque for two men, Jamali and Kamali. Jamali, whose full name was Jamali Kamboh, was a famous 16th-century Persian poet and Sufi saint in India who was highly regarded by the Mughal emperors Babur and Humayun.



Delhi Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque: Located inside the Old Fort (Purana Qila), which was the sixth city of Delhi. After Sher Shah Suri, the ruler of the Suri dynasty, defeated the Mughal emperor Humayun and took Delhi in 1540, he used the Old Fort as his royal court and built this royal mosque in 1541.



Delhi Salimgarh Fort Mosque: Located north of the Red Fort, it was built in 1546 by Salim Shah Suri (reigned 1545-1554), the son of the Suri dynasty ruler Sher Shah Suri.



Delhi Isa Khan Mosque: Located within the Humayun's Tomb complex, this is a tomb-mosque for the Pashtun noble Isa Khan of the Suri dynasty.



Delhi Khairul Manazil Mosque: Located across from the Purana Qila fort, it was commissioned in 1561 by Maham Anga, the chief nurse to the Mughal Emperor Akbar and the actual power behind the throne from 1560 to 1562.



Delhi Afsarwala Mosque: Located southwest of Humayun's Tomb, it was built between 1566 and 1567 as a tomb-mosque for an official in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar.



Delhi Jama Mosque: Located in Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi), the seventh city of Delhi, it once served as the main Friday mosque for the Mughal Empire. The Jama Mosque was built between 1650 and 1656 by order of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1628-1658), who also built the Taj Mahal.



Fatehpuri Mosque in Delhi: Located in the northwest of Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad), directly facing the Red Fort, it was built in 1650 by Fatehpuri Begum, the wife of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.



Pearl Mosque (Moti Masjid) in Delhi: Located inside the Delhi Red Fort, it was built in 1659 by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (reigned 1658-1707) to serve as a private mosque for the royal family.



Sunehri Mosque in Delhi: Located in the eastern part of Old Delhi's Shahjahanabad, it was built in 1751 by order of Qudsia Begum.



Safdarjung Mosque in Delhi: Located west of Lodi Gardens, this is the mosque attached to the tomb of Safdarjung. Safdarjung became the Prime Minister of the Mughal Empire in 1748 and was the actual ruler of the Mughal dynasty. The Safdarjung Tomb and its mosque are known as the last major architectural works of the Mughal dynasty and serve as a symbol of the dynasty's decline.



February: 1 mosque in Vietnam.

Saigon Central Mosque: Built by South Indian Tamils in 1935, it is the most important mosque in Saigon. After Vietnam was unified in 1975, the religious community in Saigon faced a huge shock, with many believers imprisoned or fleeing abroad. Religious life in Vietnam only slowly recovered after 1986. Today, besides the local Cham people, merchants and tourists from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Pakistan all come here.



April: 3 mosques in Xinjiang.

Yarkant Azna Mosque in Shache: Built during the reign of Abu Bakr in Yarkant (1465-1514), it has not been rebuilt by later generations and still preserves its original appearance, making it very precious. Its design is very similar to the 14th and 15th-century Bibi-Khanym Mosque of the Timurid Empire and the Begampur Mosque of the Delhi Sultanate, though it is smaller in scale.



Shache Jiaman Mosque: It is said to have been started by Sultan Said Khan, the founder of the Yarkant Khanate, and later expanded during the time of Abdullah Khan (reigned 1638–1669).



Shache Altun Mosque: Built in 1533 during the Yarkant Khanate period, its current appearance dates from renovations and expansions in 1735.



May: 2 mosques in Tibet.

Lhasa Kache Lingka Mosque: Among the two mosques currently at Kache Lingka, one is the only traditional Tibetan-style mosque in Lhasa today. A plaque on the door reads: 'This mosque was first built in 1775, has undergone four repairs over its long history, and completed its last repair in 2008.' The facade of the other mosque has been rebuilt in an Arab style, and a plaque at the entrance reads: 'This mosque was first built in 1655 AD, has undergone many repairs over its long history, and completed its last repair in 2000 AD.'





June: 1 mosque in Tianjin.

Northwest Corner South Mosque: It is one of the few remaining historical sites in the Northwest Corner and is currently the center of the local Hui Muslim community. It was built during the Guangxu reign and completed during the Xuantong reign.



June: 5 mosques in the UAE.

Dubai Nasser bin Obaid bin Lootah Mosque: Lootah is a famous merchant family in the UAE, and this family first came to Dubai from Liwa to settle in Al Ras. At that time, Al Ras had no residents and was just a place for grazing camels. Later, other members of this family also came to settle in Al Ras, including Obaid bin Lootah. In 1910, Obaid bin Lootah's son, Nasser, built this mosque.



Almulla Mosque in Dubai: It follows the traditional Gulf style and has no minaret or dome.



Obeid Bin Issa Mosque in Sharjah: This is the oldest mosque in Sharjah. It is a rammed-earth building from the 19th century, and there is a palm-frond shelter in front of the ablution area. The main prayer hall has wooden pillars. The mihrab is plain with no decorations, and the minbar pulpit next to it is also set inside a niche.



Al-Daleel Mosque in Sharjah: A historic mosque that also features a palm-frond shelter in front of the main hall. To make a traditional palm ceiling, palm fibers are first washed and dried, then twisted into twine and tied onto trimmed palm branches. Next, palm leaves are washed and dried, woven into large mats, and finally laid together to form the ceiling.



Al Jame'i Mosque in Sharjah: This is the Friday mosque of Sharjah's old town. Its low, flat-roofed style is very similar to traditional architecture in Turpan, as both were designed for hot and dry climates.



July, Jiangsu

Caoqiao Mosque in Nanjing: In 2003, Caoqiao Mosque and Taiping Road Mosque were demolished. The main hall and second hall components of Taiping Road Mosque were rebuilt at a new site, and the project was completed in 2005. Caoqiao Mosque was first built during the Qianlong reign, destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion, and rebuilt in the early years of the Tongzhi reign. Taiping Road Mosque was originally called Huapailou Mosque. Legend says it was built by Chang Yuchun in the early Ming Dynasty. It was destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion, later rebuilt, and reconstructed again in 1924 with donations from the brothers of Nanjing businessman Jiang Guobang.



Jingjue Mosque: First built in 1388 (the 21st year of the Hongwu reign), it was burned down in 1430 (the 5th year of the Xuande reign) and rebuilt after Zheng He petitioned for its restoration. It was destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion, and its components were moved to the Prince's Mansion. It was rebuilt in 1877 (the 3rd year of the Guangxu reign) and renovated in 1879 (the 5th year of the Guangxu reign) to form its current layout.



July, Liaoning, 1 mosque

Suizhong Mosque: Starting in the 18th century, more than ten families of Hui Muslims, including the Zhang, Ding, Li, and Jin families, moved to Suizhong from Hebei Province. In 1737 (the 2nd year of the Qianlong reign), the first mosque was built below the Kueixing Tower in the southeast of Suizhong city. In 1797 (the 3rd year of the Jiaqing reign), it was moved to its current location inside the West Gate.



August, Beijing, 2 mosques

Dongsi Mosque: The most worth-seeing part of Dongsi Mosque is the main hall built in 1447. The rear hall looks like a Chinese-style beamless hall from the outside, but inside it actually contains three brick domes. This is another way Chinese mosques localized the dome in the 15th century, following the example of the Phoenix Mosque in Hangzhou, where the dome was converted into a wooden pavilion during the Yuan Dynasty.



Huashi Mosque: First built in 1414 (the 12th year of the Ming Wanli reign), it is said to have been the residence of Chang Yuchun. It was renovated in the 41st year of the Kangxi reign and again during the Qianlong reign.



September, Shanxi, 1 mosque

Taiyuan Mosque: Located inside the South Gate on Beef Alley (Niurou Xiang). The main prayer hall and the Shengxin Tower (call to prayer tower, or bangkelou) are Ming Dynasty structures. This matches the time when Taiyuan city took its final shape and Hui Muslims officially settled in the city.



14 sites in Azerbaijan in September

Baku Palace Mosque: Built between 1441 and 1442 by order of the Shirvanshah king, Khalilullah I. In 1723, the army of Tsar Peter I shelled Baku from the Caspian Sea, damaging the northeast facade. The minaret was hit by artillery fire in 1918. The main prayer hall is very small and is generally used only by people from the palace or the immediate neighborhood.



Muhammad Mosque: Built in 1078-1079, it is the oldest surviving religious building in Azerbaijan. According to the Kufic Arabic inscription on the north wall, the mosque was built by Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr. Research shows the mosque was built on the site of a Zoroastrian fire mosque, and Muhammad was the mayor of Baku at the time.



Takyeh Mosque: A 13th-century Sufi mosque that served as a place for Sufi practitioners to study and rest.



Khidir Mosque: Built in 1301. Archaeological excavations in 1988 revealed that this mosque was built on the site of a Zoroastrian mosque.



Mirza Ahmad Mosque: Built in 1345. The wall at the entrance is carved with scripture and the architect's name. It is currently closed due to its dilapidated state.



Chin Mosque: Stone carvings at the top of the entrance show it was built between 1375 and 1376, with repairs made between 1772 and 1773.



Molla Ahmad Mosque: Built in the early 14th century by the famous architect Mahmud ibn Sad of the Shirvan-Absheron school. It is a typical example of a small community mosque from the Shirvanshah dynasty.



Sheikh Ibrahim Mosque: Built by Haji Amirshah ibn Yagub between 1415 and 1416. Baku was ruled at the time by the 33rd Shirvanshah king, Ibrahim I (reigned 1382-1417), which is why it is also called the Sheikh Ibrahim Mosque. In the 19th century, the mosque's facade was divided into three sections and windows were added.



Juma Mosque: The main mosque in Baku's Old City. Inscriptions on the mosque walls show that Amir Sharaf al-Din Mahmud renovated it in 1309. The current main prayer hall was funded by Baku merchant Haji Shikhlali Dadashov in 1899, blending traditional styles with European architecture.



Sayyid Yahya Murtuza Mosque: Built in the early 17th century by Sayyid Yahya Murtuza himself. He was a famous local imam and was buried here after his passing. During the Soviet era, it became a carpenter's workshop. Religious activities resumed in the 1990s, and it is now affiliated with the Juma Mosque.



Haji Bani Mosque: Built in the 16th century by the architect Haji Bani. A women's prayer hall and windows were added during renovations in 1902-1903.



Baba Kuhi Bakuvi Mosque: Located north of the Maiden Tower and thought to date back to the 9th or 10th century. Archaeologist Farhad Ibrahimov excavated the site between 1990 and 1993, and the mihrab niche was unearthed in 1998.



Haji Heybat Mosque: Built in 1791 by the architect Haji Heybat Amir Ali oghlu. It is a small community mosque.



Məktəb Mosque: Built between 1646 and 1647, it sits right next to the Maiden Tower.



38 mosques in Turkey in October.

Konya Iplikci Mosque: Ordered in 1201 by the Seljuk vizier Shams al-Din Altun Aba, it was built by the architect Abu al-Fazi Abd al-Jabbar from Tabriz, Iran. This is key evidence of Persian craftsmen directly influencing Seljuk architecture. This building went through a series of renovations during the Karamanid dynasty, the Ottoman Empire, and modern times. Today, the original mosaic tiles on the mihrab inside the hall have been replaced by marble, but the parts at the bottom covered by carpets are still original pieces from the Seljuk period.



Konya Alaeddin Mosque: It was rebuilt on top of a Christian church shortly after the Seljuks occupied Konya in the late 11th century, and many of its components were taken directly from nearby Byzantine buildings. The earliest surviving inscription dates back to the reign of the Seljuk Sultan of Rum, Mesud I (reigned 1116–1156). The mosque's ebony minbar has an inscription from 1155, and the tiles on the mosque's mihrab and dome should have been built in the same period.



Konya Sahib Ata Mosque: Built by Sahib Ata Fahreddin Ali, the architect was Keluk bin Abdullah. Sahib Ata was a key official in the court of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum from the 1250s until his death in 1288, and he even held great power in the sultanate after 1277.



Bursa Orhan Mosque: This was the first mosque in Bursa. It was built in 1339 by the second Ottoman ruler, Orhan (reigned 1324-1362). It was burned by the Karamanid dynasty in 1413, rebuilt by Sultan Mehmed I (reigned 1379-1421) in 1417, and repaired again after being damaged by an earthquake in 1855.



Bursa Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami): This is the largest mosque in Bursa and the largest of the multi-domed Ottoman mosques. This mosque consists of 20 domes and two minarets and is known as a masterpiece of early Ottoman architecture. It was built between 1396 and 1399 by the fourth Ottoman Sultan, Bayezid I (reigned 1389-1402), to celebrate the famous Battle of Nicopolis. The architect is said to be Ali Neccar.



Bursa Hüdavendigar Mosque: Also called the Murad I Mosque, it was built by Sultan Murad I between 1363 and 1366. It is a classic early Ottoman T-shaped mosque. Its biggest feature is that the madrasa is located on the floor above the prayer hall. Because many Byzantine craftsmen participated in its construction, the mosque features Byzantine-style brickwork and column capitals. At the same time, this is the only Ottoman mosque with two porches.



Bursa Lightning Mosque (Yıldırım Bayezid Mosque): Also called the Lightning Bayezid Mosque, it was ordered by Sultan Bayezid I between 1390 and 1395. It underwent major repairs after the 1855 earthquake. It is the only early Ottoman mosque in Bursa built entirely of stone, without using any bricks. the Lightning Mosque is the first mosque to feature a Bursa arch structure. This flat arch is located between the main hall and the gate, supporting two large domes.



Bursa Green Mosque (Yeşil Cami): Also called the Mehmed I Mosque, it was built by Sultan Mehmed I between 1414 and 1419. It is a masterpiece by the famous early 15th-century Ottoman architect İvaz Pasha. The stone carvings on the gate are considered the pinnacle of early Ottoman architecture. Due to the death of Mehmed I, the narthex of the mosque was never finished.



Bursa Muradiye Mosque: Also called the Murad II Mosque, it was built by Sultan Murad II between 1425 and 1426. The mosque is an early Ottoman T-shaped mosque. The main hall has two domes, and each wing has a small dome. The interior of the mosque is decorated with blue-green and dark blue hexagonal tiles.



Edirne Old Mosque (Eski Cami): In 1413, Prince Mehmed was crowned Sultan Mehmed I in Edirne, and he officially completed the construction of this mosque the following year. This mosque is the oldest one still standing in Edirne, so it is called the Old Mosque (Eski Cami). The Old Mosque is one of the last multi-domed mosques to use the early Ottoman Seljuk style, featuring nine central domes in total. Compared to earlier Seljuk multi-domed mosques, the domes here have a noticeably larger diameter, showing that the Ottomans were starting to move past their early phase.



Edirne Muradiye Mosque: This is a small T-shaped mosque on a hill north of Edirne, built in 1436 by order of the sixth Ottoman Sultan, Murad II (reigned 1421-1444). This site was originally part of a Sufi Mevlevi complex before it was converted into a mosque.



Edirne Three-Balcony Mosque (Üç Şerefeli Camii): This is known as a major landmark that started a new era in Ottoman architecture, being the first Ottoman mosque with a central dome and the first to feature a courtyard. The mosque was started in 1438 by the sixth Ottoman Sultan, Murad II (reigned 1421-1444), and finished in 1447.



Edirne Kasım Paşa Mosque: This was built in 1479 by order of Kasım Paşa. Kasım Paşa was a famous Ottoman general who served as the commander of Rumelia, the European part of the Ottoman Empire. The mosque closed after 1950 due to the construction of a dam, and it has been damaged by floods ever since, making it the most wild and untamed early Ottoman mosque in Edirne.



Edirne Sultan Bayezid II Mosque: Located on the north bank of the Tunca River (Sadun River) in the northwest suburbs of Edirne, it was built by order of the eighth Ottoman Sultan, Bayezid II (reigned 1481-1512).



Istanbul Atik Ali Pasha Mosque: Built in 1496 by Atik Ali Pasha, the Grand Vizier to Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II, it is located south of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.



Istanbul Selim I Mosque: Built in 1520 by Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent to honor his father, Sultan Selim I (reigned 1512-1520), and completed in 1527, it is the third imperial mosque built by the Ottoman dynasty in Istanbul.



Istanbul Mihrimah Sultan Mosque: Built between 1543 and 1548, it is one of the most famous landmarks in the Üsküdar district and the second complex by Mimar Sinan still standing in Istanbul. It is the first semi-domed mosque designed by Mimar Sinan.



Istanbul Prince Mosque (Şehzade Mosque): Located on the third hill of Istanbul's old city and built between 1543 and 1548, it is considered Mimar Sinan's most important early work and his first masterpiece. It is the second semi-domed mosque designed by Mimar Sinan, consisting of one main dome and four semi-domes. This was both an improvement on Sinan's previous work, the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque with its three semi-domes, and a new interpretation of earlier designs like the Fatih Mosque (1471) and the Bayezid II Mosque (1506). This design separates the four pillars supporting the central dome, creating a more stunning visual effect.



Istanbul Hadım Ibrahim Pasha Mosque: Built in 1551, it was commissioned by the Vizier Ibrahim Pasha, known as the Eunuch (Hadım), and built by Mimar Sinan. It belongs to the first phase of Mimar Sinan's single-dome mosque designs. In this phase, Sinan used eight buttresses to support the main dome, a design that also foreshadowed his next phase of octagonal dome structures.



Istanbul Sinan Pasha Mosque: Completed in 1555 and commissioned by Sinan Pasha, it is Mimar Sinan's reinterpretation of the famous Three-Balcony Mosque (Üç Şerefeli Camii) in Edirne, and is therefore known as the smaller version of the Three-Balcony Mosque.



Istanbul Süleymaniye Mosque: Commissioned by Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and built by Mimar Sinan, it sits on the third hill of Istanbul and is a key part of the old city's skyline. Construction took seven years from 1550 to 1557, though it was not officially finished until 1558. This is the largest square-based, semi-domed mosque in the career of architect Mimar Sinan, with a main dome 53 meters high, which was the tallest in the Ottoman Empire at the time.



Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque in Istanbul: Commissioned by Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha and his wife İsmihan Sultan, it was built by Mimar Sinan between 1567 and 1572 and is famous for its beautiful Iznik tiles inside.



Mihrimah Sultan Mosque in Istanbul: Built by Mimar Sinan between 1563 and 1570, commissioned by Mihrimah Sultan, the daughter of Suleiman the Magnificent. The complex sits on the sixth hill inside the northwest walls of Istanbul, which is the highest point of the old city. The structure of the mosque is considered the most advanced type of single-dome mosque from that period. The 35-meter-high dome is supported by four piers, with four arches and four pendentives forming a tower-like structure. Four polygonal piers protrude on the outside but are almost invisible from the inside, creating a shape like a neatly cut crystal.



Kara Ahmed Pasha Mosque in Istanbul: Commissioned by Kara Ahmed Pasha and built by Mimar Sinan, it was finally completed in 1572. It is the last imperial building in Istanbul to use dry cord (cuerda seca) tiles for decoration.



Mimar Sinan Mosque in Istanbul: Built by Mimar Sinan for himself in 1573, it was destroyed by fire in 1918, and soon after the walls collapsed, leaving only a 10-meter-high minaret.



Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque in Istanbul: Commissioned in 1578 by Ottoman Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha (in office 1565-1579) and built by Mimar Sinan, Sinan continued the octagonal support system he used in his masterpiece, the Selimiye Mosque, and added a small dome at each corner. Additionally, the front porch of the mosque is completely enclosed and connected to the main hall, which is very unique among Sinan's works.



Kılıç Ali Pasha Mosque in Istanbul: Commissioned by Ottoman Admiral Kılıç Ali Pasha and built by Mimar Sinan between 1578 and 1580. The mosque has a central area surrounded by galleries on three sides, with the center and side areas separated, which is very similar to the structure of the Hagia Sophia and different from other classic Ottoman mosque architecture of the same period.



Şemsi Pasha Mosque in Istanbul: Built in 1581 by Mimar Sinan for the Ottoman Grand Vizier (Vezir-i Azam) Şemsi Pasha, it is the smallest complex Sinan ever built and is a famous example in Istanbul of how human architecture can blend perfectly with the natural landscape.

Reposted from the web

Summary: This first part of a nine-year mosque journey records a long personal route through hundreds of mosques and Muslim heritage sites. The English version preserves the original list structure, place names, years, mosque names, and factual details while keeping it as one long article.

I graduated from college and started working in 2014. I finished my internship and began saving money in 2015. In 2016, I officially started visiting mosque communities along the Grand Canal and the Yangtze River. I could not stop after that, and now I am already in my tenth year. Over these 9 years, I have been to 21 countries and 27 provinces. I visited 634 mosques, including 480 ancient buildings.

In 2016, I officially started visiting Hui Muslim communities along the Grand Canal and the Huai River, and I also visited some ancient mosques. At the same time, I used the National Day holiday to take a loop trip around Xinjiang. See "Visiting 16 Ancient Mosques in 2016."

In 2017, I continued visiting Hui Muslim communities along the Grand Canal and started visiting those along the Yangtze River. That year, I went to Cangzhou, Linqing, Liaocheng, Xuzhou, Huai'an, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Jiaxing, and Hangzhou along the Grand Canal. I also went to Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhu, Hexian, Anqing, Jiujiang, Wuhan, and Jingzhou along the Yangtze River. I recorded the scenes of the Hui Muslim communities at that time. Some of these communities have now been demolished, such as those in Wuhan and Jingzhou, and have become historical records. In the summer, I also went to Dali to visit some ancient mosques in Weishan and Eryuan. See "Visiting 27 Ancient Mosques in 2017."

In 2018, I visited 101 ancient mosques across 5 countries and 8 provinces. It was a very fulfilling year. In February, I went to Shanhaiguan. During the Spring Festival holiday, I went to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to visit the Cham community, and then I went to Delhi, India. During the Qingming holiday, I went to Xinjiang to search for the history of the Yarkent Khanate. During the May Day holiday, I went to Lhasa to visit the Tibetan Hui Muslim community. In June, I went to the UAE for Eid al-Fitr, and then I went to Tianjin to eat and explore. In July, I used my weekends to visit Nanjing and Suizhong in Liaoning to eat and explore. In September, I went to Taiyuan to do the same. At the end of September, I used my annual leave and the National Day holiday to visit Azerbaijan and Turkey, where I saw over a hundred old buildings. In November, I went to Kaifeng for sightseeing and food. See "101 Ancient Mosques Visited in 2018".

By 2019, I had mastered the skill of using holidays to visit ancient mosques abroad. I would first research a lot of information, pick the mosques worth seeing, and then use map websites to plan my route to visit as many as possible in the limited time. I visited a total of 64 ancient mosques across 7 countries and 2 provinces. See '64 Ancient Mosques Visited in 2019'.

At the start of 2020, I went to Urumqi for the Spring Festival holiday and visited the Shaanxi Old Quarter mosque. Later, I was almost locked down and unable to return to Beijing. I worked from home during the first half of the year. Once restrictions were lifted in early July, we spent a weekend visiting the Hongshuiquan Grand Mosque in Qinghai. In August, we took our honeymoon and visited 18 ancient mosques in Yunnan and Sichuan. During the National Day holiday, we traveled upstream along the Han River and visited 3 ancient mosques in southern Shaanxi. In total, I visited 23 ancient mosques across 5 provinces in 2020. See '23 Ancient Mosques Visited in 2020'.

In January 2021, mosques in Beijing were closed. In mid-March, travel restrictions were lifted, so I rushed to visit ancient mosques in Henan, Jiangsu, Hebei, Xinjiang, Liaoning, Shanxi, Tianjin, Qinghai, and Inner Mongolia. By July, travel out of Beijing was restricted again. During the National Day holiday, there were no new cases nationwide, so we went on a road trip to Yunnan to visit ancient mosques. After the holiday, I could not leave Beijing again. In 2021, with less than half a year of actual freedom, I visited 47 ancient mosques across 11 provinces and cities. See '47 Ancient Mosques Visited in 2021'.

2022 was the most difficult year, as I was unable to leave Beijing for the entire year. That year, I visited some ruins of former ancient mosques in Beijing and some mosques I had never been to before, totaling 25 ancient mosques for the year. See "Visiting 25 Ancient Mosques in Beijing in 2022."

Travel restrictions within Beijing were lifted in early 2023, and international travel restrictions were lifted in May. This year saw an explosion of travel, covering 11 provinces and cities, 6 countries, and three continents—Europe, Asia, and Africa—for a total of 124 ancient mosques. See "Visiting 124 Ancient Mosques in 2023."

Life gradually returned to normal in 2024, and the number of ancient mosques I visited dropped due to work changes and spending time with my children. This year I went to 6 provinces and 3 countries, visiting 63 ancient mosques. I visited Malaysia three times, touring 24 ancient mosques, which covers almost all the ancient mosques in Malaysia. See "Visiting 63 Ancient Mosques in 2024."



Here is the list of mosques I have visited:

Province

City

Name

Date

Notes

Beijing

Dongcheng

Dongsi Mosque

The main hall was built in 1447 as an official mosque during the Ming Dynasty.

Huashi Mosque

It was first built in 1414 (the 12th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty) as an official mosque.

Dongzhimen Outer Mosque

It was first built in the Yuan Dynasty, moved and rebuilt in 1991, and still keeps its original mihrab.

Andingmen Outer Mosque

It was first built during the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty and moved to its current site in 1991.

Nandouyacai Mosque

It was first built in 1798 and moved to its current site in 2003.

Xicheng District

Niujie Mosque

Its history goes back to the Liao and Jin dynasties, and it was expanded in 1427 (the second year of the Xuande reign of the Ming Dynasty).

Mishi Hutong Mosque

It was converted in 1940 by Hui Muslims from the northwest living near Caishikou.

No longer in use

Fayuan Mosque

It was moved and expanded during the Kangxi reign, and the main hall was expanded again during the Republic of China period.

Deshengqiao Mosque

It was first built in the Qing Dynasty and rebuilt in 1946.

Large residential courtyard (dazayuan)

Yongshou Mosque

It was first built in 1605 (the 33rd year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty).

Qianmen Mosque

First built in the early Ming Dynasty, then renovated in 1680 and 1795.

Main prayer hall of the China Islamic Institute.

Built in 1958.

Huihuiying Mosque.

Built by imperial order of the Qianlong Emperor in 1759, rebuilt in 1912, demolished in 2010, and relocated and rebuilt in 2011; it still houses Qing Dynasty stone tablets and arched doorways.

No longer in use

Pushou Mosque.

First built in 1429 (the fourth year of the Xuande reign of the Ming Dynasty), rebuilt in 2014, and currently houses stone tablets from various dynasties.

No longer in use

Zhengyuan Mosque.

Its predecessor was located at Beigouyan inside Xizhimen, first built during the Daoguang reign; it was relocated and renamed in 1997.

Houheyan Mosque.

First built in 1948 and rebuilt in 1995.

Haidian.

Fangwai Guan (View of the World from Afar) in the Old Summer Palace.

Built between 1756 and 1759 (the 21st to 24th years of the Qianlong reign) specifically for the Zhuo clan to perform namaz.

Ruins

Landianchang Mosque.

First built during the Ming Dynasty and renovated in 2007.

Shucun Mosque.

First built during the Kangxi reign.

Madian Mosque.

First built during the Kangxi reign.

Haidian Mosque.

First built during the Ming Dynasty, renovated and expanded in 1995.

Siwangfu Mosque.

First built during the Qianlong period, rebuilt in 1990.

Anheqiao Mosque.

First built during the Kangxi years, moved and rebuilt in 2005.

Chaoyang.

Xihui Mosque.

First built in 1821 (the first year of the Daoguang reign), rebuilt in 1999.

Yangzha Mosque.

First built during the Wanli years of the Ming Dynasty, rebuilt in 1994.

Wanziying Mosque.

Original construction date unknown, renovated in the late 1980s.

Balizhuang Mosque.

First built in the early years of the Qianlong reign, renovated in 2000.

Nanxiapo Mosque.

First built in the early Kangxi years.

Changying Mosque.

Built during the Zhengde years of the Ming Dynasty, expanded in 2004.

Guanzhuang Mosque.

Original construction date unknown, renovated and rebuilt from 2003 to 2004.

Fangshan.

Doudian Mosque.

First built in 1713, rebuilt in 2017.

Changping.

Shahe Mosque

It was first built during the Ming Dynasty and renovated twice during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era.

Wujie Mosque

Legend says it was built by Chang Yuchun during his northern expedition, and it was rebuilt during the Wanli period using stone and wood originally intended for the Ming Tombs.

Jahriyya

Nankou Mosque

It was built in the Ming Dynasty and renovated during the Guangxu period.

No longer in use

Xiguanshi Mosque

It was first built in 1494 (the seventh year of the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty), and the main prayer hall was rebuilt in 1709 (the forty-eighth year of the Kangxi period).

Heying Mosque

Located next to the tomb of Bo Haji, it was rebuilt in 1930 and renovated again in 2024.

Yanqing

Chadao Mosque

It was first built in the Qing Dynasty and rebuilt in 2008.

Miyun

Gubeikou Mosque

It was first built in the Ming Dynasty and renovated during the Chongzhen period of the Ming and the Kangxi period of the Qing.

No longer in use

Chengguan Mosque

It was first built in the Qing Dynasty and moved to a new location to be rebuilt in 2006.

Mujiayu Mosque

It was first built in the Qing Dynasty, destroyed in 1948, rebuilt in 1991, and rebuilt again in 2024.

Tongzhou

Tongzhou Grand Mosque

Built during the Yuan Dynasty Yanyou period (1314–1320), it was expanded in 1593 (the 21st year of the Wanli reign).

Zhangjiawan Mosque

Built in the early Ming Dynasty, the fourth section of the prayer hall was expanded in 1956.

Majuqiao Mosque

First built in the Ming Dynasty, it was renovated during the Qianlong reign, expanded again in 1937, and rebuilt in 1999 using wood and bricks from the Niujie Women's Mosque.

Xiguan Mosque

First built in 1766, it was rebuilt in 2014.

Tianjin

Hongqiao

Northwest Corner South Mosque

Construction began during the Guangxu reign and was completed during the Xuantong reign.

Northwest Corner Grand Mosque

First built in the Ming Dynasty, it was expanded twice in the 18th year of the Kangxi reign and the 6th year of the Jiaqing reign.

Northwest Corner West Mosque

First built in 1910 and later rebuilt.

Wuqing

Yangcun North Mosque

First built in 1620 (the 48th year of the Wanli reign), it was expanded in 1999.

Hexiwu Mosque

First built in 1403, it was rebuilt in 1988.

Beichen

Tianmu North Mosque

First built in 1404, it was rebuilt in 1992.

Heping

Xining Road Mosque

Built in 1992

Hebei

Jinjia Yao Mosque

First built in 1574, it is the oldest mosque in Tianjin and was rebuilt in 1890.

Hexi

Liulin Mosque

Built in 2005

Nankai

Dongda Mosque

First built in 1915, it moved to its current location in 2008.

Hedong

Fuxingzhuang Mosque

First built in 1927, it moved to its current location in 2004.

Hebei

Shijiazhuang

Shijiazhuang Mosque

First built in 1907, it was rebuilt in 1995.

Cangzhou

Beida Mosque

First built in 1420 (the 18th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty).

Botou Mosque

First built in 1404 (the 2nd year of the Yongle reign), it was expanded between the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.

Qinhuangdao

Shanhaiguan Mosque

Built in 1381 (the 14th year of the Hongwu reign).

Zhangjiakou

Xinhua Street Mosque

Built in 1863 (the 2nd year of the Tongzhi reign) by camel herders from Ningxia.

Xiguan Mosque

Built during the Yongzheng period.

Xuanhua South Mosque

First built in 1403 (the 1st year of the Yongle reign), moved and rebuilt in 1820 (the 25th year of the Jiaqing reign), and completed in 1854 (the 4th year of the Xianfeng reign).

Xuanhua North Mosque

First built in 1722 (the 61st year of the Kangxi reign).

Warehouse

Xuanhua Central Mosque

First built in 1821 (the 1st year of the Daoguang reign) and renovated in 2016.

Chengde

West Mosque

Built during the Daoguang reign.

Pingquan South Street Mosque

First built in 1647 (the 4th year of the Shunzhi reign) and rebuilt in 1742 (the 7th year of the Qianlong reign).

Baoding

West Mosque

First built in 1616.

East Mosque

First built during the Tongzhi reign.

Warehouse

Women's mosque.

First built in 1916 and moved to this location in 1940.

Mosque inside Zhuozhou city.

First built during the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty, with the main prayer hall rebuilt in 2000.

Xingtai.

Hongguanying Mosque in Linxi County.

First built between the Xuande and Tianshun reigns of the Ming Dynasty, burned down during the Taiping Rebellion's Northern Expedition in 1854, and rebuilt into its current form in 1874.

Shandong.

Jinan.

South Great Mosque (Nandasi).

Moved to the current site in 1295 and renovated and expanded in 1874.

Beida Mosque

First built during the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty, with multiple expansions during the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era.

Dikou Mosque.

First built at the end of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty.

Nanguan Mosque.

First built in 1500 and renovated in 1858.

Dangxi Mosque.

First built at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, later burned down by the Red Turban Army, and rebuilt in 1397 (the 30th year of the Hongwu reign).

Dangdong Mosque.

First built in 1510 (the 5th year of the Zhengde reign of the Ming Dynasty).

Ma'anshan Small Mosque.

Built no later than the Qing Dynasty, it was later abandoned and only ruins and broken stone tablets remain.

Ruins

Qingzhou

Zhenjiao Mosque

First built in 1302 (the sixth year of the Dade reign of the Yuan Dynasty).

Chengli Mosque

First built in 1546 (the twenty-fifth year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty).

Tai'an

Taicheng Mosque

First built between the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, and expanded through successive dynasties.

Xiawang Mosque

Land was donated in 1626 (the sixth year of the Tianqi reign of the Ming Dynasty), and it was rebuilt many times during the Qing Dynasty.

Taicheng East Mosque

First built in 1920 and rebuilt in 1995.

Liaocheng

Dongguan West Mosque

First built in 1385.

Dongguan East Mosque

First built during the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty.

Linqing

Beida Mosque

First built in 1504.

East Mosque

First built in 1465 and expanded in 1734.

Women's mosque.

First built in 1924, rebuilt in 2009.

Jining

Shunhe East Mosque (Shunhe Dongdasi)

Built around 1420 during the late Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, renovated in 1459 (the third year of the Tianshun reign).

Liuhang East Mosque (Liuhang Dongsi)

Built during the Wanli reign, expanded during the Kangxi reign.

Dezhou

Beiying Mosque (Beiyingsi)

First built during the Ming Dynasty Wanli reign, rebuilt in 1940.

Nanying Mosque (Nanyingsi)

First built between the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, rebuilt in 2006.

Xiaoguoshi Mosque (Xiaoguoshisi)

First built in 1582, rebuilt in 2012.

Henan

Kaifeng

Kaifeng East Mosque (Kaifeng Dongdasi)

Destroyed by flooding at the end of the Ming Dynasty, rebuilt in 1655 (the twelfth year of the Kangxi reign).

Shanyitang Mosque (Shanyitangsi)

Built in 1874 (the thirteenth year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty) by Hui Muslims from Shaanxi who settled in Kaifeng.

Wangjia Hutong Women's School (Wangjia Hutong Nüxuetang)

First built in the 1810s (during the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty), it is the earliest women's mosque in the country.

Beida Mosque

Destroyed by Yellow River flooding in 1645, relocated and rebuilt in 1662 (the first year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty).

Wenshu Mosque

It was first built in the Ming Dynasty, destroyed by a flood at the end of the Chongzhen era, and rebuilt in 1649 (the sixth year of the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty). It still has a screen wall from the Qing Dynasty.

Zhuxian Town North Mosque

It was first built during the Taiping Xingguo years of the Northern Song Dynasty, destroyed by a flood at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and rebuilt in 1738 (the third year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty).

Zhengzhou

Beida Mosque

It is said to have been first built in the Ming Dynasty and renovated in the Qing Dynasty.

Bo'ai

Xiguan Mosque

It was first built in the Yuan Dynasty, and the main hall was expanded in 1405 (the third year of the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty). It is known as the 'First Mosque of Northern Henan'.

Erxianmiao Mosque

It was first built in the Yuan Dynasty, renovated in 1638 (the eleventh year of the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty), and renovated again in 1731 (the ninth year of the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty).

Daxinzhuang East Mosque

It was first built in the Yuan Dynasty, expanded in the Ming Dynasty, and the rear hall was added during the Republic of China era.

Daxinzhuang West Mosque

It was first built during the Jiaqing era.

Qinyang

Beida Mosque

It was moved to its current location in 1561 (the fortieth year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty), destroyed by fire in 1628 (the first year of the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty), and rebuilt in 1631.

Liaoning

Suizhong

Suizhong Mosque

It was first built in 1737 (the second year of the Qianlong era) and moved to its current location in 1797 (the third year of the Jiaqing era).

Lingyuan

Lingyuan Mosque

Built during the Qianlong reign.

Shenyang

South Great Mosque (Nandasi).

First built in 1636 (the first year of the Chongde reign of the Qing Dynasty) and expanded in 1662.

East Mosque

First built in 1803 (the eighth year of the Jiaqing reign). In 1935, the prayer hall was rebuilt in a Western style, while the Moon-Watching Tower (Wangyue Lou) kept its original Chinese style.

No longer in use

Xinmin Mosque

Built in 1765, burned down in 1866, and rebuilt in 1883.

Kaiyuan

Laocheng Mosque

First built in 1406 (the fourth year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty) and rebuilt in 1680 (the nineteenth year of the Kangxi reign). It is the oldest mosque in Northeast China.

Jinzhou

Luyang Mosque

First built in 1531 and rebuilt between 1922 and 1925.

Beizhen Mosque

First built in 1522 and expanded in 1617.

Xinlitun Mosque

Built in 1842, burned down in 1873, and later rebuilt.

Dandong

Fengcheng Mosque

Built in 1775.

Dandong Mosque

First built in 1876, rebuilt in 2004.

Dalian

Fuzhou Mosque (Fuzhou Si)

Built in 1656, the main hall was rebuilt in 1774, and it was expanded in 1880 and 1920.

Qingdui Mosque (Qingdui Si)

First built during the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, renovated in 1894.

Dalian Mosque (Dalian Si)

First built in 1922, rebuilt in 1990.

Jilin

Changchun

Changtong Road Mosque (Changtonglu Si)

First built in 1824, moved to its current location in 1852, and expanded in 1864.

Heilongjiang

Harbin

Daowai Mosque (Daowai Si)

First built in 1897, rebuilt in 1935.

Acheng Mosque (Acheng Si)

First built in 1777, rebuilt in 1900.

Tatar Mosque (Dada Si)

First built in 1901, rebuilt in 1937.

Museum

Qiqihar

Bukui West Mosque (Bukui Xi Si)

Built in 1852, it is the only Jahriyya (Zheherenye) mosque in Heilongjiang.

Jahriyya

Bukui East Mosque

The first mosque in Heilongjiang, built in 1676.

Shanxi

Taiyuan

Taiyuan Mosque

Rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty.

Datong

Datong Mosque

First built in 1324 (the first year of the Taiding era of the Yuan Dynasty) by imperial order, and rebuilt in 1622.

Inner Mongolia

Hohhot

Great Mosque

First built between the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, expanded in 1789 (the 54th year of the Qianlong era), and expanded again in 1923.

East Mosque

First built during the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty as a school, expanded into a mosque during the Guangxu era, and rebuilt in 2014.

Ulanqab

Fengzhen Longshengzhuang Mosque

First built in 1751 (the 16th year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty) and expanded in 1831 (the 11th year of the Daoguang era).

Chifeng

Chifeng North Mosque

First built in 1739 and moved to its current location in 1747.

Shaanxi

Xi'an

Huajue Lane Mosque

Rebuilt during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1398).

Daxuexi Lane Mosque

Rebuilt in 1384 (the 17th year of the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty).

Ikhwan

Xiaopiyuan Mosque

Renovated in 1611 (the 39th year of the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty).

Dapiyuan Mosque

Built in 1411 (the 9th year of the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty).

Ikhwan

Xiaoxuexi Lane Yingli Mosque

Built in 1774 (the 39th year of the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty).

Ikhwan

Beiguangji Street Small Mosque

First built in the late Ming Dynasty, the minaret (bangkelou) was built during the Qianlong period, and the main prayer hall was rebuilt after 1985.

Sajinqiao West Mosque

First built in 1926, the main prayer hall was rebuilt in 1987, and the north and south halls still keep their appearance from a hundred years ago.

Ikhwan

Nancheng Mosque

First built in 1683 (the 22nd year of the Kangxi period) and rebuilt in 1992.

Dongxinjie Mosque

First built in 1936 and rebuilt in 2013.

Ikhwan

Xiaoxuexi Lane Middle Mosque

Built in 1919 and rebuilt in 1987.

Sajinqiao Mosque.

First built during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty and rebuilt in 1985.

Ankang.

Shuhe Mosque.

First built during the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty and expanded in 1915.

Ankang Mosque.

First built during the Yuan Dynasty, with the main prayer hall rebuilt in 2013.

Ankang North Mosque.

First built in 1502 and rebuilt in 1994.

Jingning South Mosque.

First built during the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt after the 1980s.

Hanzhong.

Xixiang South Mosque.

First built during the Ming Dynasty, with the main gate and south wing still standing today.

Xixiang North Mosque.

Built in 1614 by Hui Muslims who moved from Jingning Prefecture (modern-day Pingliang, Gansu) and rebuilt in 1816.

Gansu.

Tianshui.

Houjie Mosque.

First built during the Zhizheng years of the Yuan Dynasty and rebuilt in 1374 (the seventh year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty).

Taizi Mosque.

First built during the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty and later expanded.

Jahriyya

Houzhai Mosque

Unknown

Beiguan Mosque

Unknown

Qinan Nanxiaguan Mosque

First built during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty.

Linxia

Beisi Mosque

First built in 1741 (the sixth year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty), only the original spirit wall remains today.

Laowang Mosque

First built in 1368 (the first year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty), rebuilt in 1980.

West Mosque

First built during the Kangxi era, rebuilt in 1983.

Daqi Mosque

First built during the Kangxi era, rebuilt in 1985.

Qinghai

Ping'an

Hongshuiquan Grand Mosque

The current buildings mostly follow the style from the Qianlong era.

Xunhua

Qingshuihe East Mosque

First built in 1425.

Mengda Mosque

First built in 1408 (the sixth year of the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty), expanded three times during the Qing Dynasty.

Tashapo Mosque

Built in 1480 (the 16th year of the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty) and renovated in 1755 (the 20th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty).

Labian Mosque

First built during the Qianlong reign, the main hall was rebuilt in 2015, and only the minaret (xuanlilou) and the two side gate towers remain of the ancient structure.

Zhangga Mosque

First built in 1406 (the 4th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty) and rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty.

Kewa Mosque

First built in 1403 (the 1st year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty) and expanded during the Qing Dynasty.

Suzhi Mosque

First built in 1460 (the 4th year of the Tianshun reign of the Ming Dynasty) and expanded during the Qing Dynasty.

Hualong

Ahetan Mosque

The existing structure dates to the Qing Dynasty.

Xinjiang

Urumqi

Shaanxi Laofang Mosque

First built in 1808 (the 12th year of the Jiaqing reign) and rebuilt in 2014.

Shaanxi Great Mosque

First built in 1883 (the 9th year of the Guangxu reign) and again in 1906 (the 32nd year of the Guangxu reign).

South Great Mosque (Nandasi).

The first Jahriyya mosque in Urumqi, first built in 1874 (the 13th year of the Tongzhi reign) and rebuilt in 1919.

Jahriyya

Kuanxiang Mosque

First built during the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty and rebuilt in 1934.

Closed

Qinghai Grand Mosque

Built in 1868 (the seventh year of the Tongzhi reign) with donations from Hui Muslims from Qinghai, and later rebuilt.

Salas Mosque

Built in 1865 (the fourth year of the Tongzhi reign) by the Salar people from Qinghai, and rebuilt in 2002.

Hezhou Grand Mosque

Built in 1915 by Hui Muslims from Linxia, Gansu, and rebuilt in 1988.

Beifang Mosque

First built in 1886 (the twelfth year of the Guangxu reign), and later rebuilt.

Dongfang Grand Mosque

First built in 1877 (the third year of the Guangxu reign), and later rebuilt.

Xidasi Mosque

Built in 1890 (the sixteenth year of the Guangxu reign) by Hui Muslims from Shaanxi, and later moved and rebuilt.

Balikun Mosque

Built in 1877 (the third year of the Guangxu reign) by Hui Muslims from Balikun, and later rebuilt.

Fengxiang Mosque

Built in 1884 (the tenth year of the Guangxu reign) by Hui Muslims from Fengxiang, Shaanxi, and later rebuilt.

Binzhou Mosque (Baiji Mosque)

Built during the Guangxu reign by Hui Muslims from Binzhou Prefecture, Shaanxi (now Binzhou City), and moved and rebuilt in 1990.

Yongdeng Mosque

Built in 1946 by Hui Muslims from Yongdeng, Gansu.

Lanzhou Mosque

Moved and rebuilt in 1984.

Hami

Shaanxi Great Mosque

First built in 1898, the old hanging flower gate (chuihuamen) still stands today.

Turpan

Shanshan East Mosque (Shanshan Dongdasi)

Completed in 1911.

Jahriyya

Dongda Mosque

First built in 1871 and renovated in 1911.

Xidasi Mosque

First built in 1859.

Sugong Minaret Mosque (Sugongta Si).

Built in 1778, it is the tallest historic minaret in Xinjiang.

Yining

Shaanxi Great Mosque

First built in 1751, with expansions in 1760 and 1781.

Uzbek Mosque (Uzbek Si).

Built in 1933.

Uzbek people.

Baitula Mosque (Baitula Si).

Built in 1773, the old call-to-prayer tower (bangke ta) still stands.

Uyghur people (Taranchi).

Yarkant (Shache).

Azna Mosque (Azna Si).

Built during the reign of Aba Bakr in Yarkant (1465-1514).

Jiaman Mosque

It was first built by Sultan Said Khan, the founder of the Yarkant Khanate, and later expanded during the reign of Abdullah Khan (1638–1669).

Altun Mosque

Built in 1533 during the Yarkant Khanate, its current appearance dates back to renovations and expansions in 1735.

Kashgar

Id Kah Mosque

First built in 1442.

Kuqa

Great Mosque

First built in the 16th century.

Anhui

Huainan

Shouxian Great Mosque

Moved to its current location during the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty.

Laishanjie Mosque

First built in 1619 (the 47th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty), and expanded in 1872 (the 11th year of the Tongzhi era) with funds donated by Yang Qizhen.

Bengbu

Linbei Old Mosque

First built in the late Ming Dynasty, and abandoned in 2015.

Linbei New Mosque

Newly built in 2015.

Chuzhou

Fengyang Prefecture City Mosque

Built shortly after the completion of Fengyang Prefecture City in 1755.

Anqing

Nanguan Mosque.

It was first built in 1469 (the fifth year of the Chenghua reign). It was destroyed by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in 1853 (the third year of the Xianfeng reign) and rebuilt in 1897 (the twenty-third year of the Guangxu reign).

Xiguan Mosque

It was first built during the Qianlong reign and moved to its current location in 1877 (the thirteenth year of the Guangxu reign).

Only the main gate remains today.

Wuhu

Wuhu Mosque

It was first built in the early Qing dynasty, destroyed by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and rebuilt in 1864.

Ma'anshan

Hexian Mosque

It was first built in 1368 (the first year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming dynasty) and rebuilt in 1837 (the seventeenth year of the Daoguang reign).

Jiangsu

Nanjing

Hushu Mosque

It was first built in 1392 (the twenty-fifth year of the Hongwu reign). It was destroyed during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the main hall was rebuilt in 1896 (the twenty-second year of the Guangxu reign).

Xiaowangfu Lane Mosque

It was first built in 1874 (the thirteenth year of the Tongzhi reign).

It is currently being vacated.

Liuhe Changjiang Road Mosque

It was first built during the Qianlong reign, destroyed by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and rebuilt during the Guangxu reign.

Caoqiao Mosque

After Caoqiao Mosque and Taiping Road Mosque were demolished in 2003, the building components of the main hall and second hall of Taiping Road Mosque were used to rebuild it at a new site, which was completed in 2005. Taiping Road Mosque was destroyed by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, later rebuilt, and rebuilt again in 1924.

Jingjue Mosque

First built in 1388 (the 21st year of the Hongwu reign), rebuilt in 1877 (the 3rd year of the Guangxu reign).

Jizhaoying Mosque

First built in 1770 (the 35th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty), rebuilt in 2009.

Yangzhou

Puhading Tomb Mosque

The mosque is next to the main gate of the Puhading Tomb and was renovated in 1845.

Xianhe Mosque

Founded in 1275 (the 12th year of the Zhiyuan reign of the Yuan Dynasty), rebuilt in 1390 (the 23rd year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty).

Gaoyou Mosque

Rebuilt in 1864 (the 3rd year of the Tongzhi reign).

Lingtang Mosque

Moved to its current location in the early Qing Dynasty, rebuilt in 1844 (the 24th year of the Daoguang reign), and expanded again in 1921.

Zhenjiang

Gurun Mosque

First built in the Yuan Dynasty, moved to its current location in 2005. It preserves Ming and Qing dynasty stone tablets from the original mosque, an ancient well railing, and the mihrab from the mosque outside the south gate of Zhenjiang.

Xinhe Street Mosque

Built in 1930, closed after 1958.

Closed, Ikhwan sect.

Shanxiang Mosque

Expanded during the Kangxi reign, destroyed by the Taiping Rebellion in 1853 (the 3rd year of the Xianfeng reign), and rebuilt in 1873 (the 12th year of the Tongzhi reign).

Huai'an

Hexia Mosque

Built between the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.

Qingjiang Mosque

It was first built during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. It was destroyed by the Nian Army in 1860 (the tenth year of the Xianfeng reign) and rebuilt in 1870 (the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign).

Wangjiaying Mosque

It was built during the Yongzheng reign and rebuilt in 1979.

Jahriyya

Shanghai

Fuyou Road Mosque

It was first built in 1863 (the second year of the Tongzhi reign). The main prayer hall was rebuilt in 1870 (the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign). It was expanded twice in 1900 (the twenty-sixth year of the Guangxu reign) and 1905 (the thirty-first year of the Guangxu reign), and the main gate was built in 1935.

Xiaotaoyuan Mosque

It was first built in 1917 and rebuilt in 1925.

Zhejiang Road Mosque

It was first built in 1855 (the fifth year of the Xianfeng reign), officially completed in 1870 (the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign), and rebuilt in 1900 (the twenty-sixth year of the Guangxu reign).

It is now a restaurant owned by the mosque.

Songjiang Mosque

It was built during the Zhizheng period of the Yuan Dynasty and rebuilt in 1391.

Zhejiang

Jiaxing

Jiaxing Mosque

It was first built in 1602 (the thirtieth year of the Wanli reign). It fell into ruin after the Taiping Rebellion and was reused by Hui Muslims who moved there from Henan after the founding of the Republic of China.

Hangzhou

Phoenix Mosque (Fenghuang Si)

It was rebuilt in the early Yuan Dynasty. The main prayer hall was demolished in 1953, and the remaining rear hall is an ancient building.

Yiwu

Yiwu Grand Mosque

First built in 2004 and rebuilt in 2012.

Lishui

Lishui Mosque

Built in 1886.

Hubei

Wuhan

Qiyijie Mosque

The courtyard holds the Hundred-Character Eulogy stele from Yuanmenkou Mosque.

Jiangan Mosque

First built in 1918 and rebuilt in 2018.

Xiangyang

Fancheng Mosque

First built during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in 2015.

Jingzhou

Yingxijie Mosque

Built in 1925 and rebuilt in 1995.

Sichuan

Chengdu

Huangcheng Mosque

First built in 1666 (the fifth year of the Kangxi reign) and rebuilt in 1998.

Gulou Mosque

Built in the early Qing Dynasty and moved to its current location in 1996.

No longer in use

Jiusi

Built in 1763 (the 28th year of the Qianlong reign), the main hall was demolished in 2020.

Under reconstruction.

Tuqiao Upper Mosque.

First built in 1791, rebuilt in 2024.

Tuqiao Lower Mosque.

Built in 1724 (the 2nd year of the Yongzheng reign).

Nursing home.

Dujiangyan Mosque.

First built during the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty.

Dujiangyan Baoping Mosque.

Built by Hui Muslims from Xiaojin County in 1925.

Closed

Pi County Taihechang Zhangjia Mosque.

First built in 1643 (the 16th year of the Chongzhen reign).

Mimou Town Tangjia Mosque.

First built in 1728 (the 6th year of the Yongzheng reign).

Mimou Town Chengyi Mosque.

Built in 1821 (the 1st year of the Daoguang reign), only the second gate remains today.

Ruins

Xindu Hujia Mosque.

First built in 1738 (the 3rd year of the Qianlong reign).

No longer in use

Langzhong.

Langzhong Mosque.

Built in 1669 (the eighth year of the Kangxi reign).

Boshu Mosque.

First built in 1741, then renovated later.

Nanchong.

Nanchong Mosque.

First built during the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, rebuilt in 1993, and renovated in 2018.

Wusheng.

Majia Mosque in Yankou Town.

Built in 1778 (the forty-third year of the Qianlong reign) and rebuilt in 1819 (the twenty-fourth year of the Jiaqing reign).

Huangjia Mosque in Yankou Town.

Built in 1893, and a school was opened there after 1946.

Ruins

Guangyuan.

Shanghe Street Mosque.

First built in 1721, it now houses nine plaques from the Qing Dynasty and the Republican era.

Ikhwan

Xichang.

City Mosque.

Built during the Taiding reign of the Yuan Dynasty, moved to its current location on Jiyang Lane in 1574, and rebuilt into its present form in 1875; it is known as the premier mosque of Xichang.

West Mosque

First built in 1801, rebuilt in 1999, and the original column bases were preserved.

East Mosque

First built in 1578 (the sixth year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty) and rebuilt in 2001.

Miyi.

Tianba Mosque

It was first built in 1702 (the 11th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty) and was renovated and expanded many times during the Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Daoguang periods.

Songpan

Songpan North Mosque

It was first built in 1896 (the 22nd year of the Guangxu reign) and rebuilt in 2005.

Songpan Lower Mosque

It was first built in 1379 (the 12th year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty) and rebuilt in 1988.

Yousuotun Mosque

It was first built in 1933 and rebuilt in 2008.

Huoshaotun Mosque

It was first built in the early years of the Republic of China and is currently being rebuilt.

Fujian

Fuzhou

Fuzhou Mosque

It was renovated in the early years of the Zhizheng reign of the Yuan Dynasty, destroyed by fire in 1541 (the 20th year of the Jiajing reign), and rebuilt in 1549 (the 28th year of the Jiajing reign).

Quanzhou

Qingjing Mosque

It was first built in 1009 and renovated by Ahmed in 1310.

Chendai Mosque

It was built in 1991.

Xiamen

Xiamen Mosque

It was first built in 1823, and the mosque now houses two stone tablets from 1902 and 1924.

Jiangxi

Jiujiang

Jiujiang Mosque

A boundary marker from the 1898 (24th year of the Guangxu reign) renovation still exists today.

Yunnan

Dali

Xiaoweigeng Mosque in Weishan

Built in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, it was rebuilt in 1990.

Huideng Mosque in Weishan

The front part of the main hall was rebuilt with steel and concrete in 1993, while the back part was built with wood in 1944.

Shenhe Village Mosque in Weishan

The main hall was rebuilt in 1995, and the minaret (xuanlilou) was built in 1946.

Qingmenkou Mosque in Weishan

The minaret (xuanlilou) built in 1906 is still standing today.

Xincun Mosque in Weishan

It was destroyed in 1872, rebuilt during the Guangxu reign, and the main hall was rebuilt again in 1994.

Chenjia Mosque in Weishan

It was rebuilt in 1902 and expanded in 1987.

Xishulong Mosque in Weishan

It was rebuilt in 1902 and rebuilt again in 1990.

Shangxi Lianhua Mosque in Weishan

It was destroyed in 1872 and later renovated and expanded several times.

Xiaxi Lianhua Mosque in Weishan

It was destroyed in 1872, rebuilt in 1925, and later rebuilt again.

Donglianhua Mosque in Weishan

First built during the Qing Dynasty, it was expanded twice in 1921 and 1987.

Sanjia Village Mosque in Weishan

First built in the mid-Ming Dynasty, it was rebuilt in 1997.

Yangbi Ancient Mosque

Built in 1382, it was burned and damaged during the Tongzhi reign, later turned into a Confucius Temple, and returned in 1994.

Yangbi Shangxiang Mosque

First built in 1921.

Yangbi Shangjie Xinyingpan Mosque

First built in 1859, it was destroyed by fire in 1989 and rebuilt between 1991 and 1992.

Fengming Mosque

First built during the Yuan and Ming dynasties, it was burned in 1872, rebuilt in 1922, and expanded in 2001.

Binju Mosque

First built in the mid-Qing Dynasty, it was destroyed during the Tongzhi reign and rebuilt in 1923.

Kelizhuang Mosque

Rebuilt in 1908.

Hometown of overseas Chinese in Myanmar

Sanmei Mosque

Built in 1908.

Bai Hui Muslims

Shipang Mosque

Built in 1896, with the minaret built in 1920.

Bai Hui Muslims

Kunming

Shuncheng Street Mosque

First built in 1425, rebuilt in 1880.

Yongning Mosque.

Originally built under the leadership of Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din, it was rebuilt in 2008 and still preserves the original mihrab.

Jinniu Street Mosque.

Rebuilt in 2019, it still preserves the original mihrab.

Chenggong Huihuiying Mosque.

After renovations, it still preserves the original mihrab.

Haikou Liren Mosque.

First built in 1645 (the second year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty), destroyed in 1856 (the sixth year of the Xianfeng reign), rebuilt in 1872 (the second year of the Tongzhi reign), and expanded in 1896 (the twenty-second year of the Guangxu reign) with donations led by a local heroine, Mrs. Yang San.

Xundian Tangzi Mosque.

First built during the Ming Dynasty, rebuilt between 1923 and 1927.

Xundian Beiying Street Mosque.

First built during the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty, rebuilt in 1902.

Xundian Luchong Mosque.

Built between 1881 and 1900.

Honghe Prefecture.

Kaiyuan Dazhuang Mosque.

Moved and rebuilt in 1812, expanded during the Daoguang reign (1821-1850), and known as the mosque that covers the world.

Qujiang Guanyi Mosque.

Xingmeng Pavilion was first built in 1687 (the twenty-sixth year of the Kangxi reign).

Jianshui Ancient City Mosque.

First built during the Huangqing reign of the Yuan Dynasty, it is the oldest mosque in southern Yunnan. The existing main hall was rebuilt in 1730 (the eighth year of the Yongzheng reign).

Shadian Grand Mosque.

First built during the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty, then rebuilt in 2005.

Yuxi

Daying Mosque (Daying Si)

The front hall was built in 1605 (the 33rd year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty), and the main gate was rebuilt in 1914.

Eshan Dabaiyi Mosque (Eshan Dabaiyi Si)

It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1913, the main hall was rebuilt in 1915, and the call-to-prayer tower (jiaobailou) was rebuilt in 1935.

Tonghai Dahui Village Mosque (Tonghai Dahui Cun Si)

First built in the Ming Dynasty, rebuilt in 1829, and expanded in 1946.

Jahriyya

Najiaying Xinzhai Mosque (Najiaying Xinzhai Si)

Built after 1781 by Ma Xuecheng, a student of Ma Mingxin.

Jahriyya

Zhaotong

Tuogu Grand Mosque (Tuogu Dasi)

The main hall was built in 1730 and expanded in 1755.

Longtoushan Mosque (Longtoushan Si)

Built in 1746.

Ludian Chachong Mosque (Ludian Chachong Si)

Built in 1734.

Ludian Tiejiawan Mosque (Ludian Tiejiawan Si)

Built in 1731.

Baxian Grand Mosque (Baxian Dasi)

First built in 1731 and rebuilt in 1779.

Songjiashan Mosque (Songjiashan Si)

Built in 1730.

Xishuangbanna.

Manluan Hui Mosque (Manluan Hui Si).

First built between 1830 and 1840, rebuilt in 1994, and later rebuilt again.

Guangdong.

Zhaoqing.

West City Mosque (Chengxi Si).

First built in the early years of the Qianlong reign, rebuilt in 1983, with the stone pillars and stone arches of the main prayer hall from the Qing Dynasty still preserved.

East City Mosque (Chengdong Si).

Moved and rebuilt during the Kangxi reign, rebuilt in 1991, and preserves a Qing Dynasty mihrab, pillar bases, and stone tablets.

Guangzhou.

Haopan Mosque (Haopan Si).

First built during the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty, rebuilt in 1706.

Huaisheng Mosque (Huaisheng Si).

First built in the Tang Dynasty, the minaret (Guangta) is from the Tang Dynasty, the Moon-Sighting Tower (Kanyue Lou) is from the Ming and Qing dynasties, and the main prayer hall is from the Republic of China era.

Xiaodongying Mosque (Xiaodongying Si).

Built in 1468 by Hui Muslim military officials, and renovated twice during the Jiaqing and Tongzhi reigns of the Qing Dynasty.

Xianxian Mosque (Xianxian Si).

The original construction date is unknown, it was rebuilt during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, and moved and rebuilt at a new site in 2010.

Hainan.

Sanya.

Ancient Mosque (Gu Si).

First built in 1940, rebuilt in 1986.

Northwest Great Mosque (Xibei Da Si).

First built in 1940, rebuilt in 1978.

Beisi Mosque

Separated from the Northwest Mosque (Xibei Dasi) in 1981, then rebuilt.

East Mosque

Separated from the Northwest Mosque (Xibei Dasi) in 1979.

South Mosque (Nansi).

First built in 1487, rebuilt in 2016.

Nankai Mosque (Nankai Si).

Built in 1990.

Tibet.

Lhasa.

Kache Lingka Mosque (Kache Lingka Si) (Part 1).

Built in 1775, renovated in 2008.

Kashmiri descent.

Kache Lingka Mosque (Kache Lingka Si) (Part 2).

Built in 1655, renovated in 2000.

Kashmiri descent.

Lhasa Small Mosque (Lhasa Xiao Si).

First built in the 1920s, demolished and rebuilt in 1999.

Kashmiri descent.

Lhasa Great Mosque (Lhasa Da Si).

Built in 1716 (the 55th year of the Kangxi reign), rebuilt in 2001.

Hong Kong.

Shelley Street Mosque (Xieli Jie Si).

First built in 1852, rebuilt in 1915.

Jiulong Mosque

First built in 1896, rebuilt in 1980.

Aiqun Mosque

Officially completed in 1981.

Macau

Moro Garden (Moluoyuan)

Original construction date unknown, rebuilt in 1973.

South Korea

Seoul

Seoul Central Mosque

Built in 1976.

Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City

Saigon Central Mosque

Built by South Indian Tamils in 1935.

Al Rahim Mosque

The first mosque in Saigon, built by Malay and Indonesian Muslims in 1885, later rebuilt.

Niamatul Islamiyah Mosque

Built by Indian Muslims in 1952.

Jamiul Islamiyah Mosque

Built by South Indian Tamil Muslims in 1950, rebuilt in 2004.

Jamiul Anwar Mosque

Built with aid from Malaysia in 1968.

Embankment Mosque (Di'an Si)

Built by South Indian Tamil Muslims in 1935

Indonesia

Demak

Great Mosque of Demak (Demak Dasi)

Built in 1479

Sunan Kalijaga Gongbei

Built after 1550

Kudus

Al-Aqsa Mosque (Al-Aqsa Si)

Built by the people of Kudus in 1549

Langgar Bubrah Mosque

Built by the Majapahit Kingdom in 1533, it was originally a Hindu mosque before becoming a mosque.

Ruins

Banten

Great Mosque of Banten (Banten Dasi)

Built by the Banten Sultanate in 1566, with the pagoda-style tower (bangke ta) added by Chinese builders in 1632

Solo

Great Mosque of Mataram (Mataran Dasi)

Construction began in 1575, and the main hall was rebuilt after a fire in 1926

Great Mosque of Solo (Solo Dasi)

Built in 1763, it is the Royal Mosque of Solo

Yogyakarta

Great Mosque of Yogyakarta (Yogyakarta Dasi)

Founded in 1773, the Yogyakarta Royal Mosque.

Malaysia

Penang

Aceh Street Mosque

Built by Aceh pepper merchants in 1791.

Kapitan Keling Mosque

Built by people of Indian descent in 1801.

Kuala Lumpur

Jamek Mosque

Built by the Sultan of Selangor between 1908 and 1909.

National Mosque

Built in 1965.

Kota Bharu

Kampung Laut Mosque

Estimated to have been built between the 15th and 18th centuries, it was relocated in 2020 and is known as one of the oldest mosques in Malaysia.

Muhammadi Mosque

Built by the Sultan of Kelantan in 1867, it was changed from a wooden structure to a concrete one in 1922.

Klang

Alaeddin Mosque

Built in 1905 by order of the Sultan of Selangor.

Sultan Sulaiman Royal Mosque

A gift from the British to the Sultan of Selangor, built between 1932 and 1933.

Johor Bahru

Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque

Built by the Sultan of Johor in 1892 and officially completed in 1900.

Kampung Mahmoodiah Mosque.

First built in 1926.

Pasir Pelangi Royal Mosque.

First built in 1911.

Muar.

Sultan Ibrahim Mosque.

Construction started in 1887, reconstruction began in 1925, and it was officially completed in 1930.

Ipoh.

Indian Mosque.

Built between 1905 and 1908 by a wealthy Tamil merchant from South India.

Pakistan Mosque.

Built in 1930 by North Indians working as police officers in Ipoh.

Panglima Kinta Mosque.

Built in 1898 by the Malay chief who ruled Ipoh at the time.

Muhammadiah Mosque.

Started in 1973, it was rebuilt between 2011 and 2013 by the Ipoh branch of the Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association and is the first mosque in Malaysia with a purely Chinese architectural style.

Perak.

Ubudiah Mosque.

Built by the Sultan of Perak between 1913 and 1917.

Jamek Mosque.

Rebuilt into its current structure in 1900.

Malacca.

Kampung Hulu Mosque.

Built in 1728 by a Chinese Muslim leader (datuk), this is the oldest existing mosque in Malacca.

Tranquerah Mosque (Dongjiena Si).

Built by Indian merchants in 1728, abandoned in 1782, with only the watchtower (bangkelou) remaining.

Tranquerah Mosque (Dongjiena Si).

Built in 1782.

Kampung Kling Mosque (Kampung Jining Si).

Originally built by Indian merchants in 1748 and renovated in 1872.

Bukit Cina Mosque (Sanbaoshan Si).

Originally built in 1865.

Pengkalan Rama Mosque (Pengkalan Rama Si).

Originally built in the 1730s and renovated in 1917.

Duyong Mosque (Lurong Huijiaotang).

Built in 1850.

Serkam Pantai Mosque (Shiganbantai Huijiaotang).

Originally built in 1853.

Peringgit Mosque (Bailingyu Huijiaotang).

Originally built in 1726, but later destroyed and rebuilt in 1868.

Kuching.

Old Indian Mosque (Jiu Yindu Si).

Originally built by South Indian Tamil merchants in 1837 and rebuilt in 1876.

Closed

New Indian Mosque (Xin Yindu Si).

Completed in 2019.

Kuching Mosque (Kuching Si).

First built in 1847, rebuilt in 1968.

Sarawak State Mosque.

Built in 1990, renovated in 2024.

Kota Kinabalu.

Kota Kinabalu City Mosque.

Officially opened in 2000.

Singapore.

Al-Abrar Mosque.

Built in 1827 by Tamil Muslims from the Coromandel Coast of southeastern India, and renovated into its current appearance between 1986 and 1989.

Jamae Mosque.

A Friday mosque built in 1826 by Tamil Muslims from the Coromandel Coast of southeastern India, rebuilt into its current appearance between 1830 and 1835.

Abdul Gafoor Mosque.

First built in 1859, and rebuilt into its current structure in 1907 by South Indian Tamil Muslims.

Angullia Mosque.

Established in 1892 by Gujarati Muslims from western India, featuring an existing gatehouse.

Hajjah Fatimah Mosque.

Built between 1915 and 1920 by Indian Muslims.

Sultan Mosque.

Built by the Sultan of Johor between 1824 and 1826, and rebuilt between 1924 and 1928.

Hajjah Fatimah Mosque.

Built with funds donated by a Malay noblewoman in 1845-1846, and rebuilt in the 1930s.

Haji Muhammad Salleh Mosque.

Built in 1903 by merchants from Jakarta, Indonesia.

Malabar Mosque.

Established in 1929 by people from Malabar in southwestern India, and rebuilt in 1995.

Al-Burhani Mosque.

Built in 1895 by the Dawoodi Bohra sect from Gujarat, India, and rebuilt in 1997.

Shia sect.

Brunei.

Bandar Seri Begawan.

Water Mosque.

Built between 1954 and 1958.

Jumu'ah Mosque.

Officially opened in 1994.

International Airport Mosque.

Located at the airport.

Balai Ibadat Kampong Peramu.

Located in the Water Village.

Balai Ibadat Kampong Saba.

Located in the Water Village.

Thailand.

Bangkok.

Safee Mosque.

Built in 1856 by Dawoodi Bohra merchants from Gujarat, India.

Shia sect.

Goowatil Islam Mosque.

Built in the mid-19th century by Indian merchants from Gujarat and Malay goldsmiths from Pattani Province in southern Thailand.

Ton Son Mosque.

Built by the Cham army in 1688, this is the first mosque in Bangkok. It was rebuilt in 1952 and still keeps its original mihrab.

Bang Luang Mosque

Built by the Cham people in 1785, this is the only mosque in the Thai style.

Haroon Mosque

Built by an Arab-Indonesian merchant in 1828 and rebuilt in 1934, it now preserves 19th-century wood carvings.

Java Mosque

Built by Javanese gardeners in 1906, it was expanded twice in 1927 and 1975.

Kocha Itsahak Mosque

Built by a Malay royal translator in the late 19th century.

Phadungtham Islam Mosque

Built by people of Persian descent in 1938 and rebuilt in 1979.

Shia

Dilfulla Mosque

Built in the early 19th century by merchants from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Shia

Islamic Center Foundation Mosque

Built by a young Bengali Muslim architect in 1970.

Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai Chang Khlan Mosque

Built by people of South Asian and Malay descent.

Chiang Mai Wang He Mosque

First built by Hui Muslims from Yunnan in 1917, then rebuilt in 1966.

Chiang Mai Jingzhen Mosque

Built by Hui Muslims from Yunnan in 1970.

Nurul Mosque in Chiang Mai

Built by people of South Asian descent, many from Bangladesh

Wanyang Meide Mosque

Built after 1951 by Hui Muslims from the Yunnanese soldiers of the Thai-Burma border army

Hefei Jiqing Mosque

Built after 1951 by Hui Muslims from the Yunnanese soldiers of the Thai-Burma border army

Fang District Chengxin Mosque

Established by Hui Muslims from Yunnan in 1975

Daduan Ciai Mosque

Built by Hui Muslims from Yunnan

Chiang Rai

Mae Salong Mosque

Built in the 1960s by Hui Muslims from the Yunnanese soldiers of the Thai-Burma border army

Mae Sai Yunnan Mosque

Built by Hui Muslims from Yunnan in 1952 and rebuilt in 1975

Mae Sai South Asian Mosque

Built by people of South Asian descent

Fatima Pakuk Mosque in Chiang Rai

Built by people of South Asian descent

Nurul Islam Pakistan Mosque in Chiang Rai

Built by people of Pakistani descent

Masjid Al-Munauwara in Chiang Rai

Built by people of South Asian descent

Chiang Rai Yunnan Mosque

Built by Hui Muslims from Yunnan in 1910 and rebuilt in 2009.

Uzbekistan

Bukhara

Kalan Mosque

Originally built by the Karakhanid Khanate in 1121, it was destroyed by the Mongol army in 1220, leaving only the minaret. Rebuilt by the Khanate of Bukhara in 1515, it became the main Friday mosque for the Khanate.

Khoja Zaynuddin Mosque

Built in the first half of the 16th century.

Naqshbandi Mosque

Built during the 16th century under the Khanate of Bukhara.

Chor-Bakr Necropolis Mosque

Built in 1560 during the Khanate of Bukhara.

Khoja-Gaukushan Mosque

Built in 1598, its minaret is second in height only to the Kalan Mosque.

Fayzabad Mosque

Construction began in 1598, and it served as a Sufi lodge before the Soviet era.

Magok-i-Kurpa Mosque

Built in 1637.

Magok-i-Attari Mosque

First built in the 9th to 10th centuries, it is one of the oldest surviving mosques in Central Asia and was rebuilt during the Karakhanid dynasty in the 12th century.

Currently a museum.

Namazgahi Mosque

Built by the Eastern Karakhanid dynasty between 1119 and 1120.

Ruins

Juma Mosque at the Ark Fortress

Built by the Khanate of Bukhara in the late 17th century

Bolo Hauz Mosque

Built in 1712, it is the last major mosque of the Khanate of Bukhara

Samarkand

Bibi-Khanym Mosque

Started by Timur in 1399, it was the grandest building in Central Asia in the 15th century

Shahrisabz

Kok Gumbaz Mosque

Built by the Timurid Empire in 1435

Malik Ajdar Mosque

A typical 19th-century mosque

Kazakhstan

Almaty

Dungan Mosque

Built by Hui Muslims from Shaanxi

Azerbaijan

Baku

Palace Mosque

Started in 1442, it is the mosque of the Palace of the Shirvanshahs

Shia sect.

Muhammad Mosque

Built between 1078 and 1079, it is the oldest mosque in Azerbaijan

Shia sect.

Takyeh Mosque

Built in the 13th century

Sufi mosque

Khidir Mosque

Built in 1301

Shia sect.

Mirza Ahmad Mosque

Built in 1345

No longer in use

Chin Mosque

Built between 1375 and 1376

Shia sect.

Molla Ahmad Mosque

Early 14th century

Shia sect.

Sheikh Ibrahim Mosque

Built between 1415 and 1416

Shia sect.

Jumu'ah Mosque.

The main hall was rebuilt in 1899 and includes European styles

Shia sect.

Sayyid Yahya Murtuza Mosque

Built in the early 17th century

Shia sect.

Haji Bani Mosque

Built in the 16th century

Shia sect.

Baba Kuhi Bakuvi Mosque

Estimated to be built in the 9th to 10th century, excavated between 1990 and 1993

Ruins

Haji Heybat Mosque

Built in 1791

Shia sect.

Məktəb Mosque

Built between 1646 and 1647

Shia sect.

Turkey

Konya

Iplikci Mosque

Construction started in 1201, later renovated many times

Alaeddin Mosque

Construction started in the late 11th century, it was the official mosque of the Sultanate of Rum

Sahib Ata Mosque

Built in the late 13th century

Selimiye Mosque

Completed in 1570, a typical Ottoman mosque

Bursa

Orhan Mosque

Built in 1339, this is the first mosque in Bursa.

Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami) of Bursa.

Built between 1396 and 1399, it is a representative work of the early Ottoman period.

Hüdavendigar Mosque.

Built between 1363 and 1366.

Thunderbolt Mosque (Yıldırım Camii).

Built between 1390 and 1395, it is made entirely of stone.

Green Mosque (Yeşil Camii).

Built between 1414 and 1419.

Muradiye Mosque.

Built between 1425 and 1426.

Edirne.

Ancient Mosque (Gu Si).

Built in 1413, this is the first mosque in Edirne.

Muradiye Mosque.

Built in 1436, it was originally a Sufi lodge before becoming a mosque.

Three Balcony Mosque (Üç Şerefeli Camii).

Construction began in 1438; it is the first Ottoman mosque with a central dome and a portico.

Kasim Pasha Mosque.

Built in 1479, it was abandoned due to the construction of a dam.

Ruins

Sultan Bayezid II Mosque.

Built between the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

Selimiye Mosque

Built between 1567 and 1575, it is considered a peak achievement in Ottoman architecture.

Istanbul

Atik Ali Pasha Mosque

Built in 1496.

Yavuz Sultan Selim Mosque

Built from 1520 to 1527, it is an Ottoman imperial mosque.

Mihrimah Sultan Mosque

Built from 1543 to 1548, it is the first semi-domed mosque by Mimar Sinan.

Sehzade Mosque

Built between 1543 and 1548, it is Mimar Sinan's most important early work.

Hadim Ibrahim Pasha Mosque

Built in 1551.

Sinan Pasha Mosque

Completed in 1555, it is known as a smaller version of the Three Balcony Mosque (Uc Serefeli Cami).

Suleymaniye Mosque

Built from 1550 to 1557, it had the highest dome in the Ottoman Empire at that time.

Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque

Built from 1567 to 1572.

Mihrimah Sultan Mosque

Built from 1563 to 1570.

Kara Ahmed Pasha Mosque

Finally completed in 1572.

Mimar Sinan Mosque

Built in 1573, it was destroyed by fire in 1918, but the minaret remains.

Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque

Built in 1578

Kılıç Ali Pasha Mosque

Built between 1578 and 1580

Şemsi Pasha Mosque

Built in 1581, it is very small

Molla Çelebi Mosque

Built between 1570 and 1584, it features a perfect hexagonal design

Valide Sultan Mosque

Completed in 1586

Nişancı Mehmed Pasha Mosque

Built between 1584 and 1589

Zal Mahmut Pasha Mosque

Built between 1577 and 1590, it was an original experiment from Mimar Sinan's later years

Harem Mosque

Used by the concubines of the Topkapi Palace Harem

Ağalar Mosque

The main mosque of Topkapi Palace, first built in the 15th century

Sofa Mosque

Located at the back of Topkapi Palace, built in the early 19th century

Eyüp Sultan Mosque

First built in 1458 and rebuilt in 1798, it is a holy religious site in Istanbul

Rüstem Pasha Mosque

Built between 1561 and 1563, it is known as Mimar Sinan's most beautiful mosque

Elhac Timurtaş Mosque

Built in the 1460s, it is one of the oldest mosques in Istanbul and has been rebuilt many times throughout history.

Bayezid II Mosque

Built between 1501 and 1506, it is the oldest surviving imperial mosque in Istanbul.

Mahmut Pasha Mosque

Built in 1464, it is one of the earliest mosques constructed within the city of Istanbul.

Hagia Sophia Mosque

Completed in 537, two minarets (bangke ta) were added in the mid-16th century. In the late 16th century, Mimar Sinan added 24 buttresses for support and built two more minarets.

Dolmabahçe Mosque

Built between 1853 and 1855, it is a representative work of 19th-century Ottoman eclecticism.

Mardin

Great Mosque

The earliest parts date back to the 10th century, and the minaret was built in 1176.

Abdullatif Mosque

Built in 1371, it is known as the final classic work of the Artuqid dynasty.

Seyh Cabuk Mosque

It is believed to have been built during the 15th-century Kara Koyunlu period and was rebuilt in the 19th century.

Sehidiye Mosque

Originally built in 1214 during the Artuqid dynasty.

Dinari Pamuk Mosque

Originally built in the 11th century and rebuilt in 1332 during the Artuqid dynasty.

Melik Mahmut Mosque

Built in 1362.

Diyarbakir

Great Mosque

It was first built in the 7th century, and the current structure was built by the Seljuk Empire in 1092.

Nebi Mosque

It was first built during the 15th-century Aq Qoyunlu dynasty.

Hazreti Süleyman Mosque

It was first built by the Inalid dynasty in 1160, and expanded in the 16th century by order of Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire.

Nasuh Pasha Mosque

It was built in the early 17th century.

Kurşunlu Mosque

It was built between 1516 and 1520 and is also the first Ottoman mosque in Diyarbakir.

Kadı Mosque

It was built in 1533.

Sheikh Matar Mosque

It was built in 1500 during the late Aq Qoyunlu dynasty.

Behram Pasha Mosque

It was built between 1564 and 1572.

Iskender Pasha Mosque

It was first built in 1551 or 1554 and completed in 1557.

Ömer Şeddat Mosque

It was built in the mid-12th century during the Inalid dynasty.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sarajevo

Gazi Husrev Bey Mosque

T