Halal Travel Guide: Xi'an Muslim Quarter — Qing-Era Hui Muslim Homes
Reposted from the web
Summary: Deep inside Xi'an Muslim Quarter, several Qing-era Hui Muslim homes still hold traces of courtyard life, family history, and local Muslim culture. This article follows three of those homes with their original locations, photos, architectural details, and neighborhood context preserved.
On this trip to Xi'an, I visited the An Family Courtyard (Anjia Xiaoyuan) on Huajue Lane, one of the last remaining traditional Hui Muslim homes in the city. The An Family Courtyard faces the spirit wall of the Great Mosque of Huajue Lane. The entrance is always crowded with tourists, and the An family runs a small stall there. If you didn't know about it beforehand, you would never guess such a well-preserved Qing Dynasty home was hidden here.
The An family made and sold candles for generations. Their fifth-generation ancestor built this house during the Qianlong reign, making it over 200 years old. The house was originally a connected four-courtyard complex (lian si yuan), but only this one section remains today. The current owner of the An Family Courtyard is An Shouxin, a retired professor from Xi'an University of Technology and a famous calligrapher in Xi'an. Mr. An was born in 1933 and is now 92 years old. He was resting when we visited, so we didn't want to disturb him and chatted with his daughter instead.
The An Family Courtyard is a typical Guanzhong-style courtyard house (siheyuan), with the same layout and structure as traditional northern courtyard homes. The house has two courtyards, one in front and one in back. The street-facing gate is painted in black and red with carved wooden eaves. Inside the gate is a carved spirit wall, and to the left is a second gate with delicate brick carvings. The second gate features carvings of flowers, birds, fruits, clouds, and vines. In the center are two pomegranates, which symbolize having many children and much good fortune. The center of the second gate is carved with the four characters 'Gao Zeng Ju Yue,' which means the rules left behind by ancestors. Mr. An's daughter said that in the 1960s, her father covered all the brick carvings with mud and the wood carvings with newspaper to protect them, which is how they survived.
Past the second gate is the main room of the second courtyard and the side rooms (known as xiafang in the Guanzhong region). Because of the intense summer heat, the inner courtyard is narrow and long. This keeps the area shaded during the summer, a key feature of traditional Guanzhong homes. The eaves, lattice windows, and door panels are covered in beautiful wood carvings, giving the courtyard an elegant, quiet, and delicate feel.
On this trip to Xi'an, a friend (dost) led me to visit the former site of the Wu Governor's Mansion (Wu Tidufu Dayuan) between Xiaopi Lane and Hongbu Street. The mansion was reportedly a four-courtyard complex consisting of three connected sections, with the front gate on Xiaopi Lane and the back gate on Hongbu Street. The front gate was a tall 'horse-riding gate' (zouma men) that allowed people to ride through on horseback. Unfortunately, due to renovations and demolition after the 1980s, only a few buildings remain at the site. Most are in disrepair, but you can still see the fine wood carvings and drum-shaped stone bases.
Records show the Wu family moved from Shuixi Gate in Nanjing during the Ming Dynasty. They lived in the Xiaopi Lane area for generations and were a prominent family in the Muslim Quarter. The governor, Wu Dajing, was a famous Hui Muslim general during the Qianlong period, and he has a biography in the Draft History of Qing (Qingshigao). Records state that Wu Dajing passed the military examination in 1762 (the 27th year of Qianlong) and became a military jinshi the following year. He was appointed as a third-rank imperial guard and later served as governor in Guangxi, Gansu, and Yunnan, earning many military honors. In the fourth year of the Jiaqing reign, Wu Dajing led his troops to the Yunnan-Myanmar border to put down the rebellion of Seng Tongjin and the Menglian chieftain. He cleared the border area and protected the unity of the motherland.
Wu Dajing was also devoted to his faith and donated money to renovate the Liuzhou Mosque in Guangxi. The 1884 stele recording the renovation of the main hall at Liuzhou Mosque states: There is a mosque inside and outside the city of Liuzhou, said to have been founded during the Ming Dynasty. Early in the Qing Dynasty, Commander Ma Xiong and General Wu Dajing donated funds for repairs. Later years saw further construction, resulting in a grand hall well-suited for namaz.
Among the descendants of the Wu family, the most famous was the Republic-era imam Wu Zhenming, who was the great-grandson of Wu Dajing. Imam Wu Zhenming began his service at the Yingli Mosque in Xiaoxuexi Lane in 1922. He later taught at the Tawan West Mosque in Luoyang, the North Mosque in Xiaopi Yard in Xi'an, the Guangyi Bridge Mosque in Hankou, the mosque outside the city of Jiujiang, the Wenshu Street Mosque in Kaifeng, the Tongxiang Mosque in Luoyang, the Jianguo Lane Mosque in Xi'an, the Yingli Mosque in Xiaoxuexi Lane, and the Dapi Yard Mosque. He had students everywhere, and many of his pupils later became well-known imams.
The Li Family Courtyard, located across from the old mosque on Sajin Bridge in Xi'an, preserves the only remaining Qing Dynasty residential brick carving with Arabic calligraphy above the doorway. It is carved in traditional Chinese Arabic calligraphy, and the general meaning is:
Al-abiat zen
Poetry is a form of praise.
Al-bab saddoul
The gate is a curtain.
Al-dar said
The house is a form of happiness.
Al-qassar mubarak
The palace is a blessing.
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Summary: Deep inside Xi'an Muslim Quarter, several Qing-era Hui Muslim homes still hold traces of courtyard life, family history, and local Muslim culture. This article follows three of those homes with their original locations, photos, architectural details, and neighborhood context preserved.
On this trip to Xi'an, I visited the An Family Courtyard (Anjia Xiaoyuan) on Huajue Lane, one of the last remaining traditional Hui Muslim homes in the city. The An Family Courtyard faces the spirit wall of the Great Mosque of Huajue Lane. The entrance is always crowded with tourists, and the An family runs a small stall there. If you didn't know about it beforehand, you would never guess such a well-preserved Qing Dynasty home was hidden here.
The An family made and sold candles for generations. Their fifth-generation ancestor built this house during the Qianlong reign, making it over 200 years old. The house was originally a connected four-courtyard complex (lian si yuan), but only this one section remains today. The current owner of the An Family Courtyard is An Shouxin, a retired professor from Xi'an University of Technology and a famous calligrapher in Xi'an. Mr. An was born in 1933 and is now 92 years old. He was resting when we visited, so we didn't want to disturb him and chatted with his daughter instead.
The An Family Courtyard is a typical Guanzhong-style courtyard house (siheyuan), with the same layout and structure as traditional northern courtyard homes. The house has two courtyards, one in front and one in back. The street-facing gate is painted in black and red with carved wooden eaves. Inside the gate is a carved spirit wall, and to the left is a second gate with delicate brick carvings. The second gate features carvings of flowers, birds, fruits, clouds, and vines. In the center are two pomegranates, which symbolize having many children and much good fortune. The center of the second gate is carved with the four characters 'Gao Zeng Ju Yue,' which means the rules left behind by ancestors. Mr. An's daughter said that in the 1960s, her father covered all the brick carvings with mud and the wood carvings with newspaper to protect them, which is how they survived.
Past the second gate is the main room of the second courtyard and the side rooms (known as xiafang in the Guanzhong region). Because of the intense summer heat, the inner courtyard is narrow and long. This keeps the area shaded during the summer, a key feature of traditional Guanzhong homes. The eaves, lattice windows, and door panels are covered in beautiful wood carvings, giving the courtyard an elegant, quiet, and delicate feel.
On this trip to Xi'an, a friend (dost) led me to visit the former site of the Wu Governor's Mansion (Wu Tidufu Dayuan) between Xiaopi Lane and Hongbu Street. The mansion was reportedly a four-courtyard complex consisting of three connected sections, with the front gate on Xiaopi Lane and the back gate on Hongbu Street. The front gate was a tall 'horse-riding gate' (zouma men) that allowed people to ride through on horseback. Unfortunately, due to renovations and demolition after the 1980s, only a few buildings remain at the site. Most are in disrepair, but you can still see the fine wood carvings and drum-shaped stone bases.
Records show the Wu family moved from Shuixi Gate in Nanjing during the Ming Dynasty. They lived in the Xiaopi Lane area for generations and were a prominent family in the Muslim Quarter. The governor, Wu Dajing, was a famous Hui Muslim general during the Qianlong period, and he has a biography in the Draft History of Qing (Qingshigao). Records state that Wu Dajing passed the military examination in 1762 (the 27th year of Qianlong) and became a military jinshi the following year. He was appointed as a third-rank imperial guard and later served as governor in Guangxi, Gansu, and Yunnan, earning many military honors. In the fourth year of the Jiaqing reign, Wu Dajing led his troops to the Yunnan-Myanmar border to put down the rebellion of Seng Tongjin and the Menglian chieftain. He cleared the border area and protected the unity of the motherland.
Wu Dajing was also devoted to his faith and donated money to renovate the Liuzhou Mosque in Guangxi. The 1884 stele recording the renovation of the main hall at Liuzhou Mosque states: There is a mosque inside and outside the city of Liuzhou, said to have been founded during the Ming Dynasty. Early in the Qing Dynasty, Commander Ma Xiong and General Wu Dajing donated funds for repairs. Later years saw further construction, resulting in a grand hall well-suited for namaz.
Among the descendants of the Wu family, the most famous was the Republic-era imam Wu Zhenming, who was the great-grandson of Wu Dajing. Imam Wu Zhenming began his service at the Yingli Mosque in Xiaoxuexi Lane in 1922. He later taught at the Tawan West Mosque in Luoyang, the North Mosque in Xiaopi Yard in Xi'an, the Guangyi Bridge Mosque in Hankou, the mosque outside the city of Jiujiang, the Wenshu Street Mosque in Kaifeng, the Tongxiang Mosque in Luoyang, the Jianguo Lane Mosque in Xi'an, the Yingli Mosque in Xiaoxuexi Lane, and the Dapi Yard Mosque. He had students everywhere, and many of his pupils later became well-known imams.
The Li Family Courtyard, located across from the old mosque on Sajin Bridge in Xi'an, preserves the only remaining Qing Dynasty residential brick carving with Arabic calligraphy above the doorway. It is carved in traditional Chinese Arabic calligraphy, and the general meaning is:
Al-abiat zen
Poetry is a form of praise.
Al-bab saddoul
The gate is a curtain.
Al-dar said
The house is a form of happiness.
Al-qassar mubarak
The palace is a blessing.
Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Tianjin — Syrian, Yemeni, Tunisian & Algerian Restaurants
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Tianjin food article follows Arabic restaurants representing Syrian, Yemeni, Tunisian, and Algerian cooking. It preserves the original restaurant details, dishes, photos, and travel observations while presenting the account in natural English.
Syrian food: Al-Andalus Restaurant.
We had Levantine food at Al-Andalus Restaurant in the Sunac Center, Nankai District. The owner is Syrian. Al-Andalus was the name Arabs used for the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. In the 8th century, under the Umayyad dynasty, it was a famous center for economy, culture, academics, and education, serving as a key bridge for cultural and scientific exchange between East and West.
We ordered the four-person feast set. It included lentil soup, cream of mushroom soup, a trio of hummus, lamb samosa (samosa), chicken shawarma (shawarma), four-season pizza, mixed grilled meats, black tea, and a crispy salad. We also ordered yogurt separately. Overall, the food is very authentic. It offers better value than Arab restaurants in Beijing, and you do not have to wait in line. Their yogurt is especially good. It has a rich, tangy milk flavor that beats many Arab restaurants in Beijing. The only downside is that the samosa pastry is a bit thick, more like the South Asian version than the thin-crust Levantine style.
Yemeni food: Socotra.
Socotra is an island in the Arabian Sea, southeast of Yemen. In the Ming Dynasty, the Zheng He navigation charts called it Sugudala. Socotra Island became a World Natural Heritage site in 2008 and is famous for its dragon blood trees. The Socotra restaurant logo is a dragon blood tree, and photos of the trees hang in the shop.
We ordered the specialty soup, chicken lentil soup, lamb zurbian (zurbian) rice, mushakkal (mushakkal) stir-fried vegetables, fahsa (fahsa) beef stew, banana mango juice, and khubz (khubz) flatbread. Zurbian rice is similar to Indian biryani, as both are stir-fried with various spices. Their lamb is grilled and very fragrant, but we found the rice a bit dry. It also contained small bone fragments, so be careful if feeding children.
When visiting a Yemeni restaurant, you must try the classic Yemeni dish, fahsa beef stew. Fahsa is usually made with lamb, but they use beef. The meat is stewed until very tender, first in a large vat and then finished in a small pot. Besides ginger, garlic, and cumin, the stew requires a spice called fenugreek (hulbah). Fenugreek is what people in Northwest China often call xiangdouzi (bitter beans). Northwesterners dry the leaves and grind them into powder to steam buns, while Yemenis grind the seeds to stew meat. Fenugreek seeds expand in water and easily foam up when stirred in a bowl.
The classic pairing for fahsa is mulawah (mulawah) Yemeni bread, but they require you to order it in advance. We could only get khubz flatbread at the restaurant. Khubz is essentially the pita bread found in Levantine cuisine. Their version was quite hard and, honestly, not very tasty.
Algerian tea and snacks: Lyn's Healthy Bakeshop.
We had Algerian afternoon tea at Lyn's Healthy Bakeshop on Chifeng Road in Tianjin. Chifeng Road is in the former French Concession area. There are many small Western-style buildings here, along with all kinds of little restaurants.
The owner is from Algeria and opened a small shop here for tea and desserts. It is likely the first Algerian restaurant in China. It is impressive to see Tianjin leading the way in international dining again!
You can order à la carte or choose an afternoon tea set. They serve both traditional Algerian desserts and Western pastries. They use maple syrup instead of white sugar for a healthier approach. This is probably the least sweet Arabic dessert shop I have ever visited!
We drank Algerian mint tea and an Algerian orange blossom lemonade called Sherbet Mazhar. The mint tea is brewed to order, so it takes a while. It has a very strong aroma, but since it is freshly brewed, you cannot get refills. Orange blossom water is definitely a signature Algerian drink, especially classic at wedding feasts in northern Algeria. This drink is made from orange blossom water distilled from bitter orange blossoms, mixed with syrup and water. It is very refreshing in the summer.
We ate Algerian baklava (Baklawa), apple pie, milk pudding (M'halbi), and cheesecake. Suleiman loved the cheesecake the most. Baklava was introduced to Algeria from Turkey during the Ottoman period. The Algerian version adds crushed almonds and orange blossom water, so the taste is different from the Turkish one.
Milk pudding (M'halbi) is a classic Middle Eastern dessert for breaking the fast and is most popular during Ramadan. The name M'halbi comes from Al-Muhallab, a governor of Khorasan during the Umayyad Caliphate. Legend says he once had a stomachache, and his doctor fed him rice flour cooked with milk and sugar. He liked it so much that he named the dessert after himself.
Finally, the food here is excellent, though the decor is a bit simple. If they could highlight the Algerian theme more, this place would definitely become a new trendy spot in Tianjin.
Tunisian food: Sidi Bou Said.
There is a Tunisian restaurant called Sidi Bou Said (Blue and White Town) in Aocheng Plaza where you can eat Tunisian food. The shop is small. The owner is Chinese, and the head chef is Tunisian. Since there is only one chef, service might be slow when it is busy. It is best to call ahead and book a table. We were the only table when we went, so our meal went quite smoothly.
The name Sidi Bou Said comes from a small Mediterranean town northeast of Tunis. It is named after the famous Sufi saint Abu Said al-Baji, who is buried there. In the 1920s, the French painter and musician Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger introduced the blue and white color scheme, turning it into a famous tourist destination in Tunisia.
We ordered the 3-4 person set, which included tuna fried triangles (Brick), North African eggs (Shakshouka), lamb stew, pasta with meat sauce, and a dessert called Kunafa. They served mint tea first, which is very Tunisian. Then they brought the Brick. It is a classic Tunisian snack filled with tuna, minced meat, a raw egg, and harissa chili paste, wrapped in a very thin pastry called Malsouka. The North African eggs are made with eggs, tomatoes, olive oil, harissa, and onions, then sprinkled with cumin and chili powder. Tomatoes were not actually introduced to Tunisia from the Middle East until the late Ottoman period. Turkey has an appetizer with the same name, shakshuka (Şakşuka), but it does not contain eggs.
Their lamb leg is stewed until very tender and falls right off the bone, which is perfect for children. The lamb leg sits on a bed of mashed potatoes, which are soft and delicious. The pasta uses an Italian meat sauce (Bolognese), but it seems to be made with hand-rolled noodles. It ends up tasting a lot like the dry meat sauce noodles (saozi mian) eaten by Hui Muslims in Xinjiang. Their kunafa (kunafa) is delicious, and it is a low-sugar version that suits the Chinese palate. Kunafa appears in One Thousand and One Nights, and legend says it was invented by an Arab caliph for breaking the fast.
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Summary: This Tianjin food article follows Arabic restaurants representing Syrian, Yemeni, Tunisian, and Algerian cooking. It preserves the original restaurant details, dishes, photos, and travel observations while presenting the account in natural English.
Syrian food: Al-Andalus Restaurant.
We had Levantine food at Al-Andalus Restaurant in the Sunac Center, Nankai District. The owner is Syrian. Al-Andalus was the name Arabs used for the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. In the 8th century, under the Umayyad dynasty, it was a famous center for economy, culture, academics, and education, serving as a key bridge for cultural and scientific exchange between East and West.
We ordered the four-person feast set. It included lentil soup, cream of mushroom soup, a trio of hummus, lamb samosa (samosa), chicken shawarma (shawarma), four-season pizza, mixed grilled meats, black tea, and a crispy salad. We also ordered yogurt separately. Overall, the food is very authentic. It offers better value than Arab restaurants in Beijing, and you do not have to wait in line. Their yogurt is especially good. It has a rich, tangy milk flavor that beats many Arab restaurants in Beijing. The only downside is that the samosa pastry is a bit thick, more like the South Asian version than the thin-crust Levantine style.
Yemeni food: Socotra.
Socotra is an island in the Arabian Sea, southeast of Yemen. In the Ming Dynasty, the Zheng He navigation charts called it Sugudala. Socotra Island became a World Natural Heritage site in 2008 and is famous for its dragon blood trees. The Socotra restaurant logo is a dragon blood tree, and photos of the trees hang in the shop.
We ordered the specialty soup, chicken lentil soup, lamb zurbian (zurbian) rice, mushakkal (mushakkal) stir-fried vegetables, fahsa (fahsa) beef stew, banana mango juice, and khubz (khubz) flatbread. Zurbian rice is similar to Indian biryani, as both are stir-fried with various spices. Their lamb is grilled and very fragrant, but we found the rice a bit dry. It also contained small bone fragments, so be careful if feeding children.
When visiting a Yemeni restaurant, you must try the classic Yemeni dish, fahsa beef stew. Fahsa is usually made with lamb, but they use beef. The meat is stewed until very tender, first in a large vat and then finished in a small pot. Besides ginger, garlic, and cumin, the stew requires a spice called fenugreek (hulbah). Fenugreek is what people in Northwest China often call xiangdouzi (bitter beans). Northwesterners dry the leaves and grind them into powder to steam buns, while Yemenis grind the seeds to stew meat. Fenugreek seeds expand in water and easily foam up when stirred in a bowl.
The classic pairing for fahsa is mulawah (mulawah) Yemeni bread, but they require you to order it in advance. We could only get khubz flatbread at the restaurant. Khubz is essentially the pita bread found in Levantine cuisine. Their version was quite hard and, honestly, not very tasty.
Algerian tea and snacks: Lyn's Healthy Bakeshop.
We had Algerian afternoon tea at Lyn's Healthy Bakeshop on Chifeng Road in Tianjin. Chifeng Road is in the former French Concession area. There are many small Western-style buildings here, along with all kinds of little restaurants.
The owner is from Algeria and opened a small shop here for tea and desserts. It is likely the first Algerian restaurant in China. It is impressive to see Tianjin leading the way in international dining again!
You can order à la carte or choose an afternoon tea set. They serve both traditional Algerian desserts and Western pastries. They use maple syrup instead of white sugar for a healthier approach. This is probably the least sweet Arabic dessert shop I have ever visited!
We drank Algerian mint tea and an Algerian orange blossom lemonade called Sherbet Mazhar. The mint tea is brewed to order, so it takes a while. It has a very strong aroma, but since it is freshly brewed, you cannot get refills. Orange blossom water is definitely a signature Algerian drink, especially classic at wedding feasts in northern Algeria. This drink is made from orange blossom water distilled from bitter orange blossoms, mixed with syrup and water. It is very refreshing in the summer.
We ate Algerian baklava (Baklawa), apple pie, milk pudding (M'halbi), and cheesecake. Suleiman loved the cheesecake the most. Baklava was introduced to Algeria from Turkey during the Ottoman period. The Algerian version adds crushed almonds and orange blossom water, so the taste is different from the Turkish one.
Milk pudding (M'halbi) is a classic Middle Eastern dessert for breaking the fast and is most popular during Ramadan. The name M'halbi comes from Al-Muhallab, a governor of Khorasan during the Umayyad Caliphate. Legend says he once had a stomachache, and his doctor fed him rice flour cooked with milk and sugar. He liked it so much that he named the dessert after himself.
Finally, the food here is excellent, though the decor is a bit simple. If they could highlight the Algerian theme more, this place would definitely become a new trendy spot in Tianjin.
Tunisian food: Sidi Bou Said.
There is a Tunisian restaurant called Sidi Bou Said (Blue and White Town) in Aocheng Plaza where you can eat Tunisian food. The shop is small. The owner is Chinese, and the head chef is Tunisian. Since there is only one chef, service might be slow when it is busy. It is best to call ahead and book a table. We were the only table when we went, so our meal went quite smoothly.
The name Sidi Bou Said comes from a small Mediterranean town northeast of Tunis. It is named after the famous Sufi saint Abu Said al-Baji, who is buried there. In the 1920s, the French painter and musician Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger introduced the blue and white color scheme, turning it into a famous tourist destination in Tunisia.
We ordered the 3-4 person set, which included tuna fried triangles (Brick), North African eggs (Shakshouka), lamb stew, pasta with meat sauce, and a dessert called Kunafa. They served mint tea first, which is very Tunisian. Then they brought the Brick. It is a classic Tunisian snack filled with tuna, minced meat, a raw egg, and harissa chili paste, wrapped in a very thin pastry called Malsouka. The North African eggs are made with eggs, tomatoes, olive oil, harissa, and onions, then sprinkled with cumin and chili powder. Tomatoes were not actually introduced to Tunisia from the Middle East until the late Ottoman period. Turkey has an appetizer with the same name, shakshuka (Şakşuka), but it does not contain eggs.
Their lamb leg is stewed until very tender and falls right off the bone, which is perfect for children. The lamb leg sits on a bed of mashed potatoes, which are soft and delicious. The pasta uses an Italian meat sauce (Bolognese), but it seems to be made with hand-rolled noodles. It ends up tasting a lot like the dry meat sauce noodles (saozi mian) eaten by Hui Muslims in Xinjiang. Their kunafa (kunafa) is delicious, and it is a low-sugar version that suits the Chinese palate. Kunafa appears in One Thousand and One Nights, and legend says it was invented by an Arab caliph for breaking the fast.
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Halal Food Guide: Urumqi — Four Hui Muslim Banquet Restaurants
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Urumqi food account introduces four Hui Muslim banquet restaurants and the dishes that shape local halal dining. The English version keeps the original restaurant names, photos, food details, and practical observations without adding outside claims.
I returned to Urumqi for a wedding and ate at four Hui Muslim restaurants. I am sharing my experience with you now.
Silk Road Rice Fragrance (Silu Mixiang) is a restaurant in the New District where Hui Muslims host guests. It has a large private room that can seat twenty people at two tables.
We started the meal with three-tier tea (sanpaotai), which includes goji berries, red dates, and rock sugar. Then the dishes arrived: spinach with chickpeas, cold-tossed beef shank, beef stew with vermicelli, dry-pot beef tripe, beef medley, sauced meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), sweet platter (tianpanzi), stir-fried bean sprouts with chives, snowflake meatballs, stir-fried black and white lung, steamed opium fish, lamb with braised flatbread, sauced stuffed eggplant, and stir-fried mushrooms. This included traditional Hui Muslim banquet dishes like meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha) and sweet platter (tianpanzi), as well as newer banquet dishes that have become popular in Urumqi over the last few decades, such as snowflake meatballs and steamed opium fish. These dishes represent the current taste of Hui Muslim banquets in Urumqi.
The Jinyue Loulan Banquet Hall in Anningqu Cultural Tourism Town has a great environment. It is very spacious, bright, and the banquet hall is huge.
Before the meal starts, they set out nine appetizer plates, usually filled with dried fruits, preserved fruits, candies, and small pieces of fruit. Then they clear the appetizer plates to officially start the meal, serving cold dishes first, followed by hot dishes, and finally the main courses. We ate cold-tossed beef, spinach with gluten, cold-tossed chicken, fern root noodles, stir-fried beef tripe, Dongxiang-style hand-grabbed lamb (shouzhuayangrou), yellow noodles with grilled meat, sweet platter (tianpanzi), vegetarian pilaf, flower-roll chicken, meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), yellow-braised meat, steamed opium fish, and meatballs. Dishes at traditional Urumqi banquets are generally lighter than street food, with less chili and salt. The cold-tossed chicken is not made into spicy peppercorn chicken (jiaomaji), which actually suits the tastes of people from inland China better.
Jinhaiwan is the most popular Hui Muslim banquet hall in the Dawan area of Urumqi. I held my own wedding here five years ago, and coming back now brings back many memories. The cold dishes at the banquet included spicy beef shank, cold-tossed chicken, blueberry yam, and mixed vegetable salad. Hot dishes included hand-grabbed lamb (shouzhuayangrou), yellow-braised beef, oil-seared meat, sauced meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), yellow noodles with grilled meat, steamed sea bass, stir-fried meat with Awei mushrooms, red-braised meatballs, lotus root and lily stir-fry, and sweet platter (tianpanzi). The staples included thin-skinned buns (baopi baozi), oil towers (youtazi), pilaf with preserved fruits, and grilled flatbread. I was too busy to really eat at my own wedding, but this time I finally enjoyed a great meal.
The next day, we went to Jiamei Banquet on Liyushan Road for the post-wedding meal (xiatang). We ate cold-tossed chicken, cold-tossed beef shank, oil-seared meat, spinach with gluten, braised meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), oil towers (youtazi), stir-fried beef tripe, sweet platter (tianpanzi), hand-grabbed meat (shouzhuarou), yellow noodles with grilled meat, red-braised carp, yellow-braised meat, pearl meatballs, and soup. For the post-wedding meal, the restaurant also provides a bowl of minced meat noodles (saozimian). This place is the best among the Hui Muslim banquet restaurants I have tried in Urumqi. The lamb is the most tender and fresh, and the beef shank has the best texture and is the most flavorful. Their minced meat noodles (saozimian) are also delicious and very satisfying. However, they do not have as many tables, so they are used more for engagement parties or post-wedding meals, and are a bit small for a full wedding.
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Summary: This Urumqi food account introduces four Hui Muslim banquet restaurants and the dishes that shape local halal dining. The English version keeps the original restaurant names, photos, food details, and practical observations without adding outside claims.
I returned to Urumqi for a wedding and ate at four Hui Muslim restaurants. I am sharing my experience with you now.
Silk Road Rice Fragrance (Silu Mixiang) is a restaurant in the New District where Hui Muslims host guests. It has a large private room that can seat twenty people at two tables.
We started the meal with three-tier tea (sanpaotai), which includes goji berries, red dates, and rock sugar. Then the dishes arrived: spinach with chickpeas, cold-tossed beef shank, beef stew with vermicelli, dry-pot beef tripe, beef medley, sauced meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), sweet platter (tianpanzi), stir-fried bean sprouts with chives, snowflake meatballs, stir-fried black and white lung, steamed opium fish, lamb with braised flatbread, sauced stuffed eggplant, and stir-fried mushrooms. This included traditional Hui Muslim banquet dishes like meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha) and sweet platter (tianpanzi), as well as newer banquet dishes that have become popular in Urumqi over the last few decades, such as snowflake meatballs and steamed opium fish. These dishes represent the current taste of Hui Muslim banquets in Urumqi.
The Jinyue Loulan Banquet Hall in Anningqu Cultural Tourism Town has a great environment. It is very spacious, bright, and the banquet hall is huge.
Before the meal starts, they set out nine appetizer plates, usually filled with dried fruits, preserved fruits, candies, and small pieces of fruit. Then they clear the appetizer plates to officially start the meal, serving cold dishes first, followed by hot dishes, and finally the main courses. We ate cold-tossed beef, spinach with gluten, cold-tossed chicken, fern root noodles, stir-fried beef tripe, Dongxiang-style hand-grabbed lamb (shouzhuayangrou), yellow noodles with grilled meat, sweet platter (tianpanzi), vegetarian pilaf, flower-roll chicken, meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), yellow-braised meat, steamed opium fish, and meatballs. Dishes at traditional Urumqi banquets are generally lighter than street food, with less chili and salt. The cold-tossed chicken is not made into spicy peppercorn chicken (jiaomaji), which actually suits the tastes of people from inland China better.
Jinhaiwan is the most popular Hui Muslim banquet hall in the Dawan area of Urumqi. I held my own wedding here five years ago, and coming back now brings back many memories. The cold dishes at the banquet included spicy beef shank, cold-tossed chicken, blueberry yam, and mixed vegetable salad. Hot dishes included hand-grabbed lamb (shouzhuayangrou), yellow-braised beef, oil-seared meat, sauced meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), yellow noodles with grilled meat, steamed sea bass, stir-fried meat with Awei mushrooms, red-braised meatballs, lotus root and lily stir-fry, and sweet platter (tianpanzi). The staples included thin-skinned buns (baopi baozi), oil towers (youtazi), pilaf with preserved fruits, and grilled flatbread. I was too busy to really eat at my own wedding, but this time I finally enjoyed a great meal.
The next day, we went to Jiamei Banquet on Liyushan Road for the post-wedding meal (xiatang). We ate cold-tossed chicken, cold-tossed beef shank, oil-seared meat, spinach with gluten, braised meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), oil towers (youtazi), stir-fried beef tripe, sweet platter (tianpanzi), hand-grabbed meat (shouzhuarou), yellow noodles with grilled meat, red-braised carp, yellow-braised meat, pearl meatballs, and soup. For the post-wedding meal, the restaurant also provides a bowl of minced meat noodles (saozimian). This place is the best among the Hui Muslim banquet restaurants I have tried in Urumqi. The lamb is the most tender and fresh, and the beef shank has the best texture and is the most flavorful. Their minced meat noodles (saozimian) are also delicious and very satisfying. However, they do not have as many tables, so they are used more for engagement parties or post-wedding meals, and are a bit small for a full wedding.
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Halal Food Guide: Xi'an Muslim Quarter — Huifang Snacks and Local Eats
Reposted from the web
Summary: Xi'an Muslim Quarter, known locally as Huifang, is one of the best-known places in China for halal snacks and Hui Muslim food culture. This article keeps the original shop notes, dishes, street details, and photos while presenting the food walk in everyday English.
Old Liu's Pita Bread Soup Shop (Lao Liujia Paomo Guan)
Old Liu's is right at the entrance of the small mosque on North Guangji Street. Come here in the morning for some pita bread soup (paomo). It is very popular and always crowded.
Old Liu's Paomo opened in 1932 at the northwest corner of the intersection of West Street and Qiaozikou in Xi'an. Its original name was Halal Old Liu's Changshengde Beef and Mutton Pita Bread Soup Shop. During the Republic of China era, West Street was full of merchants and rows of shops. Many people hosted guests at Old Liu's. After the public-private partnership in 1956, Old Liu's Paomo joined the Xi'an Catering Company and moved to Xiguan Main Street. It became one of the eight major beef and mutton pita bread soup shops in Xi'an at that time. In 1985, after the reform and opening up, the third-generation owner of Old Liu's searched for a new location and reopened on North Guangji Street. It has been there for 40 years now.
Tianshui Fermented Vegetable Jelly (Tianshui Jiangshui Yuyu)
While walking around the Muslim Quarter at night, I bought some Tianshui fermented vegetable jelly (jiangshui yuyu) on Miaohou Street. It was very authentic. I fell in love with this fermented vegetable jelly in Tianshui a couple of days ago, and now I am eating it again in Xi'an. The taste of the fermented vegetable broth (jiangshui) mixed with pickled chives and chili oil is so appetizing.
Qinghai Yogurt
The Qinghai yogurt sold on the streets of the Muslim Quarter is quite authentic. It has that fizzy sensation from the lactic acid bacteria when you take a sip. It is rich in both milk flavor and fermentation taste. I hope Beijing can have this quality too!
Ma Family Old Six Beef Soup (Majia Laoliu Shuipen Yangrou)
In the morning, I had beef soup (shuipen niurou) at Ma Family Old Six on Dalianhuachi Street. They open at 6:00 AM and are close to the Beidajie subway station, which is great for those catching an early ride. I personally think this soup is perfect for a winter morning. A big bowl of meat broth is very comforting.
Fangshang Xibao Burger
On this trip to Xi'an, I grew to love an American-style burger shop called Fangshang Xibao. They have two locations on Daxuexi Alley and Maixian Street, and they stay open until 11:00 PM. I walked by twice at night and couldn't help but go in. I even met some foreign friends (dosti) who really like this place.
The first time, I ordered the signature beef burger. Later, I wanted more, so I ordered the double beef burger. First, they have an open kitchen where you can watch them cook. The quality of their buns and beef is really high. You can tell the beef is good quality just by eating it. Most importantly, their buns are delicious! At a certain old burger chain in Xi'an, they once served me a cold bun, which ruined the taste. I had no motivation to go back there. Their prices are also very reasonable. A solid beef burger like this would cost quite a bit in Beijing, but here it only costs ten or twenty yuan. I think it is a great deal.
Old An's Pastries
Old An's Pastry Shop on North Guangji Street sells both traditional and modern pastries. You can buy them individually or in gift boxes. The salt and pepper pastry (jiaoyansu) and scallion oil pastry (congyousu) are delicious. They go well with tea and are great snacks for train rides.
Hanzhong hot rice noodles (re mipi)
There are many snack shops on Maixian Street. This time, I tried the Hanzhong hot rice noodles shop at the east entrance of Xiaopiyuan. I ordered the Hanzhong hot rice noodles with a side of Hanzhong-style vegetable tofu (cai doufu). Hot rice noodles are made by grinding rice into a slurry and steaming it into thin sheets. When eating, they are mixed with bean sprouts, celery, and other vegetables. The most important parts are the chili oil and the seasoned sauce. I really love Shaanxi-style chili oil (youpo lazi). It is very fragrant and makes you want to eat more. People in Hanzhong like to eat hot rice noodles with vegetable tofu. Vegetable tofu is made using fermented sour water. It has a fermented taste. If you like sour water noodles (jiangshui mian), you will probably like vegetable tofu too. Vegetable tofu is quite light on its own, and it is very appetizing when served with green chili side dishes.
Zhigan Sour Soup Dumpling Shop
I was invited by a friend (dosti) to visit Imam Ma at the Xiaopiyuan Mosque. Afterward, I ate the local Hui Muslim specialty, beef and yellow chive sour soup dumplings, at the Zhigan Sour Soup Dumpling Shop across from the mosque. The yellow chive filling really adds a great flavor. I happened to run into the young owner of Jiasan Steamed Buns while he was eating dumplings there, and he even paid for my meal. The two landladies of the shop are both students of Imam Ma from Xiaopiyuan. You can tell from the shop's name that they are very religious. The calligraphy art in the shop is also very special. The piece from Niujie titled 'The Cave Where the Greatest Sage Took Refuge' feels very historic.
Old Ma's Beef Sauce Noodles
I had a bowl of belt noodles (kudai mian) at Old Ma's at the west entrance of Huajue Lane. The shop is very popular with local friends (dosti), but strangely, it is not listed on maps or review sites. A bowl of belt noodles with meat sauce, vegetable sauce, chives, and chili oil is sour, spicy, and appetizing. I slurped it all up in a few bites. Eating noodles in Xi'an is truly satisfying.
Jiasan Steamed Buns Beiyuanmen Main Store
I often go to the Jiasan shop near Baiyun Temple in Beijing, but this time in Xi'an, I finally visited their Beiyuanmen main store. We ordered lamb soup-filled buns (guantang bao), beef soup-filled buns, beef steamed dumplings, chicken noodles with two types of chili, sesame paste cold noodles (liangpi), eight-treasure porridge, and eight-treasure fermented rice (laozao). The shop is located in the busiest tourist area of Beiyuanmen, and business is booming. I think the taste of their soup-filled buns is about the same as the Beijing branch. When eating them, poke a hole first, let the soup drip out to drink, and then dip the bun in vinegar and chili oil. Their cold skin noodles (liangpi) and eight-treasure porridge (babaozhou) are also quite good. It was my first time eating chicken mixed noodles (ji laomian); the taste was slightly spicy but very appetizing.
According to their family genealogy, the Jia family moved from Shuiximen in Nanjing to Xi'an during the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty. In 1884 (the tenth year of the Guangxu reign), they opened a steamed bun shop (mozhuang). In 1903 (the twenty-ninth year of the Guangxu reign), they opened a steamed bun shop, a grain store, a vinegar workshop, and a bathhouse at Majia Shizi. These were known as the 'Jia Family Four Reds,' and they began selling steamed buns (baozi) at that time.
During the Republic of China era, the Jia family opened businesses like Jixintang and Jinqinhe. The store still keeps the brick-carved doorway of 'Jinqinhe' today. In the 1940s, Jia San's mother, Liu Min, settled in Xi'an, and she married into the Jia family in the 1950s. Liu Min was from Qidong, Jiangsu. She brought the southern technique of making soup-filled buns (guantangbao) to the Jia family. By adding northern beef bone marrow 'rich broth' (gaotang), she made the bun fillings tender and the soup delicious. After the 1980s, Liu Min's son, Jia San, improved the soup-filled buns and developed a fruitwood steamer that received a national patent. This type of steamer allows for rapid steaming over high heat, which locks in the aroma of the buns and keeps them piping hot.
Old Bai's Tongshengyong
Before leaving, a friend (dosti) fed me a spiced beef sandwich (jiang niurou jiamo) from Old Bai's on North Guangji Street. I personally think it suits the taste of Beijingers better than cured beef (la niurou). The founder of Old Bai's, Haji Bai Yuting, moved from Huajue Lane to North Guangji Street in the early 1980s. He first opened a beef and mutton shop, then later opened Old Bai's mutton soup (shuipen yangrou). As his business flourished, Haji Bai bought a house across from the mosque on North Guangji Street and revived the name 'Tongshengyong,' which was the name of his old shop at Gulou Shizi. With Haji Bai's encouragement, North Guangji Street gradually became lively, and shops like 'Old Liu's,' 'Old Tong's,' and 'Old An's' opened one after another. At the same time, Haji Bai cared for the community (ummah). He frequently held religious gatherings (nietie), helped the poor, and treated his neighbors with kindness, earning him deep respect from everyone.
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Summary: Xi'an Muslim Quarter, known locally as Huifang, is one of the best-known places in China for halal snacks and Hui Muslim food culture. This article keeps the original shop notes, dishes, street details, and photos while presenting the food walk in everyday English.
Old Liu's Pita Bread Soup Shop (Lao Liujia Paomo Guan)
Old Liu's is right at the entrance of the small mosque on North Guangji Street. Come here in the morning for some pita bread soup (paomo). It is very popular and always crowded.
Old Liu's Paomo opened in 1932 at the northwest corner of the intersection of West Street and Qiaozikou in Xi'an. Its original name was Halal Old Liu's Changshengde Beef and Mutton Pita Bread Soup Shop. During the Republic of China era, West Street was full of merchants and rows of shops. Many people hosted guests at Old Liu's. After the public-private partnership in 1956, Old Liu's Paomo joined the Xi'an Catering Company and moved to Xiguan Main Street. It became one of the eight major beef and mutton pita bread soup shops in Xi'an at that time. In 1985, after the reform and opening up, the third-generation owner of Old Liu's searched for a new location and reopened on North Guangji Street. It has been there for 40 years now.
Tianshui Fermented Vegetable Jelly (Tianshui Jiangshui Yuyu)
While walking around the Muslim Quarter at night, I bought some Tianshui fermented vegetable jelly (jiangshui yuyu) on Miaohou Street. It was very authentic. I fell in love with this fermented vegetable jelly in Tianshui a couple of days ago, and now I am eating it again in Xi'an. The taste of the fermented vegetable broth (jiangshui) mixed with pickled chives and chili oil is so appetizing.
Qinghai Yogurt
The Qinghai yogurt sold on the streets of the Muslim Quarter is quite authentic. It has that fizzy sensation from the lactic acid bacteria when you take a sip. It is rich in both milk flavor and fermentation taste. I hope Beijing can have this quality too!
Ma Family Old Six Beef Soup (Majia Laoliu Shuipen Yangrou)
In the morning, I had beef soup (shuipen niurou) at Ma Family Old Six on Dalianhuachi Street. They open at 6:00 AM and are close to the Beidajie subway station, which is great for those catching an early ride. I personally think this soup is perfect for a winter morning. A big bowl of meat broth is very comforting.
Fangshang Xibao Burger
On this trip to Xi'an, I grew to love an American-style burger shop called Fangshang Xibao. They have two locations on Daxuexi Alley and Maixian Street, and they stay open until 11:00 PM. I walked by twice at night and couldn't help but go in. I even met some foreign friends (dosti) who really like this place.
The first time, I ordered the signature beef burger. Later, I wanted more, so I ordered the double beef burger. First, they have an open kitchen where you can watch them cook. The quality of their buns and beef is really high. You can tell the beef is good quality just by eating it. Most importantly, their buns are delicious! At a certain old burger chain in Xi'an, they once served me a cold bun, which ruined the taste. I had no motivation to go back there. Their prices are also very reasonable. A solid beef burger like this would cost quite a bit in Beijing, but here it only costs ten or twenty yuan. I think it is a great deal.
Old An's Pastries
Old An's Pastry Shop on North Guangji Street sells both traditional and modern pastries. You can buy them individually or in gift boxes. The salt and pepper pastry (jiaoyansu) and scallion oil pastry (congyousu) are delicious. They go well with tea and are great snacks for train rides.
Hanzhong hot rice noodles (re mipi)
There are many snack shops on Maixian Street. This time, I tried the Hanzhong hot rice noodles shop at the east entrance of Xiaopiyuan. I ordered the Hanzhong hot rice noodles with a side of Hanzhong-style vegetable tofu (cai doufu). Hot rice noodles are made by grinding rice into a slurry and steaming it into thin sheets. When eating, they are mixed with bean sprouts, celery, and other vegetables. The most important parts are the chili oil and the seasoned sauce. I really love Shaanxi-style chili oil (youpo lazi). It is very fragrant and makes you want to eat more. People in Hanzhong like to eat hot rice noodles with vegetable tofu. Vegetable tofu is made using fermented sour water. It has a fermented taste. If you like sour water noodles (jiangshui mian), you will probably like vegetable tofu too. Vegetable tofu is quite light on its own, and it is very appetizing when served with green chili side dishes.
Zhigan Sour Soup Dumpling Shop
I was invited by a friend (dosti) to visit Imam Ma at the Xiaopiyuan Mosque. Afterward, I ate the local Hui Muslim specialty, beef and yellow chive sour soup dumplings, at the Zhigan Sour Soup Dumpling Shop across from the mosque. The yellow chive filling really adds a great flavor. I happened to run into the young owner of Jiasan Steamed Buns while he was eating dumplings there, and he even paid for my meal. The two landladies of the shop are both students of Imam Ma from Xiaopiyuan. You can tell from the shop's name that they are very religious. The calligraphy art in the shop is also very special. The piece from Niujie titled 'The Cave Where the Greatest Sage Took Refuge' feels very historic.
Old Ma's Beef Sauce Noodles
I had a bowl of belt noodles (kudai mian) at Old Ma's at the west entrance of Huajue Lane. The shop is very popular with local friends (dosti), but strangely, it is not listed on maps or review sites. A bowl of belt noodles with meat sauce, vegetable sauce, chives, and chili oil is sour, spicy, and appetizing. I slurped it all up in a few bites. Eating noodles in Xi'an is truly satisfying.
Jiasan Steamed Buns Beiyuanmen Main Store
I often go to the Jiasan shop near Baiyun Temple in Beijing, but this time in Xi'an, I finally visited their Beiyuanmen main store. We ordered lamb soup-filled buns (guantang bao), beef soup-filled buns, beef steamed dumplings, chicken noodles with two types of chili, sesame paste cold noodles (liangpi), eight-treasure porridge, and eight-treasure fermented rice (laozao). The shop is located in the busiest tourist area of Beiyuanmen, and business is booming. I think the taste of their soup-filled buns is about the same as the Beijing branch. When eating them, poke a hole first, let the soup drip out to drink, and then dip the bun in vinegar and chili oil. Their cold skin noodles (liangpi) and eight-treasure porridge (babaozhou) are also quite good. It was my first time eating chicken mixed noodles (ji laomian); the taste was slightly spicy but very appetizing.
According to their family genealogy, the Jia family moved from Shuiximen in Nanjing to Xi'an during the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty. In 1884 (the tenth year of the Guangxu reign), they opened a steamed bun shop (mozhuang). In 1903 (the twenty-ninth year of the Guangxu reign), they opened a steamed bun shop, a grain store, a vinegar workshop, and a bathhouse at Majia Shizi. These were known as the 'Jia Family Four Reds,' and they began selling steamed buns (baozi) at that time.
During the Republic of China era, the Jia family opened businesses like Jixintang and Jinqinhe. The store still keeps the brick-carved doorway of 'Jinqinhe' today. In the 1940s, Jia San's mother, Liu Min, settled in Xi'an, and she married into the Jia family in the 1950s. Liu Min was from Qidong, Jiangsu. She brought the southern technique of making soup-filled buns (guantangbao) to the Jia family. By adding northern beef bone marrow 'rich broth' (gaotang), she made the bun fillings tender and the soup delicious. After the 1980s, Liu Min's son, Jia San, improved the soup-filled buns and developed a fruitwood steamer that received a national patent. This type of steamer allows for rapid steaming over high heat, which locks in the aroma of the buns and keeps them piping hot.
Old Bai's Tongshengyong
Before leaving, a friend (dosti) fed me a spiced beef sandwich (jiang niurou jiamo) from Old Bai's on North Guangji Street. I personally think it suits the taste of Beijingers better than cured beef (la niurou). The founder of Old Bai's, Haji Bai Yuting, moved from Huajue Lane to North Guangji Street in the early 1980s. He first opened a beef and mutton shop, then later opened Old Bai's mutton soup (shuipen yangrou). As his business flourished, Haji Bai bought a house across from the mosque on North Guangji Street and revived the name 'Tongshengyong,' which was the name of his old shop at Gulou Shizi. With Haji Bai's encouragement, North Guangji Street gradually became lively, and shops like 'Old Liu's,' 'Old Tong's,' and 'Old An's' opened one after another. At the same time, Haji Bai cared for the community (ummah). He frequently held religious gatherings (nietie), helped the poor, and treated his neighbors with kindness, earning him deep respect from everyone.
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Islamic Museum Guide: Sarawak Part 1 — Muslim History, Artifacts & Malay Heritage
Reposted from the web
Summary: This first part of the Sarawak Islamic Museum visit introduces exhibits on Muslim history, local culture, and Islamic heritage in Sarawak. The translation preserves the original captions, photos, object details, and museum observations in clear English.
The Sarawak Islamic Museum is in the center of Kuching, Malaysia, right next to the Borneo Cultures Museum. The museum building was originally the Madrasah Melayu, opened by the Kingdom of Sarawak in 1931. It aimed to train more Malay teachers to solve the teacher shortage in the 1930s. It officially opened as the Sarawak Islamic Museum in 1992.
The museum has seven galleries, each with a different theme. Although it is not very large, the exhibits are valuable and full of information. I think it is the second-best Islamic museum in Malaysia, after the Islamic Arts Museum in Kuala Lumpur.
The Baghdad Gantang is a rice measuring container given by Malay nobles to a new Sultan when he took the throne. It represents the power to collect traditional local taxes. The Baghdad Gantang is made of brass with Arabic script carved in the middle. One of them also has traditional Chinese meander patterns (huiwen) carved on the top and bottom.
A brass ceremonial standard (alam) used by the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century, engraved with the name of Allah.
An Indian ceremonial standard (alam) from the 17th to 18th century, inlaid with red enamel. It was once installed on top of a mosque.
A ceremonial standard (alam) from the 19th-century Ottoman Empire, made using Damascus inlay techniques.
A beautiful traditional Malay fishing boat (perahu payang). These boats were mainly used in Terengganu and were also found in other areas along the east coast of the Malay Peninsula. During the northeast monsoon, Malay fishermen would sail these boats to fish near Singapore.
The parts at the front of the boat are called the Bangau on the left and the Okok on the right. They support the sails, balance the boat, and help pull the nets. They are usually carved with ornate patterns. The Bangau is designed to look like a stork. Because storks like to eat fish, Malay fishermen believe that carving this bird can bring good luck.
The middle part is called the Caping. It is shaped like a betel leaf and carved with plant patterns. The Caping is installed on the keel of the boat, and Malay fishermen believe it protects their safety.
Tiles from different periods:
12th-century Kashan, Persia.
13th-century Persia.
16th to 17th-century Safavid Dynasty, Persia.
Iznik tiles from Turkey, around 1700.
Persia, around 1900.
A room divider screen used by Malay nobles, carved with scripture and the name of the Prophet.
A wooden door with scripture from a traditional Malay noble house. Red, black, and gold are classic colors in Malay art.
The museum houses many wood carvings from traditional Malay noble houses or mosques, though most lack specific records of their origin. One piece is inscribed with '1283', which corresponds to the year 1866 in the Gregorian calendar. Judging by the level of weathering, these wood carvings likely date back to around the 19th century.
A traditional wooden chest from the Central Java region.
A wooden chest inscribed with scripture used by Malay nobles to store clothing and valuables.
A wooden chest used to hold hantaran (dowry) at traditional Malay weddings.
A 19th-century Ottoman dynasty table inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
A 19th-century Mughal dynasty carved wooden door with brass accents.
An 18th-century Mughal dynasty lattice window (jali) from a palace in Patan, Gujarat.
A bronze crescent moon that once sat atop the dome of the old Sarawak State Mosque. The old State Mosque was first built in 1847, had a dome added in 1929, and was rebuilt into its current structure in 1968.
A 'Panoramic View of the Huajue Lane Mosque' gifted by Imam Ma Liangji to the Head of State of Sarawak in 1988, representing the friendship between the people of China and Malaysia.
A 19th-century Persian brass peacock incense burner with a sun pattern engraved on its tail.
An 18th-century tombstone from the Aceh region of Sumatra.
A tombstone found at the foot of Bukit Mas in Limbang, Sarawak. The top features Arabic inscriptions in the Aceh style, while the base uses the traditional Chinese cloud-patterned Sumeru pedestal style, serving as a precious witness to cultural exchange. Limbang is located right next to Brunei and was historically ruled by the Sultanate of Brunei for a long time.
A map showing the spread of the faith in Southeast Asia from the 16th to the 18th centuries.
A traditional Chinese cloisonné (jingtailan) three-piece incense set, including an incense burner, incense box, and chopstick holder, which were essential items for burning incense in homes in the past.
Traditional Chinese copper incense burners and incense boxes.
A copper staff head inscribed with the year 1217 of the Hijri calendar (1802 AD). Such ceremonial staffs are often carried during Mawlid and Ashura processions in the Middle East and South Asia.
A painting of a galloping horse inscribed with scripture, created in 1870.
Swatow ware (shantouqi) export porcelain fired in Fujian during the late Ming dynasty. It was mainly exported to places like Southeast Asia and displayed in the living rooms of Malay nobles when receiving guests. Later archaeological discoveries revealed that most Swatow ware was fired in Zhangzhou, Fujian, and exported from Yuegang in Zhangzhou. Gu Yanwu wrote in his book Record of the Advantages and Disadvantages of the Prefectures and Counties of the World (Tianxia Junguo Libing Shu) that people from Fujian who traded overseas all set sail from Yuegang in Zhangzhou.
Porcelain with Arabic script exported during the Qing Dynasty.
Canton enamel porcelain (guangcai) exported from Guangzhou in the 19th century, featuring the date 1301 in the Islamic calendar, which is 1884 AD. Canton enamel porcelain (guangcai) is short for Guangzhou gold-woven colored porcelain, a famous export porcelain from Guangzhou during the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty. During the Yongzheng reign, Guangzhou porcelain merchants began shipping plain white porcelain blanks from Jingdezhen to Guangzhou. They hired masters from Jingdezhen to paint them with low-temperature overglaze colors in Guangzhou, which is how Canton enamel porcelain (guangcai) first appeared. After the Qianlong reign, Canton enamel porcelain (guangcai) reached a mature stage and developed its own colorful and ornate style. After the Daoguang reign, the number of colors increased to over a dozen. Most pieces featured a gold-rimmed circle in the center, with the surrounding area filled with flowers, fruits, birds, insects, people, and landscapes in a dense pattern, often including logos specified by foreign merchants. Collapse Read »
Summary: This first part of the Sarawak Islamic Museum visit introduces exhibits on Muslim history, local culture, and Islamic heritage in Sarawak. The translation preserves the original captions, photos, object details, and museum observations in clear English.
The Sarawak Islamic Museum is in the center of Kuching, Malaysia, right next to the Borneo Cultures Museum. The museum building was originally the Madrasah Melayu, opened by the Kingdom of Sarawak in 1931. It aimed to train more Malay teachers to solve the teacher shortage in the 1930s. It officially opened as the Sarawak Islamic Museum in 1992.
The museum has seven galleries, each with a different theme. Although it is not very large, the exhibits are valuable and full of information. I think it is the second-best Islamic museum in Malaysia, after the Islamic Arts Museum in Kuala Lumpur.
The Baghdad Gantang is a rice measuring container given by Malay nobles to a new Sultan when he took the throne. It represents the power to collect traditional local taxes. The Baghdad Gantang is made of brass with Arabic script carved in the middle. One of them also has traditional Chinese meander patterns (huiwen) carved on the top and bottom.
A brass ceremonial standard (alam) used by the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century, engraved with the name of Allah.
An Indian ceremonial standard (alam) from the 17th to 18th century, inlaid with red enamel. It was once installed on top of a mosque.
A ceremonial standard (alam) from the 19th-century Ottoman Empire, made using Damascus inlay techniques.
A beautiful traditional Malay fishing boat (perahu payang). These boats were mainly used in Terengganu and were also found in other areas along the east coast of the Malay Peninsula. During the northeast monsoon, Malay fishermen would sail these boats to fish near Singapore.
The parts at the front of the boat are called the Bangau on the left and the Okok on the right. They support the sails, balance the boat, and help pull the nets. They are usually carved with ornate patterns. The Bangau is designed to look like a stork. Because storks like to eat fish, Malay fishermen believe that carving this bird can bring good luck.
The middle part is called the Caping. It is shaped like a betel leaf and carved with plant patterns. The Caping is installed on the keel of the boat, and Malay fishermen believe it protects their safety.
Tiles from different periods:
12th-century Kashan, Persia.
13th-century Persia.
16th to 17th-century Safavid Dynasty, Persia.
Iznik tiles from Turkey, around 1700.
Persia, around 1900.
A room divider screen used by Malay nobles, carved with scripture and the name of the Prophet.
A wooden door with scripture from a traditional Malay noble house. Red, black, and gold are classic colors in Malay art.
The museum houses many wood carvings from traditional Malay noble houses or mosques, though most lack specific records of their origin. One piece is inscribed with '1283', which corresponds to the year 1866 in the Gregorian calendar. Judging by the level of weathering, these wood carvings likely date back to around the 19th century.
A traditional wooden chest from the Central Java region.
A wooden chest inscribed with scripture used by Malay nobles to store clothing and valuables.
A wooden chest used to hold hantaran (dowry) at traditional Malay weddings.
A 19th-century Ottoman dynasty table inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
A 19th-century Mughal dynasty carved wooden door with brass accents.
An 18th-century Mughal dynasty lattice window (jali) from a palace in Patan, Gujarat.
A bronze crescent moon that once sat atop the dome of the old Sarawak State Mosque. The old State Mosque was first built in 1847, had a dome added in 1929, and was rebuilt into its current structure in 1968.
A 'Panoramic View of the Huajue Lane Mosque' gifted by Imam Ma Liangji to the Head of State of Sarawak in 1988, representing the friendship between the people of China and Malaysia.
A 19th-century Persian brass peacock incense burner with a sun pattern engraved on its tail.
An 18th-century tombstone from the Aceh region of Sumatra.
A tombstone found at the foot of Bukit Mas in Limbang, Sarawak. The top features Arabic inscriptions in the Aceh style, while the base uses the traditional Chinese cloud-patterned Sumeru pedestal style, serving as a precious witness to cultural exchange. Limbang is located right next to Brunei and was historically ruled by the Sultanate of Brunei for a long time.
A map showing the spread of the faith in Southeast Asia from the 16th to the 18th centuries.
A traditional Chinese cloisonné (jingtailan) three-piece incense set, including an incense burner, incense box, and chopstick holder, which were essential items for burning incense in homes in the past.
Traditional Chinese copper incense burners and incense boxes.
A copper staff head inscribed with the year 1217 of the Hijri calendar (1802 AD). Such ceremonial staffs are often carried during Mawlid and Ashura processions in the Middle East and South Asia.
A painting of a galloping horse inscribed with scripture, created in 1870.
Swatow ware (shantouqi) export porcelain fired in Fujian during the late Ming dynasty. It was mainly exported to places like Southeast Asia and displayed in the living rooms of Malay nobles when receiving guests. Later archaeological discoveries revealed that most Swatow ware was fired in Zhangzhou, Fujian, and exported from Yuegang in Zhangzhou. Gu Yanwu wrote in his book Record of the Advantages and Disadvantages of the Prefectures and Counties of the World (Tianxia Junguo Libing Shu) that people from Fujian who traded overseas all set sail from Yuegang in Zhangzhou.
Porcelain with Arabic script exported during the Qing Dynasty.
Canton enamel porcelain (guangcai) exported from Guangzhou in the 19th century, featuring the date 1301 in the Islamic calendar, which is 1884 AD. Canton enamel porcelain (guangcai) is short for Guangzhou gold-woven colored porcelain, a famous export porcelain from Guangzhou during the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty. During the Yongzheng reign, Guangzhou porcelain merchants began shipping plain white porcelain blanks from Jingdezhen to Guangzhou. They hired masters from Jingdezhen to paint them with low-temperature overglaze colors in Guangzhou, which is how Canton enamel porcelain (guangcai) first appeared. After the Qianlong reign, Canton enamel porcelain (guangcai) reached a mature stage and developed its own colorful and ornate style. After the Daoguang reign, the number of colors increased to over a dozen. Most pieces featured a gold-rimmed circle in the center, with the surrounding area filled with flowers, fruits, birds, insects, people, and landscapes in a dense pattern, often including logos specified by foreign merchants. Collapse Read »
Islamic Museum Guide: Sarawak Part 2 — Muslim History, Artifacts & Malay Heritage
Reposted from the web
Summary: This second part of the Sarawak Islamic Museum visit focuses on museum displays connected with Muslim history, artifacts, and Malay cultural heritage. The English version keeps the original exhibition order, photos, names, and details from the Chinese source.
Various types of porcelain decorated with Arabic calligraphy.
Porcelain with Arabic calligraphy made in Europe.
Silver-plated headpieces and armbands worn by brides at traditional Malay weddings, featuring mythical bird patterns.
A 19th-century wooden comb from Iran.
A songkok cap woven from the roots of the ribu-ribu plant (a type of climbing fern), featuring the name of the Prophet Muhammad. The Bugis people mainly live on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, with some having migrated to Selangor, Malaysia.
Other museums featuring Islamic artifacts in Southeast Asia:
Visiting the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore.
Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (Chinese Artifacts section).
Visiting the Sabah Islamic Civilisation Museum in Malaysia. Collapse Read »
Summary: This second part of the Sarawak Islamic Museum visit focuses on museum displays connected with Muslim history, artifacts, and Malay cultural heritage. The English version keeps the original exhibition order, photos, names, and details from the Chinese source.
Various types of porcelain decorated with Arabic calligraphy.
Porcelain with Arabic calligraphy made in Europe.
Silver-plated headpieces and armbands worn by brides at traditional Malay weddings, featuring mythical bird patterns.
A 19th-century wooden comb from Iran.
A songkok cap woven from the roots of the ribu-ribu plant (a type of climbing fern), featuring the name of the Prophet Muhammad. The Bugis people mainly live on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, with some having migrated to Selangor, Malaysia.
Other museums featuring Islamic artifacts in Southeast Asia:
Visiting the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore.
Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (Chinese Artifacts section).
Visiting the Sabah Islamic Civilisation Museum in Malaysia. Collapse Read »
Halal Travel Guide: Urumqi — Twenty-Three Hui Muslim Neighborhoods & Local History
Reposted from the web
Summary: The Twenty-Three Hui Muslim Neighborhoods in Urumqi are tied to local Muslim settlement, street life, and Xinjiang urban history. This travel account preserves the original neighborhood names, routes, photos, and historical details in a long English article.
During the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era, Urumqi had twenty-two Hui Muslim mosques and one Salar mosque, collectively known as the twenty-three mosques of Dihua. In 1945, the twenty-three mosques unanimously elected the Grand Imam Ma Liangjun as the chief leader. He taught at the Shaanxi Grand Mosque (Shaanxi Dasi), where the imams from all twenty-three mosques came to listen to his lectures every day. Today, the Shaanxi Grand Mosque, Old Quarter Mosque (Laofang Si), South Grand Mosque (Nanda Si), and Kuanxiang Mosque (Kuanxiang Si) remain as historical buildings. Others, like the Toudaoxiang Mosque and the Inner City Mosque, have been demolished, while most others have been rebuilt as modern structures. I visited several of these during my Spring Festival trip back to Urumqi.
Old Quarter Mosque (Laofang Si)
After the Qing Dynasty built Dihua City in 1758, they promoted policies to station troops and encourage migration for border defense. Since then, Hui Muslims from Shaanxi have continuously moved to Urumqi to settle. In 1808 (the 12th year of the Jiaqing reign), Shaanxi Hui Muslims built the Shaanxi Mosque in the southern pass of Dihua. This was the second Hui mosque in Urumqi, following the North Beam Mosque (Beiliang Si).
After the Qing Dynasty recovered Urumqi in 1876 (the 2nd year of the Guangxu reign), they moved all Hui Muslims outside the city walls. The population at the Shaanxi Mosque grew significantly, so they rebuilt the main hall in 1877 (the 3rd year of the Guangxu reign). Later, other mosques for the Shaanxi community were formed, including the Fengxiang Mosque, West Grand Mosque (Xida Si), Binzhou Mosque, and Zhongying Palace Mosque. After the Toudaoxiang Shaanxi Grand Mosque finished its reconstruction in 1906, the original Shaanxi Mosque was renamed the Shaanxi Old Quarter Mosque, or Laofang Si for short. In 2003, the main hall of Laofang Si was listed as a municipal-level cultural relic protection site in Urumqi.
The front hall of Laofang Si has a hip-and-gable roof with a rolled shed, while the rear hall has a hard-gable roof. It underwent a major structural overhaul in 2014.
The rear hall of Laofang Si contains very precious Persian praise verses to Allah, but they are now completely covered by landscape paintings.
Laofang Si is open to tourists from 11:00 to 13:30 and 15:00 to 17:00. You can enter the front hall, but the rear hall is only open to the congregation for the five daily namaz prayers. Imam Ma at the mosque was very welcoming and explained the history of Laofang Si to me.
Shaanxi Grand Mosque (Shaanxi Dasi)
Shaanxi Grand Mosque was first built in 1883 (the 9th year of the Guangxu reign) with funds from Hui Muslims who came from the Wei River valley in Shaanxi's Guanzhong region. It is located on a slope south of Toudaoxiang, outside the south gate of Urumqi. As the number of Shaanxi Hui Muslims moving to Urumqi increased, the Shaanxi Mosque was rebuilt in 1902 (the 28th year of the Guangxu reign). The project took five years and was completed in 1906 (the 32nd year of the Guangxu reign). It was officially named the Shaanxi Grand Mosque and became the largest Hui mosque in Urumqi. It was listed as a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level in 2013.
The Shaanxi Grand Mosque features traditional Guanzhong architectural style. The main hall has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, and the rear kiln hall has a hip roof. The top features a very ornate moon-watching tower with an octagonal pointed roof. The main hall is surrounded by thirty-six pillars forming a corridor, with column bases carved with traditional patterns like the Eight Immortals. The walls, doors, windows, hanging pillars, and brackets feature exquisite brick and wood carvings, along with various flower and fruit patterns.
Under the eaves of the main hall, there is a decorative technique unique to Xinjiang called flower board stepping (huaban cai). This replaces traditional brackets with wooden boards carved with various patterns, such as dove heads, elephant heads, clouds, and peach designs, which are highly decorative.
The facade of the main hall features beautiful Shaanxi-style Arabic calligraphy in stone and wood carvings. The stone calligraphy carvings are located on the gates on both sides of the rear kiln hall. Because they were covered with thick carpets to block the wind during winter, it was difficult to photograph the full view.
The main hall uses a traditional beam-lifting wooden frame. Between the main hall and the prayer niche (yaodian) stands a wooden screen carved with intertwined grape vines. It features traditional Arabic calligraphy in the center, and the Shahada is cleverly written above it in the shape of tree roots.
An inscription on the main hall roof reads: Built by the collective efforts of officials, merchants, scholars, and commoners from all provinces in Guanzhong. Rebuilt under the supervision of Imam Ma Liangjun, the head of the mosque in Xianyang. Completed on an auspicious day in the middle of the seventh lunar month in the 32nd year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty. Managed by community leaders Lan Jiling, Chen Yuanshan, Ma Zhihe, Guo Shijun, Mai Wannian, An Changzhong, Ma Yuefu, Ma Zhenhai, Zhou Yanxing, An Guixiang, and Ma Sheng, with carpenters Bai Xingfa and Xiao Yizhang.
The prayer niche ceiling features an exquisite caisson (zaojing) made of three layers of hanging lotus-style wooden components.
The prayer niche contains Arabic calligraphy, and both the mihrab and the two side doors feature traditional Shaanxi-style wood-carved calligraphy.
Shaanxi Grand Mosque is now open to visitors daily from 11:00-13:00 and 15:00-17:00. The main hall is unlocked, and there are two exhibition halls to explore.
The exhibition halls display architectural parts from the Shaanxi Grand Mosque, antique porcelain, and a century-old carpet decorated with various antique patterns and floral designs.
Exhibits include ox and sheep bone tablets used by students (mulla) for learning, works by the great Imam Ma Liangjun, and a 1950 notice appointing him as a member of the Northwest Military and Political Commission's Ethnic Affairs Committee.
Great Imam Ma Liangjun was born in Zhangjiachuan, Gansu. As a young man, he traveled to Yunnan and received authentic teachings from Imam Ma Renshan (Pu'er Ma). He later went to Pingliang, Gansu, to teach and became a famous scholar of the Shaanxi school of mosque education. In 1913, Great Imam Ma Liangjun was hired to lead the Shaanxi Grand Mosque. Later, he served at several mosques in Xinjiang and trained many students. As Xinjiang approached peaceful liberation in 1949, Great Imam Ma Liangjun traveled three times to persuade Ma Chengxiang, the commander of the 5th Cavalry Division who held military power, eventually convincing him to surrender his command and leave Xinjiang.
An old photo of the Shaanxi Grand Mosque before its 1984 renovation.
South Grand Mosque (Nan Dasi).
The South Grand Mosque is known as the 'First Mosque of the Jahriyya Order in Urumqi.' It was founded in 1874 (the 13th year of the Tongzhi reign) on Nansi Lane and was originally called Nantaizi Mosque. In 1917, Li Jiliang, the 'Rais' (leader) of the Jahriyya order in Xinjiang, selected the current site west of Erdaoqiao Road. Reconstruction was completed in 1919 with strong support from Ma Shaowu, the fifth-generation descendant of the Jahriyya founder, and Ma Guangtai, an agricultural official from Nanshan, who donated most of the timber for construction. In 2003, the main hall of the South Grand Mosque was listed as a cultural relic protection site in Urumqi.
In 1914, Yang Zengxin appointed Ma Shaowu as the garrison commander of Kuqa, giving him military authority. He served in the Xinjiang government for over 20 years and worked hard to maintain national unity and ethnic harmony. During this period, the Jahriyya order grew in Xinjiang, and the South Grand Mosque became the largest Jahriyya mosque in the region at that time.
The main hall of the South Grand Mosque has a gabled and hipped roof. Under the eaves, it uses a Xinjiang-style 'flower board' technique, replacing traditional brackets with wooden boards carved with various patterns.
Arabic and Chinese calligraphy on the facade of the South Grand Mosque's main hall.
The South Grand Mosque is open to visitors from 11:00-13:30 and 15:30-17:00. There is a machine at the entrance of the main hall that provides shoe covers for entering the front hall. The rear hall is open for namaz five times a day and is inaccessible at other times. However, the elders at the mosque are very welcoming. Because I arrived after hours, they specifically let me pray in the duty room. The Jahriyya order is known for its beautiful melodies during dhikr, and another major feature is wearing a six-sided cap.
Kuanxiang Mosque
Kuanxiang Mosque was first built during the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty. It was rebuilt in 1934 into the current two-story brick building, with offices on the first floor and the main prayer hall on the second. Under the eaves of the main hall, there are beautiful wood carvings featuring various flowers, birds, and animal patterns. Kuanxiang Mosque is currently under construction, and all other buildings outside the main hall have been demolished.
Other Mosques
Qinghai Grand Mosque: Built in 1868 (the seventh year of the Tongzhi reign) by Hui Muslims from Qinghai, it was originally named Xining Mosque. In 1945, after Ma Chengxiang of the Qinghai Ma Family Army marched into Xinjiang, it was renamed Qinghai Mosque. Qinghai Mosque has some congregants from the Ikhwan and Huasi menhuan sects, and it maintains the tradition of observing the memorial day for the Huasi master.
Sala Mosque: Built in 1865 (the fourth year of the Tongzhi reign) by the Salar people from Qinghai. In 1945, many Salar officers and soldiers served under Ma Chengxiang of the Qinghai Ma Family Army when they entered Xinjiang, so the mosque was renovated in 1948. In 2002, Sala Mosque was rebuilt into its current structure. Like Qinghai Mosque, Sala Mosque has some congregants from the Ikhwan and Huasi menhuan sects, and it maintains the tradition of observing the memorial day for the Huasi master.
Hezhou Grand Mosque: Built in 1915 by Hui Muslims from Linxia, Gansu. It was acquired and demolished by the Urumqi Waste Recycling Station in 1977, then rebuilt in 1988.
Beifang Mosque: First built in 1886 (the twelfth year of the Guangxu reign). It was once occupied by the Urumqi No. 2 Rubber Factory, but was later restored and rebuilt.
Dongfang Grand Mosque: First built in 1877 (the third year of the Guangxu reign).
Xidasi Mosque: Built in 1890 (the sixteenth year of the Guangxu reign) by Hui Muslims from Shaanxi. Originally named Xifang Mosque, it started as a small prayer spot on the south side of Shanxi Alley before moving to its current location to be rebuilt.
Balikun Mosque: Built in 1877 (the third year of the Guangxu reign) by Hui Muslims from Balikun.
Fengxiang Mosque: Built in 1884 (the tenth year of the Guangxu reign) by Hui Muslims from Fengxiang, Shaanxi.
Binzhou Mosque (Baiji Mosque): During the Tongzhi reign, many Hui Muslims from Binzhou Prefecture (now Binzhou City) in Shaanxi fled to Urumqi's Xiguan area to settle down. During the Guangxu reign, Imam Ma Xuehai (known as Hongchengzi) led the community to build the first Binzhou Mosque at the entrance of Baojiaju Alley outside Urumqi's Great West Gate. It was moved to its current location on Mashi Alley (Yucai Alley) and rebuilt in 1909 (the first year of the Xuantong reign). Because most of the congregants came from Baiji Town in Binzhou Prefecture, it is also called Baiji Mosque. In 1990, due to the redevelopment of the Mashi residential area, Binzhou Mosque was moved more than 100 meters south and rebuilt.
Imam Ma Xuehai was an eighth-generation descendant of Hu Dengzhou, the founder of the scripture hall education system. During the Guangxu reign, he was known alongside Ma Liangjun and Zhou Erye (Zhou Zhendong) as one of the three great imams. He led Binzhou Mosque three times and passed away (returned to Allah) at the mosque in 1924. Among his students, the most prestigious was Imam Ma Zhaolin (known as Huazhezi). Imam Ma Zhaolin was also from Binzhou. He studied the scriptures under Imam Ma Xuehai from a young age and became his adopted son. Imam Ma Zhaolin led the Binzhou mosque four times. In 1943, he was delayed in Xi'an while on his way to Hajj and was hired to lead the Xiaopiyuan mosque. He passed away in 1955 while serving as the imam at the Shaanxi mosque in Changji.
The original site of Lanpingfang was in Yonghe Zhengxiang. It was built together by Hui Muslims from Lanzhou and Pingfan (now Yongdeng County) in Gansu. In 1946, Yongdeng Hui Muslims built the separate Yongdeng mosque, and Lanpingfang was renamed the Lanzhou mosque. It moved to its current location on Yuejin Street in 1984. The community members of the Lanzhou mosque mainly belong to the Khufiyya (hufuye) menhuan.
Collapse Read »
Summary: The Twenty-Three Hui Muslim Neighborhoods in Urumqi are tied to local Muslim settlement, street life, and Xinjiang urban history. This travel account preserves the original neighborhood names, routes, photos, and historical details in a long English article.
During the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era, Urumqi had twenty-two Hui Muslim mosques and one Salar mosque, collectively known as the twenty-three mosques of Dihua. In 1945, the twenty-three mosques unanimously elected the Grand Imam Ma Liangjun as the chief leader. He taught at the Shaanxi Grand Mosque (Shaanxi Dasi), where the imams from all twenty-three mosques came to listen to his lectures every day. Today, the Shaanxi Grand Mosque, Old Quarter Mosque (Laofang Si), South Grand Mosque (Nanda Si), and Kuanxiang Mosque (Kuanxiang Si) remain as historical buildings. Others, like the Toudaoxiang Mosque and the Inner City Mosque, have been demolished, while most others have been rebuilt as modern structures. I visited several of these during my Spring Festival trip back to Urumqi.
Old Quarter Mosque (Laofang Si)
After the Qing Dynasty built Dihua City in 1758, they promoted policies to station troops and encourage migration for border defense. Since then, Hui Muslims from Shaanxi have continuously moved to Urumqi to settle. In 1808 (the 12th year of the Jiaqing reign), Shaanxi Hui Muslims built the Shaanxi Mosque in the southern pass of Dihua. This was the second Hui mosque in Urumqi, following the North Beam Mosque (Beiliang Si).
After the Qing Dynasty recovered Urumqi in 1876 (the 2nd year of the Guangxu reign), they moved all Hui Muslims outside the city walls. The population at the Shaanxi Mosque grew significantly, so they rebuilt the main hall in 1877 (the 3rd year of the Guangxu reign). Later, other mosques for the Shaanxi community were formed, including the Fengxiang Mosque, West Grand Mosque (Xida Si), Binzhou Mosque, and Zhongying Palace Mosque. After the Toudaoxiang Shaanxi Grand Mosque finished its reconstruction in 1906, the original Shaanxi Mosque was renamed the Shaanxi Old Quarter Mosque, or Laofang Si for short. In 2003, the main hall of Laofang Si was listed as a municipal-level cultural relic protection site in Urumqi.
The front hall of Laofang Si has a hip-and-gable roof with a rolled shed, while the rear hall has a hard-gable roof. It underwent a major structural overhaul in 2014.
The rear hall of Laofang Si contains very precious Persian praise verses to Allah, but they are now completely covered by landscape paintings.
Laofang Si is open to tourists from 11:00 to 13:30 and 15:00 to 17:00. You can enter the front hall, but the rear hall is only open to the congregation for the five daily namaz prayers. Imam Ma at the mosque was very welcoming and explained the history of Laofang Si to me.
Shaanxi Grand Mosque (Shaanxi Dasi)
Shaanxi Grand Mosque was first built in 1883 (the 9th year of the Guangxu reign) with funds from Hui Muslims who came from the Wei River valley in Shaanxi's Guanzhong region. It is located on a slope south of Toudaoxiang, outside the south gate of Urumqi. As the number of Shaanxi Hui Muslims moving to Urumqi increased, the Shaanxi Mosque was rebuilt in 1902 (the 28th year of the Guangxu reign). The project took five years and was completed in 1906 (the 32nd year of the Guangxu reign). It was officially named the Shaanxi Grand Mosque and became the largest Hui mosque in Urumqi. It was listed as a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level in 2013.
The Shaanxi Grand Mosque features traditional Guanzhong architectural style. The main hall has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, and the rear kiln hall has a hip roof. The top features a very ornate moon-watching tower with an octagonal pointed roof. The main hall is surrounded by thirty-six pillars forming a corridor, with column bases carved with traditional patterns like the Eight Immortals. The walls, doors, windows, hanging pillars, and brackets feature exquisite brick and wood carvings, along with various flower and fruit patterns.
Under the eaves of the main hall, there is a decorative technique unique to Xinjiang called flower board stepping (huaban cai). This replaces traditional brackets with wooden boards carved with various patterns, such as dove heads, elephant heads, clouds, and peach designs, which are highly decorative.
The facade of the main hall features beautiful Shaanxi-style Arabic calligraphy in stone and wood carvings. The stone calligraphy carvings are located on the gates on both sides of the rear kiln hall. Because they were covered with thick carpets to block the wind during winter, it was difficult to photograph the full view.
The main hall uses a traditional beam-lifting wooden frame. Between the main hall and the prayer niche (yaodian) stands a wooden screen carved with intertwined grape vines. It features traditional Arabic calligraphy in the center, and the Shahada is cleverly written above it in the shape of tree roots.
An inscription on the main hall roof reads: Built by the collective efforts of officials, merchants, scholars, and commoners from all provinces in Guanzhong. Rebuilt under the supervision of Imam Ma Liangjun, the head of the mosque in Xianyang. Completed on an auspicious day in the middle of the seventh lunar month in the 32nd year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty. Managed by community leaders Lan Jiling, Chen Yuanshan, Ma Zhihe, Guo Shijun, Mai Wannian, An Changzhong, Ma Yuefu, Ma Zhenhai, Zhou Yanxing, An Guixiang, and Ma Sheng, with carpenters Bai Xingfa and Xiao Yizhang.
The prayer niche ceiling features an exquisite caisson (zaojing) made of three layers of hanging lotus-style wooden components.
The prayer niche contains Arabic calligraphy, and both the mihrab and the two side doors feature traditional Shaanxi-style wood-carved calligraphy.
Shaanxi Grand Mosque is now open to visitors daily from 11:00-13:00 and 15:00-17:00. The main hall is unlocked, and there are two exhibition halls to explore.
The exhibition halls display architectural parts from the Shaanxi Grand Mosque, antique porcelain, and a century-old carpet decorated with various antique patterns and floral designs.
Exhibits include ox and sheep bone tablets used by students (mulla) for learning, works by the great Imam Ma Liangjun, and a 1950 notice appointing him as a member of the Northwest Military and Political Commission's Ethnic Affairs Committee.
Great Imam Ma Liangjun was born in Zhangjiachuan, Gansu. As a young man, he traveled to Yunnan and received authentic teachings from Imam Ma Renshan (Pu'er Ma). He later went to Pingliang, Gansu, to teach and became a famous scholar of the Shaanxi school of mosque education. In 1913, Great Imam Ma Liangjun was hired to lead the Shaanxi Grand Mosque. Later, he served at several mosques in Xinjiang and trained many students. As Xinjiang approached peaceful liberation in 1949, Great Imam Ma Liangjun traveled three times to persuade Ma Chengxiang, the commander of the 5th Cavalry Division who held military power, eventually convincing him to surrender his command and leave Xinjiang.
An old photo of the Shaanxi Grand Mosque before its 1984 renovation.
South Grand Mosque (Nan Dasi).
The South Grand Mosque is known as the 'First Mosque of the Jahriyya Order in Urumqi.' It was founded in 1874 (the 13th year of the Tongzhi reign) on Nansi Lane and was originally called Nantaizi Mosque. In 1917, Li Jiliang, the 'Rais' (leader) of the Jahriyya order in Xinjiang, selected the current site west of Erdaoqiao Road. Reconstruction was completed in 1919 with strong support from Ma Shaowu, the fifth-generation descendant of the Jahriyya founder, and Ma Guangtai, an agricultural official from Nanshan, who donated most of the timber for construction. In 2003, the main hall of the South Grand Mosque was listed as a cultural relic protection site in Urumqi.
In 1914, Yang Zengxin appointed Ma Shaowu as the garrison commander of Kuqa, giving him military authority. He served in the Xinjiang government for over 20 years and worked hard to maintain national unity and ethnic harmony. During this period, the Jahriyya order grew in Xinjiang, and the South Grand Mosque became the largest Jahriyya mosque in the region at that time.
The main hall of the South Grand Mosque has a gabled and hipped roof. Under the eaves, it uses a Xinjiang-style 'flower board' technique, replacing traditional brackets with wooden boards carved with various patterns.
Arabic and Chinese calligraphy on the facade of the South Grand Mosque's main hall.
The South Grand Mosque is open to visitors from 11:00-13:30 and 15:30-17:00. There is a machine at the entrance of the main hall that provides shoe covers for entering the front hall. The rear hall is open for namaz five times a day and is inaccessible at other times. However, the elders at the mosque are very welcoming. Because I arrived after hours, they specifically let me pray in the duty room. The Jahriyya order is known for its beautiful melodies during dhikr, and another major feature is wearing a six-sided cap.
Kuanxiang Mosque
Kuanxiang Mosque was first built during the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty. It was rebuilt in 1934 into the current two-story brick building, with offices on the first floor and the main prayer hall on the second. Under the eaves of the main hall, there are beautiful wood carvings featuring various flowers, birds, and animal patterns. Kuanxiang Mosque is currently under construction, and all other buildings outside the main hall have been demolished.
Other Mosques
Qinghai Grand Mosque: Built in 1868 (the seventh year of the Tongzhi reign) by Hui Muslims from Qinghai, it was originally named Xining Mosque. In 1945, after Ma Chengxiang of the Qinghai Ma Family Army marched into Xinjiang, it was renamed Qinghai Mosque. Qinghai Mosque has some congregants from the Ikhwan and Huasi menhuan sects, and it maintains the tradition of observing the memorial day for the Huasi master.
Sala Mosque: Built in 1865 (the fourth year of the Tongzhi reign) by the Salar people from Qinghai. In 1945, many Salar officers and soldiers served under Ma Chengxiang of the Qinghai Ma Family Army when they entered Xinjiang, so the mosque was renovated in 1948. In 2002, Sala Mosque was rebuilt into its current structure. Like Qinghai Mosque, Sala Mosque has some congregants from the Ikhwan and Huasi menhuan sects, and it maintains the tradition of observing the memorial day for the Huasi master.
Hezhou Grand Mosque: Built in 1915 by Hui Muslims from Linxia, Gansu. It was acquired and demolished by the Urumqi Waste Recycling Station in 1977, then rebuilt in 1988.
Beifang Mosque: First built in 1886 (the twelfth year of the Guangxu reign). It was once occupied by the Urumqi No. 2 Rubber Factory, but was later restored and rebuilt.
Dongfang Grand Mosque: First built in 1877 (the third year of the Guangxu reign).
Xidasi Mosque: Built in 1890 (the sixteenth year of the Guangxu reign) by Hui Muslims from Shaanxi. Originally named Xifang Mosque, it started as a small prayer spot on the south side of Shanxi Alley before moving to its current location to be rebuilt.
Balikun Mosque: Built in 1877 (the third year of the Guangxu reign) by Hui Muslims from Balikun.
Fengxiang Mosque: Built in 1884 (the tenth year of the Guangxu reign) by Hui Muslims from Fengxiang, Shaanxi.
Binzhou Mosque (Baiji Mosque): During the Tongzhi reign, many Hui Muslims from Binzhou Prefecture (now Binzhou City) in Shaanxi fled to Urumqi's Xiguan area to settle down. During the Guangxu reign, Imam Ma Xuehai (known as Hongchengzi) led the community to build the first Binzhou Mosque at the entrance of Baojiaju Alley outside Urumqi's Great West Gate. It was moved to its current location on Mashi Alley (Yucai Alley) and rebuilt in 1909 (the first year of the Xuantong reign). Because most of the congregants came from Baiji Town in Binzhou Prefecture, it is also called Baiji Mosque. In 1990, due to the redevelopment of the Mashi residential area, Binzhou Mosque was moved more than 100 meters south and rebuilt.
Imam Ma Xuehai was an eighth-generation descendant of Hu Dengzhou, the founder of the scripture hall education system. During the Guangxu reign, he was known alongside Ma Liangjun and Zhou Erye (Zhou Zhendong) as one of the three great imams. He led Binzhou Mosque three times and passed away (returned to Allah) at the mosque in 1924. Among his students, the most prestigious was Imam Ma Zhaolin (known as Huazhezi). Imam Ma Zhaolin was also from Binzhou. He studied the scriptures under Imam Ma Xuehai from a young age and became his adopted son. Imam Ma Zhaolin led the Binzhou mosque four times. In 1943, he was delayed in Xi'an while on his way to Hajj and was hired to lead the Xiaopiyuan mosque. He passed away in 1955 while serving as the imam at the Shaanxi mosque in Changji.
The original site of Lanpingfang was in Yonghe Zhengxiang. It was built together by Hui Muslims from Lanzhou and Pingfan (now Yongdeng County) in Gansu. In 1946, Yongdeng Hui Muslims built the separate Yongdeng mosque, and Lanpingfang was renamed the Lanzhou mosque. It moved to its current location on Yuejin Street in 1984. The community members of the Lanzhou mosque mainly belong to the Khufiyya (hufuye) menhuan.
Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Beijing Breakfast — Pakistani, Turkish, Inner Mongolian & Henan Food
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Beijing breakfast guide introduces four distinctive places connected with Pakistani, Turkish, Inner Mongolian, and Henan food. The article keeps the original shop details, dishes, photos, and personal notes while presenting them as a practical English food account.
Pakistani breakfast: flatbread (naan) and curry.
The Pakistani restaurant Samosa in Xibahe just started serving breakfast! You can order a la carte or choose a set meal from 7:30 to 11:00 in the morning. The three-person set includes three staples: butter naan, layered flatbread (paratha), and thin crispy bread (puri). It also comes with three dishes: chickpea masala curry, potato bhaji curry, and a Pakistani-style spicy scrambled egg (khagina). For dessert, there is homemade yogurt and semolina pudding (halawa), plus a unique mango pickle. For hot drinks, you can choose milk tea, milk, or coffee. This three-person set has a huge variety, making it perfect for a family to eat and chat on a weekend morning. Their naan is softer than the kind in Xinjiang, which makes it perfect for dipping in curry. The paratha is similar to northern Chinese griddle cakes, but it is made with butter and is very fragrant. The puri is very popular with kids, and it tastes great paired with the halawa dessert. Their yogurt is homemade, unsweetened, and has a very rich milky flavor. The halawa is not too sweet, so it feels light to eat.
You can also choose a simple meal of a sandwich and a hot drink. Their sandwiches are delicious, with chicken breast or tuna options, plus vegetables and eggs. They are very healthy and great for when you are in a rush for work.
Since subway lines 12 and 17 opened, it is very convenient to get to Samosa. After eating, you can take the subway directly to Sanlitun for shopping and enjoy a wonderful weekend.
Turkish breakfast: bread and...
cheese.
Mado is a famous Turkish snack chain from the city of Kahramanmarash in southeastern Turkey. Its biggest feature is that it uses goat milk from its hometown to make all its signature dairy products and ice cream. Their breakfast is also very rich.
I have eaten Mado breakfast at their Yiwu and Guangzhou locations before, and in 2024, it became available at the Sultan Turkish Restaurant in Beijing. Mado has many breakfast options. We ordered the two-person set, which is served starting at 10:30 and is available all day. The two-person set includes Turkish-style fried eggs with sausage, Marash cheese, feta cheese, a yellow cheese platter, honey with Turkish cream, green olives, black olives, tomato chili paste, tahini syrup, cherry jam, dried apricots, walnuts, feta cheese spring rolls, a kiwi-orange-banana platter, a cucumber-tomato platter, plus bread, flatbread (naan), and Turkish black tea. It is a very rich variety. Their naan is very fluffy, and it tastes great when you tear it open and spread different jams on it.
Inner Mongolian breakfast: steamed dumplings (shaomai) and pot tea (guocha).
Lianying Shaomai is a time-honored brand from Jining, Inner Mongolia, and they also have a branch on Huguosi Street in Beijing. You can have an Inner Mongolian breakfast there in the morning. The pot tea contains milk skin, milk tofu, beef jerky, and roasted millet. It has a very rich milky flavor, and our whole family loves it. We ordered the mutton filling and the mutton with wild onion (shacong) filling for the shaomai. Both are made with chunks of meat and have very thin skins. The wild onion flavor is between green onion and chives; it is very pungent and suits the taste of people from Xinjiang. You can get free refills on their cold dishes and corn grit porridge (bangzazhou). They also serve salty baked flatbread (beizi) with Inner Mongolian lamb offal. We ordered the flatbread this time, and it was quite good.
Henan breakfast: bean flour soup (doumo) and vegetable snake-shaped rolls (caimang).
The Yuwei Xiaoyao Town spicy soup (hulatang) shop on Dongsi North Street opened in 2024. When we don't want to cook breakfast at home on weekends, we go there to eat. We often order the fennel and egg or chive and egg vegetable snake-shaped rolls (caimang), spicy soup (hulatang), bean flour soup (doumo), and millet and pumpkin porridge. The skin of the vegetable snake-shaped roll (caimang) is very thin, and I think it tastes better than steamed buns (baozi).
They serve braised noodles (huimian) in the morning, made in the Zhengzhou style with kelp, shredded tofu, vermicelli, quail eggs, and sliced meat. The white broth is light, so you can add chili and pickled garlic yourself.
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Summary: This Beijing breakfast guide introduces four distinctive places connected with Pakistani, Turkish, Inner Mongolian, and Henan food. The article keeps the original shop details, dishes, photos, and personal notes while presenting them as a practical English food account.
Pakistani breakfast: flatbread (naan) and curry.
The Pakistani restaurant Samosa in Xibahe just started serving breakfast! You can order a la carte or choose a set meal from 7:30 to 11:00 in the morning. The three-person set includes three staples: butter naan, layered flatbread (paratha), and thin crispy bread (puri). It also comes with three dishes: chickpea masala curry, potato bhaji curry, and a Pakistani-style spicy scrambled egg (khagina). For dessert, there is homemade yogurt and semolina pudding (halawa), plus a unique mango pickle. For hot drinks, you can choose milk tea, milk, or coffee. This three-person set has a huge variety, making it perfect for a family to eat and chat on a weekend morning. Their naan is softer than the kind in Xinjiang, which makes it perfect for dipping in curry. The paratha is similar to northern Chinese griddle cakes, but it is made with butter and is very fragrant. The puri is very popular with kids, and it tastes great paired with the halawa dessert. Their yogurt is homemade, unsweetened, and has a very rich milky flavor. The halawa is not too sweet, so it feels light to eat.
You can also choose a simple meal of a sandwich and a hot drink. Their sandwiches are delicious, with chicken breast or tuna options, plus vegetables and eggs. They are very healthy and great for when you are in a rush for work.
Since subway lines 12 and 17 opened, it is very convenient to get to Samosa. After eating, you can take the subway directly to Sanlitun for shopping and enjoy a wonderful weekend.
Turkish breakfast: bread and...
cheese.
Mado is a famous Turkish snack chain from the city of Kahramanmarash in southeastern Turkey. Its biggest feature is that it uses goat milk from its hometown to make all its signature dairy products and ice cream. Their breakfast is also very rich.
I have eaten Mado breakfast at their Yiwu and Guangzhou locations before, and in 2024, it became available at the Sultan Turkish Restaurant in Beijing. Mado has many breakfast options. We ordered the two-person set, which is served starting at 10:30 and is available all day. The two-person set includes Turkish-style fried eggs with sausage, Marash cheese, feta cheese, a yellow cheese platter, honey with Turkish cream, green olives, black olives, tomato chili paste, tahini syrup, cherry jam, dried apricots, walnuts, feta cheese spring rolls, a kiwi-orange-banana platter, a cucumber-tomato platter, plus bread, flatbread (naan), and Turkish black tea. It is a very rich variety. Their naan is very fluffy, and it tastes great when you tear it open and spread different jams on it.
Inner Mongolian breakfast: steamed dumplings (shaomai) and pot tea (guocha).
Lianying Shaomai is a time-honored brand from Jining, Inner Mongolia, and they also have a branch on Huguosi Street in Beijing. You can have an Inner Mongolian breakfast there in the morning. The pot tea contains milk skin, milk tofu, beef jerky, and roasted millet. It has a very rich milky flavor, and our whole family loves it. We ordered the mutton filling and the mutton with wild onion (shacong) filling for the shaomai. Both are made with chunks of meat and have very thin skins. The wild onion flavor is between green onion and chives; it is very pungent and suits the taste of people from Xinjiang. You can get free refills on their cold dishes and corn grit porridge (bangzazhou). They also serve salty baked flatbread (beizi) with Inner Mongolian lamb offal. We ordered the flatbread this time, and it was quite good.
Henan breakfast: bean flour soup (doumo) and vegetable snake-shaped rolls (caimang).
The Yuwei Xiaoyao Town spicy soup (hulatang) shop on Dongsi North Street opened in 2024. When we don't want to cook breakfast at home on weekends, we go there to eat. We often order the fennel and egg or chive and egg vegetable snake-shaped rolls (caimang), spicy soup (hulatang), bean flour soup (doumo), and millet and pumpkin porridge. The skin of the vegetable snake-shaped roll (caimang) is very thin, and I think it tastes better than steamed buns (baozi).
They serve braised noodles (huimian) in the morning, made in the Zhengzhou style with kelp, shredded tofu, vermicelli, quail eggs, and sliced meat. The white broth is light, so you can add chili and pickled garlic yourself.
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Halal Travel Guide: Urumqi — Hui Muslim Street, Halal Food & Xinjiang Markets
Reposted from the web
Summary: Urumqi’s Hui Muslim streets bring together halal food, markets, daily commerce, and neighborhood life in Xinjiang. This 2025 travel account keeps the original street scenes, shop details, photos, and food notes in a clear English version.
After the Qing dynasty defeated the Dzungar tribe, they built an earthen city in Urumqi in 1758 (the 23rd year of the Qianlong reign) to station troops and guard the border. In 1763 (the 28th year of the Qianlong reign), they expanded it and named it Dihua City. After that, Qing troops stationed in Urumqi to farm the land, and many Hui Muslim officers and soldiers brought their families to settle there. During the Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng reigns, the Qing dynasty kept moving people to Xinjiang, and more and more Hui Muslims came to settle in Urumqi. After the Tongzhi reign, many Hui Muslims from the northwest moved to Urumqi for various reasons, including failed anti-Qing uprisings, religious disputes, and natural disasters.
In 1876 (the second year of the Guangxu reign), the Qing army recaptured Urumqi and ordered all Hui Muslims inside the city to move outside. Since then, most Hui Muslims in Urumqi have settled in the Nanguan and Xiguan areas, making a living by slaughtering cattle and sheep and running halal food businesses.
Urumqi's Xiaonanmen gate faces Xiaodongliang. During the late Qing dynasty and the Republic of China era, half of the twenty-three Hui Muslim neighborhoods in Urumqi were here. Today, it is still the place where Hui Muslim snacks are most concentrated.
Wuwuzi is the oldest Hui Muslim brand in Nanguan. In 1907, Li Shenghua (Li Liushizi) started carrying a shoulder pole to sell lamb (yanggaorou) at the south gate of Dihua. Later, his fifth son, Li Zhanshou (Wuwuzi), took over, and the name Wuwuzi Lamb gradually became well-known. After the 1980s, Wuwuzi rented a storefront in Shanxi Alley. It has been passed down for four generations and is now an autonomous region-level intangible cultural heritage.
Across from the East Mosque (Dongfang Dasi), I had sour soup dumplings (suantang shuijiao) with celery and meat. They contained glass noodles (fentiao), tomatoes, wood ear mushrooms, and tofu.
Across from the Qinghai Mosque (Qinghai Dasi), I had milk tea and cabbage meat buns (baozi) at Su Yongfang's shop. The milk tea had a strong milk and tea flavor and was topped with a milk skin (naipizi). The buns are made in the Xinjiang Hui Muslim style, with loose filling and Sichuan peppercorns.
Behind the Shaanxi Mosque (Shaanxi Dasi) is the long-standing Yilihe Mianfeizi shop. The owner started selling at the South Gate night market over twenty years ago. After the night market closed, he opened this small shop behind the Shaanxi Mosque. This small shop run by a husband and wife is not big, but you can eat authentic Xinjiang lung and tripe noodles (mianfeizi). They serve it in clear soup, dry-mixed, or stir-fried. They have large and small portions, as well as stir-fried sheep head meat, tripe strips, sheep offal, meatball soup, and glass noodle soup (fentang).
I ordered a portion of dry-mixed lung and tripe noodles, a bowl of meatball soup, and two oil towers (youtazi). Oil towers are my favorite staple food. They are made with sheep fat and are very appetizing. The lung and tripe noodles come with plenty of ingredients. The rice sausages (michangzi) contain minced meat and carrots, and they taste great. The meatball soup contains meat slices, tofu, spinach, glass noodles, and other things. It is especially warm to drink in winter.
At the entrance of the West Mosque (Xidasi) is the Qitai Three Cold Dishes shop. The founder, Shen Derong (1897-1987), started selling yellow noodles (huangmian) on the street in 1919. At that time, he used free charcoal-grilled sheep hearts and sheep livers to attract customers, gradually spreading the way of eating yellow noodles with grilled meat. It has been passed down through three generations: Shen Changqing (1940-2014) and Shen Jianjun (1970-).
Yellow noodles (huangmian) in Xinjiang are made like Gansu pulled noodles (lamian). Both use alkaline ash (penghui) in the dough. You can stretch the dough by hand into flat leek-leaf noodles or thin noodles. The difference is that Xinjiang yellow noodles are served with a thick sauce that clings to the noodles when you lift them. The dish includes ingredients like wild celery, wheat gluten (mianjin), green onion, ginger, garlic, and chili oil (youpo lazi). It has a rich, sour, sweet, and spicy flavor that is very satisfying.
Suyongfang Grocery Store, across from the Qinghai Great Mosque, sells ready-made Hui Muslim fried meatballs (zha wanzi) and meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha). You can buy a bag, freeze it at home, and use it for stews or meatball soup.
Mashi and Yili Pastry Shop, across from the East Mosque, sell traditional Hui Muslim pastries. Their flaky pastries (supi dianxin) are a must-have for wedding banquets among Hui Muslims in Urumqi. Actually, the method for making these flaky pastries was brought to Urumqi by people from Tianjin. In the 1930s, Urumqi Hui Muslim pastry chef She Wenbing became close friends with Liu Wenjiang, a chef at the Yongsheng Western Pastry Shop in Tianjin. He learned how to make the flaky Beijing-style eight-piece pastry set (jing bajian), and the recipe spread among Hui Muslims in Urumqi.
Beyond Hui Muslim food, there is plenty of Uyghur and Kazakh cuisine in the Nanguan area.
I bought a box of honey cake (bahali) at Ailieweike next to the Qinghai Great Mosque. It is baked with lamb fat, cocoa powder, eggs, honey, milk, walnuts, and raisins. It tastes very fragrant.
In the morning, I prayed at the Shaanxi Great Mosque in Urumqi. Afterward, I went to the Kazakh milk tea shop in front of the People's Theater for butter milk tea (suyou naicha) with fried dough (baersake), apricot jam, and butter. The milk skin tea (naipizi naicha) was excellent, and the freshly fried dough was so fragrant that my hands were oily after eating.
In the evening, my sister and brother-in-law treated us to dinner at Yikelamu in Shanxi Alley. It is a very popular spot with locals. We ordered small dumplings (ququ), home-style mixed noodles (banmian), egg noodles, pigeon soup, clear-stewed lamb trotters, pumpkin steamed buns (baozi), and kebabs. Their mixed noodles are pulled very thin and taste great. The egg noodles come in a meat broth with lamb ribs, yellow carrots, and tomatoes. The pigeon soup is quite light. Clear-stewed lamb trotters have a different flavor compared to spicy lamb trotters (hula yangti), allowing you to taste the natural flavor of the lamb. The lamb skewers were seasoned only with salt, not chili. Only places with high-quality meat dare to do this. Their steamed buns are also good, and the sweet pumpkin filling is very appetizing.
On the second floor of the Erdaoqiao South Mosque gate is a Uyghur restaurant called Dunya Food. It is very warm inside, and you can drink hot tea while looking out at the main hall of the Urumqi Jahriyya First Mosque. I had a bowl of small dumplings (ququ) in the restaurant, which is perfect for winter in Urumqi.
Across from Suiyuan Mosque is a Hotan specialty egg shop. You can eat roasted goose eggs and chicken eggs. They also have a deluxe version where chicken, pigeon, and goose eggs are all cracked into a goose egg shell, then mixed with honey and saffron. They also serve rose tea with silverberry honey. It is a good place to sit and rest after walking around Shanxi Alley.
On the street in Shanxi Alley.
On the street in Awati Road, the yogurt sold by the auntie without a brand name is the best! Since Erdaoqiao, Lingguan Alley, and Shanxi Alley became popular, Yingawati Road further south remains a place only for locals.
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Summary: Urumqi’s Hui Muslim streets bring together halal food, markets, daily commerce, and neighborhood life in Xinjiang. This 2025 travel account keeps the original street scenes, shop details, photos, and food notes in a clear English version.
After the Qing dynasty defeated the Dzungar tribe, they built an earthen city in Urumqi in 1758 (the 23rd year of the Qianlong reign) to station troops and guard the border. In 1763 (the 28th year of the Qianlong reign), they expanded it and named it Dihua City. After that, Qing troops stationed in Urumqi to farm the land, and many Hui Muslim officers and soldiers brought their families to settle there. During the Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng reigns, the Qing dynasty kept moving people to Xinjiang, and more and more Hui Muslims came to settle in Urumqi. After the Tongzhi reign, many Hui Muslims from the northwest moved to Urumqi for various reasons, including failed anti-Qing uprisings, religious disputes, and natural disasters.
In 1876 (the second year of the Guangxu reign), the Qing army recaptured Urumqi and ordered all Hui Muslims inside the city to move outside. Since then, most Hui Muslims in Urumqi have settled in the Nanguan and Xiguan areas, making a living by slaughtering cattle and sheep and running halal food businesses.
Urumqi's Xiaonanmen gate faces Xiaodongliang. During the late Qing dynasty and the Republic of China era, half of the twenty-three Hui Muslim neighborhoods in Urumqi were here. Today, it is still the place where Hui Muslim snacks are most concentrated.
Wuwuzi is the oldest Hui Muslim brand in Nanguan. In 1907, Li Shenghua (Li Liushizi) started carrying a shoulder pole to sell lamb (yanggaorou) at the south gate of Dihua. Later, his fifth son, Li Zhanshou (Wuwuzi), took over, and the name Wuwuzi Lamb gradually became well-known. After the 1980s, Wuwuzi rented a storefront in Shanxi Alley. It has been passed down for four generations and is now an autonomous region-level intangible cultural heritage.
Across from the East Mosque (Dongfang Dasi), I had sour soup dumplings (suantang shuijiao) with celery and meat. They contained glass noodles (fentiao), tomatoes, wood ear mushrooms, and tofu.
Across from the Qinghai Mosque (Qinghai Dasi), I had milk tea and cabbage meat buns (baozi) at Su Yongfang's shop. The milk tea had a strong milk and tea flavor and was topped with a milk skin (naipizi). The buns are made in the Xinjiang Hui Muslim style, with loose filling and Sichuan peppercorns.
Behind the Shaanxi Mosque (Shaanxi Dasi) is the long-standing Yilihe Mianfeizi shop. The owner started selling at the South Gate night market over twenty years ago. After the night market closed, he opened this small shop behind the Shaanxi Mosque. This small shop run by a husband and wife is not big, but you can eat authentic Xinjiang lung and tripe noodles (mianfeizi). They serve it in clear soup, dry-mixed, or stir-fried. They have large and small portions, as well as stir-fried sheep head meat, tripe strips, sheep offal, meatball soup, and glass noodle soup (fentang).
I ordered a portion of dry-mixed lung and tripe noodles, a bowl of meatball soup, and two oil towers (youtazi). Oil towers are my favorite staple food. They are made with sheep fat and are very appetizing. The lung and tripe noodles come with plenty of ingredients. The rice sausages (michangzi) contain minced meat and carrots, and they taste great. The meatball soup contains meat slices, tofu, spinach, glass noodles, and other things. It is especially warm to drink in winter.
At the entrance of the West Mosque (Xidasi) is the Qitai Three Cold Dishes shop. The founder, Shen Derong (1897-1987), started selling yellow noodles (huangmian) on the street in 1919. At that time, he used free charcoal-grilled sheep hearts and sheep livers to attract customers, gradually spreading the way of eating yellow noodles with grilled meat. It has been passed down through three generations: Shen Changqing (1940-2014) and Shen Jianjun (1970-).
Yellow noodles (huangmian) in Xinjiang are made like Gansu pulled noodles (lamian). Both use alkaline ash (penghui) in the dough. You can stretch the dough by hand into flat leek-leaf noodles or thin noodles. The difference is that Xinjiang yellow noodles are served with a thick sauce that clings to the noodles when you lift them. The dish includes ingredients like wild celery, wheat gluten (mianjin), green onion, ginger, garlic, and chili oil (youpo lazi). It has a rich, sour, sweet, and spicy flavor that is very satisfying.
Suyongfang Grocery Store, across from the Qinghai Great Mosque, sells ready-made Hui Muslim fried meatballs (zha wanzi) and meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha). You can buy a bag, freeze it at home, and use it for stews or meatball soup.
Mashi and Yili Pastry Shop, across from the East Mosque, sell traditional Hui Muslim pastries. Their flaky pastries (supi dianxin) are a must-have for wedding banquets among Hui Muslims in Urumqi. Actually, the method for making these flaky pastries was brought to Urumqi by people from Tianjin. In the 1930s, Urumqi Hui Muslim pastry chef She Wenbing became close friends with Liu Wenjiang, a chef at the Yongsheng Western Pastry Shop in Tianjin. He learned how to make the flaky Beijing-style eight-piece pastry set (jing bajian), and the recipe spread among Hui Muslims in Urumqi.
Beyond Hui Muslim food, there is plenty of Uyghur and Kazakh cuisine in the Nanguan area.
I bought a box of honey cake (bahali) at Ailieweike next to the Qinghai Great Mosque. It is baked with lamb fat, cocoa powder, eggs, honey, milk, walnuts, and raisins. It tastes very fragrant.
In the morning, I prayed at the Shaanxi Great Mosque in Urumqi. Afterward, I went to the Kazakh milk tea shop in front of the People's Theater for butter milk tea (suyou naicha) with fried dough (baersake), apricot jam, and butter. The milk skin tea (naipizi naicha) was excellent, and the freshly fried dough was so fragrant that my hands were oily after eating.
In the evening, my sister and brother-in-law treated us to dinner at Yikelamu in Shanxi Alley. It is a very popular spot with locals. We ordered small dumplings (ququ), home-style mixed noodles (banmian), egg noodles, pigeon soup, clear-stewed lamb trotters, pumpkin steamed buns (baozi), and kebabs. Their mixed noodles are pulled very thin and taste great. The egg noodles come in a meat broth with lamb ribs, yellow carrots, and tomatoes. The pigeon soup is quite light. Clear-stewed lamb trotters have a different flavor compared to spicy lamb trotters (hula yangti), allowing you to taste the natural flavor of the lamb. The lamb skewers were seasoned only with salt, not chili. Only places with high-quality meat dare to do this. Their steamed buns are also good, and the sweet pumpkin filling is very appetizing.
On the second floor of the Erdaoqiao South Mosque gate is a Uyghur restaurant called Dunya Food. It is very warm inside, and you can drink hot tea while looking out at the main hall of the Urumqi Jahriyya First Mosque. I had a bowl of small dumplings (ququ) in the restaurant, which is perfect for winter in Urumqi.
Across from Suiyuan Mosque is a Hotan specialty egg shop. You can eat roasted goose eggs and chicken eggs. They also have a deluxe version where chicken, pigeon, and goose eggs are all cracked into a goose egg shell, then mixed with honey and saffron. They also serve rose tea with silverberry honey. It is a good place to sit and rest after walking around Shanxi Alley.
On the street in Shanxi Alley.
On the street in Awati Road, the yogurt sold by the auntie without a brand name is the best! Since Erdaoqiao, Lingguan Alley, and Shanxi Alley became popular, Yingawati Road further south remains a place only for locals.
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Halal Food Guide: Brunei — Hainanese Cafes, Malay Night Markets & Muslim Food
Reposted from the web
Summary: Brunei offers Hainanese cafes, Malay night markets, and everyday food scenes shaped by local Muslim life. This account keeps the original restaurant details, market observations, photos, and food descriptions while making the story easy for English readers to follow.
In the morning, we visited a legendary Hainanese coffee shop in Brunei called Ying Chuan (Yingzhou Hao).
The founder of Ying Chuan, Han Qiongyuan, was from Wenchang, Hainan. During the Japanese invasion of China in 1939, 17-year-old Han Qiongyuan traveled to Southeast Asia and arrived in Brunei to work as a helper in his uncle's coffee shop. In 1946, Han Qiongyuan officially opened Ying Chuan Coffee Shop, serving coffee, bread, and other meals. It became widely known for its yellow bread (roti kuning). As the business grew, Han Qiongyuan expanded into real estate and led the construction of the Brunei Hainan Building. After 1993, Han Qiongyuan returned to his hometown every year to visit relatives and invested heavily there. He was awarded the title of 'Patriotic Son of Hainan' by the Hainan provincial government three times.
Like many old-fashioned Nanyang Hainanese coffee shops, they serve halal food and hold a Brunei halal certification, making them popular with all ethnic groups. They offer a very wide variety of bread. The classic sandwich breads come in four flavors: peanut, red bean paste, butter, and coconut. They also have peanut and butter bread (yuanyang bread), cheese bread, yellow bread with butter and kaya (yuanyang huang mianbao), and French toast. You can add a fried egg and cheese, or order a soft-boiled egg on the side. Cakes and pastries include custard cake (dan nai gao), egg tarts (dan ta), coconut tarts (ye ta), red bean cakes (hong dou bing), butter cake (niu you dangao), and pandan cake (ban lan dangao). Western-style breads and pastries were learned by Hainanese people while working as kitchen helpers for the British in the 19th century when they moved to Southeast Asia. Today, they are a classic part of Nanyang Hainanese restaurants.
Besides bread and pastries, they also serve various noodles, such as sesame flat rice noodles (zhima guetiao), dry-tossed noodles (ganlao mian), fried noodles, Hainanese noodles, fried rice vermicelli, and egg gravy rice noodles (huadan hefen). These are all very well-suited to Chinese tastes. We ordered egg gravy rice noodles, sesame flat rice noodles, egg tarts, custard cake, yellow bread with a fried egg, chicken curry puffs, peanut and butter bread, ginger milk tea, and lemon tea for a mix of Chinese and Western flavors. The peanut and butter bread is filled with kaya jam, butter, and crushed peanuts, giving it a very rich texture. The sesame flat rice noodles have a sweet, salty, and spicy flavor. Served with fried tofu and fried fish chunks, they are a signature dish of the shop.
After Friday prayers (Jumu'ah), we had lunch in the old town of Brunei Town. There are many Chinese shops here, and it is also a great place to find halal Hainanese restaurants. We chose Babu's Kitchen. It was very busy at noon with Chinese, Malay, and Indian customers, which is a classic scene in a Hainanese restaurant. Since they didn't have a Chinese menu, we asked the owner to recommend the Assam fish fillets, salted egg fried mushrooms, beef yee mein (beef niu rou yi mian), and bean curd skin with tofu and chicken. Like in Malaysia, the Chinese in Brunei speak very standard Mandarin. Overall, the food was very good. The Chinese dishes were infused with Malay flavors, but they were still very easy for Chinese people to enjoy.
The next morning, we continued to have a Hainanese breakfast at Meiguang Tea House in the old town of Brunei Town. The owner is Hainanese, his wife is from Xiamen, and the staff are all Indonesian. Because they mainly serve the nearby office buildings, it is usually quite busy on weekdays. It is relatively quiet on weekends, and there are fewer steamed dim sum options than usual. We ordered chicken and radish steamed buns (daba), red bean paste buns (doushabao), beef porridge with small fried dough sticks (youtiao), longan herbal tea, stir-fried noodles, and steamed dumplings (shaomai). Next time a friend (dosti) comes on a weekday, we can try their other dishes, like Fuzhou "lucky" rice noodle soup, dry-tossed mouse tail noodles (laoshufen), and chicken intestine noodles (jichangfen).
While taking a taxi in the afternoon, we passed the Brunei Fujian Association. I checked the map and saw many Chinese restaurants nearby, so after finishing our namaz, we took a taxi straight there for halal Chinese food.
We chose a restaurant called Shiraz Seafood Restaurant. It sounds like Iranian food, but it is actually a Chinese restaurant called Shixianle. They specialize in dim sum and various Nanyang-style Chinese snacks. The menu is huge, and they have a Brunei halal certification. After we went in, a table of Malays and a table of South Asians arrived, which shows how much different ethnic groups love halal Chinese food.
We ordered Cantonese steamed dumplings (siu mai), chicken feet, fish maw with chicken, five-spice meat rolls (ngo hiang), fried stuffed tofu (yong tofu), fried radish cake, longan herbal tea, chicken porridge, seafood soup (a mix of fish slices, fish balls, and more), and dry-fried green beans. We really enjoyed these Nanyang Chinese snacks in Brunei.
Ngo hiang is short for five-spice marinated meat, a snack that originated in the Minnan region of Fujian. In the past, life was hard, so people used five-spice powder to marinate leftover meat and vegetables, wrapped them in tofu skin, and deep-fried them. Later, as Chinese people moved to Nanyang, it spread to Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Singapore, and Thailand.
Stuffed tofu (yong tofu) is a traditional Hakka dish. In the Hakka dialect, "yong" means to fill with stuffing. Legend says that after the Hakka people moved south from the Central Plains, they wanted to eat dumplings but had no wheat. They used tofu instead of flour and invented stuffed tofu. Later, stuffed tofu spread with the Hakka people to Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, and Thailand.
The Brunei Fujian Association and the Taiwan Overseas Chinese Association in Brunei share the same building. Nearby, there are a few non-halal restaurants, which have red non-halal signs at their entrances.
Hua Ho Department Store is a famous halal supermarket chain owned by Chinese merchants in Brunei, with many branches across the country. We went to the Kiulap branch. Inside, one side had various traditional Brunei Malay snacks. We bought a traditional snack from Sabah and Brunei called Kuih Cincin Tempatan, which is made by frying red coconut, rice flour, and palm sugar. The other side is the supermarket area, where you can buy various halal foods with Cantonese, Fujian, Chaoshan, and Taiwanese characteristics.
The founder of Hua Ho Department Store, Lau Kam Kok, was born in 1920 to a farming family in Lieyu, Kinmen, Fujian. In 1938, he went to Nanyang to seek his fortune, first arriving in Singapore and then moving to Brunei to join his eldest sister. In 1947, Lau Kam Kok bought land in Manggis, in the northern suburbs of Brunei, built a vegetable garden, hired workers to raise chickens and ducks, and officially established Hua Ho Department Store. After the 1950s, as agricultural prices fell, Lau Kam Kok went bankrupt and closed his shop in 1958. Later, he began selling vegetables at the market and selling fabric door-to-door. He did not reopen his shop until 1961. In 1966, he built a two-story building, and the shop was on the first floor. He gradually expanded the business, eventually making Hua Ho the largest department store in Brunei.
In 2004, the Sultan of Brunei awarded Lau Kam Kok the title of Pehin Kapitan Cina, making him one of the few Chinese nobles in Brunei. Lieyu, also known as Little Kinmen, is located between Kinmen and Xiamen. People from Lieyu began traveling to Brunei in the 19th century to seek their fortunes. They started as shipping laborers, dock workers, fishermen, and street vendors. Over time, they saved money, started businesses, and became important figures in Brunei's business world. Many earned titles like Pehin Kapitan and Pehin Dato.
Some items at Hua Ho Department Store include coconut jelly powder, cold tofu pudding powder, Hong Kong narcissus flour, Shantou sweet potato starch, braised peanuts, cilantro hearts, shrimp paste chili (belacan chili), Chaoshan-style sweet and sour ginger slices, South China vegetables, spicy fermented bean curd with sesame oil, rice noodles, shredded codfish, and premium dried squid.
After getting off at Gadong, we took a taxi to the night market. There are very few tourists in Brunei, so the night market is mostly filled with locals. We first bought spicy sauce to go with shredded squid and fish maw. These snacks are quite tasty. Then we bought mangosteen and snake fruit. It was my first time eating snake fruit, and it tasted pretty good.
While walking around the night market, the adhan (call to prayer) sounded. You can find a place to pray everywhere in Brunei. We performed our namaz at the small mosque in the night market. They provide sarong skirts for men to wear here.
After praying, we ate noodle soup at a snack shop by the entrance. We ordered beef ball soup (bakso beranak) with large and small beef balls, and beef noodle soup (soto daging). The eating habits here are almost the same as in Indonesia. I really like the beef noodle soup here, especially on a rainy day; it is very comforting. We also ordered a coconut. Local coconuts are large. Even though the shell is thick, there is still plenty of juice inside. It came with a lime to squeeze in.
We had satay skewers at the Gadong night market, eating liver and chicken hearts. They were sweet and grilled a bit hard.
In the food court of the mall next to the Gadong night market, there is a place that sells Hong Kong-style dim sum. It is very popular, so by the time we got there, only shark fin dumplings were left.
If you want to try authentic Malay food in Brunei, I recommend the buffet at the Brunei Arts and Handicrafts Training Centre. You can find it on the map by searching for Tarindak D'Seni.
We went at noon from 11:30 to 14:30. It cost 91 yuan per person, and there is a discount for seniors over 60. The environment is very nice, and you can see the Brunei River right outside the window. The food selection is rich. You can eat various sticky rice pandan Malay cakes (kuih), Sarawak laksa noodles with coconut milk, and make your own shaved ice dessert (cendol).
They serve Brunei's national dish, sago starch paste (ambuyat). It is made by mixing sago palm starch with hot water to create a paste, which you eat by dipping it into a sauce.
Nasi kebuli is rice cooked with goat meat broth, goat milk, and ghee. It was brought to the Malay Archipelago by Hadhrami people from Yemen and is especially popular in the Arab communities of Java.
Black beef (daging hitam) is beef rendang made with sweet soy sauce, lots of palm sugar, and rock sugar. It is a specialty of the Sarawak region.
Chicken cooked in coconut milk (opor ayam) is chicken simmered in coconut milk with various spices.
Strolling through Tasek Lama Recreational Park in Brunei, you find a primeval forest in the city center. It is very relaxing by the waterfall. The mountains are full of birds and monkeys, and you can see pitcher plants (zhulongcao) everywhere along the road. Bruneians love jogging in the parks, and after you finish, you can buy big, juicy coconuts (dayezi) at the entrance.
At the Royal Wharf in Brunei, many speedboats offer tours of the water village and trips to see proboscis monkeys. We asked the price and it was 10 Brunei dollars (53 RMB) per person for a one-hour boat ride, which felt like a pretty good deal.
After boarding, we first toured the water village, where we saw a water fire station, a water school, and a water mosque. We also spotted a huge monitor lizard among the mangroves. Then we went to see the proboscis monkeys. We traveled 10 kilometers west along the Brunei River to Luba Island in the middle of the river. The island holds the tomb of the 16th Sultan of Brunei, Hussin Kamaluddin (reigned 1710-30, 1737-40). This is also the best place to watch proboscis monkeys, and we saw a family of them eating leaves by the edge of the mangroves.
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Summary: Brunei offers Hainanese cafes, Malay night markets, and everyday food scenes shaped by local Muslim life. This account keeps the original restaurant details, market observations, photos, and food descriptions while making the story easy for English readers to follow.
In the morning, we visited a legendary Hainanese coffee shop in Brunei called Ying Chuan (Yingzhou Hao).
The founder of Ying Chuan, Han Qiongyuan, was from Wenchang, Hainan. During the Japanese invasion of China in 1939, 17-year-old Han Qiongyuan traveled to Southeast Asia and arrived in Brunei to work as a helper in his uncle's coffee shop. In 1946, Han Qiongyuan officially opened Ying Chuan Coffee Shop, serving coffee, bread, and other meals. It became widely known for its yellow bread (roti kuning). As the business grew, Han Qiongyuan expanded into real estate and led the construction of the Brunei Hainan Building. After 1993, Han Qiongyuan returned to his hometown every year to visit relatives and invested heavily there. He was awarded the title of 'Patriotic Son of Hainan' by the Hainan provincial government three times.
Like many old-fashioned Nanyang Hainanese coffee shops, they serve halal food and hold a Brunei halal certification, making them popular with all ethnic groups. They offer a very wide variety of bread. The classic sandwich breads come in four flavors: peanut, red bean paste, butter, and coconut. They also have peanut and butter bread (yuanyang bread), cheese bread, yellow bread with butter and kaya (yuanyang huang mianbao), and French toast. You can add a fried egg and cheese, or order a soft-boiled egg on the side. Cakes and pastries include custard cake (dan nai gao), egg tarts (dan ta), coconut tarts (ye ta), red bean cakes (hong dou bing), butter cake (niu you dangao), and pandan cake (ban lan dangao). Western-style breads and pastries were learned by Hainanese people while working as kitchen helpers for the British in the 19th century when they moved to Southeast Asia. Today, they are a classic part of Nanyang Hainanese restaurants.
Besides bread and pastries, they also serve various noodles, such as sesame flat rice noodles (zhima guetiao), dry-tossed noodles (ganlao mian), fried noodles, Hainanese noodles, fried rice vermicelli, and egg gravy rice noodles (huadan hefen). These are all very well-suited to Chinese tastes. We ordered egg gravy rice noodles, sesame flat rice noodles, egg tarts, custard cake, yellow bread with a fried egg, chicken curry puffs, peanut and butter bread, ginger milk tea, and lemon tea for a mix of Chinese and Western flavors. The peanut and butter bread is filled with kaya jam, butter, and crushed peanuts, giving it a very rich texture. The sesame flat rice noodles have a sweet, salty, and spicy flavor. Served with fried tofu and fried fish chunks, they are a signature dish of the shop.
After Friday prayers (Jumu'ah), we had lunch in the old town of Brunei Town. There are many Chinese shops here, and it is also a great place to find halal Hainanese restaurants. We chose Babu's Kitchen. It was very busy at noon with Chinese, Malay, and Indian customers, which is a classic scene in a Hainanese restaurant. Since they didn't have a Chinese menu, we asked the owner to recommend the Assam fish fillets, salted egg fried mushrooms, beef yee mein (beef niu rou yi mian), and bean curd skin with tofu and chicken. Like in Malaysia, the Chinese in Brunei speak very standard Mandarin. Overall, the food was very good. The Chinese dishes were infused with Malay flavors, but they were still very easy for Chinese people to enjoy.
The next morning, we continued to have a Hainanese breakfast at Meiguang Tea House in the old town of Brunei Town. The owner is Hainanese, his wife is from Xiamen, and the staff are all Indonesian. Because they mainly serve the nearby office buildings, it is usually quite busy on weekdays. It is relatively quiet on weekends, and there are fewer steamed dim sum options than usual. We ordered chicken and radish steamed buns (daba), red bean paste buns (doushabao), beef porridge with small fried dough sticks (youtiao), longan herbal tea, stir-fried noodles, and steamed dumplings (shaomai). Next time a friend (dosti) comes on a weekday, we can try their other dishes, like Fuzhou "lucky" rice noodle soup, dry-tossed mouse tail noodles (laoshufen), and chicken intestine noodles (jichangfen).
While taking a taxi in the afternoon, we passed the Brunei Fujian Association. I checked the map and saw many Chinese restaurants nearby, so after finishing our namaz, we took a taxi straight there for halal Chinese food.
We chose a restaurant called Shiraz Seafood Restaurant. It sounds like Iranian food, but it is actually a Chinese restaurant called Shixianle. They specialize in dim sum and various Nanyang-style Chinese snacks. The menu is huge, and they have a Brunei halal certification. After we went in, a table of Malays and a table of South Asians arrived, which shows how much different ethnic groups love halal Chinese food.
We ordered Cantonese steamed dumplings (siu mai), chicken feet, fish maw with chicken, five-spice meat rolls (ngo hiang), fried stuffed tofu (yong tofu), fried radish cake, longan herbal tea, chicken porridge, seafood soup (a mix of fish slices, fish balls, and more), and dry-fried green beans. We really enjoyed these Nanyang Chinese snacks in Brunei.
Ngo hiang is short for five-spice marinated meat, a snack that originated in the Minnan region of Fujian. In the past, life was hard, so people used five-spice powder to marinate leftover meat and vegetables, wrapped them in tofu skin, and deep-fried them. Later, as Chinese people moved to Nanyang, it spread to Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Singapore, and Thailand.
Stuffed tofu (yong tofu) is a traditional Hakka dish. In the Hakka dialect, "yong" means to fill with stuffing. Legend says that after the Hakka people moved south from the Central Plains, they wanted to eat dumplings but had no wheat. They used tofu instead of flour and invented stuffed tofu. Later, stuffed tofu spread with the Hakka people to Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, and Thailand.
The Brunei Fujian Association and the Taiwan Overseas Chinese Association in Brunei share the same building. Nearby, there are a few non-halal restaurants, which have red non-halal signs at their entrances.
Hua Ho Department Store is a famous halal supermarket chain owned by Chinese merchants in Brunei, with many branches across the country. We went to the Kiulap branch. Inside, one side had various traditional Brunei Malay snacks. We bought a traditional snack from Sabah and Brunei called Kuih Cincin Tempatan, which is made by frying red coconut, rice flour, and palm sugar. The other side is the supermarket area, where you can buy various halal foods with Cantonese, Fujian, Chaoshan, and Taiwanese characteristics.
The founder of Hua Ho Department Store, Lau Kam Kok, was born in 1920 to a farming family in Lieyu, Kinmen, Fujian. In 1938, he went to Nanyang to seek his fortune, first arriving in Singapore and then moving to Brunei to join his eldest sister. In 1947, Lau Kam Kok bought land in Manggis, in the northern suburbs of Brunei, built a vegetable garden, hired workers to raise chickens and ducks, and officially established Hua Ho Department Store. After the 1950s, as agricultural prices fell, Lau Kam Kok went bankrupt and closed his shop in 1958. Later, he began selling vegetables at the market and selling fabric door-to-door. He did not reopen his shop until 1961. In 1966, he built a two-story building, and the shop was on the first floor. He gradually expanded the business, eventually making Hua Ho the largest department store in Brunei.
In 2004, the Sultan of Brunei awarded Lau Kam Kok the title of Pehin Kapitan Cina, making him one of the few Chinese nobles in Brunei. Lieyu, also known as Little Kinmen, is located between Kinmen and Xiamen. People from Lieyu began traveling to Brunei in the 19th century to seek their fortunes. They started as shipping laborers, dock workers, fishermen, and street vendors. Over time, they saved money, started businesses, and became important figures in Brunei's business world. Many earned titles like Pehin Kapitan and Pehin Dato.
Some items at Hua Ho Department Store include coconut jelly powder, cold tofu pudding powder, Hong Kong narcissus flour, Shantou sweet potato starch, braised peanuts, cilantro hearts, shrimp paste chili (belacan chili), Chaoshan-style sweet and sour ginger slices, South China vegetables, spicy fermented bean curd with sesame oil, rice noodles, shredded codfish, and premium dried squid.
After getting off at Gadong, we took a taxi to the night market. There are very few tourists in Brunei, so the night market is mostly filled with locals. We first bought spicy sauce to go with shredded squid and fish maw. These snacks are quite tasty. Then we bought mangosteen and snake fruit. It was my first time eating snake fruit, and it tasted pretty good.
While walking around the night market, the adhan (call to prayer) sounded. You can find a place to pray everywhere in Brunei. We performed our namaz at the small mosque in the night market. They provide sarong skirts for men to wear here.
After praying, we ate noodle soup at a snack shop by the entrance. We ordered beef ball soup (bakso beranak) with large and small beef balls, and beef noodle soup (soto daging). The eating habits here are almost the same as in Indonesia. I really like the beef noodle soup here, especially on a rainy day; it is very comforting. We also ordered a coconut. Local coconuts are large. Even though the shell is thick, there is still plenty of juice inside. It came with a lime to squeeze in.
We had satay skewers at the Gadong night market, eating liver and chicken hearts. They were sweet and grilled a bit hard.
In the food court of the mall next to the Gadong night market, there is a place that sells Hong Kong-style dim sum. It is very popular, so by the time we got there, only shark fin dumplings were left.
If you want to try authentic Malay food in Brunei, I recommend the buffet at the Brunei Arts and Handicrafts Training Centre. You can find it on the map by searching for Tarindak D'Seni.
We went at noon from 11:30 to 14:30. It cost 91 yuan per person, and there is a discount for seniors over 60. The environment is very nice, and you can see the Brunei River right outside the window. The food selection is rich. You can eat various sticky rice pandan Malay cakes (kuih), Sarawak laksa noodles with coconut milk, and make your own shaved ice dessert (cendol).
They serve Brunei's national dish, sago starch paste (ambuyat). It is made by mixing sago palm starch with hot water to create a paste, which you eat by dipping it into a sauce.
Nasi kebuli is rice cooked with goat meat broth, goat milk, and ghee. It was brought to the Malay Archipelago by Hadhrami people from Yemen and is especially popular in the Arab communities of Java.
Black beef (daging hitam) is beef rendang made with sweet soy sauce, lots of palm sugar, and rock sugar. It is a specialty of the Sarawak region.
Chicken cooked in coconut milk (opor ayam) is chicken simmered in coconut milk with various spices.
Strolling through Tasek Lama Recreational Park in Brunei, you find a primeval forest in the city center. It is very relaxing by the waterfall. The mountains are full of birds and monkeys, and you can see pitcher plants (zhulongcao) everywhere along the road. Bruneians love jogging in the parks, and after you finish, you can buy big, juicy coconuts (dayezi) at the entrance.
At the Royal Wharf in Brunei, many speedboats offer tours of the water village and trips to see proboscis monkeys. We asked the price and it was 10 Brunei dollars (53 RMB) per person for a one-hour boat ride, which felt like a pretty good deal.
After boarding, we first toured the water village, where we saw a water fire station, a water school, and a water mosque. We also spotted a huge monitor lizard among the mangroves. Then we went to see the proboscis monkeys. We traveled 10 kilometers west along the Brunei River to Luba Island in the middle of the river. The island holds the tomb of the 16th Sultan of Brunei, Hussin Kamaluddin (reigned 1710-30, 1737-40). This is also the best place to watch proboscis monkeys, and we saw a family of them eating leaves by the edge of the mangroves.
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Halal Travel Guide: Brunei Part 1 — Mountain Castles, Malay History & Muslim Culture
Reposted from the web
Summary: This first part of the Brunei journey follows historic sites from hilltop fortifications to places tied to Malay royal and Muslim culture. The English version preserves the original route, images, place names, and historical notes from the Chinese source.
Entering Brunei
I took a Royal Brunei Airlines flight from Kuching in the afternoon and arrived in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei's capital and only city, in just over an hour. After getting off the plane, follow the crowd to the immigration counters where you will see a row specifically for visa-on-arrival. Staff members will check in advance if you are holding a Chinese passport. When entering, just show your prepared flight itinerary and accommodation booking. You do not need to print the electronic arrival card or health declaration if you have filled them out online. Then, pay the visa fee with a VISA card to complete the entry process.
After clearing immigration, I exchanged some Malaysian Ringgit for Brunei Dollars and installed the SIM card I had bought in advance. I had already installed Dart, Brunei's local ride-hailing app, on my phone. It supports both VISA card and cash payments, and it is quite fast at getting a car. Note that the pickup point for ride-hailing cars is in the side parking lot. Walk from the airport entrance toward the direction of the airport mosque, then follow the canopy until you reach the end to find it.
We stayed at the J Hotel for our first night. The hotel environment is nice, and it is not far from the Gadong Night Market and the Jame' Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque. After checking into the hotel, we walked over to the Jame' Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque.
My first impression of downtown Brunei is that everyone drives everywhere; there are basically no pedestrians on the streets. It feels like the whole city was designed for cars, and there are very few crosswalks. The city has low density and lots of greenery, making it feel like a garden city for cars. Our hotel was only about 300 meters away from the mosque as the crow flies, but it took 15 minutes to walk there. This is because you have to walk along the road for a long time before finding a place to cross, and then you must walk through a parking lot over 200 meters long inside the mosque grounds to reach the main prayer hall.
Brunei's two national mosques
The Jame' Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque is one of Brunei's two national mosques and the largest mosque in the country. The mosque was built by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah to celebrate his 25th anniversary on the throne and officially opened in 1994. The 29 golden domes of the mosque commemorate the 29th Sultan of Brunei. The five fountains symbolize the five daily prayers and the five pillars of Islam. The mihrab (prayer niche) is decorated with gold-plated tiles. The interior is very magnificent, featuring Persian carpets, Italian marble, and Philippine hardwood.
The night view of the Brunei mosque is more beautiful than during the day. For those who want to take photos, I recommend coming during the times for prayer.
The Jame' Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque during the day. The main prayer hall is connected to the women's prayer hall by a corridor. This is a rare example of an independent women's prayer hall in Southeast Asia, and it is very large. Below the women's prayer hall is the ablution area (shuifang), and it is the only one I have ever visited that uses motion-sensor faucets.
For Friday prayers (Jumu'ah), we went to Brunei's other national mosque, the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, which is also known as the 'Water Mosque'. Brunei requires all malls and restaurants to close between 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM, so the mosque was packed during Jumu'ah, with the entire main hall full, which was a spectacular sight.
The Water Mosque was built between 1954 and 1958 by the former Sultan of Brunei, Omar Ali Saifuddien III (who reigned from 1950 to 1967), and it is named after him. The main hall features a golden dome in the Mughal Revival style, and the interior uses Italian marble, Shanghai granite, British chandeliers, and Venetian mosaic glass, making it Brunei's most important landmark since its completion.
The minbar (pulpit) at the Water Mosque has two levels; the first is where the muezzin calls the adhan (bangke), and the second is where the imam delivers the khutbah (hutubai). Next to the minbar, there is a staircase leading to the second-floor prayer area reserved for the royal family.
After Jumu'ah, they were handing out boxed meals, mostly to South Asian laborers, and I also went over to get a bottle of water.
The Water Mosque during the times of the morning prayer (shamu) and the afternoon prayer (hufu tan). Both of Brunei's national mosques look better at night than during the day.
The earliest historical relics of Brunei are in China.
The Brunei History Centre has a replica of the 'Tombstone of the King of Boni' from Nanjing, and the full text is on display.
The Tomb of the King of Boni in Nanjing is commonly known as the Ma Huihui Tomb, and it is the burial site of the Bruneian Sultan Mana'naja. In 1405 (the third year of the Yongle reign), Sultan Mana'naja of Boni sent envoys to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty, and he was granted the title of King of Boni and given many gifts. In 1408 (the sixth year of the Yongle reign), the Sultan led a delegation of over 150 people to Fujian, then traveled to Nanjing to meet the Yongle Emperor, Zhu Di, where he was treated with great honor. A month later, the Sultan suddenly fell ill and passed away at the Huitong Hall in Nanjing. According to the Sultan's final wish to 'have his body buried in China,' the Yongle Emperor ordered that he be buried with royal honors at Shizigang, outside Andemen Gate in Nanjing. After the Qing Dynasty, the tombstone was lost for a time, but the remaining parts were finally found in 1958, though unfortunately, the top of the stone has never been recovered.
The story of Sultan Mana'naja is recorded in the 'History of Ming' (Ming Shi), but it does not appear in Bruneian history books, nor is it in the Bruneian royal genealogy, the 'Salasilah Raja-Raja Brunei'. Bruneian historians believe Sultan Mana'naja is one of the sultans not mentioned in the genealogy.
The original Nanjing tombstone that I photographed a few years ago.
The ancient city in the mountains of Brunei.
I took a taxi from the city center to the ruins of the Brunei Sultanate palace hidden in the tropical rainforest, the Kota Batu Archaeological Park (Taman Arkeologi Kota Batu), which is also Brunei's most important archaeological site.
Kota Batu is believed to have been the capital of the Brunei Sultanate from the 14th to the 17th century. It was once an important trade port in Southeast Asia and the central city of northern Borneo. In 1521, Italian explorer Antonio Pigafetta arrived in Brunei with Magellan's fleet. He recorded: 'This city is built entirely on the sea, with 25,000 households, excluding the homes of the Sultan and certain heads of state.' A civil war in the Brunei Sultanate between 1660 and 1673 led to the abandonment of Kota Batu. The Sultan of Brunei moved his palace to the water village of Kampong Ayer on the upper Brunei River.
Kota Batu means 'stone castle.' It is a rare site of stone architecture in Brunei. British naturalist and Sarawak Museum curator Tom Harrisson led the first archaeological excavations at Kota Batu from 1952 to 1953. He found many Chinese coins from the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties, as well as Arabic coins, glassware, ironware, bronze, wooden tools, stone carvings, and ceramics from Siam, Indochina, and Song and Ming dynasty China.
During excavations in 1986 and 1987, a square stone building measuring 25.8 meters by 25.4 meters was discovered. It contained 36 stone column bases, tombstone remains, and Ming dynasty porcelain shards. It is believed the building was constructed in the 15th century. Because the column bases are in three layers, the building likely had a three-tiered pyramid roof structure similar to traditional mosques in Malacca. Although early palace buildings in the Brunei Sultanate were made of wood and left few traces, the coins and pottery found at Kota Batu suggest the Sultan's palace was likely near this site.
Next to the site are nine graves of Brunei nobles from the 15th and 16th centuries. The tombstones were all imported, likely from China.
The paths in Kota Batu Archaeological Park feel like a primitive forest. There were no other tourists, and the mountain trails were often covered by fallen leaves and hidden from view. It is hard to imagine that this was once the capital of Brunei.
Tomb of the Third Sultan of Brunei
The Kota Batu Archaeological Park contains the tomb of Sharif Ali, the third Sultan of Brunei.
Sultan Sharif Ali (reigned 1425–1432) was originally a missionary from the ancient Saudi city of Taif and a descendant of the Prophet's grandson, Hasan ibn Ali. He arrived in Brunei to preach in 1395 and earned the respect of the Sultan and the people. He married the daughter of Sultan Ahmad around 1400 and inherited the throne after the old Sultan passed away in 1425. This is how the Brunei Sultanate gained its lineage from the Prophet.
Sultan Sharif Ali worked to spread Islamic law while keeping local customs that did not conflict with the faith. During his reign, Brunei officially transitioned from a Hindu-Buddhist cultural zone into a part of Islamic civilization. He built the first mosque in Brunei, designed the national flag, and established the title 'Darussalam' for Brunei. It is believed that he may have also built the stone castle at Kota Batu.
North of Sultan Sharif Ali's tomb is the grave of Syarif Adam, another sage who came to Brunei with the Sultan to preach. Together, they spread the influence of the faith from Brunei to the Sulu Archipelago and Mindanao in the southern Philippines. According to his tombstone, Syarif Adam passed away in 1454.
Tomb of the Brunei Princess
In the center of the old town of Brunei, there is the tomb of Raja Ayang. Legend says Raja Ayang was a royal family member during the reign of Sultan Sulaiman (reigned 1432-1485) of Brunei in the 15th century. Some research suggests she might be Rokayah, the daughter of Sultan Abdul Majid Hassan who passed away in Nanjing.
People say Raja Ayang had an affair with her own brother. Sultan Sulaiman punished them by locking them in a small, man-made cave that only had one air vent connecting to the outside. The Sultan provided them with enough food to live inside the cave. If no cooking smoke rose from the air vent, it meant they had passed away. Later, people built the tomb of Raja Ayang next to the small hill.
The small hill of Raja Ayang's tomb lasted until the 1950s. It was torn down to build a nearby post office and radio station, but the tomb itself was preserved. The inscription is blurry from years of people lighting candles for dua, but you can still see verses and the year 859 in the Islamic calendar (1454 AD), which is likely the date Raja Ayang passed away.
Tomb of the Fifth Sultan of Brunei
South of the Kota Batu Site 1 is the tomb of Sultan Bolkiah (reigned 1485-1524), the fifth Sultan of Brunei. His reign is known as the Golden Age of Brunei history, when the Sultanate of Brunei held power over Borneo and the southern Philippines.
When Ferdinand Magellan's fleet arrived in Brunei in 1521, they witnessed the power of Brunei under Sultan Bolkiah. When they reached the palace, they were shocked by his wealth. A hall reached by wide steps was crowded with courtiers wearing elegant clothes. Through the corridor was a slightly raised room decorated with luxurious silk and brocade curtains, bathed in natural light from wide windows. Three hundred of the Sultan's warriors stood guard there with their daggers drawn. A little further on was a smaller but equally beautiful room, where the muscular forty-year-old monarch sat on a large mat chewing betel nut with his young son beside him.
The tomb of Sultan Bolkiah is tall, majestic, and finely carved. The tombstone consists of eight layers, but only the bottom layer is original. One of the upper stones commemorates Sultan Muhammad Ali, and another commemorates Sultan Abdul Mubin, likely made in the late 17th century. The middle slab records that Sultan Bolkiah passed away on July 17, 1524, and was likely carved in modern times.
Next to the tomb of Sultan Bolkiah is the tomb of his wife.
Kampong Ayer Water Village
We took a speedboat from the pier on the Brunei River and reached Kampong Ayer on the other side for 1 Brunei dollar each. We first visited the Kampong Ayer Cultural and Tourism Gallery, which has information about the water village, and there is an observation deck next to it for a panoramic view of the village.
Kampung Ayer is the Malay term for water village. It was once the main port of the Sultanate of Brunei and served as its trade hub from the 15th to the 17th century. After the Brunei Civil War in the 18th century, Kota Batu was abandoned, and the water village became the capital of the Sultanate. In 1521, Italian explorer Antonio Pigafetta arrived in Brunei with Magellan's fleet and called Kampung Ayer the Venice of the East. The water village was once massive and even housed the Sultan's palace, but it gradually declined after the British invasion in the 19th century. Since the 20th century, Brunei has encouraged residents of the water village to move to the shore, but many people still choose to stay.
The two traditional wooden mosques on the water are a major highlight of Brunei. The walls and pillars are made of wood. Once you go inside, the air conditioning is very strong, so you cannot feel the humidity from the water. In recent years, Brunei has built several large concrete mosques on the banks of the water village, and the traditional wooden mosques are becoming fewer.
The water village has its own scenery, with small restaurants and convenience stores, though it is usually quite quiet.
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Summary: This first part of the Brunei journey follows historic sites from hilltop fortifications to places tied to Malay royal and Muslim culture. The English version preserves the original route, images, place names, and historical notes from the Chinese source.
Entering Brunei
I took a Royal Brunei Airlines flight from Kuching in the afternoon and arrived in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei's capital and only city, in just over an hour. After getting off the plane, follow the crowd to the immigration counters where you will see a row specifically for visa-on-arrival. Staff members will check in advance if you are holding a Chinese passport. When entering, just show your prepared flight itinerary and accommodation booking. You do not need to print the electronic arrival card or health declaration if you have filled them out online. Then, pay the visa fee with a VISA card to complete the entry process.
After clearing immigration, I exchanged some Malaysian Ringgit for Brunei Dollars and installed the SIM card I had bought in advance. I had already installed Dart, Brunei's local ride-hailing app, on my phone. It supports both VISA card and cash payments, and it is quite fast at getting a car. Note that the pickup point for ride-hailing cars is in the side parking lot. Walk from the airport entrance toward the direction of the airport mosque, then follow the canopy until you reach the end to find it.
We stayed at the J Hotel for our first night. The hotel environment is nice, and it is not far from the Gadong Night Market and the Jame' Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque. After checking into the hotel, we walked over to the Jame' Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque.
My first impression of downtown Brunei is that everyone drives everywhere; there are basically no pedestrians on the streets. It feels like the whole city was designed for cars, and there are very few crosswalks. The city has low density and lots of greenery, making it feel like a garden city for cars. Our hotel was only about 300 meters away from the mosque as the crow flies, but it took 15 minutes to walk there. This is because you have to walk along the road for a long time before finding a place to cross, and then you must walk through a parking lot over 200 meters long inside the mosque grounds to reach the main prayer hall.
Brunei's two national mosques
The Jame' Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque is one of Brunei's two national mosques and the largest mosque in the country. The mosque was built by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah to celebrate his 25th anniversary on the throne and officially opened in 1994. The 29 golden domes of the mosque commemorate the 29th Sultan of Brunei. The five fountains symbolize the five daily prayers and the five pillars of Islam. The mihrab (prayer niche) is decorated with gold-plated tiles. The interior is very magnificent, featuring Persian carpets, Italian marble, and Philippine hardwood.
The night view of the Brunei mosque is more beautiful than during the day. For those who want to take photos, I recommend coming during the times for prayer.
The Jame' Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque during the day. The main prayer hall is connected to the women's prayer hall by a corridor. This is a rare example of an independent women's prayer hall in Southeast Asia, and it is very large. Below the women's prayer hall is the ablution area (shuifang), and it is the only one I have ever visited that uses motion-sensor faucets.
For Friday prayers (Jumu'ah), we went to Brunei's other national mosque, the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, which is also known as the 'Water Mosque'. Brunei requires all malls and restaurants to close between 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM, so the mosque was packed during Jumu'ah, with the entire main hall full, which was a spectacular sight.
The Water Mosque was built between 1954 and 1958 by the former Sultan of Brunei, Omar Ali Saifuddien III (who reigned from 1950 to 1967), and it is named after him. The main hall features a golden dome in the Mughal Revival style, and the interior uses Italian marble, Shanghai granite, British chandeliers, and Venetian mosaic glass, making it Brunei's most important landmark since its completion.
The minbar (pulpit) at the Water Mosque has two levels; the first is where the muezzin calls the adhan (bangke), and the second is where the imam delivers the khutbah (hutubai). Next to the minbar, there is a staircase leading to the second-floor prayer area reserved for the royal family.
After Jumu'ah, they were handing out boxed meals, mostly to South Asian laborers, and I also went over to get a bottle of water.
The Water Mosque during the times of the morning prayer (shamu) and the afternoon prayer (hufu tan). Both of Brunei's national mosques look better at night than during the day.
The earliest historical relics of Brunei are in China.
The Brunei History Centre has a replica of the 'Tombstone of the King of Boni' from Nanjing, and the full text is on display.
The Tomb of the King of Boni in Nanjing is commonly known as the Ma Huihui Tomb, and it is the burial site of the Bruneian Sultan Mana'naja. In 1405 (the third year of the Yongle reign), Sultan Mana'naja of Boni sent envoys to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty, and he was granted the title of King of Boni and given many gifts. In 1408 (the sixth year of the Yongle reign), the Sultan led a delegation of over 150 people to Fujian, then traveled to Nanjing to meet the Yongle Emperor, Zhu Di, where he was treated with great honor. A month later, the Sultan suddenly fell ill and passed away at the Huitong Hall in Nanjing. According to the Sultan's final wish to 'have his body buried in China,' the Yongle Emperor ordered that he be buried with royal honors at Shizigang, outside Andemen Gate in Nanjing. After the Qing Dynasty, the tombstone was lost for a time, but the remaining parts were finally found in 1958, though unfortunately, the top of the stone has never been recovered.
The story of Sultan Mana'naja is recorded in the 'History of Ming' (Ming Shi), but it does not appear in Bruneian history books, nor is it in the Bruneian royal genealogy, the 'Salasilah Raja-Raja Brunei'. Bruneian historians believe Sultan Mana'naja is one of the sultans not mentioned in the genealogy.
The original Nanjing tombstone that I photographed a few years ago.
The ancient city in the mountains of Brunei.
I took a taxi from the city center to the ruins of the Brunei Sultanate palace hidden in the tropical rainforest, the Kota Batu Archaeological Park (Taman Arkeologi Kota Batu), which is also Brunei's most important archaeological site.
Kota Batu is believed to have been the capital of the Brunei Sultanate from the 14th to the 17th century. It was once an important trade port in Southeast Asia and the central city of northern Borneo. In 1521, Italian explorer Antonio Pigafetta arrived in Brunei with Magellan's fleet. He recorded: 'This city is built entirely on the sea, with 25,000 households, excluding the homes of the Sultan and certain heads of state.' A civil war in the Brunei Sultanate between 1660 and 1673 led to the abandonment of Kota Batu. The Sultan of Brunei moved his palace to the water village of Kampong Ayer on the upper Brunei River.
Kota Batu means 'stone castle.' It is a rare site of stone architecture in Brunei. British naturalist and Sarawak Museum curator Tom Harrisson led the first archaeological excavations at Kota Batu from 1952 to 1953. He found many Chinese coins from the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties, as well as Arabic coins, glassware, ironware, bronze, wooden tools, stone carvings, and ceramics from Siam, Indochina, and Song and Ming dynasty China.
During excavations in 1986 and 1987, a square stone building measuring 25.8 meters by 25.4 meters was discovered. It contained 36 stone column bases, tombstone remains, and Ming dynasty porcelain shards. It is believed the building was constructed in the 15th century. Because the column bases are in three layers, the building likely had a three-tiered pyramid roof structure similar to traditional mosques in Malacca. Although early palace buildings in the Brunei Sultanate were made of wood and left few traces, the coins and pottery found at Kota Batu suggest the Sultan's palace was likely near this site.
Next to the site are nine graves of Brunei nobles from the 15th and 16th centuries. The tombstones were all imported, likely from China.
The paths in Kota Batu Archaeological Park feel like a primitive forest. There were no other tourists, and the mountain trails were often covered by fallen leaves and hidden from view. It is hard to imagine that this was once the capital of Brunei.
Tomb of the Third Sultan of Brunei
The Kota Batu Archaeological Park contains the tomb of Sharif Ali, the third Sultan of Brunei.
Sultan Sharif Ali (reigned 1425–1432) was originally a missionary from the ancient Saudi city of Taif and a descendant of the Prophet's grandson, Hasan ibn Ali. He arrived in Brunei to preach in 1395 and earned the respect of the Sultan and the people. He married the daughter of Sultan Ahmad around 1400 and inherited the throne after the old Sultan passed away in 1425. This is how the Brunei Sultanate gained its lineage from the Prophet.
Sultan Sharif Ali worked to spread Islamic law while keeping local customs that did not conflict with the faith. During his reign, Brunei officially transitioned from a Hindu-Buddhist cultural zone into a part of Islamic civilization. He built the first mosque in Brunei, designed the national flag, and established the title 'Darussalam' for Brunei. It is believed that he may have also built the stone castle at Kota Batu.
North of Sultan Sharif Ali's tomb is the grave of Syarif Adam, another sage who came to Brunei with the Sultan to preach. Together, they spread the influence of the faith from Brunei to the Sulu Archipelago and Mindanao in the southern Philippines. According to his tombstone, Syarif Adam passed away in 1454.
Tomb of the Brunei Princess
In the center of the old town of Brunei, there is the tomb of Raja Ayang. Legend says Raja Ayang was a royal family member during the reign of Sultan Sulaiman (reigned 1432-1485) of Brunei in the 15th century. Some research suggests she might be Rokayah, the daughter of Sultan Abdul Majid Hassan who passed away in Nanjing.
People say Raja Ayang had an affair with her own brother. Sultan Sulaiman punished them by locking them in a small, man-made cave that only had one air vent connecting to the outside. The Sultan provided them with enough food to live inside the cave. If no cooking smoke rose from the air vent, it meant they had passed away. Later, people built the tomb of Raja Ayang next to the small hill.
The small hill of Raja Ayang's tomb lasted until the 1950s. It was torn down to build a nearby post office and radio station, but the tomb itself was preserved. The inscription is blurry from years of people lighting candles for dua, but you can still see verses and the year 859 in the Islamic calendar (1454 AD), which is likely the date Raja Ayang passed away.
Tomb of the Fifth Sultan of Brunei
South of the Kota Batu Site 1 is the tomb of Sultan Bolkiah (reigned 1485-1524), the fifth Sultan of Brunei. His reign is known as the Golden Age of Brunei history, when the Sultanate of Brunei held power over Borneo and the southern Philippines.
When Ferdinand Magellan's fleet arrived in Brunei in 1521, they witnessed the power of Brunei under Sultan Bolkiah. When they reached the palace, they were shocked by his wealth. A hall reached by wide steps was crowded with courtiers wearing elegant clothes. Through the corridor was a slightly raised room decorated with luxurious silk and brocade curtains, bathed in natural light from wide windows. Three hundred of the Sultan's warriors stood guard there with their daggers drawn. A little further on was a smaller but equally beautiful room, where the muscular forty-year-old monarch sat on a large mat chewing betel nut with his young son beside him.
The tomb of Sultan Bolkiah is tall, majestic, and finely carved. The tombstone consists of eight layers, but only the bottom layer is original. One of the upper stones commemorates Sultan Muhammad Ali, and another commemorates Sultan Abdul Mubin, likely made in the late 17th century. The middle slab records that Sultan Bolkiah passed away on July 17, 1524, and was likely carved in modern times.
Next to the tomb of Sultan Bolkiah is the tomb of his wife.
Kampong Ayer Water Village
We took a speedboat from the pier on the Brunei River and reached Kampong Ayer on the other side for 1 Brunei dollar each. We first visited the Kampong Ayer Cultural and Tourism Gallery, which has information about the water village, and there is an observation deck next to it for a panoramic view of the village.
Kampung Ayer is the Malay term for water village. It was once the main port of the Sultanate of Brunei and served as its trade hub from the 15th to the 17th century. After the Brunei Civil War in the 18th century, Kota Batu was abandoned, and the water village became the capital of the Sultanate. In 1521, Italian explorer Antonio Pigafetta arrived in Brunei with Magellan's fleet and called Kampung Ayer the Venice of the East. The water village was once massive and even housed the Sultan's palace, but it gradually declined after the British invasion in the 19th century. Since the 20th century, Brunei has encouraged residents of the water village to move to the shore, but many people still choose to stay.
The two traditional wooden mosques on the water are a major highlight of Brunei. The walls and pillars are made of wood. Once you go inside, the air conditioning is very strong, so you cannot feel the humidity from the water. In recent years, Brunei has built several large concrete mosques on the banks of the water village, and the traditional wooden mosques are becoming fewer.
The water village has its own scenery, with small restaurants and convenience stores, though it is usually quite quiet.
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Halal Travel Guide: Brunei Part 2 — Water Village Homes, Museums & Malay History
Reposted from the web
Summary: This second part of the Brunei history and culture journey moves through water village homes, museums, and sites tied to Malay and Muslim life. The article keeps the original place names, photos, and historical details while presenting Brunei in simple English.
Tomb of the 16th Sultan of Brunei
Take a speedboat west from the Brunei River to reach Luba Island, hidden by mangroves. It holds the tomb of the 16th Sultan of Brunei, Hussin Kamaluddin, who reigned from 1710 to 1730 and again from 1737 to 1740. Sultan Hussin Kamaluddin survived the Brunei civil war as a child. He was a pious, studious, and hardworking man. Under his rule, Brunei was prosperous and food was plentiful. Legend says the Sultan liked to fish with locals along the upper banks of the Brunei River, especially near his tomb on Luba Island.
Old Town of Brunei Town
Until the early 20th century, the capital of Brunei was the water village of Kampong Ayer on the Brunei River. In 1906, British Resident Malcolm MacArthur began guiding residents to settle on land. In 1910, Chinese people first began building shops on the north bank of the Brunei River, and Brunei Town began to take shape. In 1922, the reigning Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Alam II decided to move his palace inland to Brunei Town. This move encouraged many water village residents to accept resettlement, and the city grew quickly.
In 1945, Brunei Town was almost leveled by Allied bombing, followed by large-scale reconstruction in the 1950s and 1960s. After 1963, economic growth from oil and gas led to a rapid increase in Chinese immigrants to Brunei Town, who opened many shops. In 1970, Brunei Town was officially renamed Bandar Seri Begawan.
The Sungai Kianggeh River is on the east side of the old town. Residents of Kampong Ayer can boat directly up the river to the Kianggeh market to buy various farm products. This is also one of the resettlement points for water village residents after they come ashore.
The old Royal Ceremonial Hall (Lapau Lama) in the old town was built in 1950. It now displays the scene of the 1959 Brunei Constitution signing, including the original chandeliers, tables, chairs, and the microphone used by the Sultan. Lapau Lama is the oldest concrete building in the old town, with an interior that blends pragmatism and minimalism.
Next to the old Royal Ceremonial Hall is the Royal Regalia Museum. It houses two royal chariots: one used for the Sultan's coronation in 1968 and Queen Elizabeth II's visit in 1972, and another used for the Sultan's 25th anniversary of his coronation in 1992.
The Royal Regalia Museum also displays porcelain vases with Arabic calligraphy collected by the Sultan, as well as stone artifacts with Arabic calligraphy gifted by Saudi Arabia.
The Brunei International Airport mosque has an imam. It is clean, cool, and bright inside. Everyone performs namaz with great enthusiasm, and the atmosphere is wonderful.
Souvenirs bought at the Brunei airport: paper art of two Brunei national mosques.
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Summary: This second part of the Brunei history and culture journey moves through water village homes, museums, and sites tied to Malay and Muslim life. The article keeps the original place names, photos, and historical details while presenting Brunei in simple English.
Tomb of the 16th Sultan of Brunei
Take a speedboat west from the Brunei River to reach Luba Island, hidden by mangroves. It holds the tomb of the 16th Sultan of Brunei, Hussin Kamaluddin, who reigned from 1710 to 1730 and again from 1737 to 1740. Sultan Hussin Kamaluddin survived the Brunei civil war as a child. He was a pious, studious, and hardworking man. Under his rule, Brunei was prosperous and food was plentiful. Legend says the Sultan liked to fish with locals along the upper banks of the Brunei River, especially near his tomb on Luba Island.
Old Town of Brunei Town
Until the early 20th century, the capital of Brunei was the water village of Kampong Ayer on the Brunei River. In 1906, British Resident Malcolm MacArthur began guiding residents to settle on land. In 1910, Chinese people first began building shops on the north bank of the Brunei River, and Brunei Town began to take shape. In 1922, the reigning Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Alam II decided to move his palace inland to Brunei Town. This move encouraged many water village residents to accept resettlement, and the city grew quickly.
In 1945, Brunei Town was almost leveled by Allied bombing, followed by large-scale reconstruction in the 1950s and 1960s. After 1963, economic growth from oil and gas led to a rapid increase in Chinese immigrants to Brunei Town, who opened many shops. In 1970, Brunei Town was officially renamed Bandar Seri Begawan.
The Sungai Kianggeh River is on the east side of the old town. Residents of Kampong Ayer can boat directly up the river to the Kianggeh market to buy various farm products. This is also one of the resettlement points for water village residents after they come ashore.
The old Royal Ceremonial Hall (Lapau Lama) in the old town was built in 1950. It now displays the scene of the 1959 Brunei Constitution signing, including the original chandeliers, tables, chairs, and the microphone used by the Sultan. Lapau Lama is the oldest concrete building in the old town, with an interior that blends pragmatism and minimalism.
Next to the old Royal Ceremonial Hall is the Royal Regalia Museum. It houses two royal chariots: one used for the Sultan's coronation in 1968 and Queen Elizabeth II's visit in 1972, and another used for the Sultan's 25th anniversary of his coronation in 1992.
The Royal Regalia Museum also displays porcelain vases with Arabic calligraphy collected by the Sultan, as well as stone artifacts with Arabic calligraphy gifted by Saudi Arabia.
The Brunei International Airport mosque has an imam. It is clean, cool, and bright inside. Everyone performs namaz with great enthusiasm, and the atmosphere is wonderful.
Souvenirs bought at the Brunei airport: paper art of two Brunei national mosques.
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Halal Travel Guide: 2019 Mosque Visits — 64 Historic Mosques and Muslim Heritage
Reposted from the web
Summary: This 2019 travel record brings together visits to 64 historic mosques and Muslim cultural sites. It preserves the original route, mosque names, images, and local details while turning the account into clear English for global readers.
If my ten-year journey of visiting mosques has two stages, 2019 was the peak of the first stage. That is why I felt so lost when I could not travel in 2020.
By 2019, I had learned how to use my holidays to visit mosques abroad. I would research a lot of information, pick the mosques worth seeing, and use map websites to plan my route to visit as many as possible in the limited time I had.
During the 2019 Spring Festival, I took a long trip and visited 14 mosques in the three ancient cities of Bukhara, Samarkand, and Shahrisabz in Uzbekistan, with the most in the ancient city of Bukhara. In March, I used a weekend to travel to Chengdu and visited 6 mosques. During the Qingming Festival and May Day, I went to Java, Indonesia, twice and visited 7 mosques. In August, I used my annual leave to go to Moscow, Tatarstan, and the Crimean Peninsula, where I visited 23 mosques. During the Mid-Autumn Festival in September, I went to Tehran and happened to be there for Ashura, visiting two mosques. During the October National Day holiday, I went to Penang, Malaysia, and Hyderabad in South India, visiting 7 mosques. I did not expect that India would close its travel visas shortly after. In November, I used a weekend to visit 5 mosques in the Muslim Quarter (Huifang) of Xi'an. In total, I visited 64 mosques in 2019, which was very fulfilling.
I went to Urumqi for the Spring Festival holiday in early 2020 and visited the Shaanxi Old Quarter Mosque (Shaanxi Laofangsi). I almost got stuck there and could not 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. We took our honeymoon in August and visited 18 ancient mosques across 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 "2020 Visits to 23 Mosques."
Mosques in Beijing closed in January 2021. Travel restrictions were lifted in mid-March, so I hurried to visit ancient mosques in Henan, Jiangsu, Hebei, Xinjiang, Liaoning, Shanxi, Tianjin, Qinghai, and Inner Mongolia before travel restrictions returned in July. During the National Day holiday, there were no new cases nationwide, so we went on a road trip to Yunnan to visit ancient mosques. I could not leave Beijing after the holiday ended. Even though I only had less than half a year of freedom in 2021, I visited 47 ancient mosques across 11 provinces and cities. See "Visiting 47 Ancient Mosques in 2021."
2022 was the most difficult year, as I could not leave Beijing at all. That year, I visited some former mosque ruins in Beijing and some mosques I had never been to before, totaling 25 mosques for the year. See "Visiting Twenty-Five Mosques in Beijing in 2022."
At the beginning of 2023, travel restrictions out of Beijing were lifted, and by May, international travel restrictions were also lifted. That year, I traveled extensively, visiting 124 mosques across 11 provinces, 6 countries, and three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. See "Visiting 124 Mosques in 2023."
In 2024, life gradually returned to normal, but due to job changes and spending time with my children, the number of mosques I visited decreased. That year, I went to 6 provinces and 3 countries, visiting 63 mosques. I visited Malaysia three times, seeing 24 mosques, which covers almost all the historic mosques in Malaysia. See "Visiting 63 Mosques in 2024."
14 mosques in Uzbekistan in February.
Kalyan Mosque in Bukhara: Originally built in 1121 by Arslan Khan of the Karakhanid Khanate, it was destroyed by the Mongol army in 1220, leaving only the 46-meter-tall minaret. In 1515, Ubaidullah Khan, the nephew of Shaybani Khan who founded the Shaybanid dynasty of the Bukhara Khanate, rebuilt it, and it became the main Friday mosque for the Bukhara Khanate. The architecture is similar in style to the Bibi-Khanym Mosque in Samarkand, featuring as many as 288 domes.
Khoja Zaynuddin Mosque in Bukhara: Built in the first half of the 16th century, one theory is that the Khan of the Bukhara Khanate built it to thank a minister named Khoja Zaynuddin, while another theory suggests the Sufi saint Khoja Zaynuddin is buried nearby.
Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Complex in Bukhara: An important center for the faith in Central Asia, known as the "Little Mecca" of Central Asia. It holds the tomb of Naqshband, the founder of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, who was buried there in 1389, and the Bukhara Khanate added a mosque in the 16th century.
Chor-Bakr Necropolis in Bukhara: Located next to the tombs of the Djuybar Seyyids family in the western suburbs of Bukhara, the mosque was built in 1560 by Abdullah Khan II of the Bukhara Khanate.
Khoja-Gaukushan Mosque in Bukhara: Located next to the tombs of the Djuybar Seyyids family in the western suburbs of Bukhara, the mosque was built in 1560 by Abdullah Khan II of the Bukhara Khanate. It was built in 1598 by the master of that time, Djuybar Sheikh, known as "Khoja Kalon" (the Great Khoja). The height of its minaret is second only to the Kalyan Minaret.
Fayzabad Mosque in Bukhara: Built in 1598 by the famous Sufi master Mavlono Poyand-Mukhammad Ahsi (Ahsiketi) Fayzobodi, it served as both a mosque and a Sufi lodge. Behind the mihrab niche, there are three-story rooms called khudjras, which were used as living quarters for Sufi practitioners. Sufi activities continued here until the Soviet era, but now it only functions as a mosque.
Magok-i-Kurpa Mosque in Bukhara: Built in 1637, it was originally two stories, but the first floor is almost entirely underground, which is why it is called "Magok-i" (in the pit). The mosque is rectangular and has 12 domes on the roof.
Magok-i-Attari Mosque in Bukhara: It is believed to have been built in the 9th or 10th century on the foundation of a Zoroastrian mosque. It is one of the oldest surviving mosques in Central Asia and one of the few in Bukhara that survived the Mongol era. Today, after more than a thousand years of urban development, the mosque sits 4.5 meters below ground level. The mosque was rebuilt during the Karakhanid dynasty in the 12th century, adding a southern facade with a pishtaq-style gate decorated with blue tiles, though most have fallen off now. Because the surrounding streets were much higher than the mosque, the Shaybanid dynasty of the Bukhara Khanate built a huge monumental gateway (pishtaq) on the east side between 1547 and 1548, using a set of stairs to solve the access problem.
Bukhara Namazgahi Mosque: Ordered by Arslan Khan of the Eastern Karakhanid dynasty, it was built in 1119-1120. It was originally an open-air mosque with only a 38-meter prayer wall featuring a prayer niche (mihrab) in the center. Some decorations were added during the Mongol era in the mid-13th century, and arcades were added in the 16th century (some say the 17th century). It is one of the very few mosques in Bukhara that survived the Mongol era, and the tile calligraphy on the wall is the earliest example of tile art in Bukhara.
Ark Citadel Friday Mosque (Juma Mosque): Ordered by Subhan Quli, Khan of the Bukhara Khanate, who reigned from 1680 to 1702. It has wooden canopies on three sides, supported by wooden pillars in the middle. The ceiling inside the main hall features gorgeous floral and geometric patterns.
Bukhara Bolo Hauz Mosque: Ordered by Abu al-Fayz, Khan of the Bukhara Khanate, in 1712. It is the last important mosque in Bukhara's history and the place where the Khan held various ceremonies.
Samarkand Bibi-Khanym Mosque: Known as the most magnificent mosque architecture in Central Asia in the 15th century, it was the most important mosque of the Timurid dynasty and was imitated by many later mosques. Timur ordered its construction in 1399 after conquering Delhi, India, to commemorate his wife, Khanum, the daughter of the last Chagatai Khan, Qazan Sultan. When Timur returned to Samarkand in 1404, it was nearly finished, but he felt the main dome was not grand enough and ordered it to be rebuilt. However, Timur died in 1405 while the work was still in progress. After that, the mosque began to show structural problems due to its massive size, and bricks started falling from the dome. Repairs never stopped during the Timurid period. The Bukhara Khanate stopped maintenance in the late 16th century, and it gradually fell into ruins. The arch of the main gate also collapsed in the 1897 earthquake.
Shahrisabz Kok Gumbaz Mosque: Built in 1435 by Ulugh Beg, ruler of the Timurid Empire. It is said to have been built on the foundation of an ancient Karakhanid mosque, with 40 domed corridors on both sides of the main hall.
Shahrisabz Malik Ajdar Mosque: A typical 19th-century local mosque. The central main hall is used for winter namaz, where stoves are lit to keep it warm. The pergola next to it is used for summer namaz.
6 mosques in Sichuan in March.
Chengdu Gulou Mosque: Built in the early Qing Dynasty. It was occupied by the Gulou Street Office in 1958. In 1996, because of the construction of the World Trade Center building, the main hall was moved more than 50 meters east to its current location.
Chengdu Jiu Mosque: The main hall was built in 1763 (the 28th year of the Qianlong reign). It was built under the leadership of Xu Shiyeng, a hero who pacified Taiwan, and Hu Songlin, a former commander in Yichang, Hubei. The main hall was demolished in 2020, and the relocation has not been completed yet.
Chengdu Tuqiao Lower Mosque: Built in 1724 (the second year of the Yongzheng reign), it is now used as a nursing home.
Chengdu Pixian Taihechang Zhangjia Mosque: Located at an important water and land terminal entering the Western Sichuan Plain from the Aba Tibetan and Qiang areas. Goods from the Tibetan areas were shipped from Dujiangyan to this place, unloaded, and transferred to horse-drawn carriages to Chengdu, forming a busy market town. Zhangjia Mosque was first built in 1643 (the 16th year of the Chongzhen reign) and rebuilt in 1822 (the 2nd year of the Daoguang reign).
Tangjia Mosque in Mimou Town, Chengdu: First built in 1728 (the 6th year of the Yongzheng reign), it is a beautiful ancient mosque in the Shu region and the only one currently open in Mimou Town.
Chengdu Mimou Town Chengyi Mosque ruins: Built in 1821 (the 1st year of the Daoguang reign), only the ruins of the second gate remain today, standing precariously in the wind and rain.
7 mosques in Indonesia in April and May
Demak Great Mosque in Java: Legend says it was built in 1479 by Raden Patah, the first Sultan of Demak, and Sunan Kalijaga, one of the nine saints (Wali Songo) of Javanese Islam. Sunan Ampel, one of the nine saints, served as the imam of this mosque for a long time.
Sunan Kalijaga Gongbei Mosque in Demak, Java: Sunan Kalijaga was one of the nine saints of Javanese Islam and played a major role in spreading the faith across Java. Legend says Sunan Kalijaga lived to be 100 years old and did not pass away until 1550. During his life, he witnessed the fall of the Majapahit Empire and the founding of the Demak, Cirebon, and Banten Sultanates. He eventually died in Demak and was buried southeast of the city. Later generations built a gongbei over his tomb and a mosque next to it.
Kudus Al-Aqsa Mosque in Java: Built by Kudus in 1549, it is famous for its unique traditional Javanese architectural style, which directly inherited elements from the Majapahit era. Kudus Al-Aqsa Mosque shares its name with the famous Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. People say while on his way to Hajj, Kudus helped cure a plague in a city and refused the generous gifts offered by the locals, accepting only a stone from near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. After returning to Java, Kudus used the stone to build this mosque.
Banten Great Mosque in Java: Ordered by Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin of Banten and built in 1566. The women's hall was added in the 1580s, the minaret was designed and built by the Chinese man Cek-ban-cut in 1632, and the madrasa was designed and built in the 17th century by Hendrik Lucaasz Cardeel, a Dutchman who converted to Islam. The minaret is 24 meters high with a base diameter of 10 meters, blending Mughal style with the local Javanese Hindu/Buddhist temple (candi) style.
Mataram Great Mosque in Java: This is the most important architectural relic of the Mataram Sultanate. It was first built in 1575, and the original walls and gate are still preserved. The main hall was rebuilt in the 17th century by Sultan Agung and later underwent several repairs by the Sultans of Yogyakarta and Surakarta. The current building was reconstructed after a fire in 1926 and still maintains the traditional Javanese mosque layout.
Surakarta Great Mosque in Java: Built by Sunan Pakubuwana III in 1763 and completed in 1768. It serves as both a Friday mosque and a royal mosque. Many ceremonies of the Surakarta court are held here, the most important being the Mawlid (Prophet's birthday). During the Mawlid, two sets of large gamelan instruments are moved from the Surakarta palace storage to the mosque courtyard, where traditional Javanese gamelan music is performed outside of prayer times.
Yogyakarta Great Mosque in Java: Located northwest of the Yogyakarta Palace, it was first built in 1773 and is the royal mosque of the Sultan of Yogyakarta.
15 mosques in Russia in August
Historical Mosque of the Tatar Community in Moscow: In the early 17th century, many Tatars from the Volga River and steppe regions came to Moscow for business. A Tatar community gradually formed on the opposite bank of the Kremlin. The first records of the Tatar community mosque date back to 1712. It burned down in 1812 when Napoleon left Moscow. Tatar merchants rebuilt it in 1823, and it was expanded in 1882 with the addition of a minaret.
Kazan Marjani Mosque: Built between 1766 and 1770 with permission from Catherine the Great. It was the first brick mosque built in Kazan after Russia conquered the Kazan Khanate in 1552. It is the oldest surviving mosque in Kazan and the only one that stayed open during the Soviet era.
Kazan Apanay Mosque: The second mosque approved by Catherine the Great for construction in Kazan. Merchant Apanaev funded its building between 1768 and 1771. The architectural style blends traditional Tatar design with Moscow Baroque.
Kazan Galeevskaya Mosque: Built between 1798 and 1801 with funds from merchant Musa Mamyashev. It started as an early classicism style building in the late 18th century. It was expanded twice, in 1882 and 1897, using late classicism style.
Kazan İske Taş Mosque: Also called the Giant Stone Mosque. It was built in 1802 with a donation from merchant Ğabdulla Ütämişev. Legend says this mosque stands on the burial site of Tatar soldiers who died defending Kazan in 1552. An ancient giant stone marks the grave. Alexander Schmidt rebuilt the mosque in 1830 in a classicism style. Its three-story minaret looks like the old minarets found in the Bulgar and Kasimov regions.
Kazan White Mosque: Built between 1801 and 1805. It looks similar to the İske Taş Mosque built around the same time and features a classicism style exterior. The mosque closed in 1929 and became a school and fur workshop. The minaret was torn down in the 1930s, and the east and south parts of the main hall were rebuilt.
Kazan Pink Mosque: Built in 1808 with a donation from merchant Musa Apanaev. It served as the religious center for the Novaya Tatarskaya Sloboda area of Kazan. Today, it houses the Kazan Higher Madrasa.
Kazan Blue Mosque: Built between 1815 and 1819 with funds from merchant Akhmet Aitov-Zamanov. The architect was Alexander Schmidt. This was once the poorest mosque district in the old Tatar community. A wooden mosque was built here as early as 1778. In 1815, the original wooden mosque was moved to another village, and the current brick mosque in the classicism style was built in its place.
Kazan Nurulla Mosque: Built between 1845 and 1849 with donations from merchant Ğ. M. Yunısov. It features a minaret in the ancient Volga Bulgar style and a Middle Eastern style dome. At the time, the mosque was mainly used by Tatar merchants visiting the Sennoy Bazaar, which was the trade hub of Kazan's old Tatar community in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Kazan Sultan Mosque: Built in 1868 with a donation from Tatar merchant Zigansha Usmanov. After Ivan the Terrible conquered Kazan in 1552, this area remained a Tatar settlement. However, it was gradually surrounded by Russian neighborhoods, and churches began to be built right next to the mosque. In the 19th century, Tatar merchant Zigansha Usmanov decided to build a mosque here that looked better than the church next door. The mosque was finished in 1868. People named it the Zigansha Mosque or Usmanov Mosque in his honor.
Kazan Bornay Mosque: In 1799, Tatar merchant Salikh Mustafin built a wooden mosque here. It was originally for students of the Apanaev Madrasa, but local residents started using it later. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by fire. In 1872, Tatar merchant Mukhametsadyk Burnayev donated money to build the current brick mosque on the site of the burned wooden one. It is named after him. The mosque features a national romantic eclectic style, blending Russian and Tatar architectural decorations. In 1895, shortly before Burnayev passed away, architects Fyodor Malinovsky and Lev Khrshonovich designed and built a magnificent minaret.
Kazan Azimov Mosque: Built between 1887 and 1890 with donations from Tatar merchant Mortaza Äcimev. It was built in a national romantic eclectic style and is known as the most beautiful mosque in Kazan. The mosque is located in a place called Pleten (wicker fence), between the old and new Tatar neighborhoods.
Kazan Zakabannaya Mosque: Also called the "Mosque of the 1000th Anniversary of Conversion," it was built between 1924 and 1926 to mark the 1000th anniversary of the Volga Bulgars' conversion in 922 AD. Stalin personally approved its construction, and it was designed by architect A. E. Pechnikov in 1914 and funded by public donations. It was the last mosque built in Kazan before Stalin ordered all mosques closed in 1930.
Bulgar Great Mosque: This is the most important architectural ruin from the Golden Horde era remaining in the ancient city of Bulgar. It was the urban center of Bulgar in the 13th and 14th centuries and features typical Golden Horde architectural style. The Great Mosque was renovated in the early 14th century, and corner towers were added in the 1440s.
Bulgar Small Minaret (bonke): Built during the late 14th-century Golden Horde period, it is similar in shape to the Great Minaret of the Great Mosque and is the only minaret in the ancient city that has survived to this day.
8 in Crimea (Russian-occupied) in August.
Bakhchisaray Great Khan Mosque: Located inside the Bakhchisaray Khan Palace. In 1532, Crimean Khan Sahib I Giray moved the capital of the Crimean Khanate to Bakhchisaray, and the Great Khan Mosque was one of the first buildings constructed in the palace. The mosque originally consisted of multiple domes, similar to the Seljuk-style mosques popular in 15th-century Ottoman Turkey. The mosque was destroyed by fire in 1736, then restored by Khan Selamet II Giray (reigned 1740-1743) and changed to a tiled roof.
Bakhchisaray Small Khan Mosque: Located inside the main building of the Khan Palace, it was used by members of the Khan's family and noble ministers. Built in the 16th century, it was destroyed by fire by the Russian army in 1736 and restored in 1741 by Khan Selamet II Giray (reigned 1740-1743). The existing interior murals were created in the 17th and 18th centuries, with some painted by the Iranian architect Omer in the late 18th century. Early 16th-century murals were discovered during the 1991 restoration.
Bakhchisaray Orta Mosque: Once the Friday mosque (Jumu'ah mosque) of Bakhchisaray, it dates back to 1674. It was renovated by Khan Mengli Giray II and Selamet II Giray between 1737 and 1743, and renovated again in 1861 to its current appearance.
Bakhchisaray Ismi Khan Mosque: Built between the 17th and 18th centuries, its architectural decoration is strongly influenced by the European Baroque style. The upper circular openings are decorated with wooden Seal of Solomon (Suleiman) rings. The mosque was used as a warehouse for a long time. There were plans for restoration in the early 21st century, but they have not been implemented yet.
Bakhchisaray Molla Mustafa Friday Mosque: Dates back to the 17th century. An 1890 document mentions this mosque, stating that the local community added a roof to it in 1888.
Tahtali Mosque in Bakhchysarai: Built in 1707 by Khan Sultan Beck, the son-in-law of the Crimean Khan Selim I Giray. Tahtali means wooden in the Crimean Tatar language. The mosque was originally built with wooden planks, but later enclosed with brick and stone, and the roof was covered with clay tiles.
Minbar pulpit of the Malik Ashtar Shrine Mosque in Bakhchysarai: Built during the Crimean Khanate era, the mosque was destroyed in 1955, but the pulpit was saved. This was once a center for Sufi practitioners on the Crimean Peninsula, where they performed whirling dances and other spiritual practices.
Jani Beg Khan Mosque in Bakhchysarai: Located west of the Jewish fortress, it was built during the reign of Jani Beg (reigned 1342-1357), a khan of the Golden Horde, in 1346. In 1455, the founding khan of the Crimean Khanate, Hacı Giray, rebuilt it. A stone inscription marking the reconstruction was once carved above the mosque gate and was discovered during an archaeological dig in 1928. After the mid-17th century, the mosque was abandoned when all Crimean Tatar Muslims moved from the Jewish fortress to Bakhchysarai. Only ruined walls, a mihrab prayer niche, and some stone carvings remain. The existing ruins suggest it was a fairly typical example of traditional Crimean architecture.
Two mosques in Iran in September.
Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine in Rey: This shrine houses the tomb of Shah Abdol-Azim, a fifth-generation descendant of Hasan, the eldest son of Imam Ali. Shah Abdol-Azim was a companion of Muhammad al-Taqi, the ninth of the twelve Shia Imams. He came to the city of Rey for refuge in the 9th century and died there in 866. Majd al-Mulk, a vizier of the Seljuk Empire, ordered the construction of the shrine complex in the 1090s. Later, Tahmasp I (reigned 1524-1576), the second ruler of the Safavid dynasty, expanded it. During the Qajar dynasty in the 19th century, it was gilded and decorated with mirrors.
Imamzadeh Saleh Shrine in Tehran: This houses the tomb of Saleh, the son of Musa al-Kadhim, the seventh of the twelve Shia Imams. Parts of the building date back to the late Safavid dynasty through the Afsharid dynasty in the 18th century.
Two mosques in Malaysia in October.
Aceh Street Mosque in Penang: In 1791, Tengku Syed Hussain Al-Aidid, an Aceh pepper merchant and nobleman of Arab descent, immigrated to Penang from Aceh and built the first mosque in Penang near what is now Aceh Street. Merchants from the Malay Archipelago, India, and Arabia later frequented it. In 1808, Tengku Syed Hussain donated money and land to build the mosque.
Kapitan Keling Mosque in Penang: Built in 1801 by Indian Muslims in Penang, it is located in the heart of the Chulias Indian community in George Town, Penang.
Five mosques in India in October.
Mecca Mosque (Mecca Masjid) in Hyderabad: Commissioned by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (reigned 1580-1611), the fifth sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty. He had bricks made from soil brought back from the holy city of Mecca to build the arches, which is how it got its name. The three arched outer walls of the mosque were carved from a single piece of granite, and the quarrying alone took five years. More than 8,000 workers built the entire mosque, and the Sultan himself laid the foundation.
Paigah Tombs in Hyderabad: The Paigah family was the most powerful family in the Asaf Jahi dynasty after the Nizam, and they were the only family in Hyderabad besides the Nizam to own palaces. The 18th and 19th-century tombs of the Paigah family are famous for their exquisite plaster and marble carvings. At the far northwest end of the tombs is the mosque used for visiting graves.
Taramati Mosque in Hyderabad: Located next to the palace area of Golconda Fort and built in 1518, it was used by the Sultan's court and nobles. This mosque has a typical Deccan architectural style, with small lotus-supported onion domes on the balcony roofs.
Zanana Mosque in Hyderabad: Located behind the tall walls of Golconda Fort, the mosque preserves a mihrab and a courtyard.
Ibrahim Mosque in Hyderabad: Located on the north side of the Golconda Fort hilltop, it was built by Sultan Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah (reigned 1550-1580). It is small in size, and the double-layered balconies on the two minarets and the onion domes sitting on lotus pedestals are typical of the Deccan architectural style.
Five mosques in Shaanxi in November.
Huajue Lane Great Mosque: Also known as the "East Great Mosque," it was rebuilt during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1398) and renovated multiple times during the Jiajing and Wanli periods of the Ming Dynasty and the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. The mosque is divided into four courtyards. From east to west along the central axis, there is a screen wall, a wooden archway, a five-bay building, a stone archway, the Imperial Decree Hall, the Shengxin Tower, the Lian-san Gate, the Phoenix Pavilion, the moon platform, and the main prayer hall.
Daxuexi Lane Mosque: Also known as the "West Great Mosque," it was rebuilt in 1384 (the 17th year of the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty) by Minister of War Tie Xuan, who was granted the name of the mosque by imperial decree. It was renovated in 1413 (the 11th year of the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty) and twice more during the Kangxi and Guangxu periods of the Qing Dynasty.
Xiaopiyuan Mosque: Also known as the "North Great Mosque," it was renovated in 1611 (the 39th year of the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty) and is divided into four courtyards. Passing through the "Second Gate" and the "Lian-san Gate" into the second and third courtyards, you can reach the bluestone imperial path covered by a stone-carved shade canopy.
Dapiyuan Mosque: Built in 1411 (the 9th year of the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty) and renovated in 1781 (the 46th year of the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty).
Xiaoxuexi Lane Yingli Mosque: Built in 1774 (the 39th year of the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty), it is the last one established among the "seven mosques and thirteen neighborhoods" of the Hui Muslim quarter during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and it is said to have been built by Muslim officers and soldiers.
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Summary: This 2019 travel record brings together visits to 64 historic mosques and Muslim cultural sites. It preserves the original route, mosque names, images, and local details while turning the account into clear English for global readers.
If my ten-year journey of visiting mosques has two stages, 2019 was the peak of the first stage. That is why I felt so lost when I could not travel in 2020.
By 2019, I had learned how to use my holidays to visit mosques abroad. I would research a lot of information, pick the mosques worth seeing, and use map websites to plan my route to visit as many as possible in the limited time I had.
During the 2019 Spring Festival, I took a long trip and visited 14 mosques in the three ancient cities of Bukhara, Samarkand, and Shahrisabz in Uzbekistan, with the most in the ancient city of Bukhara. In March, I used a weekend to travel to Chengdu and visited 6 mosques. During the Qingming Festival and May Day, I went to Java, Indonesia, twice and visited 7 mosques. In August, I used my annual leave to go to Moscow, Tatarstan, and the Crimean Peninsula, where I visited 23 mosques. During the Mid-Autumn Festival in September, I went to Tehran and happened to be there for Ashura, visiting two mosques. During the October National Day holiday, I went to Penang, Malaysia, and Hyderabad in South India, visiting 7 mosques. I did not expect that India would close its travel visas shortly after. In November, I used a weekend to visit 5 mosques in the Muslim Quarter (Huifang) of Xi'an. In total, I visited 64 mosques in 2019, which was very fulfilling.
I went to Urumqi for the Spring Festival holiday in early 2020 and visited the Shaanxi Old Quarter Mosque (Shaanxi Laofangsi). I almost got stuck there and could not 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. We took our honeymoon in August and visited 18 ancient mosques across 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 "2020 Visits to 23 Mosques."
Mosques in Beijing closed in January 2021. Travel restrictions were lifted in mid-March, so I hurried to visit ancient mosques in Henan, Jiangsu, Hebei, Xinjiang, Liaoning, Shanxi, Tianjin, Qinghai, and Inner Mongolia before travel restrictions returned in July. During the National Day holiday, there were no new cases nationwide, so we went on a road trip to Yunnan to visit ancient mosques. I could not leave Beijing after the holiday ended. Even though I only had less than half a year of freedom in 2021, I visited 47 ancient mosques across 11 provinces and cities. See "Visiting 47 Ancient Mosques in 2021."
2022 was the most difficult year, as I could not leave Beijing at all. That year, I visited some former mosque ruins in Beijing and some mosques I had never been to before, totaling 25 mosques for the year. See "Visiting Twenty-Five Mosques in Beijing in 2022."
At the beginning of 2023, travel restrictions out of Beijing were lifted, and by May, international travel restrictions were also lifted. That year, I traveled extensively, visiting 124 mosques across 11 provinces, 6 countries, and three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. See "Visiting 124 Mosques in 2023."
In 2024, life gradually returned to normal, but due to job changes and spending time with my children, the number of mosques I visited decreased. That year, I went to 6 provinces and 3 countries, visiting 63 mosques. I visited Malaysia three times, seeing 24 mosques, which covers almost all the historic mosques in Malaysia. See "Visiting 63 Mosques in 2024."
14 mosques in Uzbekistan in February.
Kalyan Mosque in Bukhara: Originally built in 1121 by Arslan Khan of the Karakhanid Khanate, it was destroyed by the Mongol army in 1220, leaving only the 46-meter-tall minaret. In 1515, Ubaidullah Khan, the nephew of Shaybani Khan who founded the Shaybanid dynasty of the Bukhara Khanate, rebuilt it, and it became the main Friday mosque for the Bukhara Khanate. The architecture is similar in style to the Bibi-Khanym Mosque in Samarkand, featuring as many as 288 domes.
Khoja Zaynuddin Mosque in Bukhara: Built in the first half of the 16th century, one theory is that the Khan of the Bukhara Khanate built it to thank a minister named Khoja Zaynuddin, while another theory suggests the Sufi saint Khoja Zaynuddin is buried nearby.
Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Complex in Bukhara: An important center for the faith in Central Asia, known as the "Little Mecca" of Central Asia. It holds the tomb of Naqshband, the founder of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, who was buried there in 1389, and the Bukhara Khanate added a mosque in the 16th century.
Chor-Bakr Necropolis in Bukhara: Located next to the tombs of the Djuybar Seyyids family in the western suburbs of Bukhara, the mosque was built in 1560 by Abdullah Khan II of the Bukhara Khanate.
Khoja-Gaukushan Mosque in Bukhara: Located next to the tombs of the Djuybar Seyyids family in the western suburbs of Bukhara, the mosque was built in 1560 by Abdullah Khan II of the Bukhara Khanate. It was built in 1598 by the master of that time, Djuybar Sheikh, known as "Khoja Kalon" (the Great Khoja). The height of its minaret is second only to the Kalyan Minaret.
Fayzabad Mosque in Bukhara: Built in 1598 by the famous Sufi master Mavlono Poyand-Mukhammad Ahsi (Ahsiketi) Fayzobodi, it served as both a mosque and a Sufi lodge. Behind the mihrab niche, there are three-story rooms called khudjras, which were used as living quarters for Sufi practitioners. Sufi activities continued here until the Soviet era, but now it only functions as a mosque.
Magok-i-Kurpa Mosque in Bukhara: Built in 1637, it was originally two stories, but the first floor is almost entirely underground, which is why it is called "Magok-i" (in the pit). The mosque is rectangular and has 12 domes on the roof.
Magok-i-Attari Mosque in Bukhara: It is believed to have been built in the 9th or 10th century on the foundation of a Zoroastrian mosque. It is one of the oldest surviving mosques in Central Asia and one of the few in Bukhara that survived the Mongol era. Today, after more than a thousand years of urban development, the mosque sits 4.5 meters below ground level. The mosque was rebuilt during the Karakhanid dynasty in the 12th century, adding a southern facade with a pishtaq-style gate decorated with blue tiles, though most have fallen off now. Because the surrounding streets were much higher than the mosque, the Shaybanid dynasty of the Bukhara Khanate built a huge monumental gateway (pishtaq) on the east side between 1547 and 1548, using a set of stairs to solve the access problem.
Bukhara Namazgahi Mosque: Ordered by Arslan Khan of the Eastern Karakhanid dynasty, it was built in 1119-1120. It was originally an open-air mosque with only a 38-meter prayer wall featuring a prayer niche (mihrab) in the center. Some decorations were added during the Mongol era in the mid-13th century, and arcades were added in the 16th century (some say the 17th century). It is one of the very few mosques in Bukhara that survived the Mongol era, and the tile calligraphy on the wall is the earliest example of tile art in Bukhara.
Ark Citadel Friday Mosque (Juma Mosque): Ordered by Subhan Quli, Khan of the Bukhara Khanate, who reigned from 1680 to 1702. It has wooden canopies on three sides, supported by wooden pillars in the middle. The ceiling inside the main hall features gorgeous floral and geometric patterns.
Bukhara Bolo Hauz Mosque: Ordered by Abu al-Fayz, Khan of the Bukhara Khanate, in 1712. It is the last important mosque in Bukhara's history and the place where the Khan held various ceremonies.
Samarkand Bibi-Khanym Mosque: Known as the most magnificent mosque architecture in Central Asia in the 15th century, it was the most important mosque of the Timurid dynasty and was imitated by many later mosques. Timur ordered its construction in 1399 after conquering Delhi, India, to commemorate his wife, Khanum, the daughter of the last Chagatai Khan, Qazan Sultan. When Timur returned to Samarkand in 1404, it was nearly finished, but he felt the main dome was not grand enough and ordered it to be rebuilt. However, Timur died in 1405 while the work was still in progress. After that, the mosque began to show structural problems due to its massive size, and bricks started falling from the dome. Repairs never stopped during the Timurid period. The Bukhara Khanate stopped maintenance in the late 16th century, and it gradually fell into ruins. The arch of the main gate also collapsed in the 1897 earthquake.
Shahrisabz Kok Gumbaz Mosque: Built in 1435 by Ulugh Beg, ruler of the Timurid Empire. It is said to have been built on the foundation of an ancient Karakhanid mosque, with 40 domed corridors on both sides of the main hall.
Shahrisabz Malik Ajdar Mosque: A typical 19th-century local mosque. The central main hall is used for winter namaz, where stoves are lit to keep it warm. The pergola next to it is used for summer namaz.
6 mosques in Sichuan in March.
Chengdu Gulou Mosque: Built in the early Qing Dynasty. It was occupied by the Gulou Street Office in 1958. In 1996, because of the construction of the World Trade Center building, the main hall was moved more than 50 meters east to its current location.
Chengdu Jiu Mosque: The main hall was built in 1763 (the 28th year of the Qianlong reign). It was built under the leadership of Xu Shiyeng, a hero who pacified Taiwan, and Hu Songlin, a former commander in Yichang, Hubei. The main hall was demolished in 2020, and the relocation has not been completed yet.
Chengdu Tuqiao Lower Mosque: Built in 1724 (the second year of the Yongzheng reign), it is now used as a nursing home.
Chengdu Pixian Taihechang Zhangjia Mosque: Located at an important water and land terminal entering the Western Sichuan Plain from the Aba Tibetan and Qiang areas. Goods from the Tibetan areas were shipped from Dujiangyan to this place, unloaded, and transferred to horse-drawn carriages to Chengdu, forming a busy market town. Zhangjia Mosque was first built in 1643 (the 16th year of the Chongzhen reign) and rebuilt in 1822 (the 2nd year of the Daoguang reign).
Tangjia Mosque in Mimou Town, Chengdu: First built in 1728 (the 6th year of the Yongzheng reign), it is a beautiful ancient mosque in the Shu region and the only one currently open in Mimou Town.
Chengdu Mimou Town Chengyi Mosque ruins: Built in 1821 (the 1st year of the Daoguang reign), only the ruins of the second gate remain today, standing precariously in the wind and rain.
7 mosques in Indonesia in April and May
Demak Great Mosque in Java: Legend says it was built in 1479 by Raden Patah, the first Sultan of Demak, and Sunan Kalijaga, one of the nine saints (Wali Songo) of Javanese Islam. Sunan Ampel, one of the nine saints, served as the imam of this mosque for a long time.
Sunan Kalijaga Gongbei Mosque in Demak, Java: Sunan Kalijaga was one of the nine saints of Javanese Islam and played a major role in spreading the faith across Java. Legend says Sunan Kalijaga lived to be 100 years old and did not pass away until 1550. During his life, he witnessed the fall of the Majapahit Empire and the founding of the Demak, Cirebon, and Banten Sultanates. He eventually died in Demak and was buried southeast of the city. Later generations built a gongbei over his tomb and a mosque next to it.
Kudus Al-Aqsa Mosque in Java: Built by Kudus in 1549, it is famous for its unique traditional Javanese architectural style, which directly inherited elements from the Majapahit era. Kudus Al-Aqsa Mosque shares its name with the famous Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. People say while on his way to Hajj, Kudus helped cure a plague in a city and refused the generous gifts offered by the locals, accepting only a stone from near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. After returning to Java, Kudus used the stone to build this mosque.
Banten Great Mosque in Java: Ordered by Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin of Banten and built in 1566. The women's hall was added in the 1580s, the minaret was designed and built by the Chinese man Cek-ban-cut in 1632, and the madrasa was designed and built in the 17th century by Hendrik Lucaasz Cardeel, a Dutchman who converted to Islam. The minaret is 24 meters high with a base diameter of 10 meters, blending Mughal style with the local Javanese Hindu/Buddhist temple (candi) style.
Mataram Great Mosque in Java: This is the most important architectural relic of the Mataram Sultanate. It was first built in 1575, and the original walls and gate are still preserved. The main hall was rebuilt in the 17th century by Sultan Agung and later underwent several repairs by the Sultans of Yogyakarta and Surakarta. The current building was reconstructed after a fire in 1926 and still maintains the traditional Javanese mosque layout.
Surakarta Great Mosque in Java: Built by Sunan Pakubuwana III in 1763 and completed in 1768. It serves as both a Friday mosque and a royal mosque. Many ceremonies of the Surakarta court are held here, the most important being the Mawlid (Prophet's birthday). During the Mawlid, two sets of large gamelan instruments are moved from the Surakarta palace storage to the mosque courtyard, where traditional Javanese gamelan music is performed outside of prayer times.
Yogyakarta Great Mosque in Java: Located northwest of the Yogyakarta Palace, it was first built in 1773 and is the royal mosque of the Sultan of Yogyakarta.
15 mosques in Russia in August
Historical Mosque of the Tatar Community in Moscow: In the early 17th century, many Tatars from the Volga River and steppe regions came to Moscow for business. A Tatar community gradually formed on the opposite bank of the Kremlin. The first records of the Tatar community mosque date back to 1712. It burned down in 1812 when Napoleon left Moscow. Tatar merchants rebuilt it in 1823, and it was expanded in 1882 with the addition of a minaret.
Kazan Marjani Mosque: Built between 1766 and 1770 with permission from Catherine the Great. It was the first brick mosque built in Kazan after Russia conquered the Kazan Khanate in 1552. It is the oldest surviving mosque in Kazan and the only one that stayed open during the Soviet era.
Kazan Apanay Mosque: The second mosque approved by Catherine the Great for construction in Kazan. Merchant Apanaev funded its building between 1768 and 1771. The architectural style blends traditional Tatar design with Moscow Baroque.
Kazan Galeevskaya Mosque: Built between 1798 and 1801 with funds from merchant Musa Mamyashev. It started as an early classicism style building in the late 18th century. It was expanded twice, in 1882 and 1897, using late classicism style.
Kazan İske Taş Mosque: Also called the Giant Stone Mosque. It was built in 1802 with a donation from merchant Ğabdulla Ütämişev. Legend says this mosque stands on the burial site of Tatar soldiers who died defending Kazan in 1552. An ancient giant stone marks the grave. Alexander Schmidt rebuilt the mosque in 1830 in a classicism style. Its three-story minaret looks like the old minarets found in the Bulgar and Kasimov regions.
Kazan White Mosque: Built between 1801 and 1805. It looks similar to the İske Taş Mosque built around the same time and features a classicism style exterior. The mosque closed in 1929 and became a school and fur workshop. The minaret was torn down in the 1930s, and the east and south parts of the main hall were rebuilt.
Kazan Pink Mosque: Built in 1808 with a donation from merchant Musa Apanaev. It served as the religious center for the Novaya Tatarskaya Sloboda area of Kazan. Today, it houses the Kazan Higher Madrasa.
Kazan Blue Mosque: Built between 1815 and 1819 with funds from merchant Akhmet Aitov-Zamanov. The architect was Alexander Schmidt. This was once the poorest mosque district in the old Tatar community. A wooden mosque was built here as early as 1778. In 1815, the original wooden mosque was moved to another village, and the current brick mosque in the classicism style was built in its place.
Kazan Nurulla Mosque: Built between 1845 and 1849 with donations from merchant Ğ. M. Yunısov. It features a minaret in the ancient Volga Bulgar style and a Middle Eastern style dome. At the time, the mosque was mainly used by Tatar merchants visiting the Sennoy Bazaar, which was the trade hub of Kazan's old Tatar community in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Kazan Sultan Mosque: Built in 1868 with a donation from Tatar merchant Zigansha Usmanov. After Ivan the Terrible conquered Kazan in 1552, this area remained a Tatar settlement. However, it was gradually surrounded by Russian neighborhoods, and churches began to be built right next to the mosque. In the 19th century, Tatar merchant Zigansha Usmanov decided to build a mosque here that looked better than the church next door. The mosque was finished in 1868. People named it the Zigansha Mosque or Usmanov Mosque in his honor.
Kazan Bornay Mosque: In 1799, Tatar merchant Salikh Mustafin built a wooden mosque here. It was originally for students of the Apanaev Madrasa, but local residents started using it later. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by fire. In 1872, Tatar merchant Mukhametsadyk Burnayev donated money to build the current brick mosque on the site of the burned wooden one. It is named after him. The mosque features a national romantic eclectic style, blending Russian and Tatar architectural decorations. In 1895, shortly before Burnayev passed away, architects Fyodor Malinovsky and Lev Khrshonovich designed and built a magnificent minaret.
Kazan Azimov Mosque: Built between 1887 and 1890 with donations from Tatar merchant Mortaza Äcimev. It was built in a national romantic eclectic style and is known as the most beautiful mosque in Kazan. The mosque is located in a place called Pleten (wicker fence), between the old and new Tatar neighborhoods.
Kazan Zakabannaya Mosque: Also called the "Mosque of the 1000th Anniversary of Conversion," it was built between 1924 and 1926 to mark the 1000th anniversary of the Volga Bulgars' conversion in 922 AD. Stalin personally approved its construction, and it was designed by architect A. E. Pechnikov in 1914 and funded by public donations. It was the last mosque built in Kazan before Stalin ordered all mosques closed in 1930.
Bulgar Great Mosque: This is the most important architectural ruin from the Golden Horde era remaining in the ancient city of Bulgar. It was the urban center of Bulgar in the 13th and 14th centuries and features typical Golden Horde architectural style. The Great Mosque was renovated in the early 14th century, and corner towers were added in the 1440s.
Bulgar Small Minaret (bonke): Built during the late 14th-century Golden Horde period, it is similar in shape to the Great Minaret of the Great Mosque and is the only minaret in the ancient city that has survived to this day.
8 in Crimea (Russian-occupied) in August.
Bakhchisaray Great Khan Mosque: Located inside the Bakhchisaray Khan Palace. In 1532, Crimean Khan Sahib I Giray moved the capital of the Crimean Khanate to Bakhchisaray, and the Great Khan Mosque was one of the first buildings constructed in the palace. The mosque originally consisted of multiple domes, similar to the Seljuk-style mosques popular in 15th-century Ottoman Turkey. The mosque was destroyed by fire in 1736, then restored by Khan Selamet II Giray (reigned 1740-1743) and changed to a tiled roof.
Bakhchisaray Small Khan Mosque: Located inside the main building of the Khan Palace, it was used by members of the Khan's family and noble ministers. Built in the 16th century, it was destroyed by fire by the Russian army in 1736 and restored in 1741 by Khan Selamet II Giray (reigned 1740-1743). The existing interior murals were created in the 17th and 18th centuries, with some painted by the Iranian architect Omer in the late 18th century. Early 16th-century murals were discovered during the 1991 restoration.
Bakhchisaray Orta Mosque: Once the Friday mosque (Jumu'ah mosque) of Bakhchisaray, it dates back to 1674. It was renovated by Khan Mengli Giray II and Selamet II Giray between 1737 and 1743, and renovated again in 1861 to its current appearance.
Bakhchisaray Ismi Khan Mosque: Built between the 17th and 18th centuries, its architectural decoration is strongly influenced by the European Baroque style. The upper circular openings are decorated with wooden Seal of Solomon (Suleiman) rings. The mosque was used as a warehouse for a long time. There were plans for restoration in the early 21st century, but they have not been implemented yet.
Bakhchisaray Molla Mustafa Friday Mosque: Dates back to the 17th century. An 1890 document mentions this mosque, stating that the local community added a roof to it in 1888.
Tahtali Mosque in Bakhchysarai: Built in 1707 by Khan Sultan Beck, the son-in-law of the Crimean Khan Selim I Giray. Tahtali means wooden in the Crimean Tatar language. The mosque was originally built with wooden planks, but later enclosed with brick and stone, and the roof was covered with clay tiles.
Minbar pulpit of the Malik Ashtar Shrine Mosque in Bakhchysarai: Built during the Crimean Khanate era, the mosque was destroyed in 1955, but the pulpit was saved. This was once a center for Sufi practitioners on the Crimean Peninsula, where they performed whirling dances and other spiritual practices.
Jani Beg Khan Mosque in Bakhchysarai: Located west of the Jewish fortress, it was built during the reign of Jani Beg (reigned 1342-1357), a khan of the Golden Horde, in 1346. In 1455, the founding khan of the Crimean Khanate, Hacı Giray, rebuilt it. A stone inscription marking the reconstruction was once carved above the mosque gate and was discovered during an archaeological dig in 1928. After the mid-17th century, the mosque was abandoned when all Crimean Tatar Muslims moved from the Jewish fortress to Bakhchysarai. Only ruined walls, a mihrab prayer niche, and some stone carvings remain. The existing ruins suggest it was a fairly typical example of traditional Crimean architecture.
Two mosques in Iran in September.
Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine in Rey: This shrine houses the tomb of Shah Abdol-Azim, a fifth-generation descendant of Hasan, the eldest son of Imam Ali. Shah Abdol-Azim was a companion of Muhammad al-Taqi, the ninth of the twelve Shia Imams. He came to the city of Rey for refuge in the 9th century and died there in 866. Majd al-Mulk, a vizier of the Seljuk Empire, ordered the construction of the shrine complex in the 1090s. Later, Tahmasp I (reigned 1524-1576), the second ruler of the Safavid dynasty, expanded it. During the Qajar dynasty in the 19th century, it was gilded and decorated with mirrors.
Imamzadeh Saleh Shrine in Tehran: This houses the tomb of Saleh, the son of Musa al-Kadhim, the seventh of the twelve Shia Imams. Parts of the building date back to the late Safavid dynasty through the Afsharid dynasty in the 18th century.
Two mosques in Malaysia in October.
Aceh Street Mosque in Penang: In 1791, Tengku Syed Hussain Al-Aidid, an Aceh pepper merchant and nobleman of Arab descent, immigrated to Penang from Aceh and built the first mosque in Penang near what is now Aceh Street. Merchants from the Malay Archipelago, India, and Arabia later frequented it. In 1808, Tengku Syed Hussain donated money and land to build the mosque.
Kapitan Keling Mosque in Penang: Built in 1801 by Indian Muslims in Penang, it is located in the heart of the Chulias Indian community in George Town, Penang.
Five mosques in India in October.
Mecca Mosque (Mecca Masjid) in Hyderabad: Commissioned by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (reigned 1580-1611), the fifth sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty. He had bricks made from soil brought back from the holy city of Mecca to build the arches, which is how it got its name. The three arched outer walls of the mosque were carved from a single piece of granite, and the quarrying alone took five years. More than 8,000 workers built the entire mosque, and the Sultan himself laid the foundation.
Paigah Tombs in Hyderabad: The Paigah family was the most powerful family in the Asaf Jahi dynasty after the Nizam, and they were the only family in Hyderabad besides the Nizam to own palaces. The 18th and 19th-century tombs of the Paigah family are famous for their exquisite plaster and marble carvings. At the far northwest end of the tombs is the mosque used for visiting graves.
Taramati Mosque in Hyderabad: Located next to the palace area of Golconda Fort and built in 1518, it was used by the Sultan's court and nobles. This mosque has a typical Deccan architectural style, with small lotus-supported onion domes on the balcony roofs.
Zanana Mosque in Hyderabad: Located behind the tall walls of Golconda Fort, the mosque preserves a mihrab and a courtyard.
Ibrahim Mosque in Hyderabad: Located on the north side of the Golconda Fort hilltop, it was built by Sultan Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah (reigned 1550-1580). It is small in size, and the double-layered balconies on the two minarets and the onion domes sitting on lotus pedestals are typical of the Deccan architectural style.
Five mosques in Shaanxi in November.
Huajue Lane Great Mosque: Also known as the "East Great Mosque," it was rebuilt during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1398) and renovated multiple times during the Jiajing and Wanli periods of the Ming Dynasty and the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. The mosque is divided into four courtyards. From east to west along the central axis, there is a screen wall, a wooden archway, a five-bay building, a stone archway, the Imperial Decree Hall, the Shengxin Tower, the Lian-san Gate, the Phoenix Pavilion, the moon platform, and the main prayer hall.
Daxuexi Lane Mosque: Also known as the "West Great Mosque," it was rebuilt in 1384 (the 17th year of the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty) by Minister of War Tie Xuan, who was granted the name of the mosque by imperial decree. It was renovated in 1413 (the 11th year of the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty) and twice more during the Kangxi and Guangxu periods of the Qing Dynasty.
Xiaopiyuan Mosque: Also known as the "North Great Mosque," it was renovated in 1611 (the 39th year of the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty) and is divided into four courtyards. Passing through the "Second Gate" and the "Lian-san Gate" into the second and third courtyards, you can reach the bluestone imperial path covered by a stone-carved shade canopy.
Dapiyuan Mosque: Built in 1411 (the 9th year of the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty) and renovated in 1781 (the 46th year of the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty).
Xiaoxuexi Lane Yingli Mosque: Built in 1774 (the 39th year of the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty), it is the last one established among the "seven mosques and thirteen neighborhoods" of the Hui Muslim quarter during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and it is said to have been built by Muslim officers and soldiers.
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Halal Travel Guide: 2020 Mosque Visits — 23 Historic Mosques and Muslim Heritage
Reposted from the web
Summary: This 2020 record covers 23 visits to historic mosques and Muslim heritage sites. The English version keeps the original photos, place names, and factual notes while making the article clear for readers interested in mosque travel and Islamic history.
I went to Urumqi for the Spring Festival holiday in early 2020 and visited the Shaanxi Old Quarter Mosque (Shaanxi Laofangsi). I almost got stuck there and could not 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. We took our honeymoon in August and visited 18 ancient mosques across 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.
Mosques in Beijing closed in January 2021. Travel restrictions were lifted in mid-March, so I hurried to visit ancient mosques in Henan, Jiangsu, Hebei, Xinjiang, Liaoning, Shanxi, Tianjin, Qinghai, and Inner Mongolia before travel restrictions returned in July. During the National Day holiday, there were no new cases nationwide, so we went on a road trip to Yunnan to visit ancient mosques. I could not leave Beijing after the holiday ended. Even though I only had less than half a year of freedom in 2021, I visited 47 ancient mosques across 11 provinces and cities. See "Visiting 47 Ancient Mosques in 2021."
2022 was the most difficult year, as I could not leave Beijing at all. That year, I visited some former mosque ruins in Beijing and some mosques I had never been to before, totaling 25 mosques for the year. See "Visiting Twenty-Five Mosques in Beijing in 2022."
At the beginning of 2023, travel restrictions out of Beijing were lifted, and by May, international travel restrictions were also lifted. That year, I traveled extensively, visiting 124 mosques across 11 provinces, 6 countries, and three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. See "Visiting 124 Mosques in 2023."
In 2024, life gradually returned to normal, but due to job changes and spending time with my children, the number of mosques I visited decreased. That year, I went to 6 provinces and 3 countries, visiting 63 mosques. I visited Malaysia three times, seeing 24 mosques, which covers almost all the historic mosques in Malaysia. See "Visiting 63 Mosques in 2024."
January: 1 mosque in Xinjiang.
Urumqi Shaanxi Old Quarter Mosque (Shaanxi Laofangsi): In 1808, Hui Muslims from Shaanxi built a mosque in the southern suburb of Dihua. It was the first mosque for Hui Muslims in the southern suburb, so it is called the Old Quarter Mosque. The current structure of the Old Quarter Mosque dates back to its reconstruction in 1877.
July: 1 mosque in Qinghai.
Hongshuiquan Mosque in Haidong: Located in Hongshuiquan Township, Ping'an District, Haidong City. The current structure mostly follows the style of the Qianlong era. I personally think it is the most beautiful ancient mosque in Qinghai.
13 mosques in Yunnan in August
Yongning Mosque in Kunming: Originally built under the leadership of Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din, it was first located at the 'Fish Market' on Donglai Street and destroyed by war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. It was rebuilt during the Ming Yongli era (1647–1661) and renamed Yongning Mosque. It was destroyed by war again in 1856, rebuilt in 1898, and reconstructed into its current form in 2008. However, the main prayer hall still holds the original mihrab, which is carved with exquisite calligraphy in the Yunnan style.
Jinniu Street Mosque in Kunming: Originally the only ancient mosque in downtown Kunming, it was rebuilt in 1889 and renovated in 1943 and the 1980s. It is a district-level cultural heritage site. Sadly, it was demolished in 2016 and rebuilt in 2019. Only the beautiful Yunnan-style Arabic calligraphy mihrab and two plaques were saved.
Chenggong Huihuiying Mosque in Kunming: Although it has been renovated, it still preserves a very beautiful mihrab with traditional Yunnan-style Arabic calligraphy. The calligraphy itself is truly masterful.
Qingmenkou Mosque in Weishan, Dali: Because of its relatively remote location, the minaret (xuanlilou) built in 1906 has been preserved to this day, which is very rare.
Huideng Mosque in Weishan, Dali: The front part of the main hall is a steel-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.
Shenhe Village Mosque in Weishan, Dali: The minaret was built in 1946.
Tangzi Mosque in Xundian: First built in the Ming Dynasty, it was looted and burned by bandits in 1920. Led by Imam Yu Shaoqing and other village elders, funds were raised to start rebuilding in 1923. It was completed in 1927, and the current stone arch gate was added in 1937.
Tuogu Mosque in Ludian, Zhaotong: In 1730, Anlong Town military officer Ma Xiangqian and his brothers, the scholars Ma Lincan and Ma Linchi, donated funds to build the main hall. In 1755, Imam Sai Huanzhang proposed building the minaret and side rooms, which the local community funded.
Longtoushan Mosque in Ludian, Zhaotong: Built in 1746, it follows the traditional Yunnan mosque architectural style, with a courtyard enclosed by a minaret, north and south side rooms, and the main prayer hall.
Chachong Mosque in Ludian, Zhaotong: Built in 1734, its minaret is a three-story, hexagonal, pointed-roof pavilion style, just like the one at Tuogu Mosque, though slightly smaller in size. A plaque inscribed with 'Mysterious and Great Power' (Xuanqi Daneng), presented by Sa Depin in 1906, hangs at the entrance of the main hall.
Tiejiawan Mosque in Ludian, Zhaotong: In 1731, the Tie family settled in the northeast area of the Taoyuan Basin in Ludian. In 1738, Tie Wanxuan, Tie Wanjin, and Tie Zhongxuan agreed to build the Tiejiawan Mosque on a small hill between the villages of Tiejiawan and Tiejiamen, with Tie Wanxuan serving as the imam.
Baxian Mosque in Zhaotong: First built in 1731 and rebuilt in 1779. In 1730, after Wumeng was pacified and Zhaotong's old city was in ruins, the military camp was temporarily set up at Baxian Mosque. The following year, the Zhaoyang Academy—the first academy in Zhaotong after the local chieftain system was replaced by imperial officials—was founded there. In 1898, Baxian Mosque hired the great Imam Ma Minglun as its leader, and he was elected as the chief imam for the thirty-six mosques in the Zhaoweilu (Zhaotong, Weining, Ludian) region.
Songjiashan in Zhaotong: During the early Yongzheng reign when the chieftain system was replaced, a branch of the Ma family from Xiaba in Weining followed General Ha Shengyuan, who had led troops to pacify Wumeng, to Zhaotong. They eventually settled at Baxian Sea and built the Songjiashan Mosque in 1730. Painting the ceiling of the main hall began in 1762 and was finished in 1832. It is a very precious artistic treasure within the mosque.
Five mosques in Sichuan in August.
Langzhong Mosque: Built with funds raised by Hui Muslim Bao Tianzuo in 1669 (the eighth year of the Kangxi reign) and completed in 1672 (the eleventh year of the Kangxi reign). The mosque originally covered over ten mu of land, but after the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was reduced to its current four mu because a primary school and kindergarten were separated from it.
Langzhong Boshu Mosque: Besides the ancient city of Langzhong, there is a Boshu Hui ethnic township in the mountains outside the city. In 1741, more than 100 local Hui Muslim households, mainly with the surname Pu, raised funds to build Boshu Mosque.
Wusheng Yankou Town Majia Mosque: After Hui Muslims came to settle in Wusheng in the early Qing Dynasty, they built a mosque in their original settlement of Guba Village. After the Wusheng Hui Muslims gathered in Yankou Town in the mid-Qing Dynasty, the Ma family bought a large house built by the Zhang family in 1778 (the forty-third year of the Qianlong reign). It was converted into Majia Mosque in 1819 (the twenty-fourth year of the Jiaqing reign) and reached its current size after renovations in 1828 (the eighth year of the Daoguang reign).
Wusheng Yankou Town Huangjia Mosque: After Majia Mosque opened in 1819, the Huang family of Hui Muslims also performed namaz there. In 1893, the Huang family moved the mosque from Guba Village in the northern suburbs to Shengli Street, not far north of Majia Mosque, and it has been called Huangjia Mosque ever since. In 1946, the old imam of Nanchong Mosque, Huang Xianjian, opened the Wusheng Ethnic Primary School at Huangjia Mosque, and it was used as a school building for a long time afterward. After the ethnic primary school moved, Huangjia Mosque gradually fell into disrepair.
Guangyuan Shanghe Street Mosque: Located in a busy downtown area by the Jialing River, it was first built in 1721 and expanded in 1777. No historical buildings remain, but there are nine precious plaques from the Qing Dynasty and the Republican era. In the 1960s and 1970s, these nine plaques were covered with layers of paper and painted with red lacquer to display the "highest instructions" regarding ethnic unity, which is how they survived.
Three mosques in Shaanxi in October.
Ankang Shuhe Mosque: Built on a steep cliff behind the ancient town, it connects to the street below via a hundred-step staircase. It was first built during the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty and expanded in 1915. It features a "cat-arched back" (mao gongbei) fire-blocking wall, which is very unique among traditional Chinese temples.
Hanzhong Xixiang South Mosque: First built in the Ming Dynasty, it was closed and occupied after the 1958 religious reforms, returned in 1986, and officially reopened in 2001. The main prayer hall was rebuilt in 1997, but the main gate and the south wing are still original. Outside the gate, there is a wooden archway for "Mosque Lane" (Qingzhensi Xiang) built during the Xianfeng reign.
Hanzhong Xixiang North Mosque: Originally named Jingning Mosque, it was built in 1614 by Hui Muslims who moved to Xixiang from Jingning Prefecture (modern-day Pingliang, Gansu). The North Mosque was expanded in 1723, destroyed by war, rebuilt in 1816, renovated several times later, and the north wing was rebuilt in 2009.
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Summary: This 2020 record covers 23 visits to historic mosques and Muslim heritage sites. The English version keeps the original photos, place names, and factual notes while making the article clear for readers interested in mosque travel and Islamic history.
I went to Urumqi for the Spring Festival holiday in early 2020 and visited the Shaanxi Old Quarter Mosque (Shaanxi Laofangsi). I almost got stuck there and could not 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. We took our honeymoon in August and visited 18 ancient mosques across 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.
Mosques in Beijing closed in January 2021. Travel restrictions were lifted in mid-March, so I hurried to visit ancient mosques in Henan, Jiangsu, Hebei, Xinjiang, Liaoning, Shanxi, Tianjin, Qinghai, and Inner Mongolia before travel restrictions returned in July. During the National Day holiday, there were no new cases nationwide, so we went on a road trip to Yunnan to visit ancient mosques. I could not leave Beijing after the holiday ended. Even though I only had less than half a year of freedom in 2021, I visited 47 ancient mosques across 11 provinces and cities. See "Visiting 47 Ancient Mosques in 2021."
2022 was the most difficult year, as I could not leave Beijing at all. That year, I visited some former mosque ruins in Beijing and some mosques I had never been to before, totaling 25 mosques for the year. See "Visiting Twenty-Five Mosques in Beijing in 2022."
At the beginning of 2023, travel restrictions out of Beijing were lifted, and by May, international travel restrictions were also lifted. That year, I traveled extensively, visiting 124 mosques across 11 provinces, 6 countries, and three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. See "Visiting 124 Mosques in 2023."
In 2024, life gradually returned to normal, but due to job changes and spending time with my children, the number of mosques I visited decreased. That year, I went to 6 provinces and 3 countries, visiting 63 mosques. I visited Malaysia three times, seeing 24 mosques, which covers almost all the historic mosques in Malaysia. See "Visiting 63 Mosques in 2024."
January: 1 mosque in Xinjiang.
Urumqi Shaanxi Old Quarter Mosque (Shaanxi Laofangsi): In 1808, Hui Muslims from Shaanxi built a mosque in the southern suburb of Dihua. It was the first mosque for Hui Muslims in the southern suburb, so it is called the Old Quarter Mosque. The current structure of the Old Quarter Mosque dates back to its reconstruction in 1877.
July: 1 mosque in Qinghai.
Hongshuiquan Mosque in Haidong: Located in Hongshuiquan Township, Ping'an District, Haidong City. The current structure mostly follows the style of the Qianlong era. I personally think it is the most beautiful ancient mosque in Qinghai.
13 mosques in Yunnan in August
Yongning Mosque in Kunming: Originally built under the leadership of Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din, it was first located at the 'Fish Market' on Donglai Street and destroyed by war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. It was rebuilt during the Ming Yongli era (1647–1661) and renamed Yongning Mosque. It was destroyed by war again in 1856, rebuilt in 1898, and reconstructed into its current form in 2008. However, the main prayer hall still holds the original mihrab, which is carved with exquisite calligraphy in the Yunnan style.
Jinniu Street Mosque in Kunming: Originally the only ancient mosque in downtown Kunming, it was rebuilt in 1889 and renovated in 1943 and the 1980s. It is a district-level cultural heritage site. Sadly, it was demolished in 2016 and rebuilt in 2019. Only the beautiful Yunnan-style Arabic calligraphy mihrab and two plaques were saved.
Chenggong Huihuiying Mosque in Kunming: Although it has been renovated, it still preserves a very beautiful mihrab with traditional Yunnan-style Arabic calligraphy. The calligraphy itself is truly masterful.
Qingmenkou Mosque in Weishan, Dali: Because of its relatively remote location, the minaret (xuanlilou) built in 1906 has been preserved to this day, which is very rare.
Huideng Mosque in Weishan, Dali: The front part of the main hall is a steel-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.
Shenhe Village Mosque in Weishan, Dali: The minaret was built in 1946.
Tangzi Mosque in Xundian: First built in the Ming Dynasty, it was looted and burned by bandits in 1920. Led by Imam Yu Shaoqing and other village elders, funds were raised to start rebuilding in 1923. It was completed in 1927, and the current stone arch gate was added in 1937.
Tuogu Mosque in Ludian, Zhaotong: In 1730, Anlong Town military officer Ma Xiangqian and his brothers, the scholars Ma Lincan and Ma Linchi, donated funds to build the main hall. In 1755, Imam Sai Huanzhang proposed building the minaret and side rooms, which the local community funded.
Longtoushan Mosque in Ludian, Zhaotong: Built in 1746, it follows the traditional Yunnan mosque architectural style, with a courtyard enclosed by a minaret, north and south side rooms, and the main prayer hall.
Chachong Mosque in Ludian, Zhaotong: Built in 1734, its minaret is a three-story, hexagonal, pointed-roof pavilion style, just like the one at Tuogu Mosque, though slightly smaller in size. A plaque inscribed with 'Mysterious and Great Power' (Xuanqi Daneng), presented by Sa Depin in 1906, hangs at the entrance of the main hall.
Tiejiawan Mosque in Ludian, Zhaotong: In 1731, the Tie family settled in the northeast area of the Taoyuan Basin in Ludian. In 1738, Tie Wanxuan, Tie Wanjin, and Tie Zhongxuan agreed to build the Tiejiawan Mosque on a small hill between the villages of Tiejiawan and Tiejiamen, with Tie Wanxuan serving as the imam.
Baxian Mosque in Zhaotong: First built in 1731 and rebuilt in 1779. In 1730, after Wumeng was pacified and Zhaotong's old city was in ruins, the military camp was temporarily set up at Baxian Mosque. The following year, the Zhaoyang Academy—the first academy in Zhaotong after the local chieftain system was replaced by imperial officials—was founded there. In 1898, Baxian Mosque hired the great Imam Ma Minglun as its leader, and he was elected as the chief imam for the thirty-six mosques in the Zhaoweilu (Zhaotong, Weining, Ludian) region.
Songjiashan in Zhaotong: During the early Yongzheng reign when the chieftain system was replaced, a branch of the Ma family from Xiaba in Weining followed General Ha Shengyuan, who had led troops to pacify Wumeng, to Zhaotong. They eventually settled at Baxian Sea and built the Songjiashan Mosque in 1730. Painting the ceiling of the main hall began in 1762 and was finished in 1832. It is a very precious artistic treasure within the mosque.
Five mosques in Sichuan in August.
Langzhong Mosque: Built with funds raised by Hui Muslim Bao Tianzuo in 1669 (the eighth year of the Kangxi reign) and completed in 1672 (the eleventh year of the Kangxi reign). The mosque originally covered over ten mu of land, but after the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was reduced to its current four mu because a primary school and kindergarten were separated from it.
Langzhong Boshu Mosque: Besides the ancient city of Langzhong, there is a Boshu Hui ethnic township in the mountains outside the city. In 1741, more than 100 local Hui Muslim households, mainly with the surname Pu, raised funds to build Boshu Mosque.
Wusheng Yankou Town Majia Mosque: After Hui Muslims came to settle in Wusheng in the early Qing Dynasty, they built a mosque in their original settlement of Guba Village. After the Wusheng Hui Muslims gathered in Yankou Town in the mid-Qing Dynasty, the Ma family bought a large house built by the Zhang family in 1778 (the forty-third year of the Qianlong reign). It was converted into Majia Mosque in 1819 (the twenty-fourth year of the Jiaqing reign) and reached its current size after renovations in 1828 (the eighth year of the Daoguang reign).
Wusheng Yankou Town Huangjia Mosque: After Majia Mosque opened in 1819, the Huang family of Hui Muslims also performed namaz there. In 1893, the Huang family moved the mosque from Guba Village in the northern suburbs to Shengli Street, not far north of Majia Mosque, and it has been called Huangjia Mosque ever since. In 1946, the old imam of Nanchong Mosque, Huang Xianjian, opened the Wusheng Ethnic Primary School at Huangjia Mosque, and it was used as a school building for a long time afterward. After the ethnic primary school moved, Huangjia Mosque gradually fell into disrepair.
Guangyuan Shanghe Street Mosque: Located in a busy downtown area by the Jialing River, it was first built in 1721 and expanded in 1777. No historical buildings remain, but there are nine precious plaques from the Qing Dynasty and the Republican era. In the 1960s and 1970s, these nine plaques were covered with layers of paper and painted with red lacquer to display the "highest instructions" regarding ethnic unity, which is how they survived.
Three mosques in Shaanxi in October.
Ankang Shuhe Mosque: Built on a steep cliff behind the ancient town, it connects to the street below via a hundred-step staircase. It was first built during the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty and expanded in 1915. It features a "cat-arched back" (mao gongbei) fire-blocking wall, which is very unique among traditional Chinese temples.
Hanzhong Xixiang South Mosque: First built in the Ming Dynasty, it was closed and occupied after the 1958 religious reforms, returned in 1986, and officially reopened in 2001. The main prayer hall was rebuilt in 1997, but the main gate and the south wing are still original. Outside the gate, there is a wooden archway for "Mosque Lane" (Qingzhensi Xiang) built during the Xianfeng reign.
Hanzhong Xixiang North Mosque: Originally named Jingning Mosque, it was built in 1614 by Hui Muslims who moved to Xixiang from Jingning Prefecture (modern-day Pingliang, Gansu). The North Mosque was expanded in 1723, destroyed by war, rebuilt in 1816, renovated several times later, and the north wing was rebuilt in 2009.
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Halal Travel Guide: 2021 Mosque Visits — 47 Historic Mosques and Muslim Heritage
Reposted from the web
Summary: This 2021 travel record follows visits to 47 historic mosques and Muslim community sites. The English article keeps the source order, captions, images, names, and cultural details while presenting the journey as a readable long-form travel account.
2021 was a very difficult year for visiting mosques. By January, mosques in downtown Beijing were already closed. I attended Jumu'ah prayer once in Tongzhou, and then all the mosques in the city closed. In mid-March, my workplace lifted travel restrictions. I hurried to visit 6 mosques in Henan, 5 in Jiangsu, and 5 in Hebei before Ramadan began. During the May Day holiday, I visited 3 mosques in Turpan. After Eid al-Fitr, I kept moving quickly. In May, I visited 1 mosque in Hebei, 4 in Liaoning, 1 in Shanxi, and 1 in Tianjin. In June, I visited 8 in Qinghai and 2 in Inner Mongolia. In July, I visited 2 in Hebei before travel restrictions out of Beijing returned. During the National Day holiday, there were no new cases nationwide, so we went on a road trip to Yunnan and visited 8 mosques. After the holiday, new cases appeared, and I could not leave Beijing again.
So, in 2021, with less than half a year of actual freedom, I visited 47 mosques across 11 provinces and cities.
2022 was the most difficult year, as I could not leave Beijing at all. That year, I visited some former mosque ruins in Beijing and some mosques I had never been to before, totaling 25 mosques for the year. See "Visiting Twenty-Five Mosques in Beijing in 2022."
At the beginning of 2023, travel restrictions out of Beijing were lifted, and by May, international travel restrictions were also lifted. That year, I traveled extensively, visiting 124 mosques across 11 provinces, 6 countries, and three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. See "Visiting 124 Mosques in 2023."
In 2024, life gradually returned to normal, but due to job changes and spending time with my children, the number of mosques I visited decreased. That year, I went to 6 provinces and 3 countries, visiting 63 mosques. I visited Malaysia three times, seeing 24 mosques, which covers almost all the historic mosques in Malaysia. See "Visiting 63 Mosques in 2024."
One mosque in Beijing in January.
Tongzhou Grand Mosque: Tongzhou Mosque and Dongsi Mosque are the only two mosques in Beijing that use corbelled brickwork to build their kiln-style prayer hall domes. After the Qing Dynasty, all kiln-style domes were changed to wooden pavilion-style structures.
6 mosques in Henan in March
Zhengzhou North Mosque: Located on North Street in the old city of Zhengzhou, it is said to have been built in the Ming Dynasty. It has a typical Central Plains architectural style and is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level. The main gate was built in 1725 (the third year of the Yongzheng reign). The moon-sighting tower (wangyuelou) also serves as a minaret (bangkelou). Its structure likely dates back to the Ming Dynasty, though the bracket sets (dougong) and eaves rafters were probably replaced during the Qing Dynasty. Records show it was renovated in 1887 (the 13th year of the Guangxu reign). The main prayer hall was renovated twice, in 1802 (the 7th year of the Jiaqing reign) and 1907 (the 33rd year of the Guangxu reign).
Bo'ai Xiguan Mosque: Originally built in the Yuan Dynasty, the main hall was expanded in 1405 (the 3rd year of the Ming Yongle reign). It is now a national cultural heritage site and is known as the 'First Mosque of Northern Henan'. The kiln hall (yaodian) was burned down by the Nian Army in 1863 (the 2nd year of the Tongzhi reign) and later rebuilt to its original appearance. In 1941, a rear hall was added behind the kiln hall, making the kiln hall the middle hall.
Qinyang North Mosque: It was moved to its current site in 1561 (the 40th year of the Ming Jiajing reign), destroyed by fire in 1628 (the 1st year of the Ming Chongzhen reign), and rebuilt in 1631. It is a national key cultural heritage site. The exterior of the kiln hall features a cross-ridge roof with over 70 glazed roof beasts. Under the eaves are glazed square beams (fang), brackets (gong), and hanging flower columns (chuihuazhu). The colorful design represents the highest standard for Qing Dynasty kiln hall roofs.
Bo'ai Erxian Mosque Mosque: Originally built in the Yuan Dynasty, it was renovated in 1638 (the 11th year of the Ming Chongzhen reign) and again in 1731 (the 9th year of the Qing Yongzheng reign). It is a Henan Province cultural heritage site.
Bo'ai Daxinzhuang East Mosque: Originally built in the Yuan Dynasty, it was expanded in the Ming Dynasty, and a rear hall was added during the Republic of China era. It is currently a Henan Province cultural heritage site.
Bo'ai Daxinzhuang West Mosque: Originally built during the Jiaqing reign, the main hall started with three bays. It was expanded to five bays in the late Qing Dynasty and to seven bays in the early Republic of China era. During this time, the elder Ma Anli funded the construction of a five-bay shed roof (juanpeng).
April: 5 mosques in Jiangsu.
Gaoyou Mosque: The original construction date is unknown. There is a cypress tree over 200 years old in the courtyard. In 1864 (the 3rd year of the Tongzhi reign), community elders Ma Guixing, Liu Xingtian, and Ma Hongxing rebuilt it. The current entrance has a stone carving that reads 'Rebuilt in the middle of winter, the 2nd year of the Qing Tongzhi reign'.
Gaoyou Lingtang Mosque: A mosque was built at 'Huihui Bay' by Gaoyou Lake in the late Yuan Dynasty, but it was later destroyed by floods. The mosque moved to Yangdazhuang in the mid-Ming Dynasty and to its current site in the early Qing Dynasty. It was rebuilt in 1844 (the 24th year of the Qing Daoguang reign), expanded again in 1921, and completed in 1924.
Yangzhou Xianhe Mosque: One of the four great ancient mosques in the southeast. It was founded in 1275 (the 12th year of the Yuan Zhiyuan reign) by the Western Regions sage Puhading before he passed away. It was rebuilt by Ha San in 1390 (the 23rd year of the Ming Hongwu reign), renovated by merchant Ma Zongdao and Imam Ha Ming in 1523 (the 3rd year of the Jiajing reign), and repaired again in 1791 (the 56th year of the Qianlong reign).
Yangzhou Puhading Tomb Mosque: Puhading is said to be the 16th-generation descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. He came to Yangzhou during the Song Xianchun period (1265-1274), passed away in 1275 (the 12th year of the Yuan Zhiyuan reign), and was buried on a high ridge east of the New City Dongguan River. It was later called the Huihui Hall (commonly known as Baba Kiln). The mosque is located inside the tomb garden.
Zhenjiang Shanxiang Mosque: The original construction date is unknown. It was expanded during the Kangxi reign, destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion in 1853 (the 3rd year of the Xianfeng reign), rebuilt in 1873 (the 12th year of the Tongzhi reign), and expanded in 1902 (the 28th year of the Guangxu reign).
April: 5 mosques in Hebei.
Zhangjiakou Xinhua Street Mosque: Originally named Shenggou Mosque, it was built in 1863 (the 2nd year of the Tongzhi reign). It was funded by over 80 Hui Muslim families from Ningxia who came to Zhangjiakou for camel trade, so it is also called the Camel Station Mosque (tuofangsi). They mainly used camels to transport furs, silk, tea, and other goods for merchants, traveling between Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Gansu, Mongolia, and Russia.
Zhangjiakou Xiguan Mosque: Built during the Qing Yongzheng reign (1723-1735) with funds from Hui Muslim families named Xiao, Zheng, Song, and Wang, who had lived in the Xiabao area of Zhangjiakou since the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Zhangjiakou Xuanhua South Mosque: Originally built in 1403 (the 1st year of the Ming Yongle reign). In 1820 (the 25th year of the Qing Jiaqing reign), Muslims named Ding, Shan, and Yu decided to move it to Miaodi Street. At that time, the gate, plaques, and moon-sighting tower of the Ming Dynasty mosque were dismantled and moved to the new site. It was completed in 1854 (the 4th year of the Qing Xianfeng reign) and became the largest mosque in the Yanbei region.
Xuanhua North Mosque in Zhangjiakou: First built in 1722 (the 61st year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty), with the side rooms and auxiliary halls rebuilt in 1860 and 1865. Its biggest feature is that the front porch (juanpeng), main hall, and rear kiln hall (yaodian) form a cross-shaped floor plan. The overall structure is shallow and wide, which is very different from the long and deep prayer halls common in the eastern regions, but is actually more common in Xinjiang. The kiln hall is also unique, as a square, multi-story tower-style roof was added on top of the front porch.
Xuanhua Central Mosque in Zhangjiakou: Located between the North Mosque and the South Mosque, it is the smallest in scale. It was first built in 1821 (the first year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty) and was renovated in 2016.
3 mosques in Xinjiang in May
Turpan East Grand Mosque: Located inside the Hui Muslim city of Turpan, it is a mosque for Hui Muslims, first built in 1871 and renovated in 1911. Because the weather in Turpan is very hot, the mosque expanded the traditional front porch into an 'outer hall' for outdoor prayer during the summer. The outer hall has a ridged, hip-and-gable roof (xieshanding) with a beam-lifting wooden frame supported by 32 pillars. The mosque gate features authentic Shaanxi-style calligraphy brick carvings. Inside, there is a minaret similar to the Sugong Pagoda, though the top has collapsed. This type of minaret is extremely rare in Hui Muslim mosques.
Turpan West Grand Mosque: First built in 1859, it is the oldest among the Hui Muslim mosques in Turpan.
Turpan Sugong Pagoda Mosque: Also known as the 'Emin Pagoda Mosque,' it was built in 1778 by the Turpan Prince Emin Khoja and his son Suleiman. It is the tallest historical minaret building in Xinjiang. In 1772, Emin Khoja returned to his hometown of Turpan. In his later years, he spent 7,000 taels of silver and ordered his son Suleiman to build the mosque. Emin Khoja passed away in 1777 before it was finished. His son Suleiman then inherited the title of prince and completed the construction in 1778. Because a tall minaret was built inside the mosque, it is called the Sugong Pagoda Mosque.
1 mosque in Hebei in May
Chengde West Mosque: Built during the Daoguang reign, the prayer hall consists of a front porch hall, a middle hall, and a rear hall. The kiln pavilion (yaoting) is located on top of the middle hall and has a decorative finial (baoding) at the peak.
4 mosques in Liaoning in May
Lingyuan Mosque: Built during the Qianlong reign. According to the stone inscription in the mosque, a Hui Muslim doctor named Zhang Lichen and others cured the illness of a Mongol prince in the Harqin Left Banner, so the prince's mansion provided the funds for the land to build the Lingyuan Mosque.
Shenyang South Grand Mosque: First built in 1636 (the first year of the Chongde reign of the Qing Dynasty). The ancestors of the Tie family who founded it were Hui Muslim people (Huihui Semu) who came to the interior during the Mongol western expeditions. In 1662 (the first year of the Kangxi reign), Tie Kui expanded it into a grand mosque and invited the famous imam She Yuanshan from Beijing to set up a school. After Imam She's student, Tie Hongji, finished his studies, he became the leader. From then on, the imam of the South Mosque was passed down through the Tie family for 11 generations, with the last imam, Tie Zizhang, serving until 1956.
Shenyang East Mosque: First built in 1803 (the eighth year of the Jiaqing reign). In 1935, the prayer hall was rebuilt in a Western style, but the moon-watching tower (wangyuelou) retained its original Chinese style. The East Mosque was occupied in 1958, returned in 1980, and converted into the Shenyang Islamic Institute in 1988.
Kaiyuan Old City Mosque: Located inside the east gate of the old city, it was first built in 1406 (the fourth year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty) and is the oldest mosque in Northeast China. The current main hall follows the style after its 1680 (the 19th year of the Kangxi reign) reconstruction, consisting of a small front porch, a main hall, and a hexagonal pavilion-style kiln hall, similar in style to the Shenyang South Mosque.
One mosque in Shanxi in May.
Datong Mosque: First built in 1324 (the first year of the Taiding era of the Yuan Dynasty), it is one of only two recorded mosques built by imperial decree during the Yuan Dynasty. It was completely destroyed during the wars at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and was rebuilt within the Datong city walls during the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty. The prayer hall was built in 1622 and renovated in 1692. The prayer hall consists of a porch (juanpeng), a front hall, a main hall, and a rear hall (yaodian), with exquisite Qing Dynasty paintings on the porch.
One mosque in Tianjin in May.
Wuqing Yangcun North Mosque: Yangcun is located by the Grand Canal. In the early Ming Dynasty, Hui Muslim soldiers from the south brought by the Prince of Yan, along with Hui Muslim merchants and boatmen who moved from Cangzhou, settled here. The Great Mosque was officially built in 1620 (the 48th year of the Wanli era). The rear hall was destroyed by lightning in 1935 and rebuilt in 1937. It is now a cultural relic protection unit of Wuqing District and a historical building of Tianjin.
Eight mosques in Qinghai in June.
Xunhua Qingshui Hedong Mosque: This is the main mosque (haiyisi) of the Qingshui Gong of the Salar Eight Gong. It was first built in 1425 and has been renovated many times over the generations.
Xunhua Mengda Mosque: First built in 1408 (the sixth year of the Ming Yongle era) and expanded three times during the Qing Dynasty, it is the main mosque of the Mengda Gong, one of the Salar Eight Gong.
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Xunhua Tashapo Mosque: Built in 1480 (the 16th year of the Ming Chenghua era) and renovated in 1755 (the 20th year of the Qing Qianlong era).
Xunhua Labian Mosque: First built during the Qianlong era. The main hall was rebuilt in 2015, and only the minaret (xuanlilou) and the two side gate towers remain of the ancient structure.
Xunhua Zhangga Mosque: First built in 1406 (the fourth year of the Ming Yongle era) and rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty.
Xunhua Kewa Mosque: First built in 1403 (the first year of the Ming Yongle era) and expanded during the Qing Dynasty. It is the main mosque (Jumu Mosque) of the Naiman Gong of the Salar Eight Gong.
Xunhua Suzhi Mosque: First built in 1460 (the fourth year of the Ming Tianshun era) and expanded during the Qing Dynasty.
Hualong Ahetan Mosque: Although located in Hualong County north of the Yellow River, it is still a Salar mosque and belongs to the Suzhi Gong of the Salar Eight Gong, just like the Suzhi Mosque.
Two mosques in Inner Mongolia in June.
Hohhot Great Mosque: First built in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, it was expanded in 1789 (the 54th year of the Qianlong era) and again in 1923.
Ulanqab Fengzhen Longshengzhuang Mosque: First built in 1751 (the 16th year of the Qing Qianlong era). Initially, it only had three main halls. Later, as more Hui Muslims came here to do business, 13 main halls, a front gate, a second gate, side rooms, and a screen wall were added in 1831 (the 11th year of the Daoguang era), forming a three-courtyard layout.
Two mosques in Hebei in July.
Chengde Pingquan Nanjie Mosque: Hui Muslims in Pingquan gathered near Bagou South Street. The Nanjie Mosque was first built in 1647 (the fourth year of the Qing Shunzhi era) and initially only had three thatched rooms. As the number of Hui Muslims in Pingquan increased during the Qianlong era, the imam of the Pingquan Mosque, Zhang Hongye, and his son Zhang Jin went to Beijing in 1742 (the seventh year of the Qianlong era). They made a model out of straw based on the mosque outside the Qihua Gate, brought it back to Pingquan, and hired craftsmen to build the mosque.
Shanhaiguan Mosque in Qinhuangdao: Located outside the west gate of Shanhaiguan, it was built in 1381 (the 14th year of the Hongwu reign) by Hui Muslim officers and soldiers brought by Xu Da. Because of this, the Hui Muslims in Shanhaiguan have a saying: 'The mosque came first, then Shanhaiguan.'
8 mosques in Yunnan in October
Liren Mosque in Haikou, Kunming: First built in 1645 (the second year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty), it was destroyed in 1856 (the sixth year of the Xianfeng reign) and rebuilt in 1872 (the second year of the Tongzhi reign). In 1896 (the 22nd year of the Guangxu reign), a local woman known as 'Lady Yang the Third' led a fundraising effort to expand it. It was named a Kunming cultural heritage site in 2020.
Daying Mosque in Yuxi: The main gate was rebuilt in 1914, featuring beautiful decorative bracket sets (dougong), carved beams, painted pillars, and upturned eaves. The main prayer hall was expanded many times. The front hall was built in 1605 (the 33rd year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty) and finished in 1617 (the 46th year of the Wanli reign). The middle hall was expanded during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, and the back hall was added in 1985. It can hold 2,000 people in total.
Dabaiyi Mosque in Eshan, Yuxi: It was rebuilt several times during the Kangxi, Qianlong, and Tongzhi reigns. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1913, the main hall was rebuilt in 1915, and the minaret (jiaobailou) was rebuilt in 1935.
Dahui Village Mosque in Tonghai, Yuxi: First built during the Ming Dynasty, it was rebuilt in 1829 and expanded in 1946 under the leadership of the Ma family from Tonghai. Dahui Village is a famous village for the Jahriyya Sufi order (menhuan) in Yunnan.
Xinzhai Mosque in Najiaying: Built by Ma Xuecheng, a student of Ma Mingxin, the founder of the Jahriyya order. In 1781, Ma Mingxin's eldest son, Ma Shunqing, was exiled to Talang, Yunnan. Ma Xuecheng did everything he could to rescue and assist Ma Shunqing, which allowed the Jahriyya order to continue growing in Yunnan.
Guanyi Mosque in Qujiang: The Awakening Dream Pavilion (Xingmenglou) was first built in 1687 (the 26th year of the Kangxi reign). It was originally called the Awakening Heart Pavilion (Xinxinlou), but after being rebuilt in 1752 (the 17th year of the Qianlong reign), it was renamed the minaret (jiaobailou).
Jianshui Ancient City Mosque: First built during the Huangqing reign of the Yuan Dynasty, it is the oldest mosque in southern Yunnan. The current main hall was rebuilt in 1730 (the eighth year of the Yongzheng reign). The beam structure of the east hall is simple and sturdy, and it is believed to be original wood from the Yuan Dynasty.
Dazhuang Mosque in Kaiyuan: It was moved to a new site and rebuilt in 1812, then expanded during the Daoguang reign (1821-1850). It is known as the 'greatest mosque under heaven'.
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Summary: This 2021 travel record follows visits to 47 historic mosques and Muslim community sites. The English article keeps the source order, captions, images, names, and cultural details while presenting the journey as a readable long-form travel account.
2021 was a very difficult year for visiting mosques. By January, mosques in downtown Beijing were already closed. I attended Jumu'ah prayer once in Tongzhou, and then all the mosques in the city closed. In mid-March, my workplace lifted travel restrictions. I hurried to visit 6 mosques in Henan, 5 in Jiangsu, and 5 in Hebei before Ramadan began. During the May Day holiday, I visited 3 mosques in Turpan. After Eid al-Fitr, I kept moving quickly. In May, I visited 1 mosque in Hebei, 4 in Liaoning, 1 in Shanxi, and 1 in Tianjin. In June, I visited 8 in Qinghai and 2 in Inner Mongolia. In July, I visited 2 in Hebei before travel restrictions out of Beijing returned. During the National Day holiday, there were no new cases nationwide, so we went on a road trip to Yunnan and visited 8 mosques. After the holiday, new cases appeared, and I could not leave Beijing again.
So, in 2021, with less than half a year of actual freedom, I visited 47 mosques across 11 provinces and cities.
2022 was the most difficult year, as I could not leave Beijing at all. That year, I visited some former mosque ruins in Beijing and some mosques I had never been to before, totaling 25 mosques for the year. See "Visiting Twenty-Five Mosques in Beijing in 2022."
At the beginning of 2023, travel restrictions out of Beijing were lifted, and by May, international travel restrictions were also lifted. That year, I traveled extensively, visiting 124 mosques across 11 provinces, 6 countries, and three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. See "Visiting 124 Mosques in 2023."
In 2024, life gradually returned to normal, but due to job changes and spending time with my children, the number of mosques I visited decreased. That year, I went to 6 provinces and 3 countries, visiting 63 mosques. I visited Malaysia three times, seeing 24 mosques, which covers almost all the historic mosques in Malaysia. See "Visiting 63 Mosques in 2024."
One mosque in Beijing in January.
Tongzhou Grand Mosque: Tongzhou Mosque and Dongsi Mosque are the only two mosques in Beijing that use corbelled brickwork to build their kiln-style prayer hall domes. After the Qing Dynasty, all kiln-style domes were changed to wooden pavilion-style structures.
6 mosques in Henan in March
Zhengzhou North Mosque: Located on North Street in the old city of Zhengzhou, it is said to have been built in the Ming Dynasty. It has a typical Central Plains architectural style and is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level. The main gate was built in 1725 (the third year of the Yongzheng reign). The moon-sighting tower (wangyuelou) also serves as a minaret (bangkelou). Its structure likely dates back to the Ming Dynasty, though the bracket sets (dougong) and eaves rafters were probably replaced during the Qing Dynasty. Records show it was renovated in 1887 (the 13th year of the Guangxu reign). The main prayer hall was renovated twice, in 1802 (the 7th year of the Jiaqing reign) and 1907 (the 33rd year of the Guangxu reign).
Bo'ai Xiguan Mosque: Originally built in the Yuan Dynasty, the main hall was expanded in 1405 (the 3rd year of the Ming Yongle reign). It is now a national cultural heritage site and is known as the 'First Mosque of Northern Henan'. The kiln hall (yaodian) was burned down by the Nian Army in 1863 (the 2nd year of the Tongzhi reign) and later rebuilt to its original appearance. In 1941, a rear hall was added behind the kiln hall, making the kiln hall the middle hall.
Qinyang North Mosque: It was moved to its current site in 1561 (the 40th year of the Ming Jiajing reign), destroyed by fire in 1628 (the 1st year of the Ming Chongzhen reign), and rebuilt in 1631. It is a national key cultural heritage site. The exterior of the kiln hall features a cross-ridge roof with over 70 glazed roof beasts. Under the eaves are glazed square beams (fang), brackets (gong), and hanging flower columns (chuihuazhu). The colorful design represents the highest standard for Qing Dynasty kiln hall roofs.
Bo'ai Erxian Mosque Mosque: Originally built in the Yuan Dynasty, it was renovated in 1638 (the 11th year of the Ming Chongzhen reign) and again in 1731 (the 9th year of the Qing Yongzheng reign). It is a Henan Province cultural heritage site.
Bo'ai Daxinzhuang East Mosque: Originally built in the Yuan Dynasty, it was expanded in the Ming Dynasty, and a rear hall was added during the Republic of China era. It is currently a Henan Province cultural heritage site.
Bo'ai Daxinzhuang West Mosque: Originally built during the Jiaqing reign, the main hall started with three bays. It was expanded to five bays in the late Qing Dynasty and to seven bays in the early Republic of China era. During this time, the elder Ma Anli funded the construction of a five-bay shed roof (juanpeng).
April: 5 mosques in Jiangsu.
Gaoyou Mosque: The original construction date is unknown. There is a cypress tree over 200 years old in the courtyard. In 1864 (the 3rd year of the Tongzhi reign), community elders Ma Guixing, Liu Xingtian, and Ma Hongxing rebuilt it. The current entrance has a stone carving that reads 'Rebuilt in the middle of winter, the 2nd year of the Qing Tongzhi reign'.
Gaoyou Lingtang Mosque: A mosque was built at 'Huihui Bay' by Gaoyou Lake in the late Yuan Dynasty, but it was later destroyed by floods. The mosque moved to Yangdazhuang in the mid-Ming Dynasty and to its current site in the early Qing Dynasty. It was rebuilt in 1844 (the 24th year of the Qing Daoguang reign), expanded again in 1921, and completed in 1924.
Yangzhou Xianhe Mosque: One of the four great ancient mosques in the southeast. It was founded in 1275 (the 12th year of the Yuan Zhiyuan reign) by the Western Regions sage Puhading before he passed away. It was rebuilt by Ha San in 1390 (the 23rd year of the Ming Hongwu reign), renovated by merchant Ma Zongdao and Imam Ha Ming in 1523 (the 3rd year of the Jiajing reign), and repaired again in 1791 (the 56th year of the Qianlong reign).
Yangzhou Puhading Tomb Mosque: Puhading is said to be the 16th-generation descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. He came to Yangzhou during the Song Xianchun period (1265-1274), passed away in 1275 (the 12th year of the Yuan Zhiyuan reign), and was buried on a high ridge east of the New City Dongguan River. It was later called the Huihui Hall (commonly known as Baba Kiln). The mosque is located inside the tomb garden.
Zhenjiang Shanxiang Mosque: The original construction date is unknown. It was expanded during the Kangxi reign, destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion in 1853 (the 3rd year of the Xianfeng reign), rebuilt in 1873 (the 12th year of the Tongzhi reign), and expanded in 1902 (the 28th year of the Guangxu reign).
April: 5 mosques in Hebei.
Zhangjiakou Xinhua Street Mosque: Originally named Shenggou Mosque, it was built in 1863 (the 2nd year of the Tongzhi reign). It was funded by over 80 Hui Muslim families from Ningxia who came to Zhangjiakou for camel trade, so it is also called the Camel Station Mosque (tuofangsi). They mainly used camels to transport furs, silk, tea, and other goods for merchants, traveling between Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Gansu, Mongolia, and Russia.
Zhangjiakou Xiguan Mosque: Built during the Qing Yongzheng reign (1723-1735) with funds from Hui Muslim families named Xiao, Zheng, Song, and Wang, who had lived in the Xiabao area of Zhangjiakou since the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Zhangjiakou Xuanhua South Mosque: Originally built in 1403 (the 1st year of the Ming Yongle reign). In 1820 (the 25th year of the Qing Jiaqing reign), Muslims named Ding, Shan, and Yu decided to move it to Miaodi Street. At that time, the gate, plaques, and moon-sighting tower of the Ming Dynasty mosque were dismantled and moved to the new site. It was completed in 1854 (the 4th year of the Qing Xianfeng reign) and became the largest mosque in the Yanbei region.
Xuanhua North Mosque in Zhangjiakou: First built in 1722 (the 61st year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty), with the side rooms and auxiliary halls rebuilt in 1860 and 1865. Its biggest feature is that the front porch (juanpeng), main hall, and rear kiln hall (yaodian) form a cross-shaped floor plan. The overall structure is shallow and wide, which is very different from the long and deep prayer halls common in the eastern regions, but is actually more common in Xinjiang. The kiln hall is also unique, as a square, multi-story tower-style roof was added on top of the front porch.
Xuanhua Central Mosque in Zhangjiakou: Located between the North Mosque and the South Mosque, it is the smallest in scale. It was first built in 1821 (the first year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty) and was renovated in 2016.
3 mosques in Xinjiang in May
Turpan East Grand Mosque: Located inside the Hui Muslim city of Turpan, it is a mosque for Hui Muslims, first built in 1871 and renovated in 1911. Because the weather in Turpan is very hot, the mosque expanded the traditional front porch into an 'outer hall' for outdoor prayer during the summer. The outer hall has a ridged, hip-and-gable roof (xieshanding) with a beam-lifting wooden frame supported by 32 pillars. The mosque gate features authentic Shaanxi-style calligraphy brick carvings. Inside, there is a minaret similar to the Sugong Pagoda, though the top has collapsed. This type of minaret is extremely rare in Hui Muslim mosques.
Turpan West Grand Mosque: First built in 1859, it is the oldest among the Hui Muslim mosques in Turpan.
Turpan Sugong Pagoda Mosque: Also known as the 'Emin Pagoda Mosque,' it was built in 1778 by the Turpan Prince Emin Khoja and his son Suleiman. It is the tallest historical minaret building in Xinjiang. In 1772, Emin Khoja returned to his hometown of Turpan. In his later years, he spent 7,000 taels of silver and ordered his son Suleiman to build the mosque. Emin Khoja passed away in 1777 before it was finished. His son Suleiman then inherited the title of prince and completed the construction in 1778. Because a tall minaret was built inside the mosque, it is called the Sugong Pagoda Mosque.
1 mosque in Hebei in May
Chengde West Mosque: Built during the Daoguang reign, the prayer hall consists of a front porch hall, a middle hall, and a rear hall. The kiln pavilion (yaoting) is located on top of the middle hall and has a decorative finial (baoding) at the peak.
4 mosques in Liaoning in May
Lingyuan Mosque: Built during the Qianlong reign. According to the stone inscription in the mosque, a Hui Muslim doctor named Zhang Lichen and others cured the illness of a Mongol prince in the Harqin Left Banner, so the prince's mansion provided the funds for the land to build the Lingyuan Mosque.
Shenyang South Grand Mosque: First built in 1636 (the first year of the Chongde reign of the Qing Dynasty). The ancestors of the Tie family who founded it were Hui Muslim people (Huihui Semu) who came to the interior during the Mongol western expeditions. In 1662 (the first year of the Kangxi reign), Tie Kui expanded it into a grand mosque and invited the famous imam She Yuanshan from Beijing to set up a school. After Imam She's student, Tie Hongji, finished his studies, he became the leader. From then on, the imam of the South Mosque was passed down through the Tie family for 11 generations, with the last imam, Tie Zizhang, serving until 1956.
Shenyang East Mosque: First built in 1803 (the eighth year of the Jiaqing reign). In 1935, the prayer hall was rebuilt in a Western style, but the moon-watching tower (wangyuelou) retained its original Chinese style. The East Mosque was occupied in 1958, returned in 1980, and converted into the Shenyang Islamic Institute in 1988.
Kaiyuan Old City Mosque: Located inside the east gate of the old city, it was first built in 1406 (the fourth year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty) and is the oldest mosque in Northeast China. The current main hall follows the style after its 1680 (the 19th year of the Kangxi reign) reconstruction, consisting of a small front porch, a main hall, and a hexagonal pavilion-style kiln hall, similar in style to the Shenyang South Mosque.
One mosque in Shanxi in May.
Datong Mosque: First built in 1324 (the first year of the Taiding era of the Yuan Dynasty), it is one of only two recorded mosques built by imperial decree during the Yuan Dynasty. It was completely destroyed during the wars at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and was rebuilt within the Datong city walls during the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty. The prayer hall was built in 1622 and renovated in 1692. The prayer hall consists of a porch (juanpeng), a front hall, a main hall, and a rear hall (yaodian), with exquisite Qing Dynasty paintings on the porch.
One mosque in Tianjin in May.
Wuqing Yangcun North Mosque: Yangcun is located by the Grand Canal. In the early Ming Dynasty, Hui Muslim soldiers from the south brought by the Prince of Yan, along with Hui Muslim merchants and boatmen who moved from Cangzhou, settled here. The Great Mosque was officially built in 1620 (the 48th year of the Wanli era). The rear hall was destroyed by lightning in 1935 and rebuilt in 1937. It is now a cultural relic protection unit of Wuqing District and a historical building of Tianjin.
Eight mosques in Qinghai in June.
Xunhua Qingshui Hedong Mosque: This is the main mosque (haiyisi) of the Qingshui Gong of the Salar Eight Gong. It was first built in 1425 and has been renovated many times over the generations.
Xunhua Mengda Mosque: First built in 1408 (the sixth year of the Ming Yongle era) and expanded three times during the Qing Dynasty, it is the main mosque of the Mengda Gong, one of the Salar Eight Gong.
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Xunhua Tashapo Mosque: Built in 1480 (the 16th year of the Ming Chenghua era) and renovated in 1755 (the 20th year of the Qing Qianlong era).
Xunhua Labian Mosque: First built during the Qianlong era. The main hall was rebuilt in 2015, and only the minaret (xuanlilou) and the two side gate towers remain of the ancient structure.
Xunhua Zhangga Mosque: First built in 1406 (the fourth year of the Ming Yongle era) and rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty.
Xunhua Kewa Mosque: First built in 1403 (the first year of the Ming Yongle era) and expanded during the Qing Dynasty. It is the main mosque (Jumu Mosque) of the Naiman Gong of the Salar Eight Gong.
Xunhua Suzhi Mosque: First built in 1460 (the fourth year of the Ming Tianshun era) and expanded during the Qing Dynasty.
Hualong Ahetan Mosque: Although located in Hualong County north of the Yellow River, it is still a Salar mosque and belongs to the Suzhi Gong of the Salar Eight Gong, just like the Suzhi Mosque.
Two mosques in Inner Mongolia in June.
Hohhot Great Mosque: First built in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, it was expanded in 1789 (the 54th year of the Qianlong era) and again in 1923.
Ulanqab Fengzhen Longshengzhuang Mosque: First built in 1751 (the 16th year of the Qing Qianlong era). Initially, it only had three main halls. Later, as more Hui Muslims came here to do business, 13 main halls, a front gate, a second gate, side rooms, and a screen wall were added in 1831 (the 11th year of the Daoguang era), forming a three-courtyard layout.
Two mosques in Hebei in July.
Chengde Pingquan Nanjie Mosque: Hui Muslims in Pingquan gathered near Bagou South Street. The Nanjie Mosque was first built in 1647 (the fourth year of the Qing Shunzhi era) and initially only had three thatched rooms. As the number of Hui Muslims in Pingquan increased during the Qianlong era, the imam of the Pingquan Mosque, Zhang Hongye, and his son Zhang Jin went to Beijing in 1742 (the seventh year of the Qianlong era). They made a model out of straw based on the mosque outside the Qihua Gate, brought it back to Pingquan, and hired craftsmen to build the mosque.
Shanhaiguan Mosque in Qinhuangdao: Located outside the west gate of Shanhaiguan, it was built in 1381 (the 14th year of the Hongwu reign) by Hui Muslim officers and soldiers brought by Xu Da. Because of this, the Hui Muslims in Shanhaiguan have a saying: 'The mosque came first, then Shanhaiguan.'
8 mosques in Yunnan in October
Liren Mosque in Haikou, Kunming: First built in 1645 (the second year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty), it was destroyed in 1856 (the sixth year of the Xianfeng reign) and rebuilt in 1872 (the second year of the Tongzhi reign). In 1896 (the 22nd year of the Guangxu reign), a local woman known as 'Lady Yang the Third' led a fundraising effort to expand it. It was named a Kunming cultural heritage site in 2020.
Daying Mosque in Yuxi: The main gate was rebuilt in 1914, featuring beautiful decorative bracket sets (dougong), carved beams, painted pillars, and upturned eaves. The main prayer hall was expanded many times. The front hall was built in 1605 (the 33rd year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty) and finished in 1617 (the 46th year of the Wanli reign). The middle hall was expanded during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, and the back hall was added in 1985. It can hold 2,000 people in total.
Dabaiyi Mosque in Eshan, Yuxi: It was rebuilt several times during the Kangxi, Qianlong, and Tongzhi reigns. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1913, the main hall was rebuilt in 1915, and the minaret (jiaobailou) was rebuilt in 1935.
Dahui Village Mosque in Tonghai, Yuxi: First built during the Ming Dynasty, it was rebuilt in 1829 and expanded in 1946 under the leadership of the Ma family from Tonghai. Dahui Village is a famous village for the Jahriyya Sufi order (menhuan) in Yunnan.
Xinzhai Mosque in Najiaying: Built by Ma Xuecheng, a student of Ma Mingxin, the founder of the Jahriyya order. In 1781, Ma Mingxin's eldest son, Ma Shunqing, was exiled to Talang, Yunnan. Ma Xuecheng did everything he could to rescue and assist Ma Shunqing, which allowed the Jahriyya order to continue growing in Yunnan.
Guanyi Mosque in Qujiang: The Awakening Dream Pavilion (Xingmenglou) was first built in 1687 (the 26th year of the Kangxi reign). It was originally called the Awakening Heart Pavilion (Xinxinlou), but after being rebuilt in 1752 (the 17th year of the Qianlong reign), it was renamed the minaret (jiaobailou).
Jianshui Ancient City Mosque: First built during the Huangqing reign of the Yuan Dynasty, it is the oldest mosque in southern Yunnan. The current main hall was rebuilt in 1730 (the eighth year of the Yongzheng reign). The beam structure of the east hall is simple and sturdy, and it is believed to be original wood from the Yuan Dynasty.
Dazhuang Mosque in Kaiyuan: It was moved to a new site and rebuilt in 1812, then expanded during the Daoguang reign (1821-1850). It is known as the 'greatest mosque under heaven'.
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Halal Travel Guide: 2023 Mosque Visits Part 1 — 124 Historic Mosques and Hui Heritage
Reposted from the web
Summary: This first part of the 2023 mosque-visit record covers a wide journey through historic mosques, Hui Muslim communities, and local Islamic heritage. The translation keeps the original names, dates, images, and place-by-place observations while using simple natural English.
2023 was the first year travel restrictions were lifted. I took advantage of the holidays to travel across 11 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions in China, visiting 45 ancient mosques: 5 in Guangdong, 3 in Sichuan, 12 in Yunnan, 1 in Inner Mongolia, 3 in Shandong, 7 in Beijing, 5 in Hebei, 2 in Liaoning, 1 in Jilin, 5 in Heilongjiang, and 1 in Hong Kong.
I also visited 79 ancient mosques across 6 countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa: 23 in Turkey, 8 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 15 in Lebanon, 12 in Saudi Arabia, 20 in Egypt, and 7 in Thailand.
I visited a total of 124 ancient mosques throughout the year. Here, ancient mosques refer to those with historic architecture. I also visited many mosques that were renovated into modern buildings, but I did not count them in this list.
In 2024, due to work changes and spending time with my children, the number of ancient mosques I visited dropped to 63. See my post '63 Ancient Mosques Visited in 2024' for details. In 2025, I hope to balance work and family while still finding time to visit some ancient mosques. The number does not need to be high, but I hope to keep this habit going.
January: 5 mosques in Guangdong
Zhaoqing West City Mosque: First built in the early Qianlong era. In 1767, a leader named Liu Shifang led 15 Muslims to buy land and build the mosque by Longdinggang outside the west city wall of Zhaoqing. It was expanded twice during the Jiaqing and Daoguang eras and rebuilt into its current form in 1983. The original stone pillars and the stone mihrab arch from the Qing dynasty main hall were preserved.
Zhaoqing East City Mosque: Originally located on Water Street. During the Kangxi era, Fu Yunfeng from Guangzhou bought land and moved it to the Shuixiang camp. It was renovated many times during the Qianlong, Daoguang, and Republican eras. It was rebuilt with reinforced concrete in 1991. The main hall still holds a Qing dynasty mihrab, and the original Qing dynasty stone pillar bases for the main hall and the prayer hall remain outside.
Guangzhou Haopan Mosque: First built during the Ming Chenghua era and rebuilt in 1706. Starting in the Qianlong era, it opened a school for Islamic studies, and during the Tongzhi era, it opened a university for Arabic studies. It hired many famous teachers from Nanjing, Gansu, and Yunnan to train a large number of imams, playing a major role in the development of Islam in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau.
Guangzhou Huaisheng Mosque: First built in the Tang dynasty. It was hit by a fire in 1343 and rebuilt in 1350. Only the Light Tower (Guangta) survived the fire. It was rebuilt twice during the Ming Chenghua and Qing Kangxi eras, and renovated three times during the Daoguang, Xianfeng, and Tongzhi eras. The stone railings around the current main hall show Yuan and Ming dynasty styles, while the Moon-Watching Tower (Kanyuelou) with its double-eave hip-and-gable roof reflects the style after Ming and Qing renovations.
Guangzhou Xiaodongying Mosque: Built in 1468 by Hui Muslim military officials. It was renovated twice during the Qing Jiaqing and Tongzhi eras. In 1901, Hui Muslims from Guangzhou and Hong Kong raised money to start the Xiaodongying Mosque Charity School inside the mosque, with imams Yang Ruisheng and Wang Mingshan as teachers. In 1925, the Xiaodongying Mosque became the activity center for the Guangzhou Muslim Youth Association. In 1931, Chen Huanwen founded the 'Muslim' (Mumin) monthly magazine there.
January: 3 mosques in Sichuan
Xichang City Mosque: Built during the Yuan Taiding era. It was moved to its current site on Jiyang Lane in 1574 and rebuilt into its current form in 1875. It is known as the premier mosque of Xichang.
Xichang West Mosque: Also called the Mosque Outside the City by Mashui River. First built in 1801. When the 1850 Xichang earthquake caused the buildings to collapse, the local leather-working guild, the Wool Association, paid for its reconstruction. It was rebuilt into its current form in 1999.
Miyi Tianba Mosque: First built in 1702 (the 11th year of the Qing Kangxi era). It was renovated and expanded many times during the Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Daoguang eras. It is similar in style to the traditional mosques in nearby Zhaotong, Yunnan, and is very elegant, simple, and beautiful.
One mosque in Beijing in January.
Beijing Balizhuang Mosque: Between the reigns of the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors, Hui Muslims with the surnames Jing, Li, and Jin grew vegetables along the stone road outside Chaoyang Gate to supply the capital. This area gradually became known as Balizhuang outside the gate, and the mosque was first built in the early years of the Qianlong reign.
Twelve mosques in Yunnan in January.
Dali Yangbi Ancient Mosque: Legend says it was built in 1382 by Hui soldiers who stayed to garrison Yangbi in the early Ming Dynasty. It was burned and destroyed during the Tongzhi disaster. Later, it was turned into a Confucian mosque, and the main gate and minaret (jiaobailou) were dismantled to build Zhulin Mosque. Other buildings were also damaged, but the main prayer hall survived and was returned in 1994.
Dali Yangbi Shangxiang Mosque: First built in 1921. After the Tongzhi disaster, Du Fachun led his family to escape to Yangbi Lower Street. His home also served as a place for local believers to perform namaz and recite scriptures. To build a new mosque, Du Fachun and his group followed a horse caravan all the way to Yangon, Myanmar. More than 30 Yangbi overseas Chinese living there generously donated over 1,000 small silver coins (pounds sterling). In 1921, through everyone's joint efforts, they secured the Sangyuan slope land and finally completed the Shangxiang Mosque.
Dali Yangbi Shangjie Xinyingpan Mosque: First built in 1859, it was confiscated after the Tongzhi disaster and redeemed during the Guangxu reign. To raise funds for the mosque, Imam Ma Ende followed a horse caravan to Myanmar. With the help of overseas Chinese like Haji Zhao Lianhong, he raised enough donations to rebuild the Shangjie Mosque. It was destroyed by fire in 1989 and rebuilt between 1991 and 1992.
Dali Fengming Mosque: As the seat of Zhaozhou Prefecture since the Yuan Dynasty, Fengyi Town South Street has historically had an ancient mosque. The Fengyi South Street Mosque was burned down after 1872. For the next 50 years, the few remaining Hui Muslims in Fengyi could only perform their religious duties at the home of Mu Benren on West Street. Eventually, Yang Chaozhu approached the Fengyi County magistrate, purchased land, and with donations from local community leaders, the Fengming Mosque was completed in 1922. After 2001, the Chaozhen Hall was expanded, turning the original three-bay main hall into five bays, which is its current appearance.
Dali Binju Mosque: First built in the mid-Qing Dynasty, it was destroyed during the Tongzhi reign and rebuilt in 1923. The existing main hall with its hip-and-gable roof is a century old and is a typical example of Dali-style architecture.
Dali Weishan Xincun Mosque: Xincun is known as the "first Hui village at the source of the Red River." The Xincun Mosque was destroyed in 1872, rebuilt during the Guangxu reign, and the main hall was rebuilt again in 1994, maintaining the traditional architectural style of the Dali region.
Dali Weishan Chen Family Mosque: The Chen family ancestor moved here from Shaanxi and eventually settled down after several moves. The Chen Family Mosque was rebuilt in 1902 and expanded into its current form in 1987. It is set against the mountains and water with beautiful scenery.
Dali Weishan Xishulong Mosque: Rebuilt in 1902 and again in 1990 into its current structure. The main hall has a double-eave hip-and-gable roof, and there is a unique hexagonal pavilion in the center of the roof ridge.
Shangxi Lotus Mosque (Lianhua Si) in Weishan, Dali: It was destroyed in 1872 and later rebuilt and expanded many times into its current form.
Xiaxi Lotus Mosque (Lianhua Si) in Weishan, Dali: It was destroyed in 1872, rebuilt in 1925, and later rebuilt again into the current building.
Donglianhua Mosque (Lianhua Si) in Weishan, Dali: It was first built during the Qing Dynasty and expanded twice, in 1921 and 1987. The minaret (xuanlilou) was raised to four stories in 1987. The main prayer hall was expanded in 1921 into a five-bay by seven-bay structure, and in 1987 it was expanded again into a nine-bay by eleven-bay structure.
Sanjia Village Mosque in Weishan, Dali: It was originally called Saijia Village Mosque. The Sai family were descendants of Masuhu, the fifth son of Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din. They moved from Daweigeng and Xiaoweigeng villages in the mid-Ming Dynasty to establish Saijia Village. During the Tongzhi reign, over 3,500 villagers were killed. Later, three families returned to settle there, so the name was changed to Sanjia Village. The current main prayer hall of Sanjia Village Mosque was rebuilt in 1997. From the top, you can look out over the scenery of the Yongjian Basin.
February: 1 mosque in Inner Mongolia.
North Mosque (Beidasi) in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia: In 1739, an elder named Zhang Yueming from Chifeng led the effort to lease seven point six mu of land from Mongolian princes. They built five mud rooms and three main prayer hall rooms, which became the first Chifeng mosque. In 1742, an elder named Ma Fen, who had run the Desheng Security Bureau in Shenyang, paid for a foundation. The imam and elders traveled to various places to collect donations (nietie). Later, Ma Fen went to Shenyang to hire craftsmen. After four years of construction, it was finished in 1747, using red pine from the south mountains of Chifeng for all the wood.
February: 3 mosques in Shandong.
Dangxi Mosque in Jinan, Shandong: Located in Dangjiazhuang in the southern suburbs, it was first built at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. It was later burned down by the Red Turban Army and rebuilt in 1397 (the 30th year of the Hongwu reign). It was repaired many times during the Ming Wanli, Qing Xianfeng, and Republican periods, making it an important ancient mosque in Jinan.
Dangdong Mosque in Jinan, Shandong: 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). It was repaired many times during the Qing Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns and the Republican period. The records say Dangdong Village was originally Zhuguanzhuang, a place set up for refugees in the early Hongwu years of the Ming Dynasty. Local Hui Muslims originally went to Dangxi Mosque for namaz. In the early Zhengde years of the Ming Dynasty, Chen Xi, the Chief Imam of Shandong, raised funds. Fa Zongxian, a Jinan Garrison Commander, and local Hui Muslims managed the purchase of land and materials. They finally built the Zhuguanzhuang Mosque, which was later renamed Dangdong Mosque.
Small Mosque at Ma'anshan, Jinan, Shandong: To make it easier to visit graves, a small mosque was built long ago next to the Baba grave at Ma'anshan in Jinan. Due to history, the small Ma'anshan mosque has collapsed, but the original foundation and building structure are still visible. Many bricks, tiles, and other building parts are scattered on the original site.
March: 2 mosques in Beijing.
Nanxiapo Mosque in Beijing: In the early Kangxi years, a Hui Muslim named Ma who sold bows and arrows inside Chaoyang Gate received a long-overdue payment from a Mongolian customer. He donated this money to build the Nanxiapo Mosque.
Changying Mosque in Beijing: It was built during the Zhengde years of the Ming Dynasty, repaired in 1796, and underwent large-scale renovation and expansion in 2004 to reach its current form.
March: 3 mosques in Hebei.
West Mosque (Xisi) in Baoding, Hebei: It was first built in 1616. A man named Fa from Hanji Village, Fangshan, served as a military official (dusi) in the Baoding garrison of Zhili during the Wanli reign. He bought twelve mu of land at the Wei family vegetable garden. Besides building the mosque, the surrounding land was opened for fellow Muslims to build houses, which officially formed the mosque neighborhood layout in Baoding. As a famous mosque in North China, the Baoding West Mosque has a long history of religious learning and has trained many scholars (alim). The mosque once housed a training ground that produced many famous wrestling masters and martial arts teachers.
Baoding East Mosque, Hebei: During the Tongzhi reign, father and son Shi Xie and Shi Jun built a scripture room east of the Baoding West Mosque. A few years later, Imam Yan Mingpu oversaw the formal completion of the Baoding East Mosque. Although the Baoding East Mosque is not large, many well-known scholars (alim) have taught there and trained many talented students.
Baoding Women's Mosque, Hebei: Founded in 1916 by Imam Yan Fengshan of the Baoding East Mosque in a lane north of the mosque. In 1940, Imam Sha Zhijun and Mrs. Shi raised funds with the help of local elders to buy a house from Bai Yunzhang, the owner of the famous halal steamed bun (baozi) shop, to build the current women's mosque.
April: 4 mosques in Beijing
Beijing Dongsi Mosque: One of the four major official mosques in Beijing during the Ming Dynasty. It was built in 1447 with funds donated by the famous Hui Muslim military officer Chen You, and in 1450, the Jingtai Emperor officially named it the Mosque. Because of his outstanding military service, Chen You was granted the title of Earl of Wuping in 1457, a title his descendants inherited. Later, Chen's descendants often served as officers in Beijing military camps and funded the renovation of several ancient mosques, including those in Dingzhou and Yizhou, Hebei.
Beijing Dongzhimen Outer Mosque: Originally called Erlizhuang Mosque, it was first built in the Yuan Dynasty and renovated during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty. In the late 1980s, Shougang Group and a Danish company formed a joint venture to build international apartments in Erlizhuang. The ancient mosque was moved one kilometer to the northwest, rebuilt, completed in 1991, and reopened in 1993.
Beijing Deshengmen Outer Fayuan Mosque: Also known as Dewai Guanxiang Mosque, it was originally located on a slope north of the training ground outside Deshengmen. It was moved and expanded during the Kangxi reign. During the Republic of China era, the main hall was expanded again, featuring four interconnected roofs and a four-cornered pavilion.
Beijing Madian Mosque: First built during the Kangxi reign, it was renovated during the Daoguang reign with funds from 14 local sheep trading firms. It was renovated again in the 1980s and remains an important ancient mosque in Beijing. Since the Qing Dynasty, sheep transported from Mongolia through Zhangjiakou were kept in the pens of various sheep firms in Madian before being sold to mutton shops in the city.
May: 1 mosque in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Shelley Street Mosque: At the request of Indian Muslims in the British service, the colonial government leased a piece of land near the barracks in Mid-Levels, Central, to four trustees in 1850. The first stone prayer hall was built there in 1852. It was formally completed between 1870 and 1890 and rebuilt in 1915, keeping only the original minaret, and has been in use ever since.
May: 7 mosques in Thailand
Bangkok Safee Mosque: In 1856, A. T. E. Maskati, an Indian Gujarati Shia merchant, opened a textile dyeing factory in the Bangkok Royal Warehouse. At its peak, it employed over 600 Indian Shia workers. He and other Indian Shia merchants built the Safee Mosque in the warehouse area. This mosque belongs to a small branch of Ismailism called Dawoodi Bohras.
Bangkok Goowatil Islam Mosque: In the mid-19th century, some Indian Gujarati Shia merchants rented a royal warehouse. At that time, some Malay Sunni Muslim goldsmiths from Pattani in southern Thailand also lived nearby, and they built the Goowatil Islam Mosque together in 1859. After the 20th century, Indian Shia merchants began moving their shops to the busier Bangkok Chinatown, and today the Goowatil Islam Mosque is a Sunni mosque.
Ton Son Mosque in Bangkok: In the 17th century, Siam set up important trade warehouses and customs stations at the mouth of the Yai Canal in Bangkok, and stationed Cham troops nearby. In 1688, Mahmud built the first mosque in Bangkok here. The main hall was originally built of teak. It was rebuilt with bricks in the early 19th century and again in 1952 into the current steel and concrete structure, with only the original mihrab preserved.
Bang Luang Mosque in Bangkok: Built in 1785 under the direction of a merchant named Toh Yi, it is the only remaining Thai-style mosque in Thailand. Its architectural decorations are adapted from the Garuda found in Hinduism and Buddhism, but shaped to fit Islamic traditions.
Haroon Mosque in Bangkok: Toh Haroon Bafaden, an Arab-Indonesian merchant, came to Bangkok from Indonesia with his father in 1828 (some say 1837) to trade. He later married, had children, and settled down. Soon after, he built Haroon Mosque and became its first imam. It moved to its current location in 1899 due to the construction of the customs building. It was rebuilt in 1934 into the current brick and white lime structure, and the mosque preserves exquisite 19th-century Javanese Jepara teak scripture carvings.
Java Mosque in Bangkok: Built in 1906 on land owned by a Javanese-descended haji named Muhammad Salih. Although it was expanded twice in 1927 and 1975, it still maintains a typical traditional Javanese style.
Kocha Itsahak Mosque in Bangkok: Built in the late 19th century by Luang Kocha Itsahak, a royal translator for Siam who was a descendant of Malay merchants. In the 19th century, many Indians and Malays worked in the warehouses and trading companies near the Khlong Khwang pier. Luang Kocha Itsahak donated a piece of his own land and had his children dismantle the bricks and stones from his old house to build this mosque.
23 mosques in Turkey in June.
Great Mosque of Mardin: Dating back to the 10th century, it is one of the earliest mosques in the Anatolia region. The minaret (bangke ta) was built in 1176 and is a classic example of Artuqid dynasty architecture.
Abdullatif Mosque in Mardin: Originally built in 1371 by the Artuqid minister Abdullatif. The minaret was built in 1845 by Muhammad Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Mosul. The main gate still looks as it did when it was built in 1371, and it is considered the final masterpiece of the Artuqid dynasty.
Seyh Cabuk Mosque in Mardin: Believed to have been built during the Black Sheep (Qara Qoyunlu) dynasty in the 15th century and renovated in the 19th century. Legend says that Abdullah bin Anas al-Juhayni, a companion of the Prophet, was sent to Constantinople to deliver a letter. He passed away in Mardin on his way back and was buried here.
Sehidiye Mosque in Mardin: Built in 1214 by order of the Artuqid Sultan Melik Nasreddin Aslan. The current minaret was rebuilt in 1914 by the Armenian architect Serkis Lole in an eclectic style.
Dinari Pamuk Mosque in Mardin: Built in the 11th century by Sheikh Mehmet Dinari on the site of a Byzantine church. The current building dates to the Artuqid period in 1332.
Melik Mahmut Mosque in Mardin: Built in 1362.
Great Mosque of Diyarbakir: Construction began in the 7th century. The current building was ordered by Malik-Shah I, the third sultan of the Seljuk Empire, in 1092, and it has a history of over 900 years. The architectural style of the Great Mosque of Diyarbakir was deeply influenced by the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, as Sultan Malik-Shah I had overseen the restoration of the Umayyad Mosque between 1082 and 1083 and wanted to bring the prestige and glory of Damascus to Diyarbakir.
Nebi Mosque in Diyarbakir: Originally built during the White Sheep (Aq Qoyunlu) dynasty in the 15th century. The minaret tower (bangke lou) was rebuilt by Haji Hussein in 1530. It originally consisted of two main halls, belonging to the Shafi'i and Hanafi schools of thought respectively. During World War I, the Hanafi section was used as a military barracks until it collapsed in 1927. Today, only the part belonging to the Shafi'i school remains.
Hazreti Süleyman Mosque in Diyarbakir: The most important religious site in Diyarbakir. It was first built by the Inalid Beylik in 1160, expanded by order of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, and renovated between 1631 and 1633. On the west side of the main hall are the graves of Suleiman, son of the famous Arab general Khalid ibn al-Walid, and his 27 followers, who passed away in 639 when the Arab army occupied Diyarbakir.
Nasuh Pasha Mosque in Diyarbakir: Built in the early 17th century. Nasuh Pasha became the governor of Diyarbakir in 1606, later became the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman dynasty in 1611, and married the daughter of Sultan Ahmed I.
Kurşunlu Mosque in Diyarbakir: Built by Bıyıklı Mehmed Pasha, the first Ottoman governor of Diyarbakir, between 1516 and 1520. It is also the first Ottoman mosque in Diyarbakir.
Kadı Mosque in Diyarbakir: Built in 1533.
Sheikh Matar Mosque in Diyarbakir: Built by Haji Hussein in 1500 during the late White Sheep (Aq Qoyunlu) dynasty. It is named after the tomb of Sheikh Matar located next to the mosque.
Behram Pasha Mosque in Diyarbakir: Built by the Ottoman governor Behram Pasha between 1564 and 1572. It was supervised by Mimar Sinan, the greatest Ottoman architect, though it was likely commissioned to another royal architect to actually carry out the work.
Iskender Pasha Mosque in Diyarbakir: Construction began in 1551 or 1554 and was completed in 1557. It is a typical Ottoman single-dome mosque.
Ömer Şeddat Mosque in Diyarbakir: Built during the mid-12th century Inalid Beylik period, it has a history of over 800 years.
Rüstem Pasha Mosque in Istanbul: Known as the most beautiful mosque by Mimar Sinan, it was built by the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan between 1561 and 1563 for the Ottoman Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha. This was the last building commissioned by Rüstem Pasha and was not completed until after his death.
Elhac Timurtaş Mosque in Istanbul: Built in the 1460s by Timurtaş Ağa, who was a merchant there. It is one of the oldest mosques in Istanbul. It has been renovated many times throughout history, and it is now difficult to see its original form.
Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul: Commissioned by Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and built by Mimar Sinan between 1550 and 1557. It is considered Mimar Sinan's most important work and remains a landmark of Istanbul today.
Bayezid II Mosque in Istanbul: Built by the eighth Ottoman Sultan, Bayezid II, between 1501 and 1506. It is the second imperial mosque built after the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul. Because the Fatih Mosque built by Mehmed the Conqueror was destroyed by earthquakes multiple times, the Bayezid II Mosque is the oldest surviving imperial mosque in Istanbul.
Mahmut Pasha Mosque in Istanbul: Built in 1464 by Mahmut Pasha, the Grand Vizier of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. It is one of the earliest mosques built within the city of Istanbul. It still follows the architectural style of the Ottoman dynasty from the old capital of Bursa, consisting of two main domes and many small domes.
Hagia Sophia in Istanbul: Completed in 537, it was the largest church in the world at that time. In the mid-16th century, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent built two minarets. In the late 16th century, the royal architect Mimar Sinan added 24 buttresses to support the cathedral and built two new 60-meter-high minarets, giving the cathedral a four-minaret design.
Dolmabahçe Mosque in Istanbul: Built by Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid I and his mother between 1853 and 1855. After its completion, it became the royal mosque of the Ottoman Sultans. Designed by Garabet Amira Balyan of the Ottoman Armenian Balyan architect family, it blends Rococo and Empire styles. It is one of the representative works of the eclectic style that emerged under European influence following the Ottoman modernization reforms in the mid-19th century.
8 mosques in Bosnia and Herzegovina in June
Gazi Husrev Bey Mosque in Sarajevo: This is the main landmark of the Old Bazaar in Sarajevo. Built in 1530, it has served as the city's central mosque ever since. It was designed and built by Adzem Esir Ali, an Ottoman court architect from Tabriz, Persia. Important scenes from the movie 'Walter Defends Sarajevo,' well-known to Chinese audiences, were filmed here.
Muslihudin Čekrekčija Mosque in Sarajevo: Built by Hajji Mustafa in 1526, it survived many fires in Sarajevo and also survived the 1697 looting of the city by the Holy League after they defeated the Ottoman Empire.
Bascarsija Mosque in Sarajevo: Built by Havadža Durak in the early 16th century, it sits in the heart of the Old Bazaar. It originally had a wooden dome, but it was rebuilt with a stone dome after a fire in 1697.
Imperial Mosque (Careva Džamija) in Sarajevo: Construction began in 1457. It was the first mosque built after the Ottoman Empire conquered Bosnia. It was built under the direction of Isaković-Hranušić and dedicated to the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. The original mosque was a wooden structure. It was rebuilt in 1565 into the current classical Ottoman style and dedicated to the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
Magribija Mosque in Sarajevo: Built by Sheikh Magribija in the 15th century and rebuilt in 1766, it retains its 18th-century appearance and paintings.
Ali Pasha Mosque in Sarajevo: Built in 1560-1561 by the Bosnian governor Ali Pasha, this is a single-domed mosque in the classical Ottoman style with beautiful architectural proportions.
Ferhadija Mosque in Sarajevo: Built by Ferhad-beg Vuković-Desisalić in 1561-1562, it is a typical classical Ottoman building. It features a central dome over a rectangular main hall and three small domes over the front porch.
Bakrbaba Mosque archaeological site in Sarajevo: Built in 1544 by the famous Sarajevo merchant Hajji-Alija Bakrbaba, it was burned by the European Holy League in 1697. It was rebuilt in the early 18th century, demolished by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1895, and has been the subject of archaeological research since 2000.
June, Beijing: 1 mosque
Xiguanshi Mosque in Beijing: Construction began in 1494. The main hall was rebuilt in 1709 and the kiln hall (yaodian) in 1761. In 1900, Empress Dowager Cixi and the Guangxu Emperor fled the city to the west. They arrived at Xiguanshi at dusk. Cixi slept in the main hall of the mosque that night, while the Emperor and his consorts slept in the side halls. Two years later, Cixi returned to Beijing and donated silver to renovate the Xiguanshi Mosque. She also ordered glazed tiles, a treasure top (baoding), and roof ridge beasts to be fired at the Imperial Kiln in Liulihe.
June, Hebei: 1 mosque
Zhuozhou City Mosque in Hebei: A local ancestor from Zhuozhou followed the Prince of Yan on his northern campaign during the early Ming Dynasty. The old mosque was built during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, renovated in the 60th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, and the main hall was rebuilt in 2000 to reach its current appearance.
August, Liaoning: 2 mosques
Luyang Mosque in Jinzhou, Liaoning: Built in 1531, it was renovated during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty and rebuilt into its current form between 1922 and 1925. During the reconstruction, Manager Wang of the Enliyong Pastry Shop in Luyang was in charge of construction, and he invited Yang Peiran (Yuchun), who was a brigade commander in the Northeast Army at the time, to help raise funds.
Beizhen Mosque in Jinzhou, Liaoning: Built in 1522, it was expanded in 1617 and renovated again in 1798. The Beizhen Mosque was built according to the traditional northern mosque structure consisting of three parts: the front porch (juanpeng), the main hall, and the kiln hall (yaodian). However, it is very unique because the front porch and the main hall are independent and not connected.
August, Jilin: 1 mosque
Changtong Road Mosque in Changchun: Built in 1824. In 1852, elder Han Xuecheng and Gong Wanmei donated the building, and elder Shi Xuecheng donated trees to move the mosque to its current location in Tielingtun. In 1864, Imam Han Dengqing and others raised funds to expand it, building the current five-room main hall and three-story kiln hall (yaodian). In 1889, Imam Han Laixiang bought the land in front of the mosque owned by the Xu family to build a gate tower, east and west side rooms, a north lecture hall, an east reception hall, and a porch for the main hall. It was expanded several more times during the Republic of China era.
Five mosques in Heilongjiang in August.
Harbin Daowai Mosque: Also known as the East Mosque or Binjiang Mosque. It started in 1897 when Hui Muslims who came here to trade cattle bought five grass huts on the 12th South Street in Daowai. It was rebuilt in 1904. In the early 1930s, as the number of Hui Muslims in Harbin grew, Imam Ma Songting suggested building a new hall. Head teacher Bai Yusheng traveled around to collect donations (nietie), and they hired Russian designers, the Krabliov siblings, to build the current Daowai Mosque main hall in 1935.
Harbin Acheng Mosque: In 1777, 26 (some say 28) Hui Muslim households in Acheng rented eight civilian houses from Manchu bannermen to establish the first Acheng Mosque. In 1802, they bought two plots of ancestral land from Sarsei, a clerk (bithesi) of the Lingdebao cattle company in Xigangzi, and began building the formal Acheng Mosque. It took 50 years to complete, spanning the Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng reigns. A fire in Acheng in 1873 destroyed the mosque's Moon-Watching Tower (wangyuelou) and North Lecture Hall. The current building was finally completed in 1900 (the 26th year of the Guangxu reign).
Harbin Tatar Mosque: As the center of the Chinese Eastern Railway, Tatars began settling in Harbin in 1901 and built their first wooden mosque that same year. As the Tatar population grew, they rebuilt it as a brick mosque in 1906. To commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of the Volga Tatars' ancestors, the Volga Bulgars, converting to Islam in 922 AD, the Tatars in Harbin decided to build a new mosque. Construction of the new mosque began in 1923, but it stalled for a time due to political instability. In 1936, the new imam, Münir Hasibullah, traveled to every Tatar settlement in the Far East to collect donations (nietie). The Millennium Mosque was finally completed and opened on October 8, 1937.
Qiqihar Bukui West Mosque: In 1817, Ma Datian, the third-generation leader (murshid) of the Jahriyya order, was exiled to Qiqihar, Heilongjiang. Twelve households led by 'Grandpa Niu' volunteered to follow him. Ma Datian passed away while passing through the Jilin Shipyard and was honored as the 'Shipyard Grandpa.' The 12 households continued their exile to Qiqihar. After arriving in Qiqihar, these 12 households were accepted by the local Gedimu community. They built the Bukui West Mosque in 1852, which became the only Jahriyya mosque in Heilongjiang.
Qiqihar Bukui East Mosque: The first mosque in Heilongjiang. Legend says it was built in 1676 by over 40 Hui Muslim households who moved to Bukui Village from Shandong and Hebei. It was renovated many times during the Jiaqing and Guangxu reigns to reach its current size. The copper lotus-base gourd finial on the kiln-style roof was bought by Ma Wanliang in 1893 from a Tibetan Buddhist temple near Zhangjiakou.
15 mosques in Lebanon in September.
Beirut Emir Assaf Mosque: Built in the late 16th century by the Emir rulers of the Assaf dynasty. The Emir's palace and gardens were once next to the mosque.
Beirut Omari Mosque: Originally built in 635 during the reign of Caliph Umar. In 1150, the Crusaders built a Romanesque St. John's Church here. After the Mamluk dynasty captured Tripoli in 1291, it was converted into a grand mosque. The Mamluk-style gate and minaret (bangke ta) were added in 1350.
Tripoli Taynal Mosque: Built in 1336 by order of Emir Taynal, the Mamluk governor of Tripoli.
Tripoli Mu'allaq Hanging Mosque: Built in 1561 by order of the Ottoman governor of Tripoli, Mahmud Lutfi al-Za'im. The first floor is a culvert on the street, and you must climb stairs from the side to reach the main hall on the second floor.
Tripoli Mansouri Great Mosque: Built in 1294 by order of the Mamluk Sultan Al-Ashraf Khalil. It was the first building constructed by the Mamluk dynasty in Tripoli. The minaret (bangke lou) inside the mosque is likely part of the Crusader St. Mary's Church, and the gate may also contain the original Crusader church gate. The main hall was built by the Mamluk dynasty in 1294, and the courtyard colonnade was built by Mamluk Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad in 1314.
Al-Uwaysiyat Mosque in Tripoli: Built in 1461 during the Mamluk period, it was renovated in 1534 during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
Attar Mosque in Tripoli: Built in the 1350s by a local Tripoli perfume merchant named Badr al-Din al-Attar on the ruins of a Crusader church, it is also the first non-Mamluk mosque in Tripoli. The Attar Mosque is known as one of the most beautiful ancient mosques in Tripoli, but it has been closed for several years for repairs.
Tawba Mosque in Tripoli: It is believed to have been built during the Mamluk period. Because it sits right next to the riverbank, the mosque's foundation inscription was likely washed away during a flood. The inscription now at the mosque entrance says it was rebuilt after a flood in 1612.
Burtasi Mosque in Tripoli: Built by Isa ibn Umar al-Burtasi between the end of the 13th century and 1324. The minaret above the main gate is considered the most beautiful minaret in Tripoli.
Umayyad Great Mosque of Baalbek: Built in 715 by the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I, the same year as the Umayyad Great Mosque in Damascus. These two mosques are ranked as the oldest existing mosque (masjid) buildings in the world. A flood hit Baalbek in 1318, causing severe damage to the Umayyad Great Mosque. The walls and the pulpit (minbar) were washed away, but it was later restored by the Mamluk prince Najm al-Din Hassan, who ruled Baalbek at the time.
El Kikhia Mosque in Sidon: Built in 1625 by Mahmoud Ketkhuda, it is a representative work of Lebanese architecture from the Ottoman period.
El Qtaishieh Mosque in Sidon: Built in the 16th century by Sheikh Ali ibn Muhammad al-Qtaish, the mosque preserves exquisite Ottoman tiles.
Omar Great Mosque in Sidon: The most important mosque in the old city of Sidon, it dates back to the Crusader era. The Knights Hospitaller built a military fortress here in the 13th century, and in 1291, the Mamluk Sultan al-Ashraf Khalil built the Omar Great Mosque on the foundation of that fortress. In the late 19th century, the Ottoman Empire renovated the Omar Great Mosque and built the current minaret.
El-Bahr Mosque in Sidon: Built in 1373 with a donation from Hassan bin Sawa, it features Mamluk-era architectural styles, including thick walls and cross-vaults, and uses granite columns from the ancient Roman period.
El Barrane Mosque in Sidon: Built between the late 16th and early 17th centuries during the reign of the Druze Emir Fakhr al-Din II.
12 mosques in Saudi Arabia in November.
Prophet's Mosque (Masjid an-Nabawi) in Medina: Built by the Prophet Muhammad next to his home after he arrived in Medina in 622 AD. It has been expanded many times throughout history. The current central core was built during the Ottoman period, while the surrounding areas were expanded by the Saudi Kingdom after the 20th century. The pulpit (minbar) inside the Garden of Paradise (Rawdah) was rebuilt in 1590 by the Ottoman Sultan Murad III using marble.
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Summary: This first part of the 2023 mosque-visit record covers a wide journey through historic mosques, Hui Muslim communities, and local Islamic heritage. The translation keeps the original names, dates, images, and place-by-place observations while using simple natural English.
2023 was the first year travel restrictions were lifted. I took advantage of the holidays to travel across 11 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions in China, visiting 45 ancient mosques: 5 in Guangdong, 3 in Sichuan, 12 in Yunnan, 1 in Inner Mongolia, 3 in Shandong, 7 in Beijing, 5 in Hebei, 2 in Liaoning, 1 in Jilin, 5 in Heilongjiang, and 1 in Hong Kong.
I also visited 79 ancient mosques across 6 countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa: 23 in Turkey, 8 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 15 in Lebanon, 12 in Saudi Arabia, 20 in Egypt, and 7 in Thailand.
I visited a total of 124 ancient mosques throughout the year. Here, ancient mosques refer to those with historic architecture. I also visited many mosques that were renovated into modern buildings, but I did not count them in this list.
In 2024, due to work changes and spending time with my children, the number of ancient mosques I visited dropped to 63. See my post '63 Ancient Mosques Visited in 2024' for details. In 2025, I hope to balance work and family while still finding time to visit some ancient mosques. The number does not need to be high, but I hope to keep this habit going.
January: 5 mosques in Guangdong
Zhaoqing West City Mosque: First built in the early Qianlong era. In 1767, a leader named Liu Shifang led 15 Muslims to buy land and build the mosque by Longdinggang outside the west city wall of Zhaoqing. It was expanded twice during the Jiaqing and Daoguang eras and rebuilt into its current form in 1983. The original stone pillars and the stone mihrab arch from the Qing dynasty main hall were preserved.
Zhaoqing East City Mosque: Originally located on Water Street. During the Kangxi era, Fu Yunfeng from Guangzhou bought land and moved it to the Shuixiang camp. It was renovated many times during the Qianlong, Daoguang, and Republican eras. It was rebuilt with reinforced concrete in 1991. The main hall still holds a Qing dynasty mihrab, and the original Qing dynasty stone pillar bases for the main hall and the prayer hall remain outside.
Guangzhou Haopan Mosque: First built during the Ming Chenghua era and rebuilt in 1706. Starting in the Qianlong era, it opened a school for Islamic studies, and during the Tongzhi era, it opened a university for Arabic studies. It hired many famous teachers from Nanjing, Gansu, and Yunnan to train a large number of imams, playing a major role in the development of Islam in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau.
Guangzhou Huaisheng Mosque: First built in the Tang dynasty. It was hit by a fire in 1343 and rebuilt in 1350. Only the Light Tower (Guangta) survived the fire. It was rebuilt twice during the Ming Chenghua and Qing Kangxi eras, and renovated three times during the Daoguang, Xianfeng, and Tongzhi eras. The stone railings around the current main hall show Yuan and Ming dynasty styles, while the Moon-Watching Tower (Kanyuelou) with its double-eave hip-and-gable roof reflects the style after Ming and Qing renovations.
Guangzhou Xiaodongying Mosque: Built in 1468 by Hui Muslim military officials. It was renovated twice during the Qing Jiaqing and Tongzhi eras. In 1901, Hui Muslims from Guangzhou and Hong Kong raised money to start the Xiaodongying Mosque Charity School inside the mosque, with imams Yang Ruisheng and Wang Mingshan as teachers. In 1925, the Xiaodongying Mosque became the activity center for the Guangzhou Muslim Youth Association. In 1931, Chen Huanwen founded the 'Muslim' (Mumin) monthly magazine there.
January: 3 mosques in Sichuan
Xichang City Mosque: Built during the Yuan Taiding era. It was moved to its current site on Jiyang Lane in 1574 and rebuilt into its current form in 1875. It is known as the premier mosque of Xichang.
Xichang West Mosque: Also called the Mosque Outside the City by Mashui River. First built in 1801. When the 1850 Xichang earthquake caused the buildings to collapse, the local leather-working guild, the Wool Association, paid for its reconstruction. It was rebuilt into its current form in 1999.
Miyi Tianba Mosque: First built in 1702 (the 11th year of the Qing Kangxi era). It was renovated and expanded many times during the Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Daoguang eras. It is similar in style to the traditional mosques in nearby Zhaotong, Yunnan, and is very elegant, simple, and beautiful.
One mosque in Beijing in January.
Beijing Balizhuang Mosque: Between the reigns of the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors, Hui Muslims with the surnames Jing, Li, and Jin grew vegetables along the stone road outside Chaoyang Gate to supply the capital. This area gradually became known as Balizhuang outside the gate, and the mosque was first built in the early years of the Qianlong reign.
Twelve mosques in Yunnan in January.
Dali Yangbi Ancient Mosque: Legend says it was built in 1382 by Hui soldiers who stayed to garrison Yangbi in the early Ming Dynasty. It was burned and destroyed during the Tongzhi disaster. Later, it was turned into a Confucian mosque, and the main gate and minaret (jiaobailou) were dismantled to build Zhulin Mosque. Other buildings were also damaged, but the main prayer hall survived and was returned in 1994.
Dali Yangbi Shangxiang Mosque: First built in 1921. After the Tongzhi disaster, Du Fachun led his family to escape to Yangbi Lower Street. His home also served as a place for local believers to perform namaz and recite scriptures. To build a new mosque, Du Fachun and his group followed a horse caravan all the way to Yangon, Myanmar. More than 30 Yangbi overseas Chinese living there generously donated over 1,000 small silver coins (pounds sterling). In 1921, through everyone's joint efforts, they secured the Sangyuan slope land and finally completed the Shangxiang Mosque.
Dali Yangbi Shangjie Xinyingpan Mosque: First built in 1859, it was confiscated after the Tongzhi disaster and redeemed during the Guangxu reign. To raise funds for the mosque, Imam Ma Ende followed a horse caravan to Myanmar. With the help of overseas Chinese like Haji Zhao Lianhong, he raised enough donations to rebuild the Shangjie Mosque. It was destroyed by fire in 1989 and rebuilt between 1991 and 1992.
Dali Fengming Mosque: As the seat of Zhaozhou Prefecture since the Yuan Dynasty, Fengyi Town South Street has historically had an ancient mosque. The Fengyi South Street Mosque was burned down after 1872. For the next 50 years, the few remaining Hui Muslims in Fengyi could only perform their religious duties at the home of Mu Benren on West Street. Eventually, Yang Chaozhu approached the Fengyi County magistrate, purchased land, and with donations from local community leaders, the Fengming Mosque was completed in 1922. After 2001, the Chaozhen Hall was expanded, turning the original three-bay main hall into five bays, which is its current appearance.
Dali Binju Mosque: First built in the mid-Qing Dynasty, it was destroyed during the Tongzhi reign and rebuilt in 1923. The existing main hall with its hip-and-gable roof is a century old and is a typical example of Dali-style architecture.
Dali Weishan Xincun Mosque: Xincun is known as the "first Hui village at the source of the Red River." The Xincun Mosque was destroyed in 1872, rebuilt during the Guangxu reign, and the main hall was rebuilt again in 1994, maintaining the traditional architectural style of the Dali region.
Dali Weishan Chen Family Mosque: The Chen family ancestor moved here from Shaanxi and eventually settled down after several moves. The Chen Family Mosque was rebuilt in 1902 and expanded into its current form in 1987. It is set against the mountains and water with beautiful scenery.
Dali Weishan Xishulong Mosque: Rebuilt in 1902 and again in 1990 into its current structure. The main hall has a double-eave hip-and-gable roof, and there is a unique hexagonal pavilion in the center of the roof ridge.
Shangxi Lotus Mosque (Lianhua Si) in Weishan, Dali: It was destroyed in 1872 and later rebuilt and expanded many times into its current form.
Xiaxi Lotus Mosque (Lianhua Si) in Weishan, Dali: It was destroyed in 1872, rebuilt in 1925, and later rebuilt again into the current building.
Donglianhua Mosque (Lianhua Si) in Weishan, Dali: It was first built during the Qing Dynasty and expanded twice, in 1921 and 1987. The minaret (xuanlilou) was raised to four stories in 1987. The main prayer hall was expanded in 1921 into a five-bay by seven-bay structure, and in 1987 it was expanded again into a nine-bay by eleven-bay structure.
Sanjia Village Mosque in Weishan, Dali: It was originally called Saijia Village Mosque. The Sai family were descendants of Masuhu, the fifth son of Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din. They moved from Daweigeng and Xiaoweigeng villages in the mid-Ming Dynasty to establish Saijia Village. During the Tongzhi reign, over 3,500 villagers were killed. Later, three families returned to settle there, so the name was changed to Sanjia Village. The current main prayer hall of Sanjia Village Mosque was rebuilt in 1997. From the top, you can look out over the scenery of the Yongjian Basin.
February: 1 mosque in Inner Mongolia.
North Mosque (Beidasi) in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia: In 1739, an elder named Zhang Yueming from Chifeng led the effort to lease seven point six mu of land from Mongolian princes. They built five mud rooms and three main prayer hall rooms, which became the first Chifeng mosque. In 1742, an elder named Ma Fen, who had run the Desheng Security Bureau in Shenyang, paid for a foundation. The imam and elders traveled to various places to collect donations (nietie). Later, Ma Fen went to Shenyang to hire craftsmen. After four years of construction, it was finished in 1747, using red pine from the south mountains of Chifeng for all the wood.
February: 3 mosques in Shandong.
Dangxi Mosque in Jinan, Shandong: Located in Dangjiazhuang in the southern suburbs, it was first built at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. It was later burned down by the Red Turban Army and rebuilt in 1397 (the 30th year of the Hongwu reign). It was repaired many times during the Ming Wanli, Qing Xianfeng, and Republican periods, making it an important ancient mosque in Jinan.
Dangdong Mosque in Jinan, Shandong: 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). It was repaired many times during the Qing Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns and the Republican period. The records say Dangdong Village was originally Zhuguanzhuang, a place set up for refugees in the early Hongwu years of the Ming Dynasty. Local Hui Muslims originally went to Dangxi Mosque for namaz. In the early Zhengde years of the Ming Dynasty, Chen Xi, the Chief Imam of Shandong, raised funds. Fa Zongxian, a Jinan Garrison Commander, and local Hui Muslims managed the purchase of land and materials. They finally built the Zhuguanzhuang Mosque, which was later renamed Dangdong Mosque.
Small Mosque at Ma'anshan, Jinan, Shandong: To make it easier to visit graves, a small mosque was built long ago next to the Baba grave at Ma'anshan in Jinan. Due to history, the small Ma'anshan mosque has collapsed, but the original foundation and building structure are still visible. Many bricks, tiles, and other building parts are scattered on the original site.
March: 2 mosques in Beijing.
Nanxiapo Mosque in Beijing: In the early Kangxi years, a Hui Muslim named Ma who sold bows and arrows inside Chaoyang Gate received a long-overdue payment from a Mongolian customer. He donated this money to build the Nanxiapo Mosque.
Changying Mosque in Beijing: It was built during the Zhengde years of the Ming Dynasty, repaired in 1796, and underwent large-scale renovation and expansion in 2004 to reach its current form.
March: 3 mosques in Hebei.
West Mosque (Xisi) in Baoding, Hebei: It was first built in 1616. A man named Fa from Hanji Village, Fangshan, served as a military official (dusi) in the Baoding garrison of Zhili during the Wanli reign. He bought twelve mu of land at the Wei family vegetable garden. Besides building the mosque, the surrounding land was opened for fellow Muslims to build houses, which officially formed the mosque neighborhood layout in Baoding. As a famous mosque in North China, the Baoding West Mosque has a long history of religious learning and has trained many scholars (alim). The mosque once housed a training ground that produced many famous wrestling masters and martial arts teachers.
Baoding East Mosque, Hebei: During the Tongzhi reign, father and son Shi Xie and Shi Jun built a scripture room east of the Baoding West Mosque. A few years later, Imam Yan Mingpu oversaw the formal completion of the Baoding East Mosque. Although the Baoding East Mosque is not large, many well-known scholars (alim) have taught there and trained many talented students.
Baoding Women's Mosque, Hebei: Founded in 1916 by Imam Yan Fengshan of the Baoding East Mosque in a lane north of the mosque. In 1940, Imam Sha Zhijun and Mrs. Shi raised funds with the help of local elders to buy a house from Bai Yunzhang, the owner of the famous halal steamed bun (baozi) shop, to build the current women's mosque.
April: 4 mosques in Beijing
Beijing Dongsi Mosque: One of the four major official mosques in Beijing during the Ming Dynasty. It was built in 1447 with funds donated by the famous Hui Muslim military officer Chen You, and in 1450, the Jingtai Emperor officially named it the Mosque. Because of his outstanding military service, Chen You was granted the title of Earl of Wuping in 1457, a title his descendants inherited. Later, Chen's descendants often served as officers in Beijing military camps and funded the renovation of several ancient mosques, including those in Dingzhou and Yizhou, Hebei.
Beijing Dongzhimen Outer Mosque: Originally called Erlizhuang Mosque, it was first built in the Yuan Dynasty and renovated during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty. In the late 1980s, Shougang Group and a Danish company formed a joint venture to build international apartments in Erlizhuang. The ancient mosque was moved one kilometer to the northwest, rebuilt, completed in 1991, and reopened in 1993.
Beijing Deshengmen Outer Fayuan Mosque: Also known as Dewai Guanxiang Mosque, it was originally located on a slope north of the training ground outside Deshengmen. It was moved and expanded during the Kangxi reign. During the Republic of China era, the main hall was expanded again, featuring four interconnected roofs and a four-cornered pavilion.
Beijing Madian Mosque: First built during the Kangxi reign, it was renovated during the Daoguang reign with funds from 14 local sheep trading firms. It was renovated again in the 1980s and remains an important ancient mosque in Beijing. Since the Qing Dynasty, sheep transported from Mongolia through Zhangjiakou were kept in the pens of various sheep firms in Madian before being sold to mutton shops in the city.
May: 1 mosque in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Shelley Street Mosque: At the request of Indian Muslims in the British service, the colonial government leased a piece of land near the barracks in Mid-Levels, Central, to four trustees in 1850. The first stone prayer hall was built there in 1852. It was formally completed between 1870 and 1890 and rebuilt in 1915, keeping only the original minaret, and has been in use ever since.
May: 7 mosques in Thailand
Bangkok Safee Mosque: In 1856, A. T. E. Maskati, an Indian Gujarati Shia merchant, opened a textile dyeing factory in the Bangkok Royal Warehouse. At its peak, it employed over 600 Indian Shia workers. He and other Indian Shia merchants built the Safee Mosque in the warehouse area. This mosque belongs to a small branch of Ismailism called Dawoodi Bohras.
Bangkok Goowatil Islam Mosque: In the mid-19th century, some Indian Gujarati Shia merchants rented a royal warehouse. At that time, some Malay Sunni Muslim goldsmiths from Pattani in southern Thailand also lived nearby, and they built the Goowatil Islam Mosque together in 1859. After the 20th century, Indian Shia merchants began moving their shops to the busier Bangkok Chinatown, and today the Goowatil Islam Mosque is a Sunni mosque.
Ton Son Mosque in Bangkok: In the 17th century, Siam set up important trade warehouses and customs stations at the mouth of the Yai Canal in Bangkok, and stationed Cham troops nearby. In 1688, Mahmud built the first mosque in Bangkok here. The main hall was originally built of teak. It was rebuilt with bricks in the early 19th century and again in 1952 into the current steel and concrete structure, with only the original mihrab preserved.
Bang Luang Mosque in Bangkok: Built in 1785 under the direction of a merchant named Toh Yi, it is the only remaining Thai-style mosque in Thailand. Its architectural decorations are adapted from the Garuda found in Hinduism and Buddhism, but shaped to fit Islamic traditions.
Haroon Mosque in Bangkok: Toh Haroon Bafaden, an Arab-Indonesian merchant, came to Bangkok from Indonesia with his father in 1828 (some say 1837) to trade. He later married, had children, and settled down. Soon after, he built Haroon Mosque and became its first imam. It moved to its current location in 1899 due to the construction of the customs building. It was rebuilt in 1934 into the current brick and white lime structure, and the mosque preserves exquisite 19th-century Javanese Jepara teak scripture carvings.
Java Mosque in Bangkok: Built in 1906 on land owned by a Javanese-descended haji named Muhammad Salih. Although it was expanded twice in 1927 and 1975, it still maintains a typical traditional Javanese style.
Kocha Itsahak Mosque in Bangkok: Built in the late 19th century by Luang Kocha Itsahak, a royal translator for Siam who was a descendant of Malay merchants. In the 19th century, many Indians and Malays worked in the warehouses and trading companies near the Khlong Khwang pier. Luang Kocha Itsahak donated a piece of his own land and had his children dismantle the bricks and stones from his old house to build this mosque.
23 mosques in Turkey in June.
Great Mosque of Mardin: Dating back to the 10th century, it is one of the earliest mosques in the Anatolia region. The minaret (bangke ta) was built in 1176 and is a classic example of Artuqid dynasty architecture.
Abdullatif Mosque in Mardin: Originally built in 1371 by the Artuqid minister Abdullatif. The minaret was built in 1845 by Muhammad Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Mosul. The main gate still looks as it did when it was built in 1371, and it is considered the final masterpiece of the Artuqid dynasty.
Seyh Cabuk Mosque in Mardin: Believed to have been built during the Black Sheep (Qara Qoyunlu) dynasty in the 15th century and renovated in the 19th century. Legend says that Abdullah bin Anas al-Juhayni, a companion of the Prophet, was sent to Constantinople to deliver a letter. He passed away in Mardin on his way back and was buried here.
Sehidiye Mosque in Mardin: Built in 1214 by order of the Artuqid Sultan Melik Nasreddin Aslan. The current minaret was rebuilt in 1914 by the Armenian architect Serkis Lole in an eclectic style.
Dinari Pamuk Mosque in Mardin: Built in the 11th century by Sheikh Mehmet Dinari on the site of a Byzantine church. The current building dates to the Artuqid period in 1332.
Melik Mahmut Mosque in Mardin: Built in 1362.
Great Mosque of Diyarbakir: Construction began in the 7th century. The current building was ordered by Malik-Shah I, the third sultan of the Seljuk Empire, in 1092, and it has a history of over 900 years. The architectural style of the Great Mosque of Diyarbakir was deeply influenced by the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, as Sultan Malik-Shah I had overseen the restoration of the Umayyad Mosque between 1082 and 1083 and wanted to bring the prestige and glory of Damascus to Diyarbakir.
Nebi Mosque in Diyarbakir: Originally built during the White Sheep (Aq Qoyunlu) dynasty in the 15th century. The minaret tower (bangke lou) was rebuilt by Haji Hussein in 1530. It originally consisted of two main halls, belonging to the Shafi'i and Hanafi schools of thought respectively. During World War I, the Hanafi section was used as a military barracks until it collapsed in 1927. Today, only the part belonging to the Shafi'i school remains.
Hazreti Süleyman Mosque in Diyarbakir: The most important religious site in Diyarbakir. It was first built by the Inalid Beylik in 1160, expanded by order of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, and renovated between 1631 and 1633. On the west side of the main hall are the graves of Suleiman, son of the famous Arab general Khalid ibn al-Walid, and his 27 followers, who passed away in 639 when the Arab army occupied Diyarbakir.
Nasuh Pasha Mosque in Diyarbakir: Built in the early 17th century. Nasuh Pasha became the governor of Diyarbakir in 1606, later became the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman dynasty in 1611, and married the daughter of Sultan Ahmed I.
Kurşunlu Mosque in Diyarbakir: Built by Bıyıklı Mehmed Pasha, the first Ottoman governor of Diyarbakir, between 1516 and 1520. It is also the first Ottoman mosque in Diyarbakir.
Kadı Mosque in Diyarbakir: Built in 1533.
Sheikh Matar Mosque in Diyarbakir: Built by Haji Hussein in 1500 during the late White Sheep (Aq Qoyunlu) dynasty. It is named after the tomb of Sheikh Matar located next to the mosque.
Behram Pasha Mosque in Diyarbakir: Built by the Ottoman governor Behram Pasha between 1564 and 1572. It was supervised by Mimar Sinan, the greatest Ottoman architect, though it was likely commissioned to another royal architect to actually carry out the work.
Iskender Pasha Mosque in Diyarbakir: Construction began in 1551 or 1554 and was completed in 1557. It is a typical Ottoman single-dome mosque.
Ömer Şeddat Mosque in Diyarbakir: Built during the mid-12th century Inalid Beylik period, it has a history of over 800 years.
Rüstem Pasha Mosque in Istanbul: Known as the most beautiful mosque by Mimar Sinan, it was built by the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan between 1561 and 1563 for the Ottoman Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha. This was the last building commissioned by Rüstem Pasha and was not completed until after his death.
Elhac Timurtaş Mosque in Istanbul: Built in the 1460s by Timurtaş Ağa, who was a merchant there. It is one of the oldest mosques in Istanbul. It has been renovated many times throughout history, and it is now difficult to see its original form.
Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul: Commissioned by Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and built by Mimar Sinan between 1550 and 1557. It is considered Mimar Sinan's most important work and remains a landmark of Istanbul today.
Bayezid II Mosque in Istanbul: Built by the eighth Ottoman Sultan, Bayezid II, between 1501 and 1506. It is the second imperial mosque built after the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul. Because the Fatih Mosque built by Mehmed the Conqueror was destroyed by earthquakes multiple times, the Bayezid II Mosque is the oldest surviving imperial mosque in Istanbul.
Mahmut Pasha Mosque in Istanbul: Built in 1464 by Mahmut Pasha, the Grand Vizier of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. It is one of the earliest mosques built within the city of Istanbul. It still follows the architectural style of the Ottoman dynasty from the old capital of Bursa, consisting of two main domes and many small domes.
Hagia Sophia in Istanbul: Completed in 537, it was the largest church in the world at that time. In the mid-16th century, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent built two minarets. In the late 16th century, the royal architect Mimar Sinan added 24 buttresses to support the cathedral and built two new 60-meter-high minarets, giving the cathedral a four-minaret design.
Dolmabahçe Mosque in Istanbul: Built by Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid I and his mother between 1853 and 1855. After its completion, it became the royal mosque of the Ottoman Sultans. Designed by Garabet Amira Balyan of the Ottoman Armenian Balyan architect family, it blends Rococo and Empire styles. It is one of the representative works of the eclectic style that emerged under European influence following the Ottoman modernization reforms in the mid-19th century.
8 mosques in Bosnia and Herzegovina in June
Gazi Husrev Bey Mosque in Sarajevo: This is the main landmark of the Old Bazaar in Sarajevo. Built in 1530, it has served as the city's central mosque ever since. It was designed and built by Adzem Esir Ali, an Ottoman court architect from Tabriz, Persia. Important scenes from the movie 'Walter Defends Sarajevo,' well-known to Chinese audiences, were filmed here.
Muslihudin Čekrekčija Mosque in Sarajevo: Built by Hajji Mustafa in 1526, it survived many fires in Sarajevo and also survived the 1697 looting of the city by the Holy League after they defeated the Ottoman Empire.
Bascarsija Mosque in Sarajevo: Built by Havadža Durak in the early 16th century, it sits in the heart of the Old Bazaar. It originally had a wooden dome, but it was rebuilt with a stone dome after a fire in 1697.
Imperial Mosque (Careva Džamija) in Sarajevo: Construction began in 1457. It was the first mosque built after the Ottoman Empire conquered Bosnia. It was built under the direction of Isaković-Hranušić and dedicated to the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. The original mosque was a wooden structure. It was rebuilt in 1565 into the current classical Ottoman style and dedicated to the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
Magribija Mosque in Sarajevo: Built by Sheikh Magribija in the 15th century and rebuilt in 1766, it retains its 18th-century appearance and paintings.
Ali Pasha Mosque in Sarajevo: Built in 1560-1561 by the Bosnian governor Ali Pasha, this is a single-domed mosque in the classical Ottoman style with beautiful architectural proportions.
Ferhadija Mosque in Sarajevo: Built by Ferhad-beg Vuković-Desisalić in 1561-1562, it is a typical classical Ottoman building. It features a central dome over a rectangular main hall and three small domes over the front porch.
Bakrbaba Mosque archaeological site in Sarajevo: Built in 1544 by the famous Sarajevo merchant Hajji-Alija Bakrbaba, it was burned by the European Holy League in 1697. It was rebuilt in the early 18th century, demolished by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1895, and has been the subject of archaeological research since 2000.
June, Beijing: 1 mosque
Xiguanshi Mosque in Beijing: Construction began in 1494. The main hall was rebuilt in 1709 and the kiln hall (yaodian) in 1761. In 1900, Empress Dowager Cixi and the Guangxu Emperor fled the city to the west. They arrived at Xiguanshi at dusk. Cixi slept in the main hall of the mosque that night, while the Emperor and his consorts slept in the side halls. Two years later, Cixi returned to Beijing and donated silver to renovate the Xiguanshi Mosque. She also ordered glazed tiles, a treasure top (baoding), and roof ridge beasts to be fired at the Imperial Kiln in Liulihe.
June, Hebei: 1 mosque
Zhuozhou City Mosque in Hebei: A local ancestor from Zhuozhou followed the Prince of Yan on his northern campaign during the early Ming Dynasty. The old mosque was built during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, renovated in the 60th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, and the main hall was rebuilt in 2000 to reach its current appearance.
August, Liaoning: 2 mosques
Luyang Mosque in Jinzhou, Liaoning: Built in 1531, it was renovated during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty and rebuilt into its current form between 1922 and 1925. During the reconstruction, Manager Wang of the Enliyong Pastry Shop in Luyang was in charge of construction, and he invited Yang Peiran (Yuchun), who was a brigade commander in the Northeast Army at the time, to help raise funds.
Beizhen Mosque in Jinzhou, Liaoning: Built in 1522, it was expanded in 1617 and renovated again in 1798. The Beizhen Mosque was built according to the traditional northern mosque structure consisting of three parts: the front porch (juanpeng), the main hall, and the kiln hall (yaodian). However, it is very unique because the front porch and the main hall are independent and not connected.
August, Jilin: 1 mosque
Changtong Road Mosque in Changchun: Built in 1824. In 1852, elder Han Xuecheng and Gong Wanmei donated the building, and elder Shi Xuecheng donated trees to move the mosque to its current location in Tielingtun. In 1864, Imam Han Dengqing and others raised funds to expand it, building the current five-room main hall and three-story kiln hall (yaodian). In 1889, Imam Han Laixiang bought the land in front of the mosque owned by the Xu family to build a gate tower, east and west side rooms, a north lecture hall, an east reception hall, and a porch for the main hall. It was expanded several more times during the Republic of China era.
Five mosques in Heilongjiang in August.
Harbin Daowai Mosque: Also known as the East Mosque or Binjiang Mosque. It started in 1897 when Hui Muslims who came here to trade cattle bought five grass huts on the 12th South Street in Daowai. It was rebuilt in 1904. In the early 1930s, as the number of Hui Muslims in Harbin grew, Imam Ma Songting suggested building a new hall. Head teacher Bai Yusheng traveled around to collect donations (nietie), and they hired Russian designers, the Krabliov siblings, to build the current Daowai Mosque main hall in 1935.
Harbin Acheng Mosque: In 1777, 26 (some say 28) Hui Muslim households in Acheng rented eight civilian houses from Manchu bannermen to establish the first Acheng Mosque. In 1802, they bought two plots of ancestral land from Sarsei, a clerk (bithesi) of the Lingdebao cattle company in Xigangzi, and began building the formal Acheng Mosque. It took 50 years to complete, spanning the Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng reigns. A fire in Acheng in 1873 destroyed the mosque's Moon-Watching Tower (wangyuelou) and North Lecture Hall. The current building was finally completed in 1900 (the 26th year of the Guangxu reign).
Harbin Tatar Mosque: As the center of the Chinese Eastern Railway, Tatars began settling in Harbin in 1901 and built their first wooden mosque that same year. As the Tatar population grew, they rebuilt it as a brick mosque in 1906. To commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of the Volga Tatars' ancestors, the Volga Bulgars, converting to Islam in 922 AD, the Tatars in Harbin decided to build a new mosque. Construction of the new mosque began in 1923, but it stalled for a time due to political instability. In 1936, the new imam, Münir Hasibullah, traveled to every Tatar settlement in the Far East to collect donations (nietie). The Millennium Mosque was finally completed and opened on October 8, 1937.
Qiqihar Bukui West Mosque: In 1817, Ma Datian, the third-generation leader (murshid) of the Jahriyya order, was exiled to Qiqihar, Heilongjiang. Twelve households led by 'Grandpa Niu' volunteered to follow him. Ma Datian passed away while passing through the Jilin Shipyard and was honored as the 'Shipyard Grandpa.' The 12 households continued their exile to Qiqihar. After arriving in Qiqihar, these 12 households were accepted by the local Gedimu community. They built the Bukui West Mosque in 1852, which became the only Jahriyya mosque in Heilongjiang.
Qiqihar Bukui East Mosque: The first mosque in Heilongjiang. Legend says it was built in 1676 by over 40 Hui Muslim households who moved to Bukui Village from Shandong and Hebei. It was renovated many times during the Jiaqing and Guangxu reigns to reach its current size. The copper lotus-base gourd finial on the kiln-style roof was bought by Ma Wanliang in 1893 from a Tibetan Buddhist temple near Zhangjiakou.
15 mosques in Lebanon in September.
Beirut Emir Assaf Mosque: Built in the late 16th century by the Emir rulers of the Assaf dynasty. The Emir's palace and gardens were once next to the mosque.
Beirut Omari Mosque: Originally built in 635 during the reign of Caliph Umar. In 1150, the Crusaders built a Romanesque St. John's Church here. After the Mamluk dynasty captured Tripoli in 1291, it was converted into a grand mosque. The Mamluk-style gate and minaret (bangke ta) were added in 1350.
Tripoli Taynal Mosque: Built in 1336 by order of Emir Taynal, the Mamluk governor of Tripoli.
Tripoli Mu'allaq Hanging Mosque: Built in 1561 by order of the Ottoman governor of Tripoli, Mahmud Lutfi al-Za'im. The first floor is a culvert on the street, and you must climb stairs from the side to reach the main hall on the second floor.
Tripoli Mansouri Great Mosque: Built in 1294 by order of the Mamluk Sultan Al-Ashraf Khalil. It was the first building constructed by the Mamluk dynasty in Tripoli. The minaret (bangke lou) inside the mosque is likely part of the Crusader St. Mary's Church, and the gate may also contain the original Crusader church gate. The main hall was built by the Mamluk dynasty in 1294, and the courtyard colonnade was built by Mamluk Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad in 1314.
Al-Uwaysiyat Mosque in Tripoli: Built in 1461 during the Mamluk period, it was renovated in 1534 during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
Attar Mosque in Tripoli: Built in the 1350s by a local Tripoli perfume merchant named Badr al-Din al-Attar on the ruins of a Crusader church, it is also the first non-Mamluk mosque in Tripoli. The Attar Mosque is known as one of the most beautiful ancient mosques in Tripoli, but it has been closed for several years for repairs.
Tawba Mosque in Tripoli: It is believed to have been built during the Mamluk period. Because it sits right next to the riverbank, the mosque's foundation inscription was likely washed away during a flood. The inscription now at the mosque entrance says it was rebuilt after a flood in 1612.
Burtasi Mosque in Tripoli: Built by Isa ibn Umar al-Burtasi between the end of the 13th century and 1324. The minaret above the main gate is considered the most beautiful minaret in Tripoli.
Umayyad Great Mosque of Baalbek: Built in 715 by the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I, the same year as the Umayyad Great Mosque in Damascus. These two mosques are ranked as the oldest existing mosque (masjid) buildings in the world. A flood hit Baalbek in 1318, causing severe damage to the Umayyad Great Mosque. The walls and the pulpit (minbar) were washed away, but it was later restored by the Mamluk prince Najm al-Din Hassan, who ruled Baalbek at the time.
El Kikhia Mosque in Sidon: Built in 1625 by Mahmoud Ketkhuda, it is a representative work of Lebanese architecture from the Ottoman period.
El Qtaishieh Mosque in Sidon: Built in the 16th century by Sheikh Ali ibn Muhammad al-Qtaish, the mosque preserves exquisite Ottoman tiles.
Omar Great Mosque in Sidon: The most important mosque in the old city of Sidon, it dates back to the Crusader era. The Knights Hospitaller built a military fortress here in the 13th century, and in 1291, the Mamluk Sultan al-Ashraf Khalil built the Omar Great Mosque on the foundation of that fortress. In the late 19th century, the Ottoman Empire renovated the Omar Great Mosque and built the current minaret.
El-Bahr Mosque in Sidon: Built in 1373 with a donation from Hassan bin Sawa, it features Mamluk-era architectural styles, including thick walls and cross-vaults, and uses granite columns from the ancient Roman period.
El Barrane Mosque in Sidon: Built between the late 16th and early 17th centuries during the reign of the Druze Emir Fakhr al-Din II.
12 mosques in Saudi Arabia in November.
Prophet's Mosque (Masjid an-Nabawi) in Medina: Built by the Prophet Muhammad next to his home after he arrived in Medina in 622 AD. It has been expanded many times throughout history. The current central core was built during the Ottoman period, while the surrounding areas were expanded by the Saudi Kingdom after the 20th century. The pulpit (minbar) inside the Garden of Paradise (Rawdah) was rebuilt in 1590 by the Ottoman Sultan Murad III using marble.
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Halal Travel Guide: 2023 Mosque Visits Part 2 — 124 Historic Mosques and Hui Heritage
Reposted from the web
Summary: This second part of the 2023 mosque-visit record continues a large journey through 124 historic mosques and Muslim heritage sites. It preserves the original mosque names, travel order, photos, and community details in a single long English article.
Al-Ghamama Mosque in Medina: This mosque stands where the Prophet led the Eid prayer in 631. It was first built during the reign of the eighth Umayyad Caliph, Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (reigned 717-720). It was renovated in 1340 and 1622, then rebuilt in 1859 by Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid I (reigned 1839-1861) using black volcanic basalt. It is one of the few mosques in Medina that still keeps its Ottoman-era style.
Abu Bakr As-Siddiq Mosque in Medina: This is also located where the Prophet led the Eid prayer in 631. It is named after Caliph Abu Bakr, who continued to lead the Eid prayer there. The current black volcanic basalt building was ordered by Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II in 1838, and the Sultan's tughra (calligraphic signature) is still at the entrance.
As-Saqiya Mosque in Medina: This is where the Prophet inspected his troops before the Battle of Badr in 624. It is said to be the place where the eighth chapter, seventh verse of the Quran was revealed, which is the earliest chapter revealed in Medina. The current black volcanic basalt building was built during the Ottoman period.
Anbariya Mosque in Medina: Built in 1908 by Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II for the Medina station of the Hejaz Railway. The architecture follows the traditional Ottoman style but uses local, hard basalt stone.
Musabbih Mosque in Medina: Legend says the Prophet performed the Fajr prayer here when he first migrated to Medina in 622. The ancient mosque still has its black volcanic basalt walls and the remains of a mihrab inside. The small courtyard is quiet, with blooming flowers and a fellow Muslim (dost) cleaning, which is a sharp contrast to the crowded Quba Mosque nearby.
Al-Fath Mosque in Medina: Located on the battlefield of the Battle of the Trench, it is said to be where the Prophet performed namaz during the battle. It was built during the reign of Umayyad Caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (reigned 717-720) and later renovated.
Salman Al-Farsi Mosque in Medina: Located on the battlefield of the Battle of the Trench, it is named after the Prophet's companion, Salman the Persian. It was built during the reign of Umayyad Caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (reigned 717-720) and later renovated.
Umar bin Khattab Mosque in Medina: Located on the battlefield of the Battle of the Trench, it is named after Caliph Umar. It was built during the reign of Umayyad Caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (reigned 717-720) and later renovated.
Ali bin Abu Talib Mosque in Medina: Located on the battlefield of the Battle of the Trench, it is named after Caliph Ali, who is said to have joined the battle here. It was built during the reign of Umayyad Caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (reigned 717-720) and later renovated.
Fatimah Az-Zahra Mosque in Medina: Located on the battlefield of the Battle of the Trench, it is named after the Prophet's daughter, Fatimah. It is a small mosque attached to others, built during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid I (reigned 1839-1861), and today only the wall foundations remain.
Al-Shafi'i Mosque in Jeddah: The oldest surviving coral stone mosque in Jeddah. It was first built in 1250 by the King of Yemen, Al-Muzaffar, and named after the Shafi'i school of law followed in Yemen. In 1539, an Indian merchant named Khawaja Muhammad Ali brought the best wood from Yemen to rebuild everything except the minaret. You can see a clear Kerala, India style in the carvings on the cross-capitals of the porch.
20 mosques in Egypt in November.
Al-Hakim Mosque in Cairo: Construction began in 990 by the fifth Fatimid Caliph, Al-Aziz Billah, and was finished in 1013 by Caliph Al-Hakim. The mosque was used as a prison by the Franks during the Crusades, then as a stable by Saladin. It was rebuilt during the Mamluk period in the 14th century, but later fell into ruins for a long time before being restored again in 1808. In 1980, the Dawoodi Bohra branch of the Shia sect carried out a large-scale reconstruction and renovation using white marble.
Aqmar Mosque in Cairo: Ordered by the Fatimid vizier Al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi and built in 1125-6, it holds a pioneering place in Egyptian architectural history. It is the first mosque where the main entrance is aligned with the street rather than the qibla wall. It is also the first mosque to feature complex stone carving decorations. In 1993, the Dawoodi Bohra branch of the Shia sect conducted a major renovation. Most of the historical elements inside the main hall were not preserved, which led to criticism.
Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo: In 969 AD, the Shia Ismaili Fatimid dynasty conquered Egypt and immediately began building the new capital, Cairo. After two years of construction, the first congregational mosque (Jumu'ah mosque) of Cairo officially opened in 972, known as Al-Azhar Mosque. Several Fatimid caliphs expanded and renovated Al-Azhar Mosque. Caliph al-Hafiz carried out a major renovation in 1138. The four-centered arches in the courtyard and the dome at the entrance of the main hall date back to this period.
Al-Hussein Mosque in Cairo: In 1153, the Fatimid dynasty ordered the head of Hussein to be transported to Cairo to be buried alongside the Fatimid caliphs, and Al-Hussein Mosque was built in 1154. Today, the lower part of the south gate of Al-Hussein Mosque still retains its original Fatimid dynasty structure. In 1874, Ismail Pasha, the ruler of the Muhammad Ali dynasty, rebuilt Al-Hussein Mosque in a Gothic Revival style and constructed a minaret (bangke ta) that blended Gothic and Ottoman styles.
Abu al-Dhahab Mosque in Cairo: Built in 1774 by the Egyptian Mamluk ruler Abu al-Dhahab, it was the last large complex built by the Mamluks in Egypt, but only the mosque remains today.
Al-Ashraf Mosque in Cairo: Built in 1424 by the Mamluk Sultan al-Ashraf Barsbay, it features a dome with geometric carvings, which is an early example of decorative dome carving.
Sultan al-Mu'ayyad Mosque in Cairo: Built by the Mamluk Sultan al-Mu'ayyad between 1415 and 1421, it is the last large hypostyle mosque in Cairo. It originally had four facades, but only the east side and the main hall remain as original structures. The mosque's gate is known as the last grand gate of the Mamluk dynasty, decorated with exquisite marble geometric patterns, Kufic calligraphy, and complex stucco carvings.
Salih Tala'i Mosque in Cairo: Built in 1160 under the direction of the Fatimid vizier Tala'i ibn Ruzzik, it is the last important historical building of the Fatimid dynasty still standing. It is the first "hanging mosque" in Cairo, built on a platform with shops on three sides of the ground floor and the main hall on the upper level.
Ahmed al-Mihmandar Mosque in Cairo: Built by the Mamluk Emir Ahmed al-Mihmandar between 1324 and 1325, it has a very exquisite facade. It is a typical example of Mamluk decorative style, featuring script calligraphy and muqarnas cornices.
Qijmas al-Ishaqi Mosque in Cairo: Built by the Mamluk Emir Qijmas al-Ishaqi between 1480 and 1481, it is a model and masterpiece of late Mamluk architecture and is printed on the 50 Egyptian pound banknote. The exterior facade of the mosque features the typical architectural style of the Mamluk Sultan Qaitbay period. The arabesque stone carvings, the muqarnas cornices above the windows, and the combination of red, black, and white marble are all very delicate.
Mahmoud al-Kurdi Mosque in Cairo: Built in 1395 by the high-ranking Mamluk official Mahmoud al-Kurdi, it features the first dome carved with a V-shaped pattern; domes before this had spiral patterns. The dome on the minaret was also very rare at the time and was later widely used during the Ottoman Empire.
Al-Rifa'i Mosque in Cairo: Rifa'i is a Sufi order founded in Iraq in the 12th century, which is widely distributed in Egypt and Syria. Al-Rifa'i Mosque was originally a Sufi lodge (zawiya). It was rebuilt into the current grand mosque by the Muhammad Ali dynasty of Egypt between 1869 and 1912, and it houses many members of the Egyptian royal family, including several kings.
Amir Altinbugha al-Mardani Mosque in Cairo: Built between 1338 and 1340 by Emir Altinbugha al-Mardani, the son-in-law of Mamluk Sultan Nasir Muhammad. It is a classic Mamluk-style mosque with the most luxurious decorations of its time. It is also the first major Mamluk mosque to set the standard for an octagonal minaret and a large dome.
Umm al-Sultan Sha'ban Mosque in Cairo: Built by Mamluk Sultan al-Ashraf Sha'ban in 1368-69 to honor his mother, Umm al-Sultan Sha'ban, who was on the Hajj pilgrimage at the time. The mosque features a classic Mamluk architectural style, complete with ribbed and fluted domes. The outer walls stand 18 meters high, creating a grand and imposing presence.
Blue Mosque in Cairo: Originally named Aqsunqur Mosque, it was commissioned in 1347 by Emir Shams al-Din Aqsunqur, the son-in-law of a Mamluk sultan. As the former governor of Tripoli, Aqsunqur built the mosque in a Syrian style, featuring cross-vaults and a columned layout, both of which are rare in Cairo. The Blue Mosque houses the oldest marble minbar (pulpit) in Cairo, which is a rare find in the city. Between 1652 and 1654, Ottoman Janissary commander Emir Ibrahim Agha al-Mustahfizan decorated the qibla wall with Ottoman tiles, earning the building the name Blue Mosque.
Sultan Hasan Mosque in Cairo: Built by Mamluk Sultan Nasir Hasan between 1356 and 1363. This grand mosque is massive in scale, costing over 10,000 dinars, making it the most expensive mosque built in medieval Cairo. The top edge of the mosque's facade features a 1.5-meter-high stalactite cornice, an unprecedented detail in Mamluk architecture. The southern minaret stood 84 meters above the street when completed, making it the tallest minaret among all Mamluk structures. The center of the main hall is decorated with Kufic calligraphy and swirling arabesque patterns, which are unique to Mamluk architecture. The minbar features beautifully patterned bronze doors, another rare sight in Mamluk architecture.
Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo: The oldest surviving mosque in Egypt and the largest in Cairo by area. Built by Emir Ahmad ibn Tulun of the Tulunid dynasty between 876 and 879, it served as the main congregational mosque for the Tulunid capital. Ibn Tulun Mosque was modeled after the Great Mosque of Samarra in Iraq. It features a classic Abbasid style and contains the only spiral minaret in Egypt.
Taghribirdi Mosque in Cairo: Built in 1440 by Emir Taghribirdi, a secretary to the Mamluk sultan, it features a classic Mamluk architectural style.
Shaykhu Mosque in Cairo: Built in 1349 by the great Mamluk Emir Shaykhu al-Umari al-Nasiri, it contains the earliest open-arcaded riwaq courtyard in Egypt.
Qanibay al-Muhammadi Mosque in Cairo: Built in 1413 by Qanibay al-Muhammadi, a high-ranking official of the Mamluk Sultanate. It features a classic Mamluk style, highlighted by a V-patterned dome and a minaret with a stalactite cornice.
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Summary: This second part of the 2023 mosque-visit record continues a large journey through 124 historic mosques and Muslim heritage sites. It preserves the original mosque names, travel order, photos, and community details in a single long English article.
Al-Ghamama Mosque in Medina: This mosque stands where the Prophet led the Eid prayer in 631. It was first built during the reign of the eighth Umayyad Caliph, Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (reigned 717-720). It was renovated in 1340 and 1622, then rebuilt in 1859 by Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid I (reigned 1839-1861) using black volcanic basalt. It is one of the few mosques in Medina that still keeps its Ottoman-era style.
Abu Bakr As-Siddiq Mosque in Medina: This is also located where the Prophet led the Eid prayer in 631. It is named after Caliph Abu Bakr, who continued to lead the Eid prayer there. The current black volcanic basalt building was ordered by Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II in 1838, and the Sultan's tughra (calligraphic signature) is still at the entrance.
As-Saqiya Mosque in Medina: This is where the Prophet inspected his troops before the Battle of Badr in 624. It is said to be the place where the eighth chapter, seventh verse of the Quran was revealed, which is the earliest chapter revealed in Medina. The current black volcanic basalt building was built during the Ottoman period.
Anbariya Mosque in Medina: Built in 1908 by Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II for the Medina station of the Hejaz Railway. The architecture follows the traditional Ottoman style but uses local, hard basalt stone.
Musabbih Mosque in Medina: Legend says the Prophet performed the Fajr prayer here when he first migrated to Medina in 622. The ancient mosque still has its black volcanic basalt walls and the remains of a mihrab inside. The small courtyard is quiet, with blooming flowers and a fellow Muslim (dost) cleaning, which is a sharp contrast to the crowded Quba Mosque nearby.
Al-Fath Mosque in Medina: Located on the battlefield of the Battle of the Trench, it is said to be where the Prophet performed namaz during the battle. It was built during the reign of Umayyad Caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (reigned 717-720) and later renovated.
Salman Al-Farsi Mosque in Medina: Located on the battlefield of the Battle of the Trench, it is named after the Prophet's companion, Salman the Persian. It was built during the reign of Umayyad Caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (reigned 717-720) and later renovated.
Umar bin Khattab Mosque in Medina: Located on the battlefield of the Battle of the Trench, it is named after Caliph Umar. It was built during the reign of Umayyad Caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (reigned 717-720) and later renovated.
Ali bin Abu Talib Mosque in Medina: Located on the battlefield of the Battle of the Trench, it is named after Caliph Ali, who is said to have joined the battle here. It was built during the reign of Umayyad Caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (reigned 717-720) and later renovated.
Fatimah Az-Zahra Mosque in Medina: Located on the battlefield of the Battle of the Trench, it is named after the Prophet's daughter, Fatimah. It is a small mosque attached to others, built during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid I (reigned 1839-1861), and today only the wall foundations remain.
Al-Shafi'i Mosque in Jeddah: The oldest surviving coral stone mosque in Jeddah. It was first built in 1250 by the King of Yemen, Al-Muzaffar, and named after the Shafi'i school of law followed in Yemen. In 1539, an Indian merchant named Khawaja Muhammad Ali brought the best wood from Yemen to rebuild everything except the minaret. You can see a clear Kerala, India style in the carvings on the cross-capitals of the porch.
20 mosques in Egypt in November.
Al-Hakim Mosque in Cairo: Construction began in 990 by the fifth Fatimid Caliph, Al-Aziz Billah, and was finished in 1013 by Caliph Al-Hakim. The mosque was used as a prison by the Franks during the Crusades, then as a stable by Saladin. It was rebuilt during the Mamluk period in the 14th century, but later fell into ruins for a long time before being restored again in 1808. In 1980, the Dawoodi Bohra branch of the Shia sect carried out a large-scale reconstruction and renovation using white marble.
Aqmar Mosque in Cairo: Ordered by the Fatimid vizier Al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi and built in 1125-6, it holds a pioneering place in Egyptian architectural history. It is the first mosque where the main entrance is aligned with the street rather than the qibla wall. It is also the first mosque to feature complex stone carving decorations. In 1993, the Dawoodi Bohra branch of the Shia sect conducted a major renovation. Most of the historical elements inside the main hall were not preserved, which led to criticism.
Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo: In 969 AD, the Shia Ismaili Fatimid dynasty conquered Egypt and immediately began building the new capital, Cairo. After two years of construction, the first congregational mosque (Jumu'ah mosque) of Cairo officially opened in 972, known as Al-Azhar Mosque. Several Fatimid caliphs expanded and renovated Al-Azhar Mosque. Caliph al-Hafiz carried out a major renovation in 1138. The four-centered arches in the courtyard and the dome at the entrance of the main hall date back to this period.
Al-Hussein Mosque in Cairo: In 1153, the Fatimid dynasty ordered the head of Hussein to be transported to Cairo to be buried alongside the Fatimid caliphs, and Al-Hussein Mosque was built in 1154. Today, the lower part of the south gate of Al-Hussein Mosque still retains its original Fatimid dynasty structure. In 1874, Ismail Pasha, the ruler of the Muhammad Ali dynasty, rebuilt Al-Hussein Mosque in a Gothic Revival style and constructed a minaret (bangke ta) that blended Gothic and Ottoman styles.
Abu al-Dhahab Mosque in Cairo: Built in 1774 by the Egyptian Mamluk ruler Abu al-Dhahab, it was the last large complex built by the Mamluks in Egypt, but only the mosque remains today.
Al-Ashraf Mosque in Cairo: Built in 1424 by the Mamluk Sultan al-Ashraf Barsbay, it features a dome with geometric carvings, which is an early example of decorative dome carving.
Sultan al-Mu'ayyad Mosque in Cairo: Built by the Mamluk Sultan al-Mu'ayyad between 1415 and 1421, it is the last large hypostyle mosque in Cairo. It originally had four facades, but only the east side and the main hall remain as original structures. The mosque's gate is known as the last grand gate of the Mamluk dynasty, decorated with exquisite marble geometric patterns, Kufic calligraphy, and complex stucco carvings.
Salih Tala'i Mosque in Cairo: Built in 1160 under the direction of the Fatimid vizier Tala'i ibn Ruzzik, it is the last important historical building of the Fatimid dynasty still standing. It is the first "hanging mosque" in Cairo, built on a platform with shops on three sides of the ground floor and the main hall on the upper level.
Ahmed al-Mihmandar Mosque in Cairo: Built by the Mamluk Emir Ahmed al-Mihmandar between 1324 and 1325, it has a very exquisite facade. It is a typical example of Mamluk decorative style, featuring script calligraphy and muqarnas cornices.
Qijmas al-Ishaqi Mosque in Cairo: Built by the Mamluk Emir Qijmas al-Ishaqi between 1480 and 1481, it is a model and masterpiece of late Mamluk architecture and is printed on the 50 Egyptian pound banknote. The exterior facade of the mosque features the typical architectural style of the Mamluk Sultan Qaitbay period. The arabesque stone carvings, the muqarnas cornices above the windows, and the combination of red, black, and white marble are all very delicate.
Mahmoud al-Kurdi Mosque in Cairo: Built in 1395 by the high-ranking Mamluk official Mahmoud al-Kurdi, it features the first dome carved with a V-shaped pattern; domes before this had spiral patterns. The dome on the minaret was also very rare at the time and was later widely used during the Ottoman Empire.
Al-Rifa'i Mosque in Cairo: Rifa'i is a Sufi order founded in Iraq in the 12th century, which is widely distributed in Egypt and Syria. Al-Rifa'i Mosque was originally a Sufi lodge (zawiya). It was rebuilt into the current grand mosque by the Muhammad Ali dynasty of Egypt between 1869 and 1912, and it houses many members of the Egyptian royal family, including several kings.
Amir Altinbugha al-Mardani Mosque in Cairo: Built between 1338 and 1340 by Emir Altinbugha al-Mardani, the son-in-law of Mamluk Sultan Nasir Muhammad. It is a classic Mamluk-style mosque with the most luxurious decorations of its time. It is also the first major Mamluk mosque to set the standard for an octagonal minaret and a large dome.
Umm al-Sultan Sha'ban Mosque in Cairo: Built by Mamluk Sultan al-Ashraf Sha'ban in 1368-69 to honor his mother, Umm al-Sultan Sha'ban, who was on the Hajj pilgrimage at the time. The mosque features a classic Mamluk architectural style, complete with ribbed and fluted domes. The outer walls stand 18 meters high, creating a grand and imposing presence.
Blue Mosque in Cairo: Originally named Aqsunqur Mosque, it was commissioned in 1347 by Emir Shams al-Din Aqsunqur, the son-in-law of a Mamluk sultan. As the former governor of Tripoli, Aqsunqur built the mosque in a Syrian style, featuring cross-vaults and a columned layout, both of which are rare in Cairo. The Blue Mosque houses the oldest marble minbar (pulpit) in Cairo, which is a rare find in the city. Between 1652 and 1654, Ottoman Janissary commander Emir Ibrahim Agha al-Mustahfizan decorated the qibla wall with Ottoman tiles, earning the building the name Blue Mosque.
Sultan Hasan Mosque in Cairo: Built by Mamluk Sultan Nasir Hasan between 1356 and 1363. This grand mosque is massive in scale, costing over 10,000 dinars, making it the most expensive mosque built in medieval Cairo. The top edge of the mosque's facade features a 1.5-meter-high stalactite cornice, an unprecedented detail in Mamluk architecture. The southern minaret stood 84 meters above the street when completed, making it the tallest minaret among all Mamluk structures. The center of the main hall is decorated with Kufic calligraphy and swirling arabesque patterns, which are unique to Mamluk architecture. The minbar features beautifully patterned bronze doors, another rare sight in Mamluk architecture.
Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo: The oldest surviving mosque in Egypt and the largest in Cairo by area. Built by Emir Ahmad ibn Tulun of the Tulunid dynasty between 876 and 879, it served as the main congregational mosque for the Tulunid capital. Ibn Tulun Mosque was modeled after the Great Mosque of Samarra in Iraq. It features a classic Abbasid style and contains the only spiral minaret in Egypt.
Taghribirdi Mosque in Cairo: Built in 1440 by Emir Taghribirdi, a secretary to the Mamluk sultan, it features a classic Mamluk architectural style.
Shaykhu Mosque in Cairo: Built in 1349 by the great Mamluk Emir Shaykhu al-Umari al-Nasiri, it contains the earliest open-arcaded riwaq courtyard in Egypt.
Qanibay al-Muhammadi Mosque in Cairo: Built in 1413 by Qanibay al-Muhammadi, a high-ranking official of the Mamluk Sultanate. It features a classic Mamluk style, highlighted by a V-patterned dome and a minaret with a stalactite cornice.
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Halal Travel Guide: 2024 Mosque Visits — 63 Historic Mosques and Muslim Heritage
Reposted from the web
Summary: This article records 63 mosque visits made in 2024, with attention to architecture, local Muslim communities, and regional history. The English version keeps the original sequence of places, photos, names, and factual details while making the account easier to read.
January in Singapore: 8 mosques.
Al-Abrar Mosque in Singapore: Built in 1827 by Tamil Muslims from the Coromandel Coast of southeastern India, it was renovated into its current form between 1986 and 1989.
Jamae Mosque in Singapore: A congregational mosque built in 1826 by Tamil Muslims from the Coromandel Coast of southeastern India, it was rebuilt into its current form between 1830 and 1835.
Abdul Gafoor Mosque in Singapore: Construction began in 1859, and it was rebuilt into its current structure in 1907 under the leadership of the South Indian Tamil Muslim, Shaik Abdul Gafoor.
Angullia Mosque in Singapore: Established in 1892 by the Angullia family, who were Muslims from Gujarat in western India. The gatehouse built in 1890 still stands today.
Hajjah Fatimah Mosque in Singapore: Donated and built between 1915 and 1920 by Hajjah Fatimah, an Indian-descended Muslim businesswoman and philanthropist. It has always been managed jointly by Arab, Indian, and Malay Muslims.
Sultan Mosque in Singapore: Built between 1824 and 1826 by Sultan Hussein of Johor using funds from the British East India Company, it was rebuilt in the Mughal Revival style between 1924 and 1928.
Hajjah Fatimah Mosque in Singapore: Donated and built by the Malay noblewoman and philanthropist Hajjah Fatimah between 1845 and 1846, it was rebuilt in the Mughal Revival style in the 1930s.
Haji Muhammad Salleh Mosque in Singapore: Haji Muhammad Salleh was a merchant from Batavia (modern-day Jakarta). He made a dua to build a small mosque on Mount Palmer for the Sufi wali Habib Noh, which was finally rebuilt as a formal mosque in 1903.
January in Malaysia: 10 mosques.
Alaeddin Mosque in Selangor: Built in 1905 by order of Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah of Selangor.
Sultan Sulaiman Royal Mosque in Selangor: A gift from the British to Sultan Sulaiman to replace the Pengkalan Batu Mosque, which was demolished to build the Klang railway station. Built between 1932 and 1933, it has served as the royal mosque for the Sultan of Selangor ever since.
Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque in Johor Bahru: Commissioned by Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor in 1892, it was officially completed in 1900.
Kampung Mahmoodiah Mosque in Johor Bahru: Located next to the Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum in Johor, it was first built in 1926.
Pasir Pelangi Royal Mosque in Johor Bahru: First built in 1911, it is located next to the Johor Sultan's Pasir Pelangi Palace.
Indian Mosque in Ipoh: Built between 1905 and 1908 under the leadership of the wealthy South Indian Tamil merchant Shaik Adam Mohammad Ghaus.
Pakistan Mosque in Ipoh: Built in 1930 by Pathans (Pashtun descent) and Punjabis from North India who served as police officers in Ipoh. It is currently used by the Pakistani Punjabi community.
Panglima Kinta Mosque in Ipoh: Built in 1898 by Panglima Kinta Muhamad Yusuff, the Malay chief who ruled Ipoh at the time, in memory of his wife.
Ubudiah Mosque in Perak: Commissioned by Sultan Idris Murshidul Azzam Shah of Perak and built between 1913 and 1917, it is the royal mosque of the Sultan of Perak.
Jamek Mosque in Seremban: Rebuilt into its current structure in 1900, with a minaret added in 1924.
May in Zhejiang: 1 mosque.
Lishui Mosque in Zhejiang: Built in 1886 by the imam Ma Huanzhang on Gaojing Lane in Lishui city.
May in Fujian: 3 mosques.
Fuzhou Mosque: This mosque was rebuilt with funds donated by the surveillance commissioner Zhang Xiaosi during the early Zhizheng years of the Yuan dynasty. It was destroyed by fire in 1541 (the 20th year of the Jiajing reign). Ge Wenming, a descendant of the envoy Ge Buman from the Guli Kingdom (the Calicut kingdom on the southwest corner of the Indian peninsula), led the reconstruction, which was completed in 1549 (the 28th year of the Jiajing reign).
Quanzhou Qingjing Mosque: First built in 1009, it was renovated by Ahmed in 1310.
Xiamen Mosque stele record: Xiamen Mosque was first built in 1823. The mosque currently houses two stone steles from 1902 and 1924.
May in Sichuan: 3 mosques.
Chengdu Tuqiao Upper Mosque: Tuqiao is located northwest of Chengdu. Since the Qing dynasty, it has been a necessary stop for merchants traveling to Chengdu from Aba and Songpan via the Songmao Ancient Road. Many Hui Muslims settled here, and the Tuqiao Upper Mosque was first built in 1791.
Dujiangyan Mosque: During the Jiajing reign of the Ming dynasty, Hui Muslims in Dujiangyan pooled their money to buy the former site of the Ming Shu Kang Wang summer palace and officially built the Dujiangyan Mosque.
Dujiangyan Baoping Mosque: After the Sichuan Railway Protection Movement in 1911, Hui Muslims from Maogong (Xiaojin County) actively participated. They faced persecution from local feudal forces and fled, with most settling in Guanxian (Dujiangyan). They pooled their money to build the Baoping Mosque in 1925.
June in Shandong: 4 mosques.
Liaocheng Dongguan West Mosque: The West Mosque is commonly known as the Great Mosque (da libaisi). It was first built in 1385 and renovated twice during the Jiajing and Kangxi reigns.
Liaocheng Dongguan East Mosque: The East Mosque is also called the Small Mosque (xiao libaisi). It was built during the Yongle reign of the Ming dynasty under the leadership of the Dongchang Prefecture garrison commander Bai Lin. It was renovated multiple times during the Jiaqing, Xianfeng, and Guangxu reigns of the Qing dynasty.
Linqing North Mosque: Located at the intersection of the Huitong River and the Wei River, the Linqing North Mosque was first built in 1504. It underwent major expansions and repairs in 1564, 1779, and 1809, eventually reaching its current form.
Linqing East Mosque: First built in 1465, it was repaired twice in 1583 and 1649, and expanded again in 1734, resulting in its grand scale.
June in Hebei: 1 mosque.
Xingtai Linxi County Hongguanying Mosque: The ancestor of the Hong family Hui Muslims, Hong Badan, was a sixth-generation descendant of Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din Omar. He served as an official in Linqing during the Ming dynasty, and his descendants took Hong as their surname and settled in Linqing. The Hongguanying Mosque was first built between the Xuande and Tianshun years of the Ming dynasty. It was burned down during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Northern Expedition in 1854 and rebuilt into its current form in 1874.
June in Liaoning: 5 mosques.
Dandong Fengcheng Mosque: Built in 1775, it was renovated in 1862. In 1876, the north lecture hall was rebuilt and side rooms were added. In 1890, the Moon-Watching Tower (wangyuelou) was added, giving it its current size.
Dalian Fuzhou Mosque: In the early Qing dynasty, Hui Muslims with the surnames Yin, Dai, Ma, and Hui from Cangzhou arrived in Fuzhou. They began preparing to build the Fuzhou Mosque southwest of Fuzhou city in 1649, and in 1656, they completed three thatched rooms to serve as the main prayer hall. The main hall was rebuilt in 1774 and expanded again in 1880, though it still had a thatched roof. In 1920, the front porch and rear kiln hall were expanded, and the roof was changed to green bricks and tiles, resulting in its current form.
Dalian Qingdui Mosque: The Qingdui Mosque was first built during the Daoguang reign of the Qing dynasty, starting with only three thatched rooms. In 1894, the famous Hui Muslim general Zuo Baogui donated funds for the mosque, and in 1895, local elders oversaw its reconstruction into the current three-room structure made of blue bricks and tiles. In 1920, the gatehouse was rebuilt and the lecture hall was expanded, giving the mosque its current size.
Shenyang Xinmin Mosque: During the Qianlong reign, many Hui Muslims moved to Xinmin, and in 1765, they built the Xinmin Mosque in Nanyingzi. It was burned down in 1866 and rebuilt in 1883 into its current form.
Jinzhou Xinlitun Mosque: During the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, Hui Muslims from Jinzhou, Yixian, Heishan, and Yingkou settled in Xinlitun and built the Xinlitun Mosque in 1842. The Xinlitun Mosque was burned down in 1873, but was later rebuilt with funds led by the anti-Japanese hero General Zuo Baogui.
September Malaysia: 10 mosques
Malacca Kampung Hulu Mosque: In 1728, the Dutch East India Company commissioned a Chinese Muslim leader, Dato' Samsuddin Bin Arom, to build a new mosque near the site of an old one destroyed by the Portuguese. This is the oldest surviving mosque in Malacca.
Malacca Kampung Kling Mosque minaret (bangke lou): In 1728, an Indian merchant named Muhammad Saleh funded the construction of a small mosque in Kampung Kling. It was abandoned after the larger Kampung Kling Mosque was built in 1782, and today only the minaret remains. The minaret of the small Kampung Kling Mosque was modeled after a Chinese pagoda, which was the first of its kind on the Malay Peninsula at the time.
Malacca Kampung Kling Mosque: In 1782, the Kampung Kling Mosque was completed just west of the small mosque.
Malacca Kampung Kling Mosque: This mosque was first built by Indian merchants in 1748, and in 1872, the original wooden structure was replaced with the current brick building.
Malacca Sanbaoshan Mosque: This mosque was first built in 1865. A new main hall was added in 1978, but the layout of the original old hall was preserved.
Malacca Pengkalan Rama Mosque: First built in the 1730s, it was renovated in 1917 with funds donated by Dato' Penghulu Abdul Ghani.
Malacca Duyong Mosque: Built in 1850 under the leadership of Wan Chilek, it was originally made of red clay and wood with a roof of Chinese and Dutch tiles. In 1908, a minaret was added that combined the styles of a Chinese pagoda and a Western lighthouse.
Malacca Serkam Pantai Mosque: First built in 1853, the beams and roof were made from timber cut in local forests and hauled by water buffalo, while the walls were built from reef stones quarried near Big Island (Pulau Besar) and transported by sampan boats.
Malacca Peringgit Mosque: First built in 1726, it was later destroyed and rebuilt in 1868.
Muar Sultan Ibrahim Mosque: This is the main Friday mosque for Muar. It was built in 1887 along with the town of Muar, and reconstruction began in 1925 and was officially completed in 1930.
October Tunisia: 14 mosques
Tunis Al-Zaytuna Mosque: Built after the Umayyad conquest of Carthage in 698, its current form is mainly from the reconstruction by the Aghlabid dynasty in 864-65. It is the second mosque built by Arabs in the Maghreb region after the Great Mosque of Kairouan, and it is the grandest mosque in Tunis.
Tunis New Mosque (Jemaa el-Jedid): Built in 1726 by Hussein I ibn Ali, the founder of the Husainid dynasty in Tunisia. The Husainid dynasty was a Beylik that was nominally subordinate to the Ottoman Empire. Hussein used the faith to unite different ethnic groups in Tunisia. He ordered the construction of many madrasas, and the New Mosque (Jemaa el-Jedid) in Tunis is also his representative work.
Ksar Mosque in Tunis: A rare Hanafi mosque in Tunisia, built by the Banu Khurasan dynasty in 1106. It was converted to the Hanafi school by the Ottoman dynasty in 1598, and the minaret (manara) was rebuilt in its current Moorish style between 1647 and 1648. The capitals inside the main prayer hall were also taken from ancient architectural ruins. Inside the mihrab, there are seven niches topped with Fatimid-style fluted semi-domes.
Hammouda Pasha Mosque in Tunis: Built in 1655 by Hammouda Pasha, the second Bey of the Muradite dynasty. It is the second Hanafi mosque in Tunisia after the Ksar Mosque. Hammouda Pasha built many markets and hospitals in Tunis, and the Ottoman-style Hammouda Pasha Mosque is his representative work. The Hammouda Pasha Mosque features an octagonal minaret and a rectangular courtyard with galleries. The marble construction inside the main prayer hall is also very Ottoman in style.
Sidi Mahrez Mosque in Tunis: Built in 1692 by Muhammad Bey, the fourth Bey of the Muradite dynasty. It is located right next to the gongbei of Sidi Mahrez, the most important wali in Tunis, who was also a famous Maliki jurist. The Sidi Mahrez Mosque is deeply influenced by the Ottoman style. It is modeled after the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, featuring a central dome and smaller domes, with the interior decorated with Iznik tiles imported from Turkey.
Kasbah Mosque in Tunis: Built between 1230 and 1233 by Abu Zakariya Yahya, the founding sultan of the Hafsid dynasty. It is the second congregational mosque (Juma mosque) in Tunis after the Great Mosque of Zitouna. It is deeply influenced by the Almohad dynasty of Morocco and looks very similar to the Kasbah Mosque in Marrakesh, Morocco.
El Ichbili Mosque in Tunis: Located deep in the old medina, right next to the El Brat market. The mosque was first built in the 10th century, while the minaret was built in the 14th century.
Youssef Dey Mosque in Tunis: Built in 1616 by the Ottoman Bey of Tunis, Youssef Dey. It is the first Ottoman-style mosque in Tunisia. At the intersection stands the first octagonal minaret in Tunis, which has a wooden sunshade at the top. Next to the minaret is the white marble tomb of Youssef Dey, with large blind arcades on the walls.
Great Mosque of Sousse: First built in 851 by the Aghlabid ruler Muhammad I ibn al-Aghlab. The prayer hall was expanded to the south in the 10th century, the current courtyard portico and the northeast minaret were built in the 11th century, and the south portico was renovated in 1785. The Great Mosque of Sousse is right next to the Sousse Fortress and also has a fortress-like appearance. The exterior features jagged walls and corner towers. The minaret in the northeast corner is not tall; instead, it looks more like a castle tower.
Great Mosque of Kairouan: The oldest and most spectacular congregational mosque in Tunisia. It was first ordered to be built in 670 by the Arab Umayyad general Uqba ibn Nafi, rebuilt by the Umayyad dynasty in 703, and after many reconstructions and repairs, it finally took its current form in the 9th century. The minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan was built between the 8th and 9th centuries. The existing structure is basically from 836, making it the oldest surviving minaret in the world. The mosque's mihrab and minbar were built in 863 and are the oldest concave mihrab and minbar in the world.
Three Doors Mosque (Mosquée des Trois Portes) in Kairouan: Built in 866, it has the oldest decorated facade of any religious building in the world. The builder, Muhammad ibn Khairun, was a scholar and merchant from Andalusia who came to Kairouan, Tunisia, via Iraq and Egypt.
Kairouan Barber Mosque: It sits right next to the tomb of Sidi Sahab, a companion of the noble Prophet and his barber. Legend says Sidi Sahab died in a battle in 654 and was buried here. By the 11th century, this place had already become a famous holy site for the faith. Bey Hamuda Pasha of Tunisia built the main hall in 1629. Another Bey, Muhammad, built the minaret (bangke ta) between 1690 and 1695.
Monastir Great Mosque: First built during the Aghlabid dynasty in the 9th century, it has a classic fortress style. It was expanded during the Zirid dynasty in the 11th century, when the current mihrab, typical of the Zirid style, was built. The current minaret was built during the Hafsid dynasty. The Great Mosque was finally completed in the 18th century with the addition of the current porch.
Hammamet Great Mosque: Construction began in the 12th century and was officially finished in the 13th century, with the minaret added in 1463. This was also the period when Hammamet grew from a coastal fortress into a medina residential area. The stone pillars of the Hammamet Great Mosque are different colors, as many were collected from nearby ancient Roman ruins.
December Malaysia: 4 mosques
Kuala Lumpur Jamek Mosque: Sultan Sulaiman of Selangor laid the foundation in 1908, and it was officially completed in 1909. British architect Arthur Benison Hubback led the construction, using the Mughal Revival style popular at the time.
Kota Bharu Kampung Laut Mosque: Known as one of the oldest mosques in Malaysia, it is estimated to have been built between the 15th and 18th centuries. It was only expanded in the late 18th century into a stilt wooden house high enough to tether an elephant. Between 1886 and 1889, the original sago palm leaf roof was replaced with clay tiles, and a wooden minaret was added in the 1890s. The Kampung Laut Mosque was destroyed by floods in 1967, rebuilt in Nilam Puri, and finally moved back to a raised platform in Kampung Laut in 2020.
Kota Bharu Muhammadi Mosque: The Jumu'ah mosque of Kelantan state, built by Sultan Muhammad II of Kelantan in 1867. It was changed from a wooden structure to concrete in 1922 and features a Classical Revival style. From the late 19th century to the 20th century, it was an important academic center for the faith in Malaysia, where many great scholars taught. Because many students went to Mecca for further studies after graduating, it is also known as the 'Gateway to Mecca'.
Kuching Indian Mosque: First built by South Indian Tamil merchants in 1837. Originally, the roof and walls were made of nipa palm, until it was rebuilt with Borneo ironwood in 1876 into the current structure. The mosque collects rent from 23 surrounding shops. 21 of these are run by Indian Muslims selling groceries, spices, fabrics, and books, while two are owned by Chinese bosses. These shops have been passed down through families for generations.
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Summary: This article records 63 mosque visits made in 2024, with attention to architecture, local Muslim communities, and regional history. The English version keeps the original sequence of places, photos, names, and factual details while making the account easier to read.
January in Singapore: 8 mosques.
Al-Abrar Mosque in Singapore: Built in 1827 by Tamil Muslims from the Coromandel Coast of southeastern India, it was renovated into its current form between 1986 and 1989.
Jamae Mosque in Singapore: A congregational mosque built in 1826 by Tamil Muslims from the Coromandel Coast of southeastern India, it was rebuilt into its current form between 1830 and 1835.
Abdul Gafoor Mosque in Singapore: Construction began in 1859, and it was rebuilt into its current structure in 1907 under the leadership of the South Indian Tamil Muslim, Shaik Abdul Gafoor.
Angullia Mosque in Singapore: Established in 1892 by the Angullia family, who were Muslims from Gujarat in western India. The gatehouse built in 1890 still stands today.
Hajjah Fatimah Mosque in Singapore: Donated and built between 1915 and 1920 by Hajjah Fatimah, an Indian-descended Muslim businesswoman and philanthropist. It has always been managed jointly by Arab, Indian, and Malay Muslims.
Sultan Mosque in Singapore: Built between 1824 and 1826 by Sultan Hussein of Johor using funds from the British East India Company, it was rebuilt in the Mughal Revival style between 1924 and 1928.
Hajjah Fatimah Mosque in Singapore: Donated and built by the Malay noblewoman and philanthropist Hajjah Fatimah between 1845 and 1846, it was rebuilt in the Mughal Revival style in the 1930s.
Haji Muhammad Salleh Mosque in Singapore: Haji Muhammad Salleh was a merchant from Batavia (modern-day Jakarta). He made a dua to build a small mosque on Mount Palmer for the Sufi wali Habib Noh, which was finally rebuilt as a formal mosque in 1903.
January in Malaysia: 10 mosques.
Alaeddin Mosque in Selangor: Built in 1905 by order of Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah of Selangor.
Sultan Sulaiman Royal Mosque in Selangor: A gift from the British to Sultan Sulaiman to replace the Pengkalan Batu Mosque, which was demolished to build the Klang railway station. Built between 1932 and 1933, it has served as the royal mosque for the Sultan of Selangor ever since.
Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque in Johor Bahru: Commissioned by Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor in 1892, it was officially completed in 1900.
Kampung Mahmoodiah Mosque in Johor Bahru: Located next to the Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum in Johor, it was first built in 1926.
Pasir Pelangi Royal Mosque in Johor Bahru: First built in 1911, it is located next to the Johor Sultan's Pasir Pelangi Palace.
Indian Mosque in Ipoh: Built between 1905 and 1908 under the leadership of the wealthy South Indian Tamil merchant Shaik Adam Mohammad Ghaus.
Pakistan Mosque in Ipoh: Built in 1930 by Pathans (Pashtun descent) and Punjabis from North India who served as police officers in Ipoh. It is currently used by the Pakistani Punjabi community.
Panglima Kinta Mosque in Ipoh: Built in 1898 by Panglima Kinta Muhamad Yusuff, the Malay chief who ruled Ipoh at the time, in memory of his wife.
Ubudiah Mosque in Perak: Commissioned by Sultan Idris Murshidul Azzam Shah of Perak and built between 1913 and 1917, it is the royal mosque of the Sultan of Perak.
Jamek Mosque in Seremban: Rebuilt into its current structure in 1900, with a minaret added in 1924.
May in Zhejiang: 1 mosque.
Lishui Mosque in Zhejiang: Built in 1886 by the imam Ma Huanzhang on Gaojing Lane in Lishui city.
May in Fujian: 3 mosques.
Fuzhou Mosque: This mosque was rebuilt with funds donated by the surveillance commissioner Zhang Xiaosi during the early Zhizheng years of the Yuan dynasty. It was destroyed by fire in 1541 (the 20th year of the Jiajing reign). Ge Wenming, a descendant of the envoy Ge Buman from the Guli Kingdom (the Calicut kingdom on the southwest corner of the Indian peninsula), led the reconstruction, which was completed in 1549 (the 28th year of the Jiajing reign).
Quanzhou Qingjing Mosque: First built in 1009, it was renovated by Ahmed in 1310.
Xiamen Mosque stele record: Xiamen Mosque was first built in 1823. The mosque currently houses two stone steles from 1902 and 1924.
May in Sichuan: 3 mosques.
Chengdu Tuqiao Upper Mosque: Tuqiao is located northwest of Chengdu. Since the Qing dynasty, it has been a necessary stop for merchants traveling to Chengdu from Aba and Songpan via the Songmao Ancient Road. Many Hui Muslims settled here, and the Tuqiao Upper Mosque was first built in 1791.
Dujiangyan Mosque: During the Jiajing reign of the Ming dynasty, Hui Muslims in Dujiangyan pooled their money to buy the former site of the Ming Shu Kang Wang summer palace and officially built the Dujiangyan Mosque.
Dujiangyan Baoping Mosque: After the Sichuan Railway Protection Movement in 1911, Hui Muslims from Maogong (Xiaojin County) actively participated. They faced persecution from local feudal forces and fled, with most settling in Guanxian (Dujiangyan). They pooled their money to build the Baoping Mosque in 1925.
June in Shandong: 4 mosques.
Liaocheng Dongguan West Mosque: The West Mosque is commonly known as the Great Mosque (da libaisi). It was first built in 1385 and renovated twice during the Jiajing and Kangxi reigns.
Liaocheng Dongguan East Mosque: The East Mosque is also called the Small Mosque (xiao libaisi). It was built during the Yongle reign of the Ming dynasty under the leadership of the Dongchang Prefecture garrison commander Bai Lin. It was renovated multiple times during the Jiaqing, Xianfeng, and Guangxu reigns of the Qing dynasty.
Linqing North Mosque: Located at the intersection of the Huitong River and the Wei River, the Linqing North Mosque was first built in 1504. It underwent major expansions and repairs in 1564, 1779, and 1809, eventually reaching its current form.
Linqing East Mosque: First built in 1465, it was repaired twice in 1583 and 1649, and expanded again in 1734, resulting in its grand scale.
June in Hebei: 1 mosque.
Xingtai Linxi County Hongguanying Mosque: The ancestor of the Hong family Hui Muslims, Hong Badan, was a sixth-generation descendant of Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din Omar. He served as an official in Linqing during the Ming dynasty, and his descendants took Hong as their surname and settled in Linqing. The Hongguanying Mosque was first built between the Xuande and Tianshun years of the Ming dynasty. It was burned down during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Northern Expedition in 1854 and rebuilt into its current form in 1874.
June in Liaoning: 5 mosques.
Dandong Fengcheng Mosque: Built in 1775, it was renovated in 1862. In 1876, the north lecture hall was rebuilt and side rooms were added. In 1890, the Moon-Watching Tower (wangyuelou) was added, giving it its current size.
Dalian Fuzhou Mosque: In the early Qing dynasty, Hui Muslims with the surnames Yin, Dai, Ma, and Hui from Cangzhou arrived in Fuzhou. They began preparing to build the Fuzhou Mosque southwest of Fuzhou city in 1649, and in 1656, they completed three thatched rooms to serve as the main prayer hall. The main hall was rebuilt in 1774 and expanded again in 1880, though it still had a thatched roof. In 1920, the front porch and rear kiln hall were expanded, and the roof was changed to green bricks and tiles, resulting in its current form.
Dalian Qingdui Mosque: The Qingdui Mosque was first built during the Daoguang reign of the Qing dynasty, starting with only three thatched rooms. In 1894, the famous Hui Muslim general Zuo Baogui donated funds for the mosque, and in 1895, local elders oversaw its reconstruction into the current three-room structure made of blue bricks and tiles. In 1920, the gatehouse was rebuilt and the lecture hall was expanded, giving the mosque its current size.
Shenyang Xinmin Mosque: During the Qianlong reign, many Hui Muslims moved to Xinmin, and in 1765, they built the Xinmin Mosque in Nanyingzi. It was burned down in 1866 and rebuilt in 1883 into its current form.
Jinzhou Xinlitun Mosque: During the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, Hui Muslims from Jinzhou, Yixian, Heishan, and Yingkou settled in Xinlitun and built the Xinlitun Mosque in 1842. The Xinlitun Mosque was burned down in 1873, but was later rebuilt with funds led by the anti-Japanese hero General Zuo Baogui.
September Malaysia: 10 mosques
Malacca Kampung Hulu Mosque: In 1728, the Dutch East India Company commissioned a Chinese Muslim leader, Dato' Samsuddin Bin Arom, to build a new mosque near the site of an old one destroyed by the Portuguese. This is the oldest surviving mosque in Malacca.
Malacca Kampung Kling Mosque minaret (bangke lou): In 1728, an Indian merchant named Muhammad Saleh funded the construction of a small mosque in Kampung Kling. It was abandoned after the larger Kampung Kling Mosque was built in 1782, and today only the minaret remains. The minaret of the small Kampung Kling Mosque was modeled after a Chinese pagoda, which was the first of its kind on the Malay Peninsula at the time.
Malacca Kampung Kling Mosque: In 1782, the Kampung Kling Mosque was completed just west of the small mosque.
Malacca Kampung Kling Mosque: This mosque was first built by Indian merchants in 1748, and in 1872, the original wooden structure was replaced with the current brick building.
Malacca Sanbaoshan Mosque: This mosque was first built in 1865. A new main hall was added in 1978, but the layout of the original old hall was preserved.
Malacca Pengkalan Rama Mosque: First built in the 1730s, it was renovated in 1917 with funds donated by Dato' Penghulu Abdul Ghani.
Malacca Duyong Mosque: Built in 1850 under the leadership of Wan Chilek, it was originally made of red clay and wood with a roof of Chinese and Dutch tiles. In 1908, a minaret was added that combined the styles of a Chinese pagoda and a Western lighthouse.
Malacca Serkam Pantai Mosque: First built in 1853, the beams and roof were made from timber cut in local forests and hauled by water buffalo, while the walls were built from reef stones quarried near Big Island (Pulau Besar) and transported by sampan boats.
Malacca Peringgit Mosque: First built in 1726, it was later destroyed and rebuilt in 1868.
Muar Sultan Ibrahim Mosque: This is the main Friday mosque for Muar. It was built in 1887 along with the town of Muar, and reconstruction began in 1925 and was officially completed in 1930.
October Tunisia: 14 mosques
Tunis Al-Zaytuna Mosque: Built after the Umayyad conquest of Carthage in 698, its current form is mainly from the reconstruction by the Aghlabid dynasty in 864-65. It is the second mosque built by Arabs in the Maghreb region after the Great Mosque of Kairouan, and it is the grandest mosque in Tunis.
Tunis New Mosque (Jemaa el-Jedid): Built in 1726 by Hussein I ibn Ali, the founder of the Husainid dynasty in Tunisia. The Husainid dynasty was a Beylik that was nominally subordinate to the Ottoman Empire. Hussein used the faith to unite different ethnic groups in Tunisia. He ordered the construction of many madrasas, and the New Mosque (Jemaa el-Jedid) in Tunis is also his representative work.
Ksar Mosque in Tunis: A rare Hanafi mosque in Tunisia, built by the Banu Khurasan dynasty in 1106. It was converted to the Hanafi school by the Ottoman dynasty in 1598, and the minaret (manara) was rebuilt in its current Moorish style between 1647 and 1648. The capitals inside the main prayer hall were also taken from ancient architectural ruins. Inside the mihrab, there are seven niches topped with Fatimid-style fluted semi-domes.
Hammouda Pasha Mosque in Tunis: Built in 1655 by Hammouda Pasha, the second Bey of the Muradite dynasty. It is the second Hanafi mosque in Tunisia after the Ksar Mosque. Hammouda Pasha built many markets and hospitals in Tunis, and the Ottoman-style Hammouda Pasha Mosque is his representative work. The Hammouda Pasha Mosque features an octagonal minaret and a rectangular courtyard with galleries. The marble construction inside the main prayer hall is also very Ottoman in style.
Sidi Mahrez Mosque in Tunis: Built in 1692 by Muhammad Bey, the fourth Bey of the Muradite dynasty. It is located right next to the gongbei of Sidi Mahrez, the most important wali in Tunis, who was also a famous Maliki jurist. The Sidi Mahrez Mosque is deeply influenced by the Ottoman style. It is modeled after the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, featuring a central dome and smaller domes, with the interior decorated with Iznik tiles imported from Turkey.
Kasbah Mosque in Tunis: Built between 1230 and 1233 by Abu Zakariya Yahya, the founding sultan of the Hafsid dynasty. It is the second congregational mosque (Juma mosque) in Tunis after the Great Mosque of Zitouna. It is deeply influenced by the Almohad dynasty of Morocco and looks very similar to the Kasbah Mosque in Marrakesh, Morocco.
El Ichbili Mosque in Tunis: Located deep in the old medina, right next to the El Brat market. The mosque was first built in the 10th century, while the minaret was built in the 14th century.
Youssef Dey Mosque in Tunis: Built in 1616 by the Ottoman Bey of Tunis, Youssef Dey. It is the first Ottoman-style mosque in Tunisia. At the intersection stands the first octagonal minaret in Tunis, which has a wooden sunshade at the top. Next to the minaret is the white marble tomb of Youssef Dey, with large blind arcades on the walls.
Great Mosque of Sousse: First built in 851 by the Aghlabid ruler Muhammad I ibn al-Aghlab. The prayer hall was expanded to the south in the 10th century, the current courtyard portico and the northeast minaret were built in the 11th century, and the south portico was renovated in 1785. The Great Mosque of Sousse is right next to the Sousse Fortress and also has a fortress-like appearance. The exterior features jagged walls and corner towers. The minaret in the northeast corner is not tall; instead, it looks more like a castle tower.
Great Mosque of Kairouan: The oldest and most spectacular congregational mosque in Tunisia. It was first ordered to be built in 670 by the Arab Umayyad general Uqba ibn Nafi, rebuilt by the Umayyad dynasty in 703, and after many reconstructions and repairs, it finally took its current form in the 9th century. The minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan was built between the 8th and 9th centuries. The existing structure is basically from 836, making it the oldest surviving minaret in the world. The mosque's mihrab and minbar were built in 863 and are the oldest concave mihrab and minbar in the world.
Three Doors Mosque (Mosquée des Trois Portes) in Kairouan: Built in 866, it has the oldest decorated facade of any religious building in the world. The builder, Muhammad ibn Khairun, was a scholar and merchant from Andalusia who came to Kairouan, Tunisia, via Iraq and Egypt.
Kairouan Barber Mosque: It sits right next to the tomb of Sidi Sahab, a companion of the noble Prophet and his barber. Legend says Sidi Sahab died in a battle in 654 and was buried here. By the 11th century, this place had already become a famous holy site for the faith. Bey Hamuda Pasha of Tunisia built the main hall in 1629. Another Bey, Muhammad, built the minaret (bangke ta) between 1690 and 1695.
Monastir Great Mosque: First built during the Aghlabid dynasty in the 9th century, it has a classic fortress style. It was expanded during the Zirid dynasty in the 11th century, when the current mihrab, typical of the Zirid style, was built. The current minaret was built during the Hafsid dynasty. The Great Mosque was finally completed in the 18th century with the addition of the current porch.
Hammamet Great Mosque: Construction began in the 12th century and was officially finished in the 13th century, with the minaret added in 1463. This was also the period when Hammamet grew from a coastal fortress into a medina residential area. The stone pillars of the Hammamet Great Mosque are different colors, as many were collected from nearby ancient Roman ruins.
December Malaysia: 4 mosques
Kuala Lumpur Jamek Mosque: Sultan Sulaiman of Selangor laid the foundation in 1908, and it was officially completed in 1909. British architect Arthur Benison Hubback led the construction, using the Mughal Revival style popular at the time.
Kota Bharu Kampung Laut Mosque: Known as one of the oldest mosques in Malaysia, it is estimated to have been built between the 15th and 18th centuries. It was only expanded in the late 18th century into a stilt wooden house high enough to tether an elephant. Between 1886 and 1889, the original sago palm leaf roof was replaced with clay tiles, and a wooden minaret was added in the 1890s. The Kampung Laut Mosque was destroyed by floods in 1967, rebuilt in Nilam Puri, and finally moved back to a raised platform in Kampung Laut in 2020.
Kota Bharu Muhammadi Mosque: The Jumu'ah mosque of Kelantan state, built by Sultan Muhammad II of Kelantan in 1867. It was changed from a wooden structure to concrete in 1922 and features a Classical Revival style. From the late 19th century to the 20th century, it was an important academic center for the faith in Malaysia, where many great scholars taught. Because many students went to Mecca for further studies after graduating, it is also known as the 'Gateway to Mecca'.
Kuching Indian Mosque: First built by South Indian Tamil merchants in 1837. Originally, the roof and walls were made of nipa palm, until it was rebuilt with Borneo ironwood in 1876 into the current structure. The mosque collects rent from 23 surrounding shops. 21 of these are run by Indian Muslims selling groceries, spices, fabrics, and books, while two are owned by Chinese bosses. These shops have been passed down through families for generations.
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Halal Travel Guide: Malaysia — 25 Historic Mosques, Muslim Communities & Heritage
Reposted from the web
Summary: Malaysia has many old mosques tied to local Muslim communities, trade routes, and regional history. This travel account follows visits to 25 historic mosques in Malaysia, preserving the names, locations, photos, and cultural notes from the Chinese source.
Javanese style
Kampung Laut Mosque in Kota Bharu: late 18th century
Kampung Hulu Mosque in Malacca: 1728
Tengkera Mosque in Malacca: 1782
Kampung Kling Mosque in Malacca: 1872
Tranquerah Mosque (Sanbaoshan Mosque) in Malacca: 1865
Pengkalan Rama Mosque in Malacca: 1917
Duyong Mosque in Malacca: 1850
Serkam Pantai Mosque in Malacca: 1853
Peringgit Mosque in Malacca: 1868
Acheen Street Mosque in Penang: 1808
Jamek Mosque in Seremban: 1900
Indian style
Indian Mosque in Ipoh: 1908
Pakistani Mosque in Ipoh: 1930
Panglima Kinta Mosque in Ipoh: 1898
Indian Mosque in Kuching: 1876
Mughal Revival style
Ubudiah Mosque in Kuala Kangsar: 1917
Alauddin Mosque in Jugra: 1905
Kapitan Keling Mosque in Penang: 1801
Jamek Mosque in Kuala Lumpur: 1909
Art Deco style
Sultan Sulaiman Royal Mosque in Klang: 1933.
Victorian style.
Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque in Johor Bahru: 1900.
Kampung Mamudiah Mosque: 1926.
Sultan Ibrahim Mosque in Muar: 1930.
Neoclassical style.
Pasir Pelangi Royal Mosque in Johor Bahru: 1911.
Muhammadi Mosque in Kota Bharu: 1922.
Javanese style
Kampung Laut Mosque in Kota Bharu: late 18th century
Kampung Laut Mosque (Masjid Kampung Laut) sits by the Kelantan River north of Kota Bharu and is known as one of the oldest mosques in Malaysia. Local legends passed down through generations say that early missionaries sailed from Champa in southern Vietnam toward Java to spread the faith, but a storm damaged their boat and left them stranded on the Kelantan coast. They made a dua to build a mosque wherever they could safely dock their boat. Just then, a school of barracuda swam into the boat and plugged the leaks, keeping it from sinking. After the storm, they sailed along the Kelantan River and docked safely at Kampung Laut, where they built the first Kampung Laut Mosque.
There is no clear record of when the mosque was first built, but it is estimated to be between the 15th and 18th centuries. It is said the original main hall was just a pavilion, and it was not expanded until the late 18th century into a wooden house on stilts high enough to tether an elephant. Between 1886 and 1889, the original sago palm leaf roof was replaced with clay tiles, and a wooden minaret was added in the 1890s. The Kampung Laut Mosque was destroyed by floods in 1967, rebuilt in Nilam Puri, and finally moved back to a raised platform in Kampung Laut in 2020.
Kampung Hulu Mosque in Malacca: 1728
After the Portuguese occupied Malacca, they destroyed all the mosques of the Malacca Sultanate and promoted Catholicism. The Portuguese were not successful, and Catholicism did not have much influence in Malacca until the Dutch took over.
The Dutch took a more tolerant approach in Malacca and allowed the faith to spread. In 1728, the Dutch East India Company commissioned a Chinese Muslim, Dato' Samsuddin Bin Arom, to build a new mosque near the site of an old mosque destroyed by the Portuguese, which became the oldest surviving mosque in Malacca, Kampung Hulu Mosque (Masjid Kampung Hulu).
The main hall of Kampung Hulu Mosque uses the traditional Javanese Tajug multi-layered pyramid roof. The decoration at the very top is called Mustoko or Memolo in Javanese. This roof structure leaves space between the upper and middle layers for ventilation and light, which helps it adapt well to the humid and rainy tropical climate.
Unlike traditional all-wood Javanese mosques, Kampung Hulu Mosque is built with brick and stone and covered in plaster, an influence from Dutch colonial architecture. The tiles and floor tiles inside the mosque were all imported from China, and the patterns on the windows also show Chinese influence.
A traditional drum called a Beduk sits above the main gate. Early mosques in Southeast Asia used these drums to call people to prayer. Today, many mosques still use drums to call people to prayer and signal the end of the daily fast during Jumu'ah and Ramadan.
The minaret looks like a lighthouse, which was a first for the Malay Peninsula, as there was no previous tradition of building minarets there. On Java Island, the Great Mosque of Banten, built in 1632, was the first to have a lighthouse-style minaret designed and built by a Chinese man named Cek-ban-cut.
Tengkera Mosque in Malacca: 1782
In 1782, Tengkera Mosque (Masjid Tengkera) was built to the west of the smaller Tengkera Mosque. Tengkera Mosque also features a traditional three-layered Javanese pyramid roof (bumbung tiga lapis), and the main hall is supported by four ironwood pillars from Kalimantan. After being renovated twice in 1890 and 1910, the current Tengkera Mosque has brick walls and a tiled roof. Like the smaller Tengkera Mosque, the minaret at Tengkera Mosque is a Chinese-style pagoda structure, continuing the design of the smaller mosque's minaret.
Kampung Kling Mosque in Malacca: 1872
Kampung Kling Mosque (Masjid Kampong Kling) is located in the center of Malacca. It was founded by Indian merchants in 1748 and changed from a wooden structure to its current brick form in 1872. The mosque features a traditional three-layered Javanese pyramid roof (bumbung tiga lapis). The classical Corinthian columns between the main hall and the mihrab, along with the plaster walls, show the influence of Dutch colonists. The Chinese tiles on the roof, floor, and walls, as well as the wood carvings on the doors and windows, show Chinese influence.
Legend says that during the Malacca Sultanate, Kampung Kling was a settlement for Indian Muslim merchants. Kling was the historical term used in the Malay Archipelago for Indians, especially Tamils. On a 1690 map of Malacca, this place is marked as Mosquée de Maures (Moorish Mosque), but its relationship to Kampung Kling Mosque is uncertain. In the 18th century, this was still a village for South Indian immigrants. After the rubber industry boomed in Malacca from the 19th to the early 20th century, it became a settlement for Chinese people working in the rubber industry. Today, the mosque is surrounded by Chinese shophouses.
Tranquerah Mosque (Sanbaoshan Mosque) in Malacca: 1865
Bukit Cina Mosque (Masjid Bukit Cina), also called Al-Hamideen Mosque, was built in 1865. A new main hall was added in 1978, but it kept the layout of the original old hall. The old hall has a traditional Javanese-style three-layered pyramid roof (bumbung tiga lapis) and four wooden pillars (Soko Guru). Each pillar connects to the foundation using a stone base called a Umpak. These bases stop groundwater from soaking into the wooden pillars and help absorb shock during earthquakes.
Pengkalan Rama Mosque in Malacca: 1917
Pengkalan Rama Mosque was first built in the 1730s. Datuk Penghulu Abdul Ghani paid for its renovation in 1917, and a new main hall was added in 2004. It still keeps its traditional Javanese style, including the old hall's three-tiered pyramid roof (bumbung tiga lapis) and four wooden pillars (Soko Guru).
Duyong Mosque in Malacca: 1850
Duyong Mosque (Masjid Duyong) was built in 1850 under the leadership of Wan Chilek. It was originally made of red clay and wood, with a roof made of Chinese and Dutch tiles. In 1908, a minaret (bangkar) was added, blending the look of a Chinese pagoda with a Western lighthouse.
The site underwent several renovations and expansions in 1967, 1973, and 1976. It was damaged by fire in 1982 and later repaired. In 2002, the Malaysia Museums and Antiquities Department carried out protective repairs on the site.
Serkam Pantai Mosque in Malacca: 1853
At Telok Mas Al-Khairiah Mosque (Masjid Telok Mas Al-Khairiah) for namaz. Telok Mas Al-Khairiah Mosque was first built in 1853. When it was built, the beams and roof were made from timber cut in local forests and hauled by water buffalo. The walls were built from reef stones mined near Big Island (Pulau Besar) and brought over by small boats (sampan). The main gate still has the year 1269 of the Hijri calendar, which is 1853 in the Gregorian calendar, carved into it. In 1913, a minaret (bangkar) shaped like a Chinese pagoda was added. Its architectural style is basically the same as the Kampung Kling and Tranquerah mosques.
Peringgit Mosque in Malacca: 1868
Peringgit Mosque (Masjid Peringgit) was first built in 1726 but was later destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1868. Peringgi is what the Malay people call the Portuguese, because a fort built by the Portuguese once stood here. Peringgit Mosque was originally built from granite and Dutch bricks, with wooden doors and windows. The roof is a traditional Javanese three-tiered pyramid (bumbung tiga lapis). The bottom layer is covered in Chinese tiles, while the middle and top layers are covered in Dutch tiles. The decoration at the very top is carved from reef stone.
As later renovations and expansions took place, the mosque's Dutch bricks were covered with cement, and the Chinese and Dutch tiles were replaced with modern ones. In 2002, the Southern Region Museums and Antiquities Department of Malaysia repaired the site.
Acheen Street Mosque in Penang: 1808
Aceh Street Mosque (Masjid Melayu Lebuh Acheh) in Penang was established by the Acehnese in 1808. It is surrounded by the oldest mosque neighborhood in Penang. The Acehnese are an Austronesian people living on the northernmost tip of Sumatra. They established the Aceh Sultanate in 1499, which flourished in the 17th century. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Penang's first Chinese Kapitan, Koh Lay Huan, built a good relationship with the Aceh Sultanate, starting the pepper trade between Aceh and Penang.
In 1791, Tengku Syed Hussain Al-Aidid, an Acehnese pepper merchant and nobleman of Arab descent, moved from Aceh to Penang. He built the first mosque in the area near what is now Aceh Street. After that, merchants from the Malay Archipelago, India, and Arabia kept arriving. In 1808, Tengku Syed Hussain donated money and land to build the mosque. The first imam of the Acheen Street Mosque was Sheikh Omar Basheer Al-Khalilee, and his son Sheikh Zakaria later succeeded him. Sheikh Zakaria became the first Mufti of Penang in 1888.
After Tengku Hussain passed away in the mid-19th century, the Acheen Street Mosque neighborhood continued to thrive and was known as the second Jeddah (the port city leading to Mecca). Every year during the Hajj season, aspiring pilgrims (haji) from all over would pack the entire Acheen Street community before taking ships from Penang to Mecca. This busy scene lasted until the establishment of the Pilgrims Fund Board (Lembaga Tabung Haji) in Malaysia in the 1970s.
Jamek Mosque in Seremban: 1900
The Jamek Mosque of Seremban was originally a wooden mosque, rebuilt into its current structure in 1900, added a minaret (bangker) in 1924, and was listed as a national heritage building in 2005. The mosque's architecture is similar to traditional mosque styles in Malacca, featuring a two-tiered pyramid roof and a minaret (bangker) influenced by Chinese pagoda architecture.
Indian style
Indian Mosque in Ipoh: 1908
Many South Indian Tamils came to Ipoh to make a living in the late 19th century, with the wealthy merchant Shaik Adam Mohammad Ghaus being the most influential; he founded Ipoh's first ice factory and soda factory. Under his leadership, his Indian laborers built the Ipoh Indian Mosque between 1905 and 1908.
The main prayer hall of the Ipoh Indian Mosque was modeled after the Hall of Private Audience (Diwan-i-Khas) at the Red Fort in Delhi, sharing the same rectangular layout and scalloped archways. The fortification-like railings on the roof of the main hall were also influenced by Mughal architecture.
Pakistani Mosque in Ipoh: 1930
Besides South Indian Tamils, some North Indian Pathans (Pashtun descent) and Punjabis also came to Ipoh under British Malaya rule to work as police officers. They were responsible for maintaining order during peacetime and fought bravely against the invaders during the Japanese occupation in 1941. The British allocated a piece of land to them in 1930 to build a mosque, which became their main gathering place on their days off. Today, this mosque is still used by Pakistani Punjabi Muslims and is known as the Pakistan Mosque.
The Pakistan Mosque in Ipoh is primarily pink, which makes it look very lovely. The imam was very kind and took the initiative to show us where we could get water.
Panglima Kinta Mosque in Ipoh: 1898
The Panglima Kinta Mosque is located by the Kinta River in Ipoh; it was built in 1898 by the Malay chief who ruled Ipoh at the time, Panglima Kinta Muhamad Yusuff, to commemorate his wife, and it became the religious center for the Malay people in Ipoh after it was completed.
Panglima Kinta was one of the eight chiefs of Perak and was the lord of the Kinta region. Under his rule, many laborers came to the Kinta Valley where Ipoh is located to mine tin. Ipoh quickly grew from a quiet Malay village (kampung) into a city of shophouses (qilou). By the time Panglima Kinta passed away in 1903, he was likely one of the wealthiest lords in the Malay Peninsula.
Panglima Kinta Mosque blends Indian-based Mughal style with Roman-Greek inspired neoclassical style. The main hall has a semi-circular Mughal dome, while the octagonal minarets (bangketta) on both sides are influenced by Chinese brick towers. The pulpit (minbar) inside the main hall was built by a master Malay craftsman from Penang named Tuan Haji Mohamed Sopian, and its design is very exquisite.
Indian Mosque in Kuching: 1876
Kuching Indian Mosque was first built by South Indian Tamil merchants in 1837. Its roof and walls were originally made of nipa palm wood until it was rebuilt into the current structure using Borneo ironwood in 1876. The mosque collects rent from 23 surrounding shops. 21 of these are run by Indian Muslims selling groceries, spices, fabrics, and books, while two are owned by Chinese bosses. These shops have been passed down through families for generations.
In 2019, a new Indian mosque was built and opened on the Sarawak River opposite the old one, becoming a landmark floating mosque. The old mosque was closed as a result.
Mughal Revival style
Ubudiah Mosque in Kuala Kangsar: 1917
East of the Perak Sultan's Hulu Palace stands Ubudiah Mosque (Masjid Ubudiah), the royal mosque of the Sultan of Perak, commissioned by Sultan Idris I and built between 1913 and 1917. Sultan Idris I fell seriously ill in 1911 and made a vow to build a mosque if he recovered. He recovered as hoped, so he hired British architect Arthur Benison Hubback to design and build Ubudiah Mosque. Arthur designed many Indo-Saracenic style buildings for British Malaya, including the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, Jamek Mosque, and the National Textile Museum.
Ubudiah Mosque also features a typical Indo-Saracenic architectural style, with tall golden Mughal onion domes, while the main body is made of marble imported from Italy and England. After construction began in 1913, the marble shipped from Italy was crushed during a fight between two elephants belonging to the Sultan's royal household, and it had to be reordered from Italy. However, World War I broke out, and the marble took a long journey through South Africa before finally arriving. Sultan Idris I passed away in 1916 without seeing the mosque finished, and it was not officially opened until 1918 by his successor, Sultan Abdul Jalil.
Alauddin Mosque in Jugra: 1905
Alaeddin Mosque is located not far north of Alaeddin Palace and was built in 1905 by order of Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah of Selangor. The mosque's dome and arches feature a typical Mughal Revival style, while other design elements come from the Sultanate of Deli on Sumatra island. The pulpit (minbar) inside the mosque is very beautiful, especially the Arabic calligraphy wood carvings on the top, which are very unique.
Kapitan Keling Mosque in Penang: 1801
Kapitan Keling Mosque (Masjid Kapitan Keling) is a mosque built in 1801 by Indian Muslims in Penang, located in the heart of the Chulias Indian community in George Town, Penang.
Kapitan Keling was an official title appointed by European colonists to manage the Indian community in Southeast Asia. 'Keling' was a historical term for Indians in the Malay Archipelago; it was neutral at first but gradually became derogatory after the 20th century. The first Kapitan Keling of Penang was named Cauder Mohideen. He was born around 1759 and came from Tamil Nadu in the southernmost part of India.
In 1795, he joined the first Kapitan Cina, Koh Lay Huan, and other important figures in Penang to form the first Penang Assessment Committee to decide on taxes and tax rates.
Shortly after Penang was founded in 1786, Indian Muslim soldiers serving the British East India Company set up a temporary place for namaz. Later, as the number of Indian Muslims in Penang grew, the community asked the Kapitan Keling to lead the construction of a formal mosque.
In 1801, the Penang government officially approved the Kapitan Keling's application and granted an 18-acre plot of land to build a mosque, a Muslim cemetery, and shops to collect rent. The Kapitan Keling and other Indian Muslims in Penang brought in workers and stone from India to build the first Penang Indian mosque, which was named after the Kapitan Keling.
The earliest Kapitan Keling Mosque was a single-story rectangular building with a minaret at each of the four corners. At that time, the mosque was surrounded by shops and could only be reached through narrow passages. It was not until 1905 that large-scale urban construction took place around the mosque, replacing the original simple houses with covered walkways (qilou) and opening new roads.
In 1910, architect N. A. Neubronner led an expansion of the mosque, adding Mughal-style domes and a large minaret. After the expansion was completed in 1916, the mosque became a building in the British Mughal Revival style. In the 1930s, the mosque was finally expanded to its current appearance. The height of the main prayer hall was doubled, and the ventilation system was improved.
Jamek Mosque in Kuala Lumpur: 1909
The Jamek Mosque in Kuala Lumpur is located at the confluence of the Klang River and the Gombak River. It was founded by Sultan Sulaiman of Selangor in 1908 and officially completed in 1909. The mosque was built under the direction of British architect Arthur Benison Hubback, who also designed other Malaysian landmarks such as the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, the Ubudiah Mosque in Perak, and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building.
In the 19th century, various ethnic groups including Malays, Javanese, and Minangkabau people lived at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers, forming place names like Java Street (now Tun Perak Road) and Malay Street. In the 1870s, the Rawa tribe of Minangkabau people from western Sumatra, with the permission of the Sultan of Selangor, built the Java Street Mosque on the east side of the Klang River. The Java Street Mosque at that time had a pyramid-shaped roof and wooden pillars, following a traditional Sumatran style.
In 1903, the Java Street Mosque was forced to be demolished due to road widening, so the mosque committee submitted a petition to build a new one. In 1905, Sultan Sulaiman of Selangor and the British Resident agreed to build a new mosque on the Malay cemetery at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers. The new mosque adopted the then-popular Mughal Revival style, a style the British used for a series of public buildings in British India and British Malaya in the late 19th century.
Art Deco style
Sultan Sulaiman Royal Mosque in Klang: 1933.
During the reign of Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah of Selangor, the Sultan built the Alam Shah Palace in Klang to the Alaeddin Palace located in Jugra. Since then, Klang has become the royal city of the Sultan of Selangor, and various Selangor royal ceremonies are held here.
Although the Alam Shah Palace is not open to the public, the Sultan Sulaiman Royal Mosque (Masjid Diraja Sultan Sulaiman) right next to it is definitely worth a visit. The Sultan Sulaiman Royal Mosque was a gift from the British to Sultan Sulaiman at the time, replacing the Pengkalan Batu Mosque which was demolished to build the Klang railway station. The mosque was built between 1932 and 1933. Upon completion, it was the largest mosque in the Federated Malay States at the time and has since remained the royal mosque of the Sultan of Selangor.
Unlike the Moorish Revival style common in Malaysia in the early 20th century, the Sultan Sulaiman Royal Mosque uses the Art Deco style. The mosque was designed by Leofric Kesteven from the UK, who served as the president of the Institute of Architects Malaya from 1931 to 1933. Reinforced concrete expert John Thomas Chester and Singapore-based Italian sculptor Rodolfo Nolli also participated in the construction. The Art Deco style flourished in Europe and America during the 1920s and 1930s. This style is known for its use of reinforced concrete and simple, clear lines, making it quite unique.
Victorian style.
Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque in Johor Bahru: 1900.
The Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque (Masjid Negeri Sultan Abu Bakar) was commissioned by Sultan Abu Bakar in 1892 and officially completed in 1900. It is a very distinctive Victorian-style mosque in Malaysia. The mosque is located on a hilltop along Skudai Road in Johor Bahru, overlooking the Straits of Johor and facing Singapore across the sea.
The Victorian style is a revivalist architectural style that emerged during the reign of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (reigned 1837-1901). Due to the pro-British sentiment of the Johor Sultanate at the time, many official buildings were built in the British style, and the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque is a prime example. The minaret of the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque was modeled after 19th-century British clock towers while incorporating some Moorish architectural elements. Looking up at the minaret is quite spectacular.
The main prayer hall is dominated by yellow tones, with the golden roof and pale yellow walls complementing each other to create an elegant look. In the center of the main hall stands a metal mechanical-style minbar (pulpit), which has a Victorian steampunk feel.
Kampung Mamudiah Mosque: 1926.
The Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum (Makam Diraja Mahmoodiah) is the royal burial ground for the Sultans of Johor. It was built in 1895 for the burial of Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor. Since then, it has been the final resting place for all subsequent Sultans of Johor, many royal family members, Johor Chief Ministers, and other important figures. The Kampung Mahmoodiah Mosque (Masjid Kampung Mahmoodiah) shares the same style as the mausoleum. This mosque was first built in 1926 as a small mosque and was only upgraded to a Jamek mosque (a mosque for Friday prayers) in 2023.
Sultan Ibrahim Mosque in Muar: 1930.
The Sultan Ibrahim Jamek Mosque (Masjid Jamek Sultan Ibrahim) is the Jamek mosque of Muar. It was built in 1887 along with the town of Muar, underwent reconstruction starting in 1925, and was officially completed in 1930. The Sultan Ibrahim Mosque is the second mosque in Malaysia to feature a distinct Victorian style, following the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque in Johor Bahru. Due to the pro-British sentiment of the Johor Sultanate at the time, many official buildings were constructed in an English style, with the Sultan Ibrahim Mosque and the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque being prime examples.
The main prayer hall of the Muar Sultan Ibrahim Mosque is very spacious. The pulpit (minbar) was ordered from France a century ago and, like the one in the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque in Johor Bahru, it sits in the center of the hall and features exquisite ironwork.
Neoclassical style.
Pasir Pelangi Royal Mosque in Johor Bahru: 1911.
The Royal Mosque of Pasir Pelangi (Masjid Diraja Pasir Pelangi) was built in 1911 next to the Johor Sultan's Pasir Pelangi Palace. The mosque is built in a neoclassical style and shows clear British influence.
Muhammadi Mosque in Kota Bharu: 1922.
The Muhammadi Mosque (Masjid Jamek Muhammadi) in Kota Bharu is the state mosque of Kelantan. It was built in 1867 by Sultan Muhammad II of Kelantan and was converted from a wooden structure to concrete in 1922, featuring a neoclassical revival style. In 1931, Sultan Ismail presided over the opening ceremony and officially named it the Muhammadi Mosque.
From the late 19th century to the 20th century, this place was an important center for Islamic studies in Malaysia, and many great scholars taught here. Because many students went to Mecca for further studies after graduating, it became known as the Gateway to Mecca.
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Summary: Malaysia has many old mosques tied to local Muslim communities, trade routes, and regional history. This travel account follows visits to 25 historic mosques in Malaysia, preserving the names, locations, photos, and cultural notes from the Chinese source.
Javanese style
Kampung Laut Mosque in Kota Bharu: late 18th century
Kampung Hulu Mosque in Malacca: 1728
Tengkera Mosque in Malacca: 1782
Kampung Kling Mosque in Malacca: 1872
Tranquerah Mosque (Sanbaoshan Mosque) in Malacca: 1865
Pengkalan Rama Mosque in Malacca: 1917
Duyong Mosque in Malacca: 1850
Serkam Pantai Mosque in Malacca: 1853
Peringgit Mosque in Malacca: 1868
Acheen Street Mosque in Penang: 1808
Jamek Mosque in Seremban: 1900
Indian style
Indian Mosque in Ipoh: 1908
Pakistani Mosque in Ipoh: 1930
Panglima Kinta Mosque in Ipoh: 1898
Indian Mosque in Kuching: 1876
Mughal Revival style
Ubudiah Mosque in Kuala Kangsar: 1917
Alauddin Mosque in Jugra: 1905
Kapitan Keling Mosque in Penang: 1801
Jamek Mosque in Kuala Lumpur: 1909
Art Deco style
Sultan Sulaiman Royal Mosque in Klang: 1933.
Victorian style.
Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque in Johor Bahru: 1900.
Kampung Mamudiah Mosque: 1926.
Sultan Ibrahim Mosque in Muar: 1930.
Neoclassical style.
Pasir Pelangi Royal Mosque in Johor Bahru: 1911.
Muhammadi Mosque in Kota Bharu: 1922.
Javanese style
Kampung Laut Mosque in Kota Bharu: late 18th century
Kampung Laut Mosque (Masjid Kampung Laut) sits by the Kelantan River north of Kota Bharu and is known as one of the oldest mosques in Malaysia. Local legends passed down through generations say that early missionaries sailed from Champa in southern Vietnam toward Java to spread the faith, but a storm damaged their boat and left them stranded on the Kelantan coast. They made a dua to build a mosque wherever they could safely dock their boat. Just then, a school of barracuda swam into the boat and plugged the leaks, keeping it from sinking. After the storm, they sailed along the Kelantan River and docked safely at Kampung Laut, where they built the first Kampung Laut Mosque.
There is no clear record of when the mosque was first built, but it is estimated to be between the 15th and 18th centuries. It is said the original main hall was just a pavilion, and it was not expanded until the late 18th century into a wooden house on stilts high enough to tether an elephant. Between 1886 and 1889, the original sago palm leaf roof was replaced with clay tiles, and a wooden minaret was added in the 1890s. The Kampung Laut Mosque was destroyed by floods in 1967, rebuilt in Nilam Puri, and finally moved back to a raised platform in Kampung Laut in 2020.
Kampung Hulu Mosque in Malacca: 1728
After the Portuguese occupied Malacca, they destroyed all the mosques of the Malacca Sultanate and promoted Catholicism. The Portuguese were not successful, and Catholicism did not have much influence in Malacca until the Dutch took over.
The Dutch took a more tolerant approach in Malacca and allowed the faith to spread. In 1728, the Dutch East India Company commissioned a Chinese Muslim, Dato' Samsuddin Bin Arom, to build a new mosque near the site of an old mosque destroyed by the Portuguese, which became the oldest surviving mosque in Malacca, Kampung Hulu Mosque (Masjid Kampung Hulu).
The main hall of Kampung Hulu Mosque uses the traditional Javanese Tajug multi-layered pyramid roof. The decoration at the very top is called Mustoko or Memolo in Javanese. This roof structure leaves space between the upper and middle layers for ventilation and light, which helps it adapt well to the humid and rainy tropical climate.
Unlike traditional all-wood Javanese mosques, Kampung Hulu Mosque is built with brick and stone and covered in plaster, an influence from Dutch colonial architecture. The tiles and floor tiles inside the mosque were all imported from China, and the patterns on the windows also show Chinese influence.
A traditional drum called a Beduk sits above the main gate. Early mosques in Southeast Asia used these drums to call people to prayer. Today, many mosques still use drums to call people to prayer and signal the end of the daily fast during Jumu'ah and Ramadan.
The minaret looks like a lighthouse, which was a first for the Malay Peninsula, as there was no previous tradition of building minarets there. On Java Island, the Great Mosque of Banten, built in 1632, was the first to have a lighthouse-style minaret designed and built by a Chinese man named Cek-ban-cut.
Tengkera Mosque in Malacca: 1782
In 1782, Tengkera Mosque (Masjid Tengkera) was built to the west of the smaller Tengkera Mosque. Tengkera Mosque also features a traditional three-layered Javanese pyramid roof (bumbung tiga lapis), and the main hall is supported by four ironwood pillars from Kalimantan. After being renovated twice in 1890 and 1910, the current Tengkera Mosque has brick walls and a tiled roof. Like the smaller Tengkera Mosque, the minaret at Tengkera Mosque is a Chinese-style pagoda structure, continuing the design of the smaller mosque's minaret.
Kampung Kling Mosque in Malacca: 1872
Kampung Kling Mosque (Masjid Kampong Kling) is located in the center of Malacca. It was founded by Indian merchants in 1748 and changed from a wooden structure to its current brick form in 1872. The mosque features a traditional three-layered Javanese pyramid roof (bumbung tiga lapis). The classical Corinthian columns between the main hall and the mihrab, along with the plaster walls, show the influence of Dutch colonists. The Chinese tiles on the roof, floor, and walls, as well as the wood carvings on the doors and windows, show Chinese influence.
Legend says that during the Malacca Sultanate, Kampung Kling was a settlement for Indian Muslim merchants. Kling was the historical term used in the Malay Archipelago for Indians, especially Tamils. On a 1690 map of Malacca, this place is marked as Mosquée de Maures (Moorish Mosque), but its relationship to Kampung Kling Mosque is uncertain. In the 18th century, this was still a village for South Indian immigrants. After the rubber industry boomed in Malacca from the 19th to the early 20th century, it became a settlement for Chinese people working in the rubber industry. Today, the mosque is surrounded by Chinese shophouses.
Tranquerah Mosque (Sanbaoshan Mosque) in Malacca: 1865
Bukit Cina Mosque (Masjid Bukit Cina), also called Al-Hamideen Mosque, was built in 1865. A new main hall was added in 1978, but it kept the layout of the original old hall. The old hall has a traditional Javanese-style three-layered pyramid roof (bumbung tiga lapis) and four wooden pillars (Soko Guru). Each pillar connects to the foundation using a stone base called a Umpak. These bases stop groundwater from soaking into the wooden pillars and help absorb shock during earthquakes.
Pengkalan Rama Mosque in Malacca: 1917
Pengkalan Rama Mosque was first built in the 1730s. Datuk Penghulu Abdul Ghani paid for its renovation in 1917, and a new main hall was added in 2004. It still keeps its traditional Javanese style, including the old hall's three-tiered pyramid roof (bumbung tiga lapis) and four wooden pillars (Soko Guru).
Duyong Mosque in Malacca: 1850
Duyong Mosque (Masjid Duyong) was built in 1850 under the leadership of Wan Chilek. It was originally made of red clay and wood, with a roof made of Chinese and Dutch tiles. In 1908, a minaret (bangkar) was added, blending the look of a Chinese pagoda with a Western lighthouse.
The site underwent several renovations and expansions in 1967, 1973, and 1976. It was damaged by fire in 1982 and later repaired. In 2002, the Malaysia Museums and Antiquities Department carried out protective repairs on the site.
Serkam Pantai Mosque in Malacca: 1853
At Telok Mas Al-Khairiah Mosque (Masjid Telok Mas Al-Khairiah) for namaz. Telok Mas Al-Khairiah Mosque was first built in 1853. When it was built, the beams and roof were made from timber cut in local forests and hauled by water buffalo. The walls were built from reef stones mined near Big Island (Pulau Besar) and brought over by small boats (sampan). The main gate still has the year 1269 of the Hijri calendar, which is 1853 in the Gregorian calendar, carved into it. In 1913, a minaret (bangkar) shaped like a Chinese pagoda was added. Its architectural style is basically the same as the Kampung Kling and Tranquerah mosques.
Peringgit Mosque in Malacca: 1868
Peringgit Mosque (Masjid Peringgit) was first built in 1726 but was later destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1868. Peringgi is what the Malay people call the Portuguese, because a fort built by the Portuguese once stood here. Peringgit Mosque was originally built from granite and Dutch bricks, with wooden doors and windows. The roof is a traditional Javanese three-tiered pyramid (bumbung tiga lapis). The bottom layer is covered in Chinese tiles, while the middle and top layers are covered in Dutch tiles. The decoration at the very top is carved from reef stone.
As later renovations and expansions took place, the mosque's Dutch bricks were covered with cement, and the Chinese and Dutch tiles were replaced with modern ones. In 2002, the Southern Region Museums and Antiquities Department of Malaysia repaired the site.
Acheen Street Mosque in Penang: 1808
Aceh Street Mosque (Masjid Melayu Lebuh Acheh) in Penang was established by the Acehnese in 1808. It is surrounded by the oldest mosque neighborhood in Penang. The Acehnese are an Austronesian people living on the northernmost tip of Sumatra. They established the Aceh Sultanate in 1499, which flourished in the 17th century. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Penang's first Chinese Kapitan, Koh Lay Huan, built a good relationship with the Aceh Sultanate, starting the pepper trade between Aceh and Penang.
In 1791, Tengku Syed Hussain Al-Aidid, an Acehnese pepper merchant and nobleman of Arab descent, moved from Aceh to Penang. He built the first mosque in the area near what is now Aceh Street. After that, merchants from the Malay Archipelago, India, and Arabia kept arriving. In 1808, Tengku Syed Hussain donated money and land to build the mosque. The first imam of the Acheen Street Mosque was Sheikh Omar Basheer Al-Khalilee, and his son Sheikh Zakaria later succeeded him. Sheikh Zakaria became the first Mufti of Penang in 1888.
After Tengku Hussain passed away in the mid-19th century, the Acheen Street Mosque neighborhood continued to thrive and was known as the second Jeddah (the port city leading to Mecca). Every year during the Hajj season, aspiring pilgrims (haji) from all over would pack the entire Acheen Street community before taking ships from Penang to Mecca. This busy scene lasted until the establishment of the Pilgrims Fund Board (Lembaga Tabung Haji) in Malaysia in the 1970s.
Jamek Mosque in Seremban: 1900
The Jamek Mosque of Seremban was originally a wooden mosque, rebuilt into its current structure in 1900, added a minaret (bangker) in 1924, and was listed as a national heritage building in 2005. The mosque's architecture is similar to traditional mosque styles in Malacca, featuring a two-tiered pyramid roof and a minaret (bangker) influenced by Chinese pagoda architecture.
Indian style
Indian Mosque in Ipoh: 1908
Many South Indian Tamils came to Ipoh to make a living in the late 19th century, with the wealthy merchant Shaik Adam Mohammad Ghaus being the most influential; he founded Ipoh's first ice factory and soda factory. Under his leadership, his Indian laborers built the Ipoh Indian Mosque between 1905 and 1908.
The main prayer hall of the Ipoh Indian Mosque was modeled after the Hall of Private Audience (Diwan-i-Khas) at the Red Fort in Delhi, sharing the same rectangular layout and scalloped archways. The fortification-like railings on the roof of the main hall were also influenced by Mughal architecture.
Pakistani Mosque in Ipoh: 1930
Besides South Indian Tamils, some North Indian Pathans (Pashtun descent) and Punjabis also came to Ipoh under British Malaya rule to work as police officers. They were responsible for maintaining order during peacetime and fought bravely against the invaders during the Japanese occupation in 1941. The British allocated a piece of land to them in 1930 to build a mosque, which became their main gathering place on their days off. Today, this mosque is still used by Pakistani Punjabi Muslims and is known as the Pakistan Mosque.
The Pakistan Mosque in Ipoh is primarily pink, which makes it look very lovely. The imam was very kind and took the initiative to show us where we could get water.
Panglima Kinta Mosque in Ipoh: 1898
The Panglima Kinta Mosque is located by the Kinta River in Ipoh; it was built in 1898 by the Malay chief who ruled Ipoh at the time, Panglima Kinta Muhamad Yusuff, to commemorate his wife, and it became the religious center for the Malay people in Ipoh after it was completed.
Panglima Kinta was one of the eight chiefs of Perak and was the lord of the Kinta region. Under his rule, many laborers came to the Kinta Valley where Ipoh is located to mine tin. Ipoh quickly grew from a quiet Malay village (kampung) into a city of shophouses (qilou). By the time Panglima Kinta passed away in 1903, he was likely one of the wealthiest lords in the Malay Peninsula.
Panglima Kinta Mosque blends Indian-based Mughal style with Roman-Greek inspired neoclassical style. The main hall has a semi-circular Mughal dome, while the octagonal minarets (bangketta) on both sides are influenced by Chinese brick towers. The pulpit (minbar) inside the main hall was built by a master Malay craftsman from Penang named Tuan Haji Mohamed Sopian, and its design is very exquisite.
Indian Mosque in Kuching: 1876
Kuching Indian Mosque was first built by South Indian Tamil merchants in 1837. Its roof and walls were originally made of nipa palm wood until it was rebuilt into the current structure using Borneo ironwood in 1876. The mosque collects rent from 23 surrounding shops. 21 of these are run by Indian Muslims selling groceries, spices, fabrics, and books, while two are owned by Chinese bosses. These shops have been passed down through families for generations.
In 2019, a new Indian mosque was built and opened on the Sarawak River opposite the old one, becoming a landmark floating mosque. The old mosque was closed as a result.
Mughal Revival style
Ubudiah Mosque in Kuala Kangsar: 1917
East of the Perak Sultan's Hulu Palace stands Ubudiah Mosque (Masjid Ubudiah), the royal mosque of the Sultan of Perak, commissioned by Sultan Idris I and built between 1913 and 1917. Sultan Idris I fell seriously ill in 1911 and made a vow to build a mosque if he recovered. He recovered as hoped, so he hired British architect Arthur Benison Hubback to design and build Ubudiah Mosque. Arthur designed many Indo-Saracenic style buildings for British Malaya, including the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, Jamek Mosque, and the National Textile Museum.
Ubudiah Mosque also features a typical Indo-Saracenic architectural style, with tall golden Mughal onion domes, while the main body is made of marble imported from Italy and England. After construction began in 1913, the marble shipped from Italy was crushed during a fight between two elephants belonging to the Sultan's royal household, and it had to be reordered from Italy. However, World War I broke out, and the marble took a long journey through South Africa before finally arriving. Sultan Idris I passed away in 1916 without seeing the mosque finished, and it was not officially opened until 1918 by his successor, Sultan Abdul Jalil.
Alauddin Mosque in Jugra: 1905
Alaeddin Mosque is located not far north of Alaeddin Palace and was built in 1905 by order of Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah of Selangor. The mosque's dome and arches feature a typical Mughal Revival style, while other design elements come from the Sultanate of Deli on Sumatra island. The pulpit (minbar) inside the mosque is very beautiful, especially the Arabic calligraphy wood carvings on the top, which are very unique.
Kapitan Keling Mosque in Penang: 1801
Kapitan Keling Mosque (Masjid Kapitan Keling) is a mosque built in 1801 by Indian Muslims in Penang, located in the heart of the Chulias Indian community in George Town, Penang.
Kapitan Keling was an official title appointed by European colonists to manage the Indian community in Southeast Asia. 'Keling' was a historical term for Indians in the Malay Archipelago; it was neutral at first but gradually became derogatory after the 20th century. The first Kapitan Keling of Penang was named Cauder Mohideen. He was born around 1759 and came from Tamil Nadu in the southernmost part of India.
In 1795, he joined the first Kapitan Cina, Koh Lay Huan, and other important figures in Penang to form the first Penang Assessment Committee to decide on taxes and tax rates.
Shortly after Penang was founded in 1786, Indian Muslim soldiers serving the British East India Company set up a temporary place for namaz. Later, as the number of Indian Muslims in Penang grew, the community asked the Kapitan Keling to lead the construction of a formal mosque.
In 1801, the Penang government officially approved the Kapitan Keling's application and granted an 18-acre plot of land to build a mosque, a Muslim cemetery, and shops to collect rent. The Kapitan Keling and other Indian Muslims in Penang brought in workers and stone from India to build the first Penang Indian mosque, which was named after the Kapitan Keling.
The earliest Kapitan Keling Mosque was a single-story rectangular building with a minaret at each of the four corners. At that time, the mosque was surrounded by shops and could only be reached through narrow passages. It was not until 1905 that large-scale urban construction took place around the mosque, replacing the original simple houses with covered walkways (qilou) and opening new roads.
In 1910, architect N. A. Neubronner led an expansion of the mosque, adding Mughal-style domes and a large minaret. After the expansion was completed in 1916, the mosque became a building in the British Mughal Revival style. In the 1930s, the mosque was finally expanded to its current appearance. The height of the main prayer hall was doubled, and the ventilation system was improved.
Jamek Mosque in Kuala Lumpur: 1909
The Jamek Mosque in Kuala Lumpur is located at the confluence of the Klang River and the Gombak River. It was founded by Sultan Sulaiman of Selangor in 1908 and officially completed in 1909. The mosque was built under the direction of British architect Arthur Benison Hubback, who also designed other Malaysian landmarks such as the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, the Ubudiah Mosque in Perak, and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building.
In the 19th century, various ethnic groups including Malays, Javanese, and Minangkabau people lived at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers, forming place names like Java Street (now Tun Perak Road) and Malay Street. In the 1870s, the Rawa tribe of Minangkabau people from western Sumatra, with the permission of the Sultan of Selangor, built the Java Street Mosque on the east side of the Klang River. The Java Street Mosque at that time had a pyramid-shaped roof and wooden pillars, following a traditional Sumatran style.
In 1903, the Java Street Mosque was forced to be demolished due to road widening, so the mosque committee submitted a petition to build a new one. In 1905, Sultan Sulaiman of Selangor and the British Resident agreed to build a new mosque on the Malay cemetery at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers. The new mosque adopted the then-popular Mughal Revival style, a style the British used for a series of public buildings in British India and British Malaya in the late 19th century.
Art Deco style
Sultan Sulaiman Royal Mosque in Klang: 1933.
During the reign of Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah of Selangor, the Sultan built the Alam Shah Palace in Klang to the Alaeddin Palace located in Jugra. Since then, Klang has become the royal city of the Sultan of Selangor, and various Selangor royal ceremonies are held here.
Although the Alam Shah Palace is not open to the public, the Sultan Sulaiman Royal Mosque (Masjid Diraja Sultan Sulaiman) right next to it is definitely worth a visit. The Sultan Sulaiman Royal Mosque was a gift from the British to Sultan Sulaiman at the time, replacing the Pengkalan Batu Mosque which was demolished to build the Klang railway station. The mosque was built between 1932 and 1933. Upon completion, it was the largest mosque in the Federated Malay States at the time and has since remained the royal mosque of the Sultan of Selangor.
Unlike the Moorish Revival style common in Malaysia in the early 20th century, the Sultan Sulaiman Royal Mosque uses the Art Deco style. The mosque was designed by Leofric Kesteven from the UK, who served as the president of the Institute of Architects Malaya from 1931 to 1933. Reinforced concrete expert John Thomas Chester and Singapore-based Italian sculptor Rodolfo Nolli also participated in the construction. The Art Deco style flourished in Europe and America during the 1920s and 1930s. This style is known for its use of reinforced concrete and simple, clear lines, making it quite unique.
Victorian style.
Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque in Johor Bahru: 1900.
The Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque (Masjid Negeri Sultan Abu Bakar) was commissioned by Sultan Abu Bakar in 1892 and officially completed in 1900. It is a very distinctive Victorian-style mosque in Malaysia. The mosque is located on a hilltop along Skudai Road in Johor Bahru, overlooking the Straits of Johor and facing Singapore across the sea.
The Victorian style is a revivalist architectural style that emerged during the reign of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (reigned 1837-1901). Due to the pro-British sentiment of the Johor Sultanate at the time, many official buildings were built in the British style, and the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque is a prime example. The minaret of the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque was modeled after 19th-century British clock towers while incorporating some Moorish architectural elements. Looking up at the minaret is quite spectacular.
The main prayer hall is dominated by yellow tones, with the golden roof and pale yellow walls complementing each other to create an elegant look. In the center of the main hall stands a metal mechanical-style minbar (pulpit), which has a Victorian steampunk feel.
Kampung Mamudiah Mosque: 1926.
The Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum (Makam Diraja Mahmoodiah) is the royal burial ground for the Sultans of Johor. It was built in 1895 for the burial of Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor. Since then, it has been the final resting place for all subsequent Sultans of Johor, many royal family members, Johor Chief Ministers, and other important figures. The Kampung Mahmoodiah Mosque (Masjid Kampung Mahmoodiah) shares the same style as the mausoleum. This mosque was first built in 1926 as a small mosque and was only upgraded to a Jamek mosque (a mosque for Friday prayers) in 2023.
Sultan Ibrahim Mosque in Muar: 1930.
The Sultan Ibrahim Jamek Mosque (Masjid Jamek Sultan Ibrahim) is the Jamek mosque of Muar. It was built in 1887 along with the town of Muar, underwent reconstruction starting in 1925, and was officially completed in 1930. The Sultan Ibrahim Mosque is the second mosque in Malaysia to feature a distinct Victorian style, following the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque in Johor Bahru. Due to the pro-British sentiment of the Johor Sultanate at the time, many official buildings were constructed in an English style, with the Sultan Ibrahim Mosque and the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque being prime examples.
The main prayer hall of the Muar Sultan Ibrahim Mosque is very spacious. The pulpit (minbar) was ordered from France a century ago and, like the one in the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque in Johor Bahru, it sits in the center of the hall and features exquisite ironwork.
Neoclassical style.
Pasir Pelangi Royal Mosque in Johor Bahru: 1911.
The Royal Mosque of Pasir Pelangi (Masjid Diraja Pasir Pelangi) was built in 1911 next to the Johor Sultan's Pasir Pelangi Palace. The mosque is built in a neoclassical style and shows clear British influence.
Muhammadi Mosque in Kota Bharu: 1922.
The Muhammadi Mosque (Masjid Jamek Muhammadi) in Kota Bharu is the state mosque of Kelantan. It was built in 1867 by Sultan Muhammad II of Kelantan and was converted from a wooden structure to concrete in 1922, featuring a neoclassical revival style. In 1931, Sultan Ismail presided over the opening ceremony and officially named it the Muhammadi Mosque.
From the late 19th century to the 20th century, this place was an important center for Islamic studies in Malaysia, and many great scholars taught here. Because many students went to Mecca for further studies after graduating, it became known as the Gateway to Mecca.
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Muslim Life Guide: 2024 Hui Religious Life — Dua, Fasting, Qurbani & Gatherings
Reposted from the web
Summary: This account records a year of Muslim religious life in 2024, including night prayers, fasting, qurbani, religious gatherings, and visits connected with Hui Muslim tradition. It keeps the original personal observations, community details, and Islamic terms while presenting them in clear English for readers interested in everyday Muslim life.
As a Han Chinese person born and raised in Beijing in the 1990s, my childhood life was actually quite far from the faith. Although I lived near the Dongsi Mosque, its imposing gate always made me feel like I should keep my distance. My Hui Muslim classmates just didn't eat pork, and otherwise, I couldn't tell any difference. My first connection to the faith started because I loved the soaked bread in soup (paomo) at the Longfu Mosque snack shop and the lamb skewers (yangrouchuan) at Xiayi Restaurant near my home. Twenty years ago, the scent of lamb skewers grilled over charcoal with big fans blowing at Xiayi on Dongsi North Street was my first impression of the faith.
In middle school, I took my first flight for a long trip to Linxia and Xining to see the mosque communities in the residential areas, and I bought my first prayer cap (haomao). The sights in the Northwest felt new to me, and I became more and more interested in the culture of the faith. After I started college, I performed namaz for the first time in my life. Back then, I went to the mosque with Hui Muslim alumni from school to join activities. Even though I didn't know the words to recite yet, I followed everyone else's movements and felt the unity of the congregation (jamati).
In 2015, a Hui Muslim friend from Tianjin took me to the Northwest Corner of Tianjin for the first time. The countless delicious foods dazzled me, and the deep history of the Great Mosque filled me with respect. At that time, I had just graduated from college and had my own income, so I started visiting mosque communities in different places. First along the Grand Canal, then along the Yangtze River, and then I traveled further and further. Now, it has almost been ten years. Tasting delicious food and visiting ancient mosques have brought me closer and closer to the faith.
Unlike friends (dost) born into traditional Hui Muslim families, I learned most of my knowledge about the faith through books and the internet, and then practiced it by going to the mosque. Over these years, the mosque communities I have visited include those of the Shia, and the Hanafi, Shafi'i, Hanbali, and Maliki schools of the Sunni, as well as various domestic new traditions, old traditions, and different Sufi orders (menhuan). In the end, I chose to become a follower of the Gedimu.
Gedimu means 'ancient,' so it is also called the 'Old Faith' or 'Old Tradition.' It has been passed down in China for hundreds of years and has accumulated a rich historical and cultural foundation. For a long time, the Gedimu has used various traditional rituals to strengthen the cultural identity of the community members, allowing the faith to continue in China for over a thousand years without fading. These activities bring everyone together, strengthening the faith and deepening friendships. Through one rich and colorful ritual after another, we feel that the path we are walking is becoming clearer, and we can feel the warmth of the big family of the faith, which keeps us from losing our way in the complex modern society.
Below, I will share my religious life in 2024 with you. Every year, the Gedimu in Beijing emphasizes the 'Two Festivals and Two Gatherings,' which are Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, the Prophet's Birthday (Sheng Hui), and the Fatimah Gathering (Fatumei Hui). Additionally, as a son-in-law from Urumqi, we also follow the Northwest custom of holding night prayers (nianye) every year, and we cook porridge on the Day of Ashura. Our religious life is very rich. This year, during the Spring Festival holiday, we returned to Urumqi and happened to catch the night prayers, so we attended many of them in a row. As usual, I spent the month of Ramadan in Balizhuang. The Balizhuang Mosque is the mosque community with the best Ramadan atmosphere in Beijing in my opinion. For Eid al-Adha, we slaughtered a sheep in an orchard in Changping and also ate starch noodle soup (fentang). We attended two religious gatherings (shenghui) at Heying Mosque and Tongzhou Xiguan Mosque, one in the Northwest style and one in the North China style. I have two regrets this year: I was not in Beijing for the memorial days of Bo Haji Sheikh Baba and Lady Fatimah, so I could not attend. I hope to make it next year.
Nianye (night of scripture recitation)
See: Hui Muslim life in Urumqi during the Spring Festival holiday: Nianye, Luohuali (wedding engagement ceremony), Jumu'ah, and visiting relatives and friends.
During the 2024 Spring Festival holiday, I took Suleiman to his grandparents' home in Urumqi, just in time for the noble month of Sha'ban (the eighth month of the Islamic calendar). The night of the 15th day of the eighth month of the Islamic calendar is the Night of Bara'at, which means the night of atonement. On this night, the two angels on our shoulders replace the 'scrolls' that record our good and bad deeds for the year. They seal the old scrolls and open new ones, which serve as evidence for questioning when we enter the afterlife, so it is also called the 'Night of Exchanging Scrolls'. In the traditions of Hui Muslims in some areas, when the month of Sha'ban arrives, everyone takes turns inviting the imam and friends and family to their homes for Nianye. The main process includes reciting scriptures, praising the Prophet, performing repentance (tawbah), and asking for forgiveness for family members and the deceased. Afterward, we eat a rich meal to strengthen bonds, improve our faith, and prepare for the noble month of Ramadan.
February 17 was our family's Nianye, and it was also when we celebrated Suleiman's first birthday (suisuizi). We invited four imams and a large group of relatives to recite surahs, recite the Bara'at praise, perform tawbah, and offer dua, then we ate. First, we served appetizers (diediezi) and tea. The appetizers included nut towers and baklava we bought at a Uyghur pastry shop on Hetian Street, as well as traditional flaky pastries and sachima made by my aunt. After everyone chatted for a while, we cleared the appetizers and brought out the main dishes to officially start the feast.
With the help of my aunts, we prepared a rich feast. The main dishes were clear-stewed lamb, braised steak, followed by steamed meat jelly (zhengmingzi), pearl meatballs, spicy chicken (jiaomaji), steamed fish, sweet platter (tianpanzi), and various stir-fried dishes. The staples were fried dough (youxiang), steamed buns (momo), and rice.
The fried dough (youxiang) was fried the day before. Before frying, I performed wudu (abudaiesi), then made the dough. After it rose, I scalded a small portion with hot oil and mixed in a little baking soda and fenugreek powder (xiangdoufen). I kneaded the scalded dough into the risen dough, covered the basin, and let it rest for 15 minutes. After resting, I rolled it into a long shape, pinched off pieces, rolled them into flat cakes, cut four small slits with a knife, and then it was ready to fry. When putting it into the pot, I said 'Bismillah' (taisimai). I fried it for a while, flipped it, and tapped the edge with chopsticks; when it felt hard, it was done.
Luohuali (wedding engagement ceremony)
This time back, I happened to catch my brother-in-law's Luohuali ceremony. We had a feast at a small workshop (zhepai) in Anningqu, in the northern suburbs of Urumqi, and I ate some homemade fried sugar twists (tangningningzi). The feast started with appetizers, then they were cleared for the main dishes, which included clear-stewed meat, braised meatballs, braised fish, beef head meat, and so on.
The traditional wedding customs of Xinjiang Hui Muslims are very elaborate. Before a marriage proposal, the man's family first makes inquiries about the woman's family. Then, they send a matchmaker with four types of gifts—tea, sugar cubes, red dates, and walnuts (or pastries)—wrapped in four colors, known as the four-color gift (sise li). The matchmaker's first visit with the four-color gift is called the opening gift (kaikou li). The matchmaker gives the gift, wrapped in red cloth, to the woman's family, but they do not give an answer right away. After careful consideration, the woman's family sends a message through the matchmaker. The man's family then sends the four-color gift again, which is called the confirming gift (luohua li), and after that, they enter the engagement stage.
Attending a funeral (song maiti)
See: Visiting the Dawan gongbei in Urumqi
During the Spring Festival in Urumqi, I happened to attend a funeral for an elder from the Luyuan Street community. Hundreds of people were there, and it was very moving. I could really feel the unity of the local community (jamaat).
Fasting (zhai)
See: 2024 Beijing Ramadan Diary: Week One
2024 Beijing Ramadan Diary: Week Two
2024 Beijing Ramadan Diary: Week Three
This year, I am spending Ramadan at the Balizhuang Mosque again. On the evening of March 11, I prayed the first Taraweeh at the Balizhuang Mosque. Every year, I enjoy the blessed atmosphere of the month of Ramadan (Ramadan) the most, as everyone gathers at the mosque to complete their worship.
Elder Li made donkey-roll cakes (lvdagun), nut-and-fruit cake (qiegao), and pea flour cake (wandouhuang) for everyone.
The fast-breaking meal (iftar) is very rich, different every day, and includes all kinds of Beijing delicacies.
Noodles with soybean paste (zhajiangmian)
Fish head with flatbread (yutou paobing)
Dumplings (jiaozi) that everyone made together
Hot noodle soup (retangmian)
Breaking the fast with fermented mung bean milk (douzhi)
Door-nail meat pie (mending roubing)
Sugar-rolled fruit (tangjuanguo) and fried crispy snacks (zha gezi)
On the fourth day, a friend (dosti) invited everyone to break their fast at the Nanxiapo Mosque. We ate delicious beef stew, and I felt very grateful (shukr). The Nanxiapo Mosque held a communal meal (nietie). It is usually open to the public, selling eight-bowl feasts (badawan), breakfast, and fast food. You can enter directly from the hot pot restaurant next to the mosque.
On the evening of the 17th day, I met up with a friend (dosti) to pray Tarawih at the Sudanese Embassy. The Sudanese Embassy is right next to Tuanjiehu subway station. We arrived at 7:50 and got in by showing our ID cards at the intersection. The call to prayer (adhan) was at 8:05, and the formal prayer started at 8:30. There were friends (dosti) from all over the world in the hall, standing in rows with all different skin colors. It really felt like I had traveled abroad. The imam for Tarawih was a young hafiz from Libya. His recitation was melodic and pleasant, and very moving. We prayed eight rak'ahs of Tarawih, with a taslim after every four. Finally, we prayed Witr with two rak'ahs followed by a taslim, and then one final rak'ah. This is quite different from the traditional prayer methods of the Gedimu Hui Muslims.
On the evening of the 18th day, a friend (dosti) from Hunan intended to host an iftar at Nanxiapo Mosque. We had stewed meat with rice, which was very delicious. I met many new friends during this time. Ramadan is truly a great opportunity to bring everyone together.
Experiencing the Ramadan atmosphere in Xi'an
See: Experiencing the Ramadan atmosphere in Xi'an
I had always heard that the Ramadan atmosphere in Xi'an is special. Many shops adjust their business hours to provide suhoor meals, and every mosque is very lively at iftar time. I used the Qingming holiday to experience it for myself.
At 3:00 AM, I wandered over to Miaohou Street. Miaohou Street is the street with the most suhoor meals in the Muslim Quarter (Huifang). We saw offal soup (zagan tang), spicy soup (hulatang), steamed rice cake (zenggao), crumbled flatbread in soup (paomo), meat pockets (rouhezi), and more. The variety was huge, and we ended up eating paomo.
At 5:30 AM, we prayed Fajr at the North Mosque in Xiapiyuan. The praise (dhikr) was melodic and gentle, and it was truly soul-stirring.
At noon, I went to Hujiagou in Xianyang to visit the grave (zifen) of Master Hu Dengzhou.
In the afternoon, I returned to the Muslim Quarter (Huifang) and had iftar at the Dapiyuan Mosque.
After the Maghrib prayer, we had our iftar meal. There was zucchini, cold noodles (liangpi), stir-fried meat, steamed egg, mung bean porridge, and steamed buns (momo). There were many people, and the atmosphere was great.
At 3:30 AM the next day, I had a lotus leaf bun (heye bing) with vegetables and red bean porridge at Ma Sanjia on Miaohou Street in the Muslim Quarter. Many people buy their suhoor meals at this shop, and a lot of them buy fried dough cakes (youbing) with vegetables.
3:50 AM. After finishing the lotus leaf bun with vegetables, we continued west along Miaohou Street. We bought a cured beef sandwich (laoniurou jiamo) at the An Zhiliang Cured Beef and Mutton Shop, and then had a meatball spicy soup (rouwan hulatang) at the Jia Family shop at the Sajinqiao intersection across the street.
At 5:50 AM, we prayed Fajr at the Daxuexi Alley Mosque.
At noon, I prayed Jumu'ah at the Great Mosque on Huajue Alley.
After Jumu'ah, I took the subway to the northeast of Xi'an city to visit the grave (zifen) at the Guangdamen Gongbei.
In the evening, I had iftar at the Dongxin Street Mosque. I had barrel chicken (tongzi ji), spiced beef tongue (jiang koutiao), cold mixed dishes, braised fish chunks, steamed buns (momo), and red bean porridge.
At 3:50 AM on the third day, we ate a five-dragon egg and vegetable sandwich (wulong dancai jiamo) on Beiguangji Street, where we also had meat oil rice (rouyoufan). Meat oil rice (rouyoufan) is a special dish that Hui Muslims in the neighborhood usually make only for Eid al-Fitr and the Prophet's birthday. It is a savory meat porridge made with beef bone broth and minced beef. It is salty, fragrant, and very auspicious.
After finishing the meat oil rice, we turned into Xiaopi Courtyard to eat steamed buns (baozi) at Ashiye's old shop. While we were eating, an older gentleman outside found out we were fasting and insisted on paying our bill. We felt so grateful, and it made us feel that the atmosphere in Xi'an is truly wonderful.
At 5:30 AM, we performed namaz at the West Mosque (Xisi) on Sajinqiao.
Night of Decree (Laylat al-Qadr)
See: 2024 Beijing Ramadan Diary: Night of Decree and Eid al-Fitr
The noble Night of Decree, a night of peace. This was the busiest and most lively day at Balizhuang Mosque since the start of Ramadan. Many friends (dosti) traveled from far away to return here. We also took a train from Xi'an to Beijing in the afternoon and headed straight to the mosque.
For breaking the fast, we had white fungus and lotus seed porridge. We also tasted steamed rice cakes with sweet filling (aiwowo) made by the mosque elders, as well as mung bean cakes and crispy pastries (subing) that Zainab brought back from the Hui neighborhood. The meal for breaking the fast included fried tofu stewed with beef, lamb bone broth (yangtang), and various stir-fried dishes. It was a very rich feast.
On the 28th day, we had the final Taraweeh prayer of Ramadan. It was so hard to say goodbye! Balizhuang Mosque was still very lively. The elders were making steamed rice cakes with sweet filling (aiwowo) together, and there was also sticky rice cake (qiegao) made by Elder Li. As usual, we broke our fast with mung bean milk (douzhi). For the meal, we had noodles with gravy (dalu mian) featuring three types of toppings: daylily, tomato, and eggplant, along with various vegetable garnishes. I started with two bowls of mung bean milk and two cups of tea, then ate a large bowl of noodles. I was completely stuffed. I walked around the courtyard several times until I felt comfortable after the Taraweeh prayer.
The last day of Ramadan! The elders at Balizhuang Mosque gathered again to make steamed rice cakes with sweet filling (aiwowo), small sticky rice cakes (qiegao), and sugar-rolled fruit (tangjuanguo). Everyone was reluctant to see Ramadan end.
The elders at Balizhuang Mosque were busy preparing for the next day's Eid al-Fitr, simmering the meat porridge and getting the fried dough (youxiang) ready.
Eid al-Fitr
Eid al-Fitr finally arrived. Balizhuang Mosque prepared meat porridge, fried dough (youxiang), and various pastries for everyone. The wheat grain aroma and the meat flavor in the porridge blended perfectly. It was delicious. With Imam Saiwabu and the elders, I not only received the blessing (suo) but also recited praises with the elders. I felt so grateful.
Eid al-Adha
See: Celebrating the Eid al-Adha festival
The night before Eid al-Adha, we stayed in Xiguanshi Village, known as the 'Number One Hui Muslim Village North of the Capital'. Early in the morning, we performed the major ritual washing (ghusl), brushed our teeth, applied perfume, recited the takbir, and walked from our hotel to the Xiguanshi Mosque to attend the congregational prayer.
After the prayer, we went to the Jingyi Farmhouse at the foot of the Western Mountains to perform the sacrifice (qurbani). This year we chose a 110-pound sheep that grew up eating grass in the mountains, which is usually hard to find. Then we ate the festive starch noodle soup (fentang) made by my sister-in-law, and Zainab drank three bowls in one go!
Day of Ashura
See: Another year, another Day of Ashura
Legend says that when the great flood receded and Prophet Nuh's ship reached land, he and his followers used seven kinds of beans from the ship to make the first meal for humanity after the disaster. Because of this, across a vast region from Bosnia and Turkey in the west to China in the east, many friends (dostani) make Ashura bean porridge today to commemorate the landing of Nuh's ship. Nowadays in Turkey and the Balkan region, you can buy Ashure at dessert shops all year round. However, on the Day of Ashura, people are still used to making Ashure themselves and sharing it with the poor, relatives, neighbors, and friends.
As usual, we made the Urumqi Hui Muslim version of Ashura bean rice. After work, I went to the supermarket to buy beans. This time I used seven kinds: soybeans, black beans, mung beans, red beans, chickpeas, white kidney beans, and lotus beans. First, I cooked the seven types of beans in a pressure cooker, then chopped the qurbani lamb into cubes and prepared chopped green onions. I stir-fried the meat with green onions, adding salt and Sichuan peppercorn powder. I added rice and glutinous rice to the cooked beans, then added the stir-fried meat cubes, and used the pressure cooker's rice setting to finish it.
Mawlid Celebration
See: Celebrating the Mawlid at Beijing Heying Mosque
Going to Xiguan Mosque in Tongzhou, Beijing, to celebrate the Mawlid.
Entering the month of Rabi' al-Awwal, mosques all over Beijing have started holding Mawlid celebrations. Over the weekend, we attended the celebration at Heying Mosque in Changping and ate authentic mashed potato cakes (yangyu jiaotuan), hand-held lamb ribs, and starch noodle soup (fentang), which was very blessed. The chili sauce on the mashed potato cakes was so fragrant that I couldn't help but pack some to take home; it tastes great with steamed buns (momo) or clear-stewed meat.
The 12th day of the third month of the Islamic calendar is believed to be the birthday of the Prophet. Around this time every year, Muslims around the world hold events to honor the Prophet, known as Mawlid or Eid-e-Milad an-Nabi. In China, these are called Shengji, Sheng-hui, or Shengdan.
Shengji activities date back to the time of the Tabi'un, the followers of the Prophet's companions. In the early days, these were mostly private events. Large-scale commemorations can be traced back to Egypt during the Fatimid Caliphate in the 12th century. In 1207, Saladin's brother-in-law Gökböri made Shengji a public holiday for the first time, which helped the celebration spread among Muslim communities. The Ottoman Empire made Shengji an official holiday in 1588, calling it Mevlid Kandili, which means the Candle Feast of the Prophet's Birthday.
Halfway through the month of Shengji, we went to the Xiguan Mosque in Tongzhou to attend the Sheng-hui. In the morning, we first had meat porridge (rouzhou), then went into the main hall for scripture recitation and listened to the imam give a sermon (wa'z) about the life of the Prophet.
After leaving the hall, we sat down for a meal and had the traditional North China Hui Muslim Eight Great Bowls (badawan): stewed meat, steamed pork (kourou), crispy fried meat (songrou), meatballs, kelp, fried tofu puffs (doupo), radish, and lamb offal (yangza). There were also four stir-fried dishes: sautéed lamb liver, stir-fried shrimp, stir-fried diced chicken, and sesame lamb, followed by steamed fish. It was a very rich feast!
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Summary: This account records a year of Muslim religious life in 2024, including night prayers, fasting, qurbani, religious gatherings, and visits connected with Hui Muslim tradition. It keeps the original personal observations, community details, and Islamic terms while presenting them in clear English for readers interested in everyday Muslim life.
As a Han Chinese person born and raised in Beijing in the 1990s, my childhood life was actually quite far from the faith. Although I lived near the Dongsi Mosque, its imposing gate always made me feel like I should keep my distance. My Hui Muslim classmates just didn't eat pork, and otherwise, I couldn't tell any difference. My first connection to the faith started because I loved the soaked bread in soup (paomo) at the Longfu Mosque snack shop and the lamb skewers (yangrouchuan) at Xiayi Restaurant near my home. Twenty years ago, the scent of lamb skewers grilled over charcoal with big fans blowing at Xiayi on Dongsi North Street was my first impression of the faith.
In middle school, I took my first flight for a long trip to Linxia and Xining to see the mosque communities in the residential areas, and I bought my first prayer cap (haomao). The sights in the Northwest felt new to me, and I became more and more interested in the culture of the faith. After I started college, I performed namaz for the first time in my life. Back then, I went to the mosque with Hui Muslim alumni from school to join activities. Even though I didn't know the words to recite yet, I followed everyone else's movements and felt the unity of the congregation (jamati).
In 2015, a Hui Muslim friend from Tianjin took me to the Northwest Corner of Tianjin for the first time. The countless delicious foods dazzled me, and the deep history of the Great Mosque filled me with respect. At that time, I had just graduated from college and had my own income, so I started visiting mosque communities in different places. First along the Grand Canal, then along the Yangtze River, and then I traveled further and further. Now, it has almost been ten years. Tasting delicious food and visiting ancient mosques have brought me closer and closer to the faith.
Unlike friends (dost) born into traditional Hui Muslim families, I learned most of my knowledge about the faith through books and the internet, and then practiced it by going to the mosque. Over these years, the mosque communities I have visited include those of the Shia, and the Hanafi, Shafi'i, Hanbali, and Maliki schools of the Sunni, as well as various domestic new traditions, old traditions, and different Sufi orders (menhuan). In the end, I chose to become a follower of the Gedimu.
Gedimu means 'ancient,' so it is also called the 'Old Faith' or 'Old Tradition.' It has been passed down in China for hundreds of years and has accumulated a rich historical and cultural foundation. For a long time, the Gedimu has used various traditional rituals to strengthen the cultural identity of the community members, allowing the faith to continue in China for over a thousand years without fading. These activities bring everyone together, strengthening the faith and deepening friendships. Through one rich and colorful ritual after another, we feel that the path we are walking is becoming clearer, and we can feel the warmth of the big family of the faith, which keeps us from losing our way in the complex modern society.
Below, I will share my religious life in 2024 with you. Every year, the Gedimu in Beijing emphasizes the 'Two Festivals and Two Gatherings,' which are Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, the Prophet's Birthday (Sheng Hui), and the Fatimah Gathering (Fatumei Hui). Additionally, as a son-in-law from Urumqi, we also follow the Northwest custom of holding night prayers (nianye) every year, and we cook porridge on the Day of Ashura. Our religious life is very rich. This year, during the Spring Festival holiday, we returned to Urumqi and happened to catch the night prayers, so we attended many of them in a row. As usual, I spent the month of Ramadan in Balizhuang. The Balizhuang Mosque is the mosque community with the best Ramadan atmosphere in Beijing in my opinion. For Eid al-Adha, we slaughtered a sheep in an orchard in Changping and also ate starch noodle soup (fentang). We attended two religious gatherings (shenghui) at Heying Mosque and Tongzhou Xiguan Mosque, one in the Northwest style and one in the North China style. I have two regrets this year: I was not in Beijing for the memorial days of Bo Haji Sheikh Baba and Lady Fatimah, so I could not attend. I hope to make it next year.
Nianye (night of scripture recitation)
See: Hui Muslim life in Urumqi during the Spring Festival holiday: Nianye, Luohuali (wedding engagement ceremony), Jumu'ah, and visiting relatives and friends.
During the 2024 Spring Festival holiday, I took Suleiman to his grandparents' home in Urumqi, just in time for the noble month of Sha'ban (the eighth month of the Islamic calendar). The night of the 15th day of the eighth month of the Islamic calendar is the Night of Bara'at, which means the night of atonement. On this night, the two angels on our shoulders replace the 'scrolls' that record our good and bad deeds for the year. They seal the old scrolls and open new ones, which serve as evidence for questioning when we enter the afterlife, so it is also called the 'Night of Exchanging Scrolls'. In the traditions of Hui Muslims in some areas, when the month of Sha'ban arrives, everyone takes turns inviting the imam and friends and family to their homes for Nianye. The main process includes reciting scriptures, praising the Prophet, performing repentance (tawbah), and asking for forgiveness for family members and the deceased. Afterward, we eat a rich meal to strengthen bonds, improve our faith, and prepare for the noble month of Ramadan.
February 17 was our family's Nianye, and it was also when we celebrated Suleiman's first birthday (suisuizi). We invited four imams and a large group of relatives to recite surahs, recite the Bara'at praise, perform tawbah, and offer dua, then we ate. First, we served appetizers (diediezi) and tea. The appetizers included nut towers and baklava we bought at a Uyghur pastry shop on Hetian Street, as well as traditional flaky pastries and sachima made by my aunt. After everyone chatted for a while, we cleared the appetizers and brought out the main dishes to officially start the feast.
With the help of my aunts, we prepared a rich feast. The main dishes were clear-stewed lamb, braised steak, followed by steamed meat jelly (zhengmingzi), pearl meatballs, spicy chicken (jiaomaji), steamed fish, sweet platter (tianpanzi), and various stir-fried dishes. The staples were fried dough (youxiang), steamed buns (momo), and rice.
The fried dough (youxiang) was fried the day before. Before frying, I performed wudu (abudaiesi), then made the dough. After it rose, I scalded a small portion with hot oil and mixed in a little baking soda and fenugreek powder (xiangdoufen). I kneaded the scalded dough into the risen dough, covered the basin, and let it rest for 15 minutes. After resting, I rolled it into a long shape, pinched off pieces, rolled them into flat cakes, cut four small slits with a knife, and then it was ready to fry. When putting it into the pot, I said 'Bismillah' (taisimai). I fried it for a while, flipped it, and tapped the edge with chopsticks; when it felt hard, it was done.
Luohuali (wedding engagement ceremony)
This time back, I happened to catch my brother-in-law's Luohuali ceremony. We had a feast at a small workshop (zhepai) in Anningqu, in the northern suburbs of Urumqi, and I ate some homemade fried sugar twists (tangningningzi). The feast started with appetizers, then they were cleared for the main dishes, which included clear-stewed meat, braised meatballs, braised fish, beef head meat, and so on.
The traditional wedding customs of Xinjiang Hui Muslims are very elaborate. Before a marriage proposal, the man's family first makes inquiries about the woman's family. Then, they send a matchmaker with four types of gifts—tea, sugar cubes, red dates, and walnuts (or pastries)—wrapped in four colors, known as the four-color gift (sise li). The matchmaker's first visit with the four-color gift is called the opening gift (kaikou li). The matchmaker gives the gift, wrapped in red cloth, to the woman's family, but they do not give an answer right away. After careful consideration, the woman's family sends a message through the matchmaker. The man's family then sends the four-color gift again, which is called the confirming gift (luohua li), and after that, they enter the engagement stage.
Attending a funeral (song maiti)
See: Visiting the Dawan gongbei in Urumqi
During the Spring Festival in Urumqi, I happened to attend a funeral for an elder from the Luyuan Street community. Hundreds of people were there, and it was very moving. I could really feel the unity of the local community (jamaat).
Fasting (zhai)
See: 2024 Beijing Ramadan Diary: Week One
2024 Beijing Ramadan Diary: Week Two
2024 Beijing Ramadan Diary: Week Three
This year, I am spending Ramadan at the Balizhuang Mosque again. On the evening of March 11, I prayed the first Taraweeh at the Balizhuang Mosque. Every year, I enjoy the blessed atmosphere of the month of Ramadan (Ramadan) the most, as everyone gathers at the mosque to complete their worship.
Elder Li made donkey-roll cakes (lvdagun), nut-and-fruit cake (qiegao), and pea flour cake (wandouhuang) for everyone.
The fast-breaking meal (iftar) is very rich, different every day, and includes all kinds of Beijing delicacies.
Noodles with soybean paste (zhajiangmian)
Fish head with flatbread (yutou paobing)
Dumplings (jiaozi) that everyone made together
Hot noodle soup (retangmian)
Breaking the fast with fermented mung bean milk (douzhi)
Door-nail meat pie (mending roubing)
Sugar-rolled fruit (tangjuanguo) and fried crispy snacks (zha gezi)
On the fourth day, a friend (dosti) invited everyone to break their fast at the Nanxiapo Mosque. We ate delicious beef stew, and I felt very grateful (shukr). The Nanxiapo Mosque held a communal meal (nietie). It is usually open to the public, selling eight-bowl feasts (badawan), breakfast, and fast food. You can enter directly from the hot pot restaurant next to the mosque.
On the evening of the 17th day, I met up with a friend (dosti) to pray Tarawih at the Sudanese Embassy. The Sudanese Embassy is right next to Tuanjiehu subway station. We arrived at 7:50 and got in by showing our ID cards at the intersection. The call to prayer (adhan) was at 8:05, and the formal prayer started at 8:30. There were friends (dosti) from all over the world in the hall, standing in rows with all different skin colors. It really felt like I had traveled abroad. The imam for Tarawih was a young hafiz from Libya. His recitation was melodic and pleasant, and very moving. We prayed eight rak'ahs of Tarawih, with a taslim after every four. Finally, we prayed Witr with two rak'ahs followed by a taslim, and then one final rak'ah. This is quite different from the traditional prayer methods of the Gedimu Hui Muslims.
On the evening of the 18th day, a friend (dosti) from Hunan intended to host an iftar at Nanxiapo Mosque. We had stewed meat with rice, which was very delicious. I met many new friends during this time. Ramadan is truly a great opportunity to bring everyone together.
Experiencing the Ramadan atmosphere in Xi'an
See: Experiencing the Ramadan atmosphere in Xi'an
I had always heard that the Ramadan atmosphere in Xi'an is special. Many shops adjust their business hours to provide suhoor meals, and every mosque is very lively at iftar time. I used the Qingming holiday to experience it for myself.
At 3:00 AM, I wandered over to Miaohou Street. Miaohou Street is the street with the most suhoor meals in the Muslim Quarter (Huifang). We saw offal soup (zagan tang), spicy soup (hulatang), steamed rice cake (zenggao), crumbled flatbread in soup (paomo), meat pockets (rouhezi), and more. The variety was huge, and we ended up eating paomo.
At 5:30 AM, we prayed Fajr at the North Mosque in Xiapiyuan. The praise (dhikr) was melodic and gentle, and it was truly soul-stirring.
At noon, I went to Hujiagou in Xianyang to visit the grave (zifen) of Master Hu Dengzhou.
In the afternoon, I returned to the Muslim Quarter (Huifang) and had iftar at the Dapiyuan Mosque.
After the Maghrib prayer, we had our iftar meal. There was zucchini, cold noodles (liangpi), stir-fried meat, steamed egg, mung bean porridge, and steamed buns (momo). There were many people, and the atmosphere was great.
At 3:30 AM the next day, I had a lotus leaf bun (heye bing) with vegetables and red bean porridge at Ma Sanjia on Miaohou Street in the Muslim Quarter. Many people buy their suhoor meals at this shop, and a lot of them buy fried dough cakes (youbing) with vegetables.
3:50 AM. After finishing the lotus leaf bun with vegetables, we continued west along Miaohou Street. We bought a cured beef sandwich (laoniurou jiamo) at the An Zhiliang Cured Beef and Mutton Shop, and then had a meatball spicy soup (rouwan hulatang) at the Jia Family shop at the Sajinqiao intersection across the street.
At 5:50 AM, we prayed Fajr at the Daxuexi Alley Mosque.
At noon, I prayed Jumu'ah at the Great Mosque on Huajue Alley.
After Jumu'ah, I took the subway to the northeast of Xi'an city to visit the grave (zifen) at the Guangdamen Gongbei.
In the evening, I had iftar at the Dongxin Street Mosque. I had barrel chicken (tongzi ji), spiced beef tongue (jiang koutiao), cold mixed dishes, braised fish chunks, steamed buns (momo), and red bean porridge.
At 3:50 AM on the third day, we ate a five-dragon egg and vegetable sandwich (wulong dancai jiamo) on Beiguangji Street, where we also had meat oil rice (rouyoufan). Meat oil rice (rouyoufan) is a special dish that Hui Muslims in the neighborhood usually make only for Eid al-Fitr and the Prophet's birthday. It is a savory meat porridge made with beef bone broth and minced beef. It is salty, fragrant, and very auspicious.
After finishing the meat oil rice, we turned into Xiaopi Courtyard to eat steamed buns (baozi) at Ashiye's old shop. While we were eating, an older gentleman outside found out we were fasting and insisted on paying our bill. We felt so grateful, and it made us feel that the atmosphere in Xi'an is truly wonderful.
At 5:30 AM, we performed namaz at the West Mosque (Xisi) on Sajinqiao.
Night of Decree (Laylat al-Qadr)
See: 2024 Beijing Ramadan Diary: Night of Decree and Eid al-Fitr
The noble Night of Decree, a night of peace. This was the busiest and most lively day at Balizhuang Mosque since the start of Ramadan. Many friends (dosti) traveled from far away to return here. We also took a train from Xi'an to Beijing in the afternoon and headed straight to the mosque.
For breaking the fast, we had white fungus and lotus seed porridge. We also tasted steamed rice cakes with sweet filling (aiwowo) made by the mosque elders, as well as mung bean cakes and crispy pastries (subing) that Zainab brought back from the Hui neighborhood. The meal for breaking the fast included fried tofu stewed with beef, lamb bone broth (yangtang), and various stir-fried dishes. It was a very rich feast.
On the 28th day, we had the final Taraweeh prayer of Ramadan. It was so hard to say goodbye! Balizhuang Mosque was still very lively. The elders were making steamed rice cakes with sweet filling (aiwowo) together, and there was also sticky rice cake (qiegao) made by Elder Li. As usual, we broke our fast with mung bean milk (douzhi). For the meal, we had noodles with gravy (dalu mian) featuring three types of toppings: daylily, tomato, and eggplant, along with various vegetable garnishes. I started with two bowls of mung bean milk and two cups of tea, then ate a large bowl of noodles. I was completely stuffed. I walked around the courtyard several times until I felt comfortable after the Taraweeh prayer.
The last day of Ramadan! The elders at Balizhuang Mosque gathered again to make steamed rice cakes with sweet filling (aiwowo), small sticky rice cakes (qiegao), and sugar-rolled fruit (tangjuanguo). Everyone was reluctant to see Ramadan end.
The elders at Balizhuang Mosque were busy preparing for the next day's Eid al-Fitr, simmering the meat porridge and getting the fried dough (youxiang) ready.
Eid al-Fitr
Eid al-Fitr finally arrived. Balizhuang Mosque prepared meat porridge, fried dough (youxiang), and various pastries for everyone. The wheat grain aroma and the meat flavor in the porridge blended perfectly. It was delicious. With Imam Saiwabu and the elders, I not only received the blessing (suo) but also recited praises with the elders. I felt so grateful.
Eid al-Adha
See: Celebrating the Eid al-Adha festival
The night before Eid al-Adha, we stayed in Xiguanshi Village, known as the 'Number One Hui Muslim Village North of the Capital'. Early in the morning, we performed the major ritual washing (ghusl), brushed our teeth, applied perfume, recited the takbir, and walked from our hotel to the Xiguanshi Mosque to attend the congregational prayer.
After the prayer, we went to the Jingyi Farmhouse at the foot of the Western Mountains to perform the sacrifice (qurbani). This year we chose a 110-pound sheep that grew up eating grass in the mountains, which is usually hard to find. Then we ate the festive starch noodle soup (fentang) made by my sister-in-law, and Zainab drank three bowls in one go!
Day of Ashura
See: Another year, another Day of Ashura
Legend says that when the great flood receded and Prophet Nuh's ship reached land, he and his followers used seven kinds of beans from the ship to make the first meal for humanity after the disaster. Because of this, across a vast region from Bosnia and Turkey in the west to China in the east, many friends (dostani) make Ashura bean porridge today to commemorate the landing of Nuh's ship. Nowadays in Turkey and the Balkan region, you can buy Ashure at dessert shops all year round. However, on the Day of Ashura, people are still used to making Ashure themselves and sharing it with the poor, relatives, neighbors, and friends.
As usual, we made the Urumqi Hui Muslim version of Ashura bean rice. After work, I went to the supermarket to buy beans. This time I used seven kinds: soybeans, black beans, mung beans, red beans, chickpeas, white kidney beans, and lotus beans. First, I cooked the seven types of beans in a pressure cooker, then chopped the qurbani lamb into cubes and prepared chopped green onions. I stir-fried the meat with green onions, adding salt and Sichuan peppercorn powder. I added rice and glutinous rice to the cooked beans, then added the stir-fried meat cubes, and used the pressure cooker's rice setting to finish it.
Mawlid Celebration
See: Celebrating the Mawlid at Beijing Heying Mosque
Going to Xiguan Mosque in Tongzhou, Beijing, to celebrate the Mawlid.
Entering the month of Rabi' al-Awwal, mosques all over Beijing have started holding Mawlid celebrations. Over the weekend, we attended the celebration at Heying Mosque in Changping and ate authentic mashed potato cakes (yangyu jiaotuan), hand-held lamb ribs, and starch noodle soup (fentang), which was very blessed. The chili sauce on the mashed potato cakes was so fragrant that I couldn't help but pack some to take home; it tastes great with steamed buns (momo) or clear-stewed meat.
The 12th day of the third month of the Islamic calendar is believed to be the birthday of the Prophet. Around this time every year, Muslims around the world hold events to honor the Prophet, known as Mawlid or Eid-e-Milad an-Nabi. In China, these are called Shengji, Sheng-hui, or Shengdan.
Shengji activities date back to the time of the Tabi'un, the followers of the Prophet's companions. In the early days, these were mostly private events. Large-scale commemorations can be traced back to Egypt during the Fatimid Caliphate in the 12th century. In 1207, Saladin's brother-in-law Gökböri made Shengji a public holiday for the first time, which helped the celebration spread among Muslim communities. The Ottoman Empire made Shengji an official holiday in 1588, calling it Mevlid Kandili, which means the Candle Feast of the Prophet's Birthday.
Halfway through the month of Shengji, we went to the Xiguan Mosque in Tongzhou to attend the Sheng-hui. In the morning, we first had meat porridge (rouzhou), then went into the main hall for scripture recitation and listened to the imam give a sermon (wa'z) about the life of the Prophet.
After leaving the hall, we sat down for a meal and had the traditional North China Hui Muslim Eight Great Bowls (badawan): stewed meat, steamed pork (kourou), crispy fried meat (songrou), meatballs, kelp, fried tofu puffs (doupo), radish, and lamb offal (yangza). There were also four stir-fried dishes: sautéed lamb liver, stir-fried shrimp, stir-fried diced chicken, and sesame lamb, followed by steamed fish. It was a very rich feast!
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Halal Travel Guide: Kota Kinabalu — Filipino Market, Hainanese Food & Sabah History
Reposted from the web
Summary: Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, Malaysia, has a rebuilt old town centered on Gaya Street, with Chinese shops, war history, markets, and coastal city life. This travel account follows the Filipino Market, Hainanese food spots, local landmarks, and the streets around old Kota Kinabalu while keeping the original photos and historical details.
Kota Kinabalu is the capital of Sabah, Malaysia. The old town was founded in 1899 by the British North Borneo Chartered Company. In 1945, the Allied forces launched the Borneo campaign against Japan. They bombed Kota Kinabalu day and night for six months, leaving the old town almost completely leveled. After the war, the Chartered Company could not afford to rebuild, so they handed Kota Kinabalu over to the British Crown. It later became the capital of British North Borneo.
The heart of Kota Kinabalu's old town is Gaya Street, which is lined with Chinese shops. Gaya Street was once called 'Central Street.' After it was built in 1902, it became the main commercial area of Kota Kinabalu. Local farmers, fishermen, and merchants from China, the Philippines, and Indonesia all came here to buy goods. After the Allied bombing in 1945, the British replanned the old town near Gaya Street. A series of reconstruction projects helped Gaya Street regain its vitality after the 1950s.
One of Kota Kinabalu's landmarks is The Jesselton Hotel, built in 1954. The Jesselton Hotel was funded by a Hong Kong Chinese business consortium and was the first hotel built in Kota Kinabalu after the war. The consortium hired architects and workers from Hong Kong, so the style is very similar to buildings in Hong Kong from the 1940s. In 1971, the hotel was sold to a Sandakan timber investment group and later leased to Datuk Wong Tze Fatt. Wong Tze Fatt bought the hotel in 1978 and renovated the facade into its current British style in 1989.
We stayed at another hotel built in the 1960s called Hotel Sixty3. In 1965, this was the first location of the Sabah Museum, and it still keeps its 1960s style today.
The Sunday morning market on Gaya Street in Kota Kinabalu is a great place to experience local life. It has a rich variety of local fruits and vegetables, plus coconut rice (nasi lemak), noodle soup (laksa), and various pastries and drinks. Kota Kinabalu has a diverse population. Besides the Chinese, there are mainly Bruneian Malays, Bajau, Kadazan, Dusun, Murut, and Lun Bawang people, along with many non-Malaysian citizens from the southern Philippines and the Sulu Archipelago.
You can see saplings for various tropical crops, including durian and mango, which is quite interesting.
Although there are many Hakka and Fujian people on Gaya Street in Kota Kinabalu, most of the restaurants are still run by Hainanese people. I started my morning with breakfast at Fook Yuen Cafe. It is very popular and crowded with tourists. Ordering is semi-self-service. They have Cantonese-style congee and dim sum, Malay coconut rice (nasi lemak), and Western-style bread and coffee, meeting the needs of all groups in Malaysia. I had a serving of Hainanese chicken rice and two steamed dumplings (shaomai), and I drank a glass of iced milk tea. They improved their chicken rice by adding dried small fish to the rice. This way of eating it is likely more popular with the Malay people.
Yee Fung Tea House, which opened in 1896, is the oldest Hainanese restaurant in Kota Kinabalu, even older than the city itself. The restaurant was originally located at the British North Borneo Chartered Company headquarters on Gaya Island. After the settlement on the island was destroyed in 1898 by an anti-British uprising led by the indigenous leader Mat Salleh, the restaurant moved to its current location on Gaya Street. You could say Yee Fung Tea House has witnessed all the changes in Kota Kinabalu. They have old photos hanging on the wall, including one of the Yuechang Tea House from the 1960s, which is in the exact same spot as it is today.
The shop is split into two parts, with the Hainanese owner personally making coffee and toasted bread (tuosi). The owner is very warm, provides excellent service, and speaks great Korean, which helps him attract Korean customers. Another stall hires Muslim sisters to make Hainanese beef offal noodles and various Malay dishes, which is a major feature of traditional Hainanese coffee shops. To attract customers from all ethnic groups, they must serve food that suits everyone's taste, which is why many long-standing Hainanese restaurants in Malaysia have been open for decades or even a century.
We ordered coffee with fresh milk, three-layer coffee, monk fruit herbal tea (luohanguo liangcha), oats, toast, and beef offal noodles. The monk fruit herbal tea and barley water (yimi shui) are perfect for the weather here.
The most popular halal Chinese restaurant on Gaya Street in Kota Kinabalu is Yee Fung Tea House. The owner of Yee Fung Tea House, Zhuang Qiuwang, is from Johor and started selling laksa on Gaya Street in 1984, making it exactly 40 years now. Like many halal Chinese restaurants in Malaysia, they hire Muslim chefs and staff to ensure the ingredients are halal.
Their signature dishes are the "three treasures": laksa, claypot chicken rice, and beef offal. We ordered lettuce with oyster sauce, plain beef offal, plain fish balls, and chicken wonton noodles. Hainanese beef offal mainly includes beef balls, beef tripe, stewed beef, and beef slices; many Hainanese restaurants in Kota Kinabalu serve it, and it is a local specialty. Authentic Hainanese beef offal is made without MSG, relying purely on spices for flavor, so you do not feel thirsty after eating it.
There is a night market on Gaya Street every Friday and Saturday night that stays open until 12:00, mainly featuring stalls run by Muslim Bruneian Malays and Bajau people, along with a few Chinese stalls. I walked around and bought an iced drink to quench my thirst.
In the evening, we had a late-night snack at Wang Jiao on Gaya Street, where the fish slice noodles and beef offal soup were cooked to order in small pots, and we also drank freshly stewed bird's nest. Beef offal is truly available in every restaurant in Kota Kinabalu. Sabah bird's nest comes from swiftlets deep in the tropical rainforest and is a major local specialty. The price of bird's nest sold in ordinary shops in Kota Kinabalu is reasonable, making it a good choice to try.
Opposite the old town of Kota Kinabalu is Gaya Island, and the coastline is full of crabs.
The water village on the shore of Gaya Island is home to Tausug and Bajau Muslim refugees who fled the war in the Sulu Archipelago and Mindanao in the southern Philippines after the 1970s. They travel by speedboat to the Kota Kinabalu Central Market every day to buy daily necessities, which is why this market is also known as the "Filipino Market." The center of the Filipino Market is the fruit and vegetable area, where pineapples and bananas are the main fruits.
Kota Kinabalu now has special tour routes where you can take a boat to visit water villages and watch traditional Bajau dances. We didn't have time for this trip, but I definitely want to try it next time.
After 1968, two major Muslim organizations in the Philippines, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), began a 50-year conflict with the Philippine government. This caused tens of thousands of Filipino Muslim refugees to flee to Sabah, Malaysia. Since Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention, these people are classified as illegal immigrants. In reality, many local businessmen in Sabah still hire these refugees.
At the handicraft market in Kota Kinabalu, you can buy crafts from various ethnic groups like the Bajau, Brunei Malays, and Tausug people. We bought two religious decorations made of bright beads. They come in single-sided and double-sided versions, and they feel very unique.
The Bajau people call themselves Sama. They are also known as Sea Gypsies or sea nomads and are famous for building villages on the water. The Bajau are widely distributed along the coasts of Borneo, the Sulu Archipelago, the Zamboanga Peninsula, Mindanao, and Sulawesi, spanning four countries: Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Brunei.
The Bajau include strict Sunni Muslims, localized Muslims influenced by early Sufi missionaries, and others who combine their faith with early animist beliefs. They have integrated spirits from their pre-Islamic period into the Islamic concept of jinn.
At noon, we performed namaz at the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque. The Kota Kinabalu City Mosque opened in 2000. Its exterior is modeled after the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, and it is surrounded by a lagoon, which is why it is also called the Floating Mosque. The Kota Kinabalu City Mosque is a famous tourist spot. Many people visit every day, and there is a lawn by the lake specifically for taking photos, so the mosque is very common on major social media platforms.
Next to the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque is a beach facing the South China Sea. There are small restaurants here, and it is very relaxing to eat while feeling the sea breeze. Although we went in December during the rainy season, it only rained for a short while each day, and the rest of the time it was quite sunny.
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Summary: Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, Malaysia, has a rebuilt old town centered on Gaya Street, with Chinese shops, war history, markets, and coastal city life. This travel account follows the Filipino Market, Hainanese food spots, local landmarks, and the streets around old Kota Kinabalu while keeping the original photos and historical details.
Kota Kinabalu is the capital of Sabah, Malaysia. The old town was founded in 1899 by the British North Borneo Chartered Company. In 1945, the Allied forces launched the Borneo campaign against Japan. They bombed Kota Kinabalu day and night for six months, leaving the old town almost completely leveled. After the war, the Chartered Company could not afford to rebuild, so they handed Kota Kinabalu over to the British Crown. It later became the capital of British North Borneo.
The heart of Kota Kinabalu's old town is Gaya Street, which is lined with Chinese shops. Gaya Street was once called 'Central Street.' After it was built in 1902, it became the main commercial area of Kota Kinabalu. Local farmers, fishermen, and merchants from China, the Philippines, and Indonesia all came here to buy goods. After the Allied bombing in 1945, the British replanned the old town near Gaya Street. A series of reconstruction projects helped Gaya Street regain its vitality after the 1950s.
One of Kota Kinabalu's landmarks is The Jesselton Hotel, built in 1954. The Jesselton Hotel was funded by a Hong Kong Chinese business consortium and was the first hotel built in Kota Kinabalu after the war. The consortium hired architects and workers from Hong Kong, so the style is very similar to buildings in Hong Kong from the 1940s. In 1971, the hotel was sold to a Sandakan timber investment group and later leased to Datuk Wong Tze Fatt. Wong Tze Fatt bought the hotel in 1978 and renovated the facade into its current British style in 1989.
We stayed at another hotel built in the 1960s called Hotel Sixty3. In 1965, this was the first location of the Sabah Museum, and it still keeps its 1960s style today.
The Sunday morning market on Gaya Street in Kota Kinabalu is a great place to experience local life. It has a rich variety of local fruits and vegetables, plus coconut rice (nasi lemak), noodle soup (laksa), and various pastries and drinks. Kota Kinabalu has a diverse population. Besides the Chinese, there are mainly Bruneian Malays, Bajau, Kadazan, Dusun, Murut, and Lun Bawang people, along with many non-Malaysian citizens from the southern Philippines and the Sulu Archipelago.
You can see saplings for various tropical crops, including durian and mango, which is quite interesting.
Although there are many Hakka and Fujian people on Gaya Street in Kota Kinabalu, most of the restaurants are still run by Hainanese people. I started my morning with breakfast at Fook Yuen Cafe. It is very popular and crowded with tourists. Ordering is semi-self-service. They have Cantonese-style congee and dim sum, Malay coconut rice (nasi lemak), and Western-style bread and coffee, meeting the needs of all groups in Malaysia. I had a serving of Hainanese chicken rice and two steamed dumplings (shaomai), and I drank a glass of iced milk tea. They improved their chicken rice by adding dried small fish to the rice. This way of eating it is likely more popular with the Malay people.
Yee Fung Tea House, which opened in 1896, is the oldest Hainanese restaurant in Kota Kinabalu, even older than the city itself. The restaurant was originally located at the British North Borneo Chartered Company headquarters on Gaya Island. After the settlement on the island was destroyed in 1898 by an anti-British uprising led by the indigenous leader Mat Salleh, the restaurant moved to its current location on Gaya Street. You could say Yee Fung Tea House has witnessed all the changes in Kota Kinabalu. They have old photos hanging on the wall, including one of the Yuechang Tea House from the 1960s, which is in the exact same spot as it is today.
The shop is split into two parts, with the Hainanese owner personally making coffee and toasted bread (tuosi). The owner is very warm, provides excellent service, and speaks great Korean, which helps him attract Korean customers. Another stall hires Muslim sisters to make Hainanese beef offal noodles and various Malay dishes, which is a major feature of traditional Hainanese coffee shops. To attract customers from all ethnic groups, they must serve food that suits everyone's taste, which is why many long-standing Hainanese restaurants in Malaysia have been open for decades or even a century.
We ordered coffee with fresh milk, three-layer coffee, monk fruit herbal tea (luohanguo liangcha), oats, toast, and beef offal noodles. The monk fruit herbal tea and barley water (yimi shui) are perfect for the weather here.
The most popular halal Chinese restaurant on Gaya Street in Kota Kinabalu is Yee Fung Tea House. The owner of Yee Fung Tea House, Zhuang Qiuwang, is from Johor and started selling laksa on Gaya Street in 1984, making it exactly 40 years now. Like many halal Chinese restaurants in Malaysia, they hire Muslim chefs and staff to ensure the ingredients are halal.
Their signature dishes are the "three treasures": laksa, claypot chicken rice, and beef offal. We ordered lettuce with oyster sauce, plain beef offal, plain fish balls, and chicken wonton noodles. Hainanese beef offal mainly includes beef balls, beef tripe, stewed beef, and beef slices; many Hainanese restaurants in Kota Kinabalu serve it, and it is a local specialty. Authentic Hainanese beef offal is made without MSG, relying purely on spices for flavor, so you do not feel thirsty after eating it.
There is a night market on Gaya Street every Friday and Saturday night that stays open until 12:00, mainly featuring stalls run by Muslim Bruneian Malays and Bajau people, along with a few Chinese stalls. I walked around and bought an iced drink to quench my thirst.
In the evening, we had a late-night snack at Wang Jiao on Gaya Street, where the fish slice noodles and beef offal soup were cooked to order in small pots, and we also drank freshly stewed bird's nest. Beef offal is truly available in every restaurant in Kota Kinabalu. Sabah bird's nest comes from swiftlets deep in the tropical rainforest and is a major local specialty. The price of bird's nest sold in ordinary shops in Kota Kinabalu is reasonable, making it a good choice to try.
Opposite the old town of Kota Kinabalu is Gaya Island, and the coastline is full of crabs.
The water village on the shore of Gaya Island is home to Tausug and Bajau Muslim refugees who fled the war in the Sulu Archipelago and Mindanao in the southern Philippines after the 1970s. They travel by speedboat to the Kota Kinabalu Central Market every day to buy daily necessities, which is why this market is also known as the "Filipino Market." The center of the Filipino Market is the fruit and vegetable area, where pineapples and bananas are the main fruits.
Kota Kinabalu now has special tour routes where you can take a boat to visit water villages and watch traditional Bajau dances. We didn't have time for this trip, but I definitely want to try it next time.
After 1968, two major Muslim organizations in the Philippines, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), began a 50-year conflict with the Philippine government. This caused tens of thousands of Filipino Muslim refugees to flee to Sabah, Malaysia. Since Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention, these people are classified as illegal immigrants. In reality, many local businessmen in Sabah still hire these refugees.
At the handicraft market in Kota Kinabalu, you can buy crafts from various ethnic groups like the Bajau, Brunei Malays, and Tausug people. We bought two religious decorations made of bright beads. They come in single-sided and double-sided versions, and they feel very unique.
The Bajau people call themselves Sama. They are also known as Sea Gypsies or sea nomads and are famous for building villages on the water. The Bajau are widely distributed along the coasts of Borneo, the Sulu Archipelago, the Zamboanga Peninsula, Mindanao, and Sulawesi, spanning four countries: Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Brunei.
The Bajau include strict Sunni Muslims, localized Muslims influenced by early Sufi missionaries, and others who combine their faith with early animist beliefs. They have integrated spirits from their pre-Islamic period into the Islamic concept of jinn.
At noon, we performed namaz at the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque. The Kota Kinabalu City Mosque opened in 2000. Its exterior is modeled after the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, and it is surrounded by a lagoon, which is why it is also called the Floating Mosque. The Kota Kinabalu City Mosque is a famous tourist spot. Many people visit every day, and there is a lawn by the lake specifically for taking photos, so the mosque is very common on major social media platforms.
Next to the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque is a beach facing the South China Sea. There are small restaurants here, and it is very relaxing to eat while feeling the sea breeze. Although we went in December during the rainy season, it only rained for a short while each day, and the rest of the time it was quite sunny.
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Museum Guide: Sabah Islamic Civilization Museum in Malaysia
Reposted from the web
Summary: This article visits the Sabah Islamic Civilization Museum in Malaysia, with a focus on regional Muslim history, exhibition displays, and local cultural context. It keeps the original museum details, photographs, artifact notes, and travel observations for readers interested in Islamic heritage in Sabah.
The Sabah Islamic Civilization Museum opened in 2002. It has a small collection and is not well-known, but it is special because it holds unique Islamic cultural artifacts from the Malay Archipelago that you cannot see in other museums.
This is a wooden prayer gong (kentung) made in 1918 by the Sambas Sultanate in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is a traditional instrument used to signal the call to prayer.
The Sambas Malays live on the northwest coast of Borneo, right next to the Malaysian state of Sabah. The Sambas Malays founded the Sambas Sultanate in 1675. It became part of Indonesia in 1956, and the Sultan of Sambas still lives in the palace today. The Sambas Malays are mainly Sufi. Their rituals combine features of the Qadiriyya and Naqshbandiyya orders and are famous for their unique chanting style.
This is a manuscript of scripture from Sulawesi, Indonesia, written on date palm leaves and bound in goatskin. It is over a hundred years old. It was donated to the Sabah Islamic Civilization Museum in 2015 by Tuan Hj. Abdullah Abas, a religious teacher from Kinarut, Sabah, Malaysia.
This is a traditional Indonesian wooden chest carved with scripture, used for storing clothes. This type of wood carving is found in several Islamic museums in Malaysia and is a very distinctive piece of Islamic craft.
This is a bridal curtain used by the Bajau (Sama) people, a sea-faring group living on the west coast of Sabah, Malaysia, in Kota Belud.
This is a porcelain plate with scripture from the 1930s, acquired by the museum in 2005. Malay people usually display this kind of porcelain plate in a cabinet as a decoration.
These scripture-inscribed ceramics were brought to Sabah through trade and include pieces from both China and Europe. Under the rule of the Sultanate of Brunei, Sabah had very close trade ties with the Qing Dynasty, Spain, the Netherlands, and other countries.
This is a protective vest (dua vest) worn by indigenous soldiers in Sabah during the anti-British resistance led by Mat Salleh between 1894 and 1905.
The resistance leader Mat Salleh, whose real name was Datuk Muhammad Salleh, was an indigenous leader in Sabah. In 1881, the British took control of Sabah by establishing the North Borneo Chartered Company. Mat Salleh felt this violated the rights of the indigenous people and refused to recognize the company. In 1895, after negotiations with the company failed, Mat Salleh was declared a wanted man. He immediately built a fortress to openly resist the British and successfully launched several attacks. He died in battle in 1900, and his followers continued to fight until they were finally defeated in 1905.
This is a decorative wooden frame made in 1918, featuring scripture carvings and traditional embroidery in the center.
These are wooden grave markers from the Semporna region. This type of wooden grave marker is unique to the Semporna area and is carved with floral patterns around the edges.
This is a century-old bas-relief bronze plaque featuring the Basmala.
This is a prayer drum (beduk) made of palm wood and cowhide. It is usually placed in front of the main hall or at the entrance of a mosque, which is why many traditional mosques in Southeast Asia do not have minarets.
There are many wavy-bladed daggers (keris) in museums across Malaysia and Indonesia, but very few have a clear record of their origin. The Museum of Islamic Civilization in Sabah displays a sword called Pedang Khusus. Palace guards in the Tidung Kingdom on Tarakan Island off the east coast of Borneo wore this gold-made, highly detailed weapon.
The second type is called Sundang, a wavy-bladed dagger (keris) with blood grooves used by the Sulu people. The handle of the Sundang is cylindrical, which keeps it from slipping out of your hand during use.
Woodcarver Mba Hj. Edie Ifa from Jepara, Java, Indonesia, worked with students from a nearby Islamic school (madrasa) to carve a pair of scripture-inscribed door panels from a century-old teak log.
A wooden tombstone from the Bajau people of Semporna, with the top carved into the shape of a hat.
A hand-copied Persian scripture from 1796.
A scripture stand from Qom, Iran, dating back to the 18th century.
Tiles from the Ilkhanate period, dating to the 13th or 14th century.
A copper bowl from the Mamluk period in Egypt.
Two sets of cloisonné (jingtailan) altar vases and incense burners. One set likely traveled from Hong Kong to Malaysia during the era of export-oriented production.
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Summary: This article visits the Sabah Islamic Civilization Museum in Malaysia, with a focus on regional Muslim history, exhibition displays, and local cultural context. It keeps the original museum details, photographs, artifact notes, and travel observations for readers interested in Islamic heritage in Sabah.
The Sabah Islamic Civilization Museum opened in 2002. It has a small collection and is not well-known, but it is special because it holds unique Islamic cultural artifacts from the Malay Archipelago that you cannot see in other museums.
This is a wooden prayer gong (kentung) made in 1918 by the Sambas Sultanate in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is a traditional instrument used to signal the call to prayer.
The Sambas Malays live on the northwest coast of Borneo, right next to the Malaysian state of Sabah. The Sambas Malays founded the Sambas Sultanate in 1675. It became part of Indonesia in 1956, and the Sultan of Sambas still lives in the palace today. The Sambas Malays are mainly Sufi. Their rituals combine features of the Qadiriyya and Naqshbandiyya orders and are famous for their unique chanting style.
This is a manuscript of scripture from Sulawesi, Indonesia, written on date palm leaves and bound in goatskin. It is over a hundred years old. It was donated to the Sabah Islamic Civilization Museum in 2015 by Tuan Hj. Abdullah Abas, a religious teacher from Kinarut, Sabah, Malaysia.
This is a traditional Indonesian wooden chest carved with scripture, used for storing clothes. This type of wood carving is found in several Islamic museums in Malaysia and is a very distinctive piece of Islamic craft.
This is a bridal curtain used by the Bajau (Sama) people, a sea-faring group living on the west coast of Sabah, Malaysia, in Kota Belud.
This is a porcelain plate with scripture from the 1930s, acquired by the museum in 2005. Malay people usually display this kind of porcelain plate in a cabinet as a decoration.
These scripture-inscribed ceramics were brought to Sabah through trade and include pieces from both China and Europe. Under the rule of the Sultanate of Brunei, Sabah had very close trade ties with the Qing Dynasty, Spain, the Netherlands, and other countries.
This is a protective vest (dua vest) worn by indigenous soldiers in Sabah during the anti-British resistance led by Mat Salleh between 1894 and 1905.
The resistance leader Mat Salleh, whose real name was Datuk Muhammad Salleh, was an indigenous leader in Sabah. In 1881, the British took control of Sabah by establishing the North Borneo Chartered Company. Mat Salleh felt this violated the rights of the indigenous people and refused to recognize the company. In 1895, after negotiations with the company failed, Mat Salleh was declared a wanted man. He immediately built a fortress to openly resist the British and successfully launched several attacks. He died in battle in 1900, and his followers continued to fight until they were finally defeated in 1905.
This is a decorative wooden frame made in 1918, featuring scripture carvings and traditional embroidery in the center.
These are wooden grave markers from the Semporna region. This type of wooden grave marker is unique to the Semporna area and is carved with floral patterns around the edges.
This is a century-old bas-relief bronze plaque featuring the Basmala.
This is a prayer drum (beduk) made of palm wood and cowhide. It is usually placed in front of the main hall or at the entrance of a mosque, which is why many traditional mosques in Southeast Asia do not have minarets.
There are many wavy-bladed daggers (keris) in museums across Malaysia and Indonesia, but very few have a clear record of their origin. The Museum of Islamic Civilization in Sabah displays a sword called Pedang Khusus. Palace guards in the Tidung Kingdom on Tarakan Island off the east coast of Borneo wore this gold-made, highly detailed weapon.
The second type is called Sundang, a wavy-bladed dagger (keris) with blood grooves used by the Sulu people. The handle of the Sundang is cylindrical, which keeps it from slipping out of your hand during use.
Woodcarver Mba Hj. Edie Ifa from Jepara, Java, Indonesia, worked with students from a nearby Islamic school (madrasa) to carve a pair of scripture-inscribed door panels from a century-old teak log.
A wooden tombstone from the Bajau people of Semporna, with the top carved into the shape of a hat.
A hand-copied Persian scripture from 1796.
A scripture stand from Qom, Iran, dating back to the 18th century.
Tiles from the Ilkhanate period, dating to the 13th or 14th century.
A copper bowl from the Mamluk period in Egypt.
Two sets of cloisonné (jingtailan) altar vases and incense burners. One set likely traveled from Hong Kong to Malaysia during the era of export-oriented production.
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Halal Travel Guide: Kairouan, Tunisia - Great Mosque and Jumu'ah (Part 1)
Reposted from the web
Summary: This first part follows a visit to the Great Mosque of Kairouan for Jumu'ah in one of Tunisia's most important Islamic cities. It keeps the original prayer experience, mosque history, photographs, and travel details for readers interested in Muslim heritage in North Africa.
On Friday, we left from the Louage station south of Sousse and reached Kairouan, the most important ancient city in Tunisia, in just one hour. The Louage station in Kairouan is on the west side of the city, but you can ask the driver to drop you off right at the gate of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.
When we arrived at the Great Mosque at twelve o'clock, it was already closed. A young man at the gate told us that other mosques in Kairouan hold Jumu'ah prayer at one o'clock, but only the Great Mosque holds it at three, so he suggested we come back later.
We used this time to look at the exterior of the mosque. The Great Mosque of Kairouan is the oldest and most spectacular Jumu'ah mosque in Tunisia. It was first built in 670 by order of Uqba ibn Nafi, a general of the Arab Umayyad Caliphate. It was destroyed by Christian Berbers in 690 and rebuilt by the Umayyad Caliphate in 703. As the Arab population in Tunisia grew, the number of Muslims in Kairouan increased. The Great Mosque was rebuilt and renovated many times between 724-728, 774, 836, 862-863, and 875, finally taking its current form in the 9th century.
The Great Mosque is a huge, irregular quadrilateral with a perimeter of 405 meters, looking like a fortress from the outside. The outer walls are 1.9 meters thick and built from stone, rubble, and bricks. Because the ground is quite soft, many buttresses were built on the outer walls to increase stability.
The Great Mosque has nine gates, some of which have porches and spiral-shaped domes. Bab Lalla Rihana on the southeast side was built in 1293 during the Hafsid dynasty. It features a horseshoe arch and ancient stone columns that blend perfectly with the 9th-century walls.
While waiting for Jumu'ah, we had lunch at El Brija Restaurant, located on the city wall next to the Great Mosque. The atmosphere and service were both good, and they serve traditional Tunisian food. I recommend eating here when visiting the Great Mosque.
We ordered a traditional appetizer platter and a mixed couscous stew. When eating at a proper restaurant in Tunisia, you really only need to order the main course, as most places provide side dishes and bread.
Our appetizer platter included Tunisian salad, Houria carrot salad, and Mechouia green pepper salad. We ate these three dishes almost every day in Tunisia. Tunisian salad is made of diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions mixed with olive oil, topped with boiled eggs and tuna. Mechouia salad contains green peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and more. Tunisians love it, and it is rich in vitamins and very healthy. The couscous stew was very rich, containing lamb, Merguez sausage, chicken, beef, dried fruits, and preserved fruits. The Merguez sausage is seasoned with cumin and chili, making it very flavorful.
After the meal, we were served mint tea and Makroudh dessert. Makroudh is a classic North African Maghreb snack for breaking the fast. It is made of semolina on the outside, filled with date paste and dried fruits, then baked and soaked in syrup.
We returned to the Great Mosque after two o'clock, and people were already entering the prayer hall. Once inside the courtyard, the first thing you see is the oldest minaret (bangke ta) still in existence today. The minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan was built between the 8th and 9th centuries. The current structure mostly dates back to 836. It is one of the three most important early minarets, alongside the spiral minaret of the Great Mosque of Samarra in Iraq, built between 848 and 852, and the spiral minaret of the Abu Dulaf Mosque in Iraq, built in 859. These three served as models for later minarets across Andalusia and the Maghreb.
There were no minarets during the time of the Prophet and the four Caliphs. People called for prayer (adhan) from the mosque entrance or the roof. Platforms for calling the adhan appeared during the Umayyad dynasty in the 7th century, but true minarets did not emerge until the Abbasid dynasty in the 8th century. There is no final conclusion on the origin of the minaret. Some say it mimics the towers of Syrian churches, while others suggest it was inspired by the Lighthouse of Alexandria or Mesopotamian ziggurats. Four towers were built during the reconstruction of the Sacred Mosque in Mecca in the late 8th century, but they have not survived. The earliest surviving minarets are the one at the Great Mosque of Kairouan and the two in Iraq. The Bride's Minaret at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus may also date to the 9th century, but there is no clear record of this.
The minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan is 31.5 meters tall. Its base dates back to the Umayyad period in 725, and you can see Latin inscriptions from the Roman era on the walls. The first and second levels of the minaret were built in 836 using carefully cut stone. The side facing the courtyard has windows, while the other three sides have arrow slits. The third level of the minaret is a four-arched structure (chahartaq), which was likely added later.
Three sides of the Great Mosque are surrounded by double-row horseshoe-shaped arcades. The columns come from various ancient Roman and Byzantine ruins, including some from the famous site of Carthage.
There is a dome above the main entrance of the prayer hall and another above the mihrab. These domes, built in 836, are important examples of early mosque domes.
The prayer hall connects to the arcades through 17 carved wooden doors. The most beautiful one in the center was built in 1828 and features rich geometric and floral patterns.
The mihrab of the Great Mosque is 5.1 meters high. It was built in 863 and is the oldest concave mihrab in the world. The main body of the mihrab is a horseshoe arch supported by two red marble columns. The columns have Byzantine-style capitals with very fine carvings.
The upper part of the mihrab features 139 iridescent ceramic tiles fired in the second half of the 9th century. This metallic-lustre glazed pottery originated in Abbasid-ruled Iraq and was traded throughout West Asia and North Africa. It is not yet certain whether the iridescent tiles of the Great Mosque of Kairouan were fired in Iraq or if Iraqi craftsmen were invited to Kairouan to make them.
The concave center of the upper part is made of painted wood, featuring complex vine patterns in yellow on a blue background. The lower part is inlaid with 28 white marble slabs carved with complex floral and geometric patterns, including stylized grape leaves, flowers, and shells.
Next to the mihrab are the pulpit (minbar) for the Friday sermon and the enclosure (maqsurah) used by kings and nobles.
The minbar of the Great Mosque of Kairouan was also built in 863 and is the oldest surviving minbar in the world. The minbar is made of teak imported from India and is assembled from over 300 wooden panels carved with floral and geometric patterns. Although it was restored in the early 20th century, all but nine of the wooden panels are original pieces from over a thousand years ago. Today, the sides of the minbar are protected by glass, making it difficult to take photos due to the reflection.
The maksura at the Great Mosque of Kairouan was built in the first half of the 11th century. It is the oldest maksura in the world still in use. The maksura at the Great Mosque of Cordoba in Spain was built in 965, but it is no longer used today. The maksura is made of cedar and is 14 meters long. It is carved with ornate Kufic calligraphy and floral patterns, representing the highest achievement in Tunisian carving art at that time.
The maksura originated during the time of Caliph Uthman in the mid-7th century. After Caliph Umar was assassinated inside the prayer hall, Uthman built a partition wall inside the hall to protect himself. Later, mosques where the Caliph resided would all have a maksura built inside.
The prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan is 70.6 meters wide and 37.5 meters deep. It consists of 17 aisles, with the aisle directly facing the mihrab being the tallest and widest. This layout was later adopted by major mosques across the Maghreb and Andalusia.
There are 414 stone columns inside the prayer hall. They are made of marble, granite, and porphyry, with capitals in styles including Corinthian, Ionic, and Composite. Some capitals were carved specifically for the prayer hall, while many others came from ancient Roman, Phoenician, and Byzantine sites in Tunisia, including the famous ancient city of Carthage.
The door inside the prayer hall's maksura is decorated with marble floral carvings. This door leads to the library behind the qibla wall, which is also where the imam usually stays. The imam only comes out from here to lead the prayer and deliver the khutbah.
The grand scene of Jumu'ah at the Great Mosque of Kairouan. After the adhan is finished, the imam slowly walks up the minbar to begin the khutbah. In Arabic-speaking regions, everyone understands the khutbah, so there is no sermon session beforehand.
Tunisia follows the Maliki school of thought. Their namaz movements are quite similar to our Hanafi school, including the initial takbir, but the main difference is that they also fold their arms when making intention.
After the prayer, we stood for janazah outside the prayer hall door. Because Jumu'ah was at three o'clock, we immediately returned to the prayer hall to perform Dhuhr after finishing.
From the 9th to the 11th century, the Great Mosque of Kairouan was the academic center for the entire Maghreb region and the Maliki school. to religious courses, it offered subjects like mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and botany. In 1045, the Zirid dynasty court in Kairouan announced its conversion to Sunni Islam. Upon hearing this, the Shi'a Fatimid dynasty in Egypt sent a group of Arab tribes to invade Kairouan. In 1057, these Arab tribes occupied and destroyed Kairouan. The Great Mosque of Kairouan declined from then on and did not slowly recover until after the 13th century.
After leaving the Great Mosque of Kairouan, we started exploring the ancient medina of Kairouan. Besides the Great Mosque, the other ancient mosque remaining in Kairouan is the Mosque of the Three Doors (Masjid al-Thalathat Abwab), built in 866. This mosque has the oldest decorated facade of any religious building in the world.
Today, only the facade of the Mosque of the Three Doors retains its 9th-century appearance, while the minaret next to it was added in 1440. The gate of the Mosque of the Three Doors consists of three horseshoe arches and features four ancient stone columns. The arch is carved with floral patterns and Kufic calligraphy, which includes verses from the Quran and the name of the builder, Muhammad ibn Khairun. Muhammad ibn Khairun was a scholar and merchant from Andalusia who traveled through Iraq and Egypt to reach Kairouan, Tunisia. When the minaret was added in 1440, the original 9th-century inscriptions were rearranged to make room for the new text.
In the northwest of the Kairouan Medina stands an important tomb for Sidi Sahib, a companion of the Prophet and his barber, which is why it is also called the Barber Mosque.
Legend says Sidi Sahib died in a battle in 654 and was buried here. By the 11th century, this place had become a famous holy site, and the tomb shrine (gongbei) was built in the 14th century. The Bey of Tunis, Hammuda Pasha (reigned 1631-66), expanded the tomb significantly in 1629 and built a new main hall. Another Bey, Mohamed (reigned 1675-96), built the minaret and a religious school (madrasa) between 1690 and 1695. Since the 19th century, the tomb of Sidi Sahib has undergone several renovations, but it still keeps its 17th-century architectural style.
The tomb of Sidi Sahib in Kairouan blends Andalusian, Italian Renaissance, and local Kairouan architectural styles. The interior features many classic 17th-century Tunisian Qallalin tiles and rich plaster carvings.
At the minaret, gate, and main hall of the Sidi Sahib tomb in Kairouan, an old man in the courtyard pours perfume into the hands of every visitor (dosti) who comes to pay their respects.
The Sidi Abid al-Ghariani school (madrasa) and shrine (zawiya) inside the Kairouan Medina were founded in the 14th century and expanded significantly in the 17th century. Abid al-Ghariani was a scholar, and his teacher, Al-Jadidi, was a famous judge in Kairouan. Al-Jadidi passed away in 1384 while on the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca. Abid al-Ghariani took over his teacher's role to continue teaching in Kairouan, and after he died in 1402, he was buried next to the school.
Besides Abid al-Ghariani, the Hafsid dynasty Caliph Moulay Hasan (reigned 1526-1543) is also buried here. In 1534, the famous pirate Barbarossa led a fleet to invade Tunisia. Moulay Hasan eventually took back Tunisia with the help of the Holy Roman Empire, but he had to sign a treaty to become a vassal of Spain. In 1542, while Moulay Hasan was traveling to Italy to collect weapons and ammunition, his son usurped the throne, and he was eventually exiled. He lived in Naples and Sicily for several years and later met with the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope, becoming the most well-known Arab monarch to Europeans of that era.
The city walls and gates of the Kairouan Medina.
Kairouan was founded in 670 by the Arab Umayyad general Uqba ibn Nafi, who chose the site to serve as a military base for the Arab conquest of Tunisia. Over the next hundred years, the Berbers launched wave after wave of uprisings against the Arabs. After surviving many attacks, Kairouan was finally captured by the Berbers in 745 and was not retaken until the end of the 8th century.
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Summary: This first part follows a visit to the Great Mosque of Kairouan for Jumu'ah in one of Tunisia's most important Islamic cities. It keeps the original prayer experience, mosque history, photographs, and travel details for readers interested in Muslim heritage in North Africa.
On Friday, we left from the Louage station south of Sousse and reached Kairouan, the most important ancient city in Tunisia, in just one hour. The Louage station in Kairouan is on the west side of the city, but you can ask the driver to drop you off right at the gate of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.
When we arrived at the Great Mosque at twelve o'clock, it was already closed. A young man at the gate told us that other mosques in Kairouan hold Jumu'ah prayer at one o'clock, but only the Great Mosque holds it at three, so he suggested we come back later.
We used this time to look at the exterior of the mosque. The Great Mosque of Kairouan is the oldest and most spectacular Jumu'ah mosque in Tunisia. It was first built in 670 by order of Uqba ibn Nafi, a general of the Arab Umayyad Caliphate. It was destroyed by Christian Berbers in 690 and rebuilt by the Umayyad Caliphate in 703. As the Arab population in Tunisia grew, the number of Muslims in Kairouan increased. The Great Mosque was rebuilt and renovated many times between 724-728, 774, 836, 862-863, and 875, finally taking its current form in the 9th century.
The Great Mosque is a huge, irregular quadrilateral with a perimeter of 405 meters, looking like a fortress from the outside. The outer walls are 1.9 meters thick and built from stone, rubble, and bricks. Because the ground is quite soft, many buttresses were built on the outer walls to increase stability.
The Great Mosque has nine gates, some of which have porches and spiral-shaped domes. Bab Lalla Rihana on the southeast side was built in 1293 during the Hafsid dynasty. It features a horseshoe arch and ancient stone columns that blend perfectly with the 9th-century walls.
While waiting for Jumu'ah, we had lunch at El Brija Restaurant, located on the city wall next to the Great Mosque. The atmosphere and service were both good, and they serve traditional Tunisian food. I recommend eating here when visiting the Great Mosque.
We ordered a traditional appetizer platter and a mixed couscous stew. When eating at a proper restaurant in Tunisia, you really only need to order the main course, as most places provide side dishes and bread.
Our appetizer platter included Tunisian salad, Houria carrot salad, and Mechouia green pepper salad. We ate these three dishes almost every day in Tunisia. Tunisian salad is made of diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions mixed with olive oil, topped with boiled eggs and tuna. Mechouia salad contains green peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and more. Tunisians love it, and it is rich in vitamins and very healthy. The couscous stew was very rich, containing lamb, Merguez sausage, chicken, beef, dried fruits, and preserved fruits. The Merguez sausage is seasoned with cumin and chili, making it very flavorful.
After the meal, we were served mint tea and Makroudh dessert. Makroudh is a classic North African Maghreb snack for breaking the fast. It is made of semolina on the outside, filled with date paste and dried fruits, then baked and soaked in syrup.
We returned to the Great Mosque after two o'clock, and people were already entering the prayer hall. Once inside the courtyard, the first thing you see is the oldest minaret (bangke ta) still in existence today. The minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan was built between the 8th and 9th centuries. The current structure mostly dates back to 836. It is one of the three most important early minarets, alongside the spiral minaret of the Great Mosque of Samarra in Iraq, built between 848 and 852, and the spiral minaret of the Abu Dulaf Mosque in Iraq, built in 859. These three served as models for later minarets across Andalusia and the Maghreb.
There were no minarets during the time of the Prophet and the four Caliphs. People called for prayer (adhan) from the mosque entrance or the roof. Platforms for calling the adhan appeared during the Umayyad dynasty in the 7th century, but true minarets did not emerge until the Abbasid dynasty in the 8th century. There is no final conclusion on the origin of the minaret. Some say it mimics the towers of Syrian churches, while others suggest it was inspired by the Lighthouse of Alexandria or Mesopotamian ziggurats. Four towers were built during the reconstruction of the Sacred Mosque in Mecca in the late 8th century, but they have not survived. The earliest surviving minarets are the one at the Great Mosque of Kairouan and the two in Iraq. The Bride's Minaret at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus may also date to the 9th century, but there is no clear record of this.
The minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan is 31.5 meters tall. Its base dates back to the Umayyad period in 725, and you can see Latin inscriptions from the Roman era on the walls. The first and second levels of the minaret were built in 836 using carefully cut stone. The side facing the courtyard has windows, while the other three sides have arrow slits. The third level of the minaret is a four-arched structure (chahartaq), which was likely added later.
Three sides of the Great Mosque are surrounded by double-row horseshoe-shaped arcades. The columns come from various ancient Roman and Byzantine ruins, including some from the famous site of Carthage.
There is a dome above the main entrance of the prayer hall and another above the mihrab. These domes, built in 836, are important examples of early mosque domes.
The prayer hall connects to the arcades through 17 carved wooden doors. The most beautiful one in the center was built in 1828 and features rich geometric and floral patterns.
The mihrab of the Great Mosque is 5.1 meters high. It was built in 863 and is the oldest concave mihrab in the world. The main body of the mihrab is a horseshoe arch supported by two red marble columns. The columns have Byzantine-style capitals with very fine carvings.
The upper part of the mihrab features 139 iridescent ceramic tiles fired in the second half of the 9th century. This metallic-lustre glazed pottery originated in Abbasid-ruled Iraq and was traded throughout West Asia and North Africa. It is not yet certain whether the iridescent tiles of the Great Mosque of Kairouan were fired in Iraq or if Iraqi craftsmen were invited to Kairouan to make them.
The concave center of the upper part is made of painted wood, featuring complex vine patterns in yellow on a blue background. The lower part is inlaid with 28 white marble slabs carved with complex floral and geometric patterns, including stylized grape leaves, flowers, and shells.
Next to the mihrab are the pulpit (minbar) for the Friday sermon and the enclosure (maqsurah) used by kings and nobles.
The minbar of the Great Mosque of Kairouan was also built in 863 and is the oldest surviving minbar in the world. The minbar is made of teak imported from India and is assembled from over 300 wooden panels carved with floral and geometric patterns. Although it was restored in the early 20th century, all but nine of the wooden panels are original pieces from over a thousand years ago. Today, the sides of the minbar are protected by glass, making it difficult to take photos due to the reflection.
The maksura at the Great Mosque of Kairouan was built in the first half of the 11th century. It is the oldest maksura in the world still in use. The maksura at the Great Mosque of Cordoba in Spain was built in 965, but it is no longer used today. The maksura is made of cedar and is 14 meters long. It is carved with ornate Kufic calligraphy and floral patterns, representing the highest achievement in Tunisian carving art at that time.
The maksura originated during the time of Caliph Uthman in the mid-7th century. After Caliph Umar was assassinated inside the prayer hall, Uthman built a partition wall inside the hall to protect himself. Later, mosques where the Caliph resided would all have a maksura built inside.
The prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan is 70.6 meters wide and 37.5 meters deep. It consists of 17 aisles, with the aisle directly facing the mihrab being the tallest and widest. This layout was later adopted by major mosques across the Maghreb and Andalusia.
There are 414 stone columns inside the prayer hall. They are made of marble, granite, and porphyry, with capitals in styles including Corinthian, Ionic, and Composite. Some capitals were carved specifically for the prayer hall, while many others came from ancient Roman, Phoenician, and Byzantine sites in Tunisia, including the famous ancient city of Carthage.
The door inside the prayer hall's maksura is decorated with marble floral carvings. This door leads to the library behind the qibla wall, which is also where the imam usually stays. The imam only comes out from here to lead the prayer and deliver the khutbah.
The grand scene of Jumu'ah at the Great Mosque of Kairouan. After the adhan is finished, the imam slowly walks up the minbar to begin the khutbah. In Arabic-speaking regions, everyone understands the khutbah, so there is no sermon session beforehand.
Tunisia follows the Maliki school of thought. Their namaz movements are quite similar to our Hanafi school, including the initial takbir, but the main difference is that they also fold their arms when making intention.
After the prayer, we stood for janazah outside the prayer hall door. Because Jumu'ah was at three o'clock, we immediately returned to the prayer hall to perform Dhuhr after finishing.
From the 9th to the 11th century, the Great Mosque of Kairouan was the academic center for the entire Maghreb region and the Maliki school. to religious courses, it offered subjects like mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and botany. In 1045, the Zirid dynasty court in Kairouan announced its conversion to Sunni Islam. Upon hearing this, the Shi'a Fatimid dynasty in Egypt sent a group of Arab tribes to invade Kairouan. In 1057, these Arab tribes occupied and destroyed Kairouan. The Great Mosque of Kairouan declined from then on and did not slowly recover until after the 13th century.
After leaving the Great Mosque of Kairouan, we started exploring the ancient medina of Kairouan. Besides the Great Mosque, the other ancient mosque remaining in Kairouan is the Mosque of the Three Doors (Masjid al-Thalathat Abwab), built in 866. This mosque has the oldest decorated facade of any religious building in the world.
Today, only the facade of the Mosque of the Three Doors retains its 9th-century appearance, while the minaret next to it was added in 1440. The gate of the Mosque of the Three Doors consists of three horseshoe arches and features four ancient stone columns. The arch is carved with floral patterns and Kufic calligraphy, which includes verses from the Quran and the name of the builder, Muhammad ibn Khairun. Muhammad ibn Khairun was a scholar and merchant from Andalusia who traveled through Iraq and Egypt to reach Kairouan, Tunisia. When the minaret was added in 1440, the original 9th-century inscriptions were rearranged to make room for the new text.
In the northwest of the Kairouan Medina stands an important tomb for Sidi Sahib, a companion of the Prophet and his barber, which is why it is also called the Barber Mosque.
Legend says Sidi Sahib died in a battle in 654 and was buried here. By the 11th century, this place had become a famous holy site, and the tomb shrine (gongbei) was built in the 14th century. The Bey of Tunis, Hammuda Pasha (reigned 1631-66), expanded the tomb significantly in 1629 and built a new main hall. Another Bey, Mohamed (reigned 1675-96), built the minaret and a religious school (madrasa) between 1690 and 1695. Since the 19th century, the tomb of Sidi Sahib has undergone several renovations, but it still keeps its 17th-century architectural style.
The tomb of Sidi Sahib in Kairouan blends Andalusian, Italian Renaissance, and local Kairouan architectural styles. The interior features many classic 17th-century Tunisian Qallalin tiles and rich plaster carvings.
At the minaret, gate, and main hall of the Sidi Sahib tomb in Kairouan, an old man in the courtyard pours perfume into the hands of every visitor (dosti) who comes to pay their respects.
The Sidi Abid al-Ghariani school (madrasa) and shrine (zawiya) inside the Kairouan Medina were founded in the 14th century and expanded significantly in the 17th century. Abid al-Ghariani was a scholar, and his teacher, Al-Jadidi, was a famous judge in Kairouan. Al-Jadidi passed away in 1384 while on the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca. Abid al-Ghariani took over his teacher's role to continue teaching in Kairouan, and after he died in 1402, he was buried next to the school.
Besides Abid al-Ghariani, the Hafsid dynasty Caliph Moulay Hasan (reigned 1526-1543) is also buried here. In 1534, the famous pirate Barbarossa led a fleet to invade Tunisia. Moulay Hasan eventually took back Tunisia with the help of the Holy Roman Empire, but he had to sign a treaty to become a vassal of Spain. In 1542, while Moulay Hasan was traveling to Italy to collect weapons and ammunition, his son usurped the throne, and he was eventually exiled. He lived in Naples and Sicily for several years and later met with the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope, becoming the most well-known Arab monarch to Europeans of that era.
The city walls and gates of the Kairouan Medina.
Kairouan was founded in 670 by the Arab Umayyad general Uqba ibn Nafi, who chose the site to serve as a military base for the Arab conquest of Tunisia. Over the next hundred years, the Berbers launched wave after wave of uprisings against the Arabs. After surviving many attacks, Kairouan was finally captured by the Berbers in 745 and was not retaken until the end of the 8th century.
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Halal Food Guide: Beijing - 38 International Muslim Restaurants
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Beijing halal food guide lists 38 international Muslim restaurants across the city, including Middle Eastern, South Asian, Central Asian, and other halal dining options. It keeps the original locations, restaurant notes, food details, and practical context for readers planning halal meals in Beijing.
Arab restaurants
1. The owner of Taiba is Iraqi, and the shop is in Sanlitun SOHO.
2. Taiba's new restaurant, Alkhaleej Mandi Kitchen, focuses on Gulf Arab flavors and serves Yemeni food.
3. The Lebanese restaurant Alameen is in the Sanlitun embassy area, behind the German Embassy.
4. The Lebanese restaurant Sumac (Sumake) is by the Liangma River. It is a bit pricey, and I have not been there yet.
5. The Palestinian restaurant Alsafir is on the Ocean Express food street at Sanyuanqiao.
6. The rotisserie meat shop Shawarma City (Shawama Cheng) is in the sunken plaza of Sanlitun SOHO. The owner is Palestinian and sells rotisserie meat. There is no indoor seating, so you can eat on the chairs at the entrance or take it to go.
7. The Syrian restaurant BRBR has one shop in Wudaokou and another in SOLANA, which is very busy on weekends.
8. The Syrian restaurant One Thousand and One Nights is next to the Sanlitun Diplomatic Residence Compound and is a long-standing Arab restaurant.
9. The Egyptian restaurant Cleopatra is in Sanlitun SOHO. It is a hookah lounge that sells light meals and has a buffet on weekends.
10. The Tunisian restaurant La Medina is on Liangmahe South Road outside Dongzhimen, by the Liangma River.
11. Habibi in Jiugong, Daxing. I have not eaten here yet.
Turkish restaurants
12. The high-end Turkish restaurant Sultan (Sutan) serves main courses and Mado breakfast, located in Jinshangyuan, Xinyuanli.
13. Turkish Mama is next to the Sanlitun Diplomatic Residence Compound, right by One Thousand and One Nights and Iranian food.
14. The owner of West Yard (Xiting Xiuse) is Azerbaijani. One shop is next to Sultan in Jinshangyuan, another is in China Central Place, and a new shop in WF Central is opening soon.
15. The owner of Dardanelles (Dadanier) is also Azerbaijani. The main shop is on Ritan Shangjie, and there are snack shops in Sanlitun SOHO and Xiushui Street.
16. Desert Rose and Dardanelles have the same owner, and the prices are slightly lower than Dardanelles.
Azerbaijani restaurants
17. The long-standing Azerbaijani restaurant Ruilin on Ritan Shangjie is a witness to the trade with Russia on Yabaolu. They also serve Russian food.
18. A newly opened Azerbaijani restaurant on Xiaoyun Road. I have not been there yet.
South Asian restaurants
19. The Pakistani restaurant Samosa focuses on buffets. One shop is at the old China International Exhibition Center, and the other is outside Dongzhimen.
The Pakistani restaurant Zamzam is on Xueqing Road and also features a buffet.
The Pakistani restaurant Habibi is north of the west gate of Minzu University and also features a buffet.
The Pakistani restaurant Khan Baba has one location in Wudaokou and another in Sanlitun SOHO. The owner is a Pashtun from Peshawar.
The Pakistani restaurant Lahore Restaurant has one location on Qingnian Road and another outside Dongzhimen. The owner is Punjabi.
The Pakistani restaurant Sultan is in the mountains of Huairou and offers accommodation.
The Pakistani restaurant Masala is in the Huairou county seat and has the same owner as Sultan.
Shalimar Restaurant is near the Capital Airport's Euro Plaza (Xiangyun Xiaozhen). The owner is Bangladeshi and serves mostly Indian food.
Punjabi (Benjiebi) is on Haoyun Street across from Solana (Lanse Gangwan). The owner is Bangladeshi and serves mostly Indian food.
Saduli is on Beiluoguxiang. The owner is Bangladeshi and serves mostly Indian food.
Yummy is an Indian flying bread (feibing) shop near the Communication University of China that I have not tried yet.
Dastaan Restaurant is in Sanlitun SOHO and the owner is an Indian Muslim.
Bollywood Story is a restaurant the owner of Dastaan opened in Baiziwan, which I have not tried yet.
Love at Curry (Ai Zai Gali) is on the basement floor of the Hongqiao Market in Ciqikou. The server said the owner is a Muslim from New Delhi.
Ganges Impression (Henghe Yinxiang) is in the Gulou Garden on Gulou East Street. It has a halal sign at the door, but I have not tried it yet.
The long-standing Indian restaurant Indian Kitchen (Yindu Xiaochu) is on Ritan Shangjie. The owner is Hindu, but the ingredients are halal.
Ganges Legend (Henghe Chuanqi) is in The Place (Shimao Tianjie). They are likely also Hindu, but the ingredients are halal.
African food
Tribal Garden (Buluo Huayuan) is a newly opened West African Ghanaian restaurant in Sanlitun SOHO.
Indonesian restaurants
The owner of NomNom is not Muslim, but the ingredients are halal. Indonesian Muslim students and embassy staff eat there.
Iranian restaurants
Iranian Food (Yilang Meishi) is next to the Sanlitun Diplomatic Apartment. It used to be an authentic Iranian restaurant called Persepolis. I went once after they changed the name, but I saw the staff were all Chinese and the taste was not very authentic, so I never went back. Collapse Read »
Summary: This Beijing halal food guide lists 38 international Muslim restaurants across the city, including Middle Eastern, South Asian, Central Asian, and other halal dining options. It keeps the original locations, restaurant notes, food details, and practical context for readers planning halal meals in Beijing.
Arab restaurants
1. The owner of Taiba is Iraqi, and the shop is in Sanlitun SOHO.
2. Taiba's new restaurant, Alkhaleej Mandi Kitchen, focuses on Gulf Arab flavors and serves Yemeni food.
3. The Lebanese restaurant Alameen is in the Sanlitun embassy area, behind the German Embassy.
4. The Lebanese restaurant Sumac (Sumake) is by the Liangma River. It is a bit pricey, and I have not been there yet.
5. The Palestinian restaurant Alsafir is on the Ocean Express food street at Sanyuanqiao.
6. The rotisserie meat shop Shawarma City (Shawama Cheng) is in the sunken plaza of Sanlitun SOHO. The owner is Palestinian and sells rotisserie meat. There is no indoor seating, so you can eat on the chairs at the entrance or take it to go.
7. The Syrian restaurant BRBR has one shop in Wudaokou and another in SOLANA, which is very busy on weekends.
8. The Syrian restaurant One Thousand and One Nights is next to the Sanlitun Diplomatic Residence Compound and is a long-standing Arab restaurant.
9. The Egyptian restaurant Cleopatra is in Sanlitun SOHO. It is a hookah lounge that sells light meals and has a buffet on weekends.
10. The Tunisian restaurant La Medina is on Liangmahe South Road outside Dongzhimen, by the Liangma River.
11. Habibi in Jiugong, Daxing. I have not eaten here yet.
Turkish restaurants
12. The high-end Turkish restaurant Sultan (Sutan) serves main courses and Mado breakfast, located in Jinshangyuan, Xinyuanli.
13. Turkish Mama is next to the Sanlitun Diplomatic Residence Compound, right by One Thousand and One Nights and Iranian food.
14. The owner of West Yard (Xiting Xiuse) is Azerbaijani. One shop is next to Sultan in Jinshangyuan, another is in China Central Place, and a new shop in WF Central is opening soon.
15. The owner of Dardanelles (Dadanier) is also Azerbaijani. The main shop is on Ritan Shangjie, and there are snack shops in Sanlitun SOHO and Xiushui Street.
16. Desert Rose and Dardanelles have the same owner, and the prices are slightly lower than Dardanelles.
Azerbaijani restaurants
17. The long-standing Azerbaijani restaurant Ruilin on Ritan Shangjie is a witness to the trade with Russia on Yabaolu. They also serve Russian food.
18. A newly opened Azerbaijani restaurant on Xiaoyun Road. I have not been there yet.
South Asian restaurants
19. The Pakistani restaurant Samosa focuses on buffets. One shop is at the old China International Exhibition Center, and the other is outside Dongzhimen.
The Pakistani restaurant Zamzam is on Xueqing Road and also features a buffet.
The Pakistani restaurant Habibi is north of the west gate of Minzu University and also features a buffet.
The Pakistani restaurant Khan Baba has one location in Wudaokou and another in Sanlitun SOHO. The owner is a Pashtun from Peshawar.
The Pakistani restaurant Lahore Restaurant has one location on Qingnian Road and another outside Dongzhimen. The owner is Punjabi.
The Pakistani restaurant Sultan is in the mountains of Huairou and offers accommodation.
The Pakistani restaurant Masala is in the Huairou county seat and has the same owner as Sultan.
Shalimar Restaurant is near the Capital Airport's Euro Plaza (Xiangyun Xiaozhen). The owner is Bangladeshi and serves mostly Indian food.
Punjabi (Benjiebi) is on Haoyun Street across from Solana (Lanse Gangwan). The owner is Bangladeshi and serves mostly Indian food.
Saduli is on Beiluoguxiang. The owner is Bangladeshi and serves mostly Indian food.
Yummy is an Indian flying bread (feibing) shop near the Communication University of China that I have not tried yet.
Dastaan Restaurant is in Sanlitun SOHO and the owner is an Indian Muslim.
Bollywood Story is a restaurant the owner of Dastaan opened in Baiziwan, which I have not tried yet.
Love at Curry (Ai Zai Gali) is on the basement floor of the Hongqiao Market in Ciqikou. The server said the owner is a Muslim from New Delhi.
Ganges Impression (Henghe Yinxiang) is in the Gulou Garden on Gulou East Street. It has a halal sign at the door, but I have not tried it yet.
The long-standing Indian restaurant Indian Kitchen (Yindu Xiaochu) is on Ritan Shangjie. The owner is Hindu, but the ingredients are halal.
Ganges Legend (Henghe Chuanqi) is in The Place (Shimao Tianjie). They are likely also Hindu, but the ingredients are halal.
African food
Tribal Garden (Buluo Huayuan) is a newly opened West African Ghanaian restaurant in Sanlitun SOHO.
Indonesian restaurants
The owner of NomNom is not Muslim, but the ingredients are halal. Indonesian Muslim students and embassy staff eat there.
Iranian restaurants
Iranian Food (Yilang Meishi) is next to the Sanlitun Diplomatic Apartment. It used to be an authentic Iranian restaurant called Persepolis. I went once after they changed the name, but I saw the staff were all Chinese and the taste was not very authentic, so I never went back. Collapse Read »
Halal Food Guide: Tianjin Autumn Eats - Syrian Food, Turkish Food and Noodles
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Tianjin halal food guide follows an autumn eating route through Syrian dishes, giant river prawns, yellow broth pulled noodles, Turkish food, and Xinjiang fresh milk ice cream. It keeps the original restaurant details, dishes, photos, and food notes for readers planning Muslim-friendly meals in Tianjin.
Two months later, we went back to Tianjin for a weekend trip with our kids. We arrived in Tianjin on Saturday at noon and headed straight to the Al-Andalus restaurant in the Nankai District Sunac Center for some Levantine food. The owner is Syrian. Al-Andalus was the name Arabs used for the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. In the 8th century, under the Umayyad dynasty, Al-Andalus was a famous center for economy, culture, academics, and education, serving as an important bridge for cultural and scientific exchange between the East and the West.
We ordered the four-person feast set, which included lentil soup, cream of mushroom soup, a hummus trio, lamb samosas (samosa), chicken wraps (shawarma), a four-season pizza, a mixed grill platter, black tea, and a crispy salad. We also ordered yogurt separately. Overall, the food was very authentic. It offers better value than the Arab restaurants in Beijing, and you don't have to wait in line. Their yogurt was especially good, with a rich, tangy flavor that beats many of the Arab restaurants in Beijing. The only downside was that the samosa dough was a bit thick, more like the South Asian version than the thin-crust Levantine style.
After lunch, we went to the Tianjin Museum, which is currently hosting an exhibition of historical artifacts from the National Museum of Kazakhstan. See diary: [Exhibition Visit] Tianjin Museum's Kazakhstan National Museum Historical Artifacts Exhibition.
The Tianjin Museum displays exquisite brick carvings by the Hui Muslim families known as the 'Fancy Work Ma Family' (Huahuo Majia) and 'Brick Carver Liu' (Kezhuan Liu) from the Northwest Corner. See diary: [Exhibition Visit] Exquisite brick carvings by Hui Muslim artisans 'Huahuomajia' and 'Kezhuanliu' in the Northwest Corner of Tianjin.
If you are a friend (dosti) from Beijing and are tired of the same old restaurants, a trip to Tianjin will definitely open your eyes. On this trip to Tianjin, we discovered a restaurant called Xiju that specializes in giant river prawns (luoshixia). It is located on Fuxing Road, just west of the Northwest Corner. It is run by local Hui Muslims and is very busy at night.
Their signature dish is a two-pound platter of giant river prawns, which you can get spicy or with garlic sauce. Giant river prawns are freshwater prawns originally from Malaysia in Southeast Asia. They are large and have plump, tender meat, but the texture isn't as firm as sea prawns, and the prawn flavor isn't as intense. It is similar to the difference between freshwater fish and sea fish. We ordered the garlic giant river prawns. You can add noodles to the sauce, which my son loved. He couldn't stop eating them, from start to finish, and he was the one at our table who enjoyed the meal the most.
Their Chaoshan seafood porridge was also excellent. Besides having plenty of prawns, it was packed with other seafood, making the flavor very rich.
They also have various barbecue items. We ordered squid, flounder, pineapple beef skewers, cheese bread slices, charcoal-grilled beef short ribs, and beef kimchi cheese rolls. Everything tasted great, especially the flounder, which had a wonderful texture and flavor.
Their sizzling sea bass pot (zhuzhu luyu bao) was also a hit with everyone. The sea bass was very fresh, and the garlic-clove-shaped meat had a great texture.
Their fried chicken racks are sweet and sour, making them a perfect snack that gets addictive the more you eat.
On Sunday morning, we had breakfast at Shunfa Lamian and Zhensucheng in the Xiaohaidi area of the Hexi District. Xiaohaidi is a lively residential area in the south of Tianjin with plenty of halal snacks. Shunfa Lamian is a noodle shop that has been open for over twenty years, specializing in yellow broth pulled noodles (lamian) and braised noodles (banmian). Zhensucheng is a breakfast shop that opened in 1979, specializing in crispy crepe strips in savory sauce (guobacai). Both of these shops are now franchises. The one in Xiaohaidi joined both brands, so now you can have yellow broth pulled noodles (huangtang lamian) and traditional breakfast at the same time in the morning.
We ordered yellow broth pulled noodles, water caltrop soup (lingjiao tang), flour tea (miancha), and beef pie (niurou bing). It was my first time having yellow broth pulled noodles. The yellow curry powder makes the flavor very rich, and I think it tastes even more satisfying than the clear broth version. Their water caltrop soup and flour tea both taste good, and Suleiman especially likes their flour tea. However, their beef pie has a bit too little filling. I noticed many people at the neighboring tables were eating flatbread rolls with fried fritters (dabing juanquan).
After eating at so many good restaurants in Tianjin, I finally hit a dud this time. On Sunday at noon, we went to the Galata Turkish Restaurant in Hengji Plaza, Hexi District. First of all, their tables are tiny. We ordered a meal for four, and it couldn't even fit on the table. Secondly, it is not authentic! We have eaten at so many Turkish restaurants in Beijing, Yiwu, Fuzhou, and Guangzhou, and they were all very authentic, whether run by Turkish or Azerbaijani people. This is the first time we have eaten at an inauthentic one; it is nothing like what we ate in Turkey.
Their potatoes and roasted chicken were covered in thick layers of salad dressing and ketchup. It felt just like fast food sold at a temple fair, which doesn't fit the Mediterranean diet of Turkey that focuses on spices. Also, the grilled meat was not good. Some parts were dry, and some were salty. The grill chef's skills need improvement. The grilled meat was served with pilaf (zhuafan) made with domestic short-grain rice. I suspect the chef is our fellow countryman from Xinjiang.
They do have one big advantage, which is that it is cheap! The price is about half of what you would pay at a Turkish restaurant in Beijing, so you get what you pay for. Their milk pudding and Turkish coffee also taste good. The milk pudding is not sweet, and it is quite pleasant to have with coffee. It is just that they served the coffee with a candy ball that children often eat, which is also a bad match. They should at least serve it with Turkish delight or even a piece of chocolate.
After leaving Hengji Plaza, we went to the Tatami Xinjiang Restaurant at the entrance to pack some diced noodle stir-fry (dingding chaomian) for Suleiman to eat in the evening. Their decor is quite good and very Xinjiang-style. The waiter who served us was Uyghur, and the chefs in the kitchen were all Hui Muslims. It is an open kitchen, and the chefs have real skill. We specifically asked for it to be made for a child, and the diced noodle stir-fry was indeed very suitable. Suleiman loved it. They also sell fresh milk ice cream from Tacheng, and I bought one that tasted quite good.
I just remembered that I can add locations to my official account posts, so I will also add locations for the Tianjin restaurants recommended in previous issues.
Between the mountains and the sea: from Huairou farmhouses to coastal Western restaurants.
Haishiwan Halal Western Restaurant.
Eating Halal Western food at Haishiwan on Binjiang Road in Tianjin. Overall, their dish names and plating are quite fancy and look great in photos, but the actual taste is average, similar to fast food in a shopping mall.
The best thing they have is probably the avocado salad, which is very healthy. The tuna salad is more like a simple home-style mixed vegetable dish. The seafood fried rice and beef fried rice are both soy sauce-based, which feels more suited to the tastes of the Shandong cuisine region. The seafood pizza is plated very beautifully, but the pizza base itself is very average, just like the taste of a cheap fast-food chain. They also have various drinks with names I don't recognize, which are just sparkling water mixed with syrup. The fog coffee is great for photos, but the coffee itself is also very average.
Nuobona Halal Western Restaurant.
Nuobona Halal Western Restaurant at the 80 Food Plaza in TEDA, Tianjin, is definitely the best Halal Western food I have ever eaten! The taste is far better than the ones in downtown Tianjin.
Muyi Chinese Restaurant, Nuobona Western Restaurant, and the Western bakery on the first floor in Taifeng are all part of the Yisilai Mu Restaurant founded in 1994, and their Halal license number is Binhai 001. We have eaten at Muyi before; it is creative Chinese food with many dishes they invented themselves, and the taste is excellent. This time we tried their Western food and still had nothing but praise. Their environment is also very good, and they have a special area for children to play, which is very thoughtful.
We ordered charcoal-grilled baby lobster and creamy lobster soup served two ways, French escargot, British fish and chips, baked potato skins, golden pillow durian pizza, lasagna, tiramisu, non-alcoholic mojito, dirty milk, and rose soda, and we also ordered a kids' meal for Suleiman (spaghetti, pumpkin soup, french fries, grilled chicken wings, and fruit salad). The lobster is very tender, and the creamy lobster soup is rich and very fragrant. This was my first time eating baked escargot; the texture is very chewy and bouncy, and the various spices are added perfectly. It was my first time eating British-style fried fish, though it didn't come with french fries. The way they make it is very different from the common cod cakes in China; the fish meat is ground very finely, and the texture is very moist.
Taking kids out to eat in Tianjin: Yemeni food, Algerian desserts, rice noodle rolls (changfen), Japanese food, and water caltrop soup.
Socotra Yemeni Restaurant.
Many Yemeni restaurants have opened in Guangzhou and Yiwu, but Beijing's Arab restaurants are still mostly Levantine style. If you want a Yemeni meal, you have to take an intercity train to Tianjin.
Socotra is Socotra Island in the Arabian Sea, southeast of Yemen. It was called Sugudala in the Ming Dynasty's Zheng He Navigation Map. Socotra Island was listed as a World Natural Heritage site in 2008. The island is most famous for its dragon blood trees. The Socotra restaurant's logo is a dragon blood tree, and there are photos of the trees hanging in the shop.
We ordered the signature soup, chicken lentil soup, lamb Zurbian rice, Mushakkal stir-fried vegetables, Fahsa beef stew, banana mango juice, and Khubz flatbread. Zurbian rice is a bit like Indian Biryani rice, as both are stir-fried with various spices. Their lamb is roasted and smells great, but we found the rice a bit dry. There are also small bone fragments inside, so be careful not to let children eat it.
When you go to a Yemeni restaurant, you must try the classic Yemeni dish, Fahsa beef stew. Fahsa is usually made with lamb, but this place uses beef. When they make it, they stew the meat until it is very tender. It starts in a large vat and is then moved to a small pot to continue stewing. Besides ginger, garlic, and cumin, they add a spice called fenugreek (Hulbah) when stewing the meat. Fenugreek is actually what people in Northwest China often call fragrant beans (kudou). People in the Northwest dry the leaves of the fenugreek plant and grind them into powder to steam buns, while Yemenis grind the seeds to stew meat. Fenugreek seeds expand when they meet water and easily foam up when stirred in a bowl.
The classic pairing for Fahsa stew is Mulawah Yemeni flatbread, but this place requires you to order it in advance. You can only get Khubz flatbread if you walk in. Khubz flatbread is actually the same as the pita bread in Levantine cuisine. The version they make is quite hard, and to be honest, it is not very tasty.
Qianmu Halal Japanese Cuisine
There are no longer any halal Japanese restaurants in Beijing, so you have to go to Tianjin for this. This place is very popular, and it is hard to get a seat without booking in advance. When we went after eight o'clock, they had even sold out of rice, so we had to go to the ramen shop across the street to buy some.
We ordered tempura udon, sukiyaki, eel rice, a grilled platter, cod roe potato gratin, cheese-baked crab shell, a slow-cooked sushi platter, and marble soda. Suleiman loves their udon noodles. He couldn't stop eating them, and after he finished, he was so happy that he fell right asleep. There are quite a few grilled items, but they are mostly mushroom-based vegetable dishes with less meat. The soy sauce for the sushi is a bit salty, and the sushi itself is just average, which is a pity. The staff saw we had a child, so they cooked the sukiyaki for us before bringing it to the table. That deserves a thumbs up. The eel rice tastes okay, and next time I want to try their teriyaki chicken rice.
Xue's Northwest Corner Old-Style Breakfast
Ever since the Northwest Corner became super popular, I basically stopped going there to eat. Actually, Tianjin has so many delicious breakfast spots, not just the Northwest Corner. I used to go to Tianmu and Jinjiayao for breakfast, but this time I went to Xue's Northwest Corner Old-Style Breakfast in the Lushuidao area of Jinnan District. Their shop is a simple neighborhood eatery on the ground floor of an apartment complex, where all the local seniors come to eat.
We didn't arrive until nine, so most things were sold out. We just ordered water caltrop dumplings (lingjiao tang), sesame flatbread with meat (shaobing jiarou), and savory crepe strips in sauce (guobacai). Their water caltrop dumplings are truly delicious. The skin is the perfect texture, and the filling is very fragrant. Suleiman ate several in one go. The sesame flatbread for the meat sandwich is crispy, and the flavor is quite good. The savory crepe strips are a traditional old-school flavor, but eating both the dumplings and the crepe strips together is a bit heavy. I feel like the crepe strips go best with iron-pot soy milk.
Algerian Bakery
I had an Algerian afternoon tea at Lyn's Healthy Bakeshop on Chifeng Road in Tianjin. Chifeng Road is in the former French Concession area, which is full of small Western-style villas and all kinds of little shops.
The owner, who is from Algeria, opened this small shop for tea and desserts. It should be the first Algerian restaurant in China. I have to say, Tianjin's food scene is once again at the forefront of internationalization!
They offer both à la carte and afternoon tea sets. They have both traditional Algerian desserts and Western pastries. Everything uses maple syrup instead of white sugar, focusing on healthy eating. It is probably the least sweet Arabic dessert shop I have ever visited!
We drank Algerian mint tea and Algerian orange blossom lemonade (Sherbet Mazhar). The mint tea is brewed to order, so you have to wait a while. The aroma is very strong, but because it is freshly brewed, you cannot get refills. Orange blossom water is definitely a signature Algerian drink, especially classic at wedding banquets in northern Algeria. The orange blossom drink is made from orange blossom water distilled from bitter orange blossoms, mixed with syrup and water. It is very refreshing in the summer.
We ate Algerian baklava (Baklawa), apple pie, milk pudding (M'halbi), and cheesecake. Suleiman loved the cheesecake the most. Baklava was introduced to Algeria from Turkey during the Ottoman period. The Algerian version adds crushed almonds and orange blossom water, so the taste is different from the Turkish one.
Milk pudding (M'halbi) is a classic Middle Eastern dessert for breaking the fast and is most popular during Ramadan. The name M'halbi comes from Al-Muhallab, the governor of Khorasan during the Umayyad Caliphate. Legend has it that he once had a stomachache, and a doctor made him milk-boiled rice flour with sugar. He liked it so much that he named the dessert after himself.
Finally, I want to say that their food is excellent, but the decor is still a bit simple. If they could highlight the Algerian theme more, it would definitely become a new trendy spot in Tianjin.
Yiweizhai Halal Rice Noodle Rolls
I ate rice noodle rolls (changfen) at Yiweizhai on Xihu Road in Tianjin. I used to go to Yeji Changfen whenever I visited Tianjin, but this was my first time at Yiweizhai. The shop at Yiweizhai is small, but they have a huge variety of dishes. We ordered seafood rice noodle rolls, fresh shrimp steamed dumplings (shaomai), chicken feet in black bean sauce (chizhi fengzhua), claypot rice with cured beef (laoniurou baozai fan), plain beef tendon balls, curry beef balls, curry fish balls, and traditional crispy mung bean starch jelly (laowei cuipi menzi). Except for the claypot rice, which takes a while because it is cooked from raw rice, the other dishes arrived very quickly.
Overall, their food is very good. It really shows how much effort Tianjin people put into their cooking. Their rice noodle rolls have a great texture, not as firm as the ones I had in Hong Kong. Their beef tendon balls and fish balls also have a fantastic texture; we ordered one portion and then added another. By comparison, the beef balls were just average. This was my first time eating crispy mung bean starch jelly. I had only ever had pan-fried versions before, which clearly do not taste as good as this crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside version.
My hometown: Hexiwu Town, Wuqing, Tianjin.
Xinpengzhai Restaurant.
I first bought the signature golden-rimmed braised noodles (jinbian koumen) at Xinpengzhai Restaurant. It is beef and bean sprout braised noodles (menbing) topped with a fried egg. The egg was very fragrant, and it was my first time eating menbing this way. It tasted excellent.
Wangji Lirenzhai.
Inside the Hexiwu farmers' market is the Shouyi Snack Street, where the most famous item is the yellow rice fried cake (huangmi zhagao) from the century-old shop Wangji Lirenzhai. We arrived a bit late and they were closing at 1:00 PM, so we just bought all the remaining fried cakes.
Lirenzhai is a Tianjin intangible cultural heritage project for the craft of making Hexiwu Lirenzhai fried cakes. The Wang family's ancestral home was in Cangzhou, Hebei. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, they fled the war and came to Wuqing. They first settled in Yangcun, but later heard that Hexiwu was densely populated and had a large community of Hui Muslims, so they moved to Hexiwu to settle down. In 1918, Wang Zhenlong inherited the family craft and officially set up a stall in Hexiwu, specializing in yellow rice fried cakes. After 1958, the Wangji fried cake business was merged into a cooperative store, and it was shut down after the 1960s. It wasn't until 1979 that the second-generation successor, Wang Jinyuan, inherited the family business and revived Wangji fried cakes. In 1999, the third-generation successor, Wang Xueren, took over and renamed it Lirenzhai, which is what it is called today.
Yangji Gezhihe.
Besides yellow rice fried cakes, the fried mung bean flour rolls (gezhihe) in Hexiwu are also very famous. Unlike the common version, the ones here are filled. They come in mung bean flour and wheat flour varieties, giving them a richer texture than standard fried mung bean flour rolls. Collapse Read »
Summary: This Tianjin halal food guide follows an autumn eating route through Syrian dishes, giant river prawns, yellow broth pulled noodles, Turkish food, and Xinjiang fresh milk ice cream. It keeps the original restaurant details, dishes, photos, and food notes for readers planning Muslim-friendly meals in Tianjin.
Two months later, we went back to Tianjin for a weekend trip with our kids. We arrived in Tianjin on Saturday at noon and headed straight to the Al-Andalus restaurant in the Nankai District Sunac Center for some Levantine food. The owner is Syrian. Al-Andalus was the name Arabs used for the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. In the 8th century, under the Umayyad dynasty, Al-Andalus was a famous center for economy, culture, academics, and education, serving as an important bridge for cultural and scientific exchange between the East and the West.
We ordered the four-person feast set, which included lentil soup, cream of mushroom soup, a hummus trio, lamb samosas (samosa), chicken wraps (shawarma), a four-season pizza, a mixed grill platter, black tea, and a crispy salad. We also ordered yogurt separately. Overall, the food was very authentic. It offers better value than the Arab restaurants in Beijing, and you don't have to wait in line. Their yogurt was especially good, with a rich, tangy flavor that beats many of the Arab restaurants in Beijing. The only downside was that the samosa dough was a bit thick, more like the South Asian version than the thin-crust Levantine style.
After lunch, we went to the Tianjin Museum, which is currently hosting an exhibition of historical artifacts from the National Museum of Kazakhstan. See diary: [Exhibition Visit] Tianjin Museum's Kazakhstan National Museum Historical Artifacts Exhibition.
The Tianjin Museum displays exquisite brick carvings by the Hui Muslim families known as the 'Fancy Work Ma Family' (Huahuo Majia) and 'Brick Carver Liu' (Kezhuan Liu) from the Northwest Corner. See diary: [Exhibition Visit] Exquisite brick carvings by Hui Muslim artisans 'Huahuomajia' and 'Kezhuanliu' in the Northwest Corner of Tianjin.
If you are a friend (dosti) from Beijing and are tired of the same old restaurants, a trip to Tianjin will definitely open your eyes. On this trip to Tianjin, we discovered a restaurant called Xiju that specializes in giant river prawns (luoshixia). It is located on Fuxing Road, just west of the Northwest Corner. It is run by local Hui Muslims and is very busy at night.
Their signature dish is a two-pound platter of giant river prawns, which you can get spicy or with garlic sauce. Giant river prawns are freshwater prawns originally from Malaysia in Southeast Asia. They are large and have plump, tender meat, but the texture isn't as firm as sea prawns, and the prawn flavor isn't as intense. It is similar to the difference between freshwater fish and sea fish. We ordered the garlic giant river prawns. You can add noodles to the sauce, which my son loved. He couldn't stop eating them, from start to finish, and he was the one at our table who enjoyed the meal the most.
Their Chaoshan seafood porridge was also excellent. Besides having plenty of prawns, it was packed with other seafood, making the flavor very rich.
They also have various barbecue items. We ordered squid, flounder, pineapple beef skewers, cheese bread slices, charcoal-grilled beef short ribs, and beef kimchi cheese rolls. Everything tasted great, especially the flounder, which had a wonderful texture and flavor.
Their sizzling sea bass pot (zhuzhu luyu bao) was also a hit with everyone. The sea bass was very fresh, and the garlic-clove-shaped meat had a great texture.
Their fried chicken racks are sweet and sour, making them a perfect snack that gets addictive the more you eat.
On Sunday morning, we had breakfast at Shunfa Lamian and Zhensucheng in the Xiaohaidi area of the Hexi District. Xiaohaidi is a lively residential area in the south of Tianjin with plenty of halal snacks. Shunfa Lamian is a noodle shop that has been open for over twenty years, specializing in yellow broth pulled noodles (lamian) and braised noodles (banmian). Zhensucheng is a breakfast shop that opened in 1979, specializing in crispy crepe strips in savory sauce (guobacai). Both of these shops are now franchises. The one in Xiaohaidi joined both brands, so now you can have yellow broth pulled noodles (huangtang lamian) and traditional breakfast at the same time in the morning.
We ordered yellow broth pulled noodles, water caltrop soup (lingjiao tang), flour tea (miancha), and beef pie (niurou bing). It was my first time having yellow broth pulled noodles. The yellow curry powder makes the flavor very rich, and I think it tastes even more satisfying than the clear broth version. Their water caltrop soup and flour tea both taste good, and Suleiman especially likes their flour tea. However, their beef pie has a bit too little filling. I noticed many people at the neighboring tables were eating flatbread rolls with fried fritters (dabing juanquan).
After eating at so many good restaurants in Tianjin, I finally hit a dud this time. On Sunday at noon, we went to the Galata Turkish Restaurant in Hengji Plaza, Hexi District. First of all, their tables are tiny. We ordered a meal for four, and it couldn't even fit on the table. Secondly, it is not authentic! We have eaten at so many Turkish restaurants in Beijing, Yiwu, Fuzhou, and Guangzhou, and they were all very authentic, whether run by Turkish or Azerbaijani people. This is the first time we have eaten at an inauthentic one; it is nothing like what we ate in Turkey.
Their potatoes and roasted chicken were covered in thick layers of salad dressing and ketchup. It felt just like fast food sold at a temple fair, which doesn't fit the Mediterranean diet of Turkey that focuses on spices. Also, the grilled meat was not good. Some parts were dry, and some were salty. The grill chef's skills need improvement. The grilled meat was served with pilaf (zhuafan) made with domestic short-grain rice. I suspect the chef is our fellow countryman from Xinjiang.
They do have one big advantage, which is that it is cheap! The price is about half of what you would pay at a Turkish restaurant in Beijing, so you get what you pay for. Their milk pudding and Turkish coffee also taste good. The milk pudding is not sweet, and it is quite pleasant to have with coffee. It is just that they served the coffee with a candy ball that children often eat, which is also a bad match. They should at least serve it with Turkish delight or even a piece of chocolate.
After leaving Hengji Plaza, we went to the Tatami Xinjiang Restaurant at the entrance to pack some diced noodle stir-fry (dingding chaomian) for Suleiman to eat in the evening. Their decor is quite good and very Xinjiang-style. The waiter who served us was Uyghur, and the chefs in the kitchen were all Hui Muslims. It is an open kitchen, and the chefs have real skill. We specifically asked for it to be made for a child, and the diced noodle stir-fry was indeed very suitable. Suleiman loved it. They also sell fresh milk ice cream from Tacheng, and I bought one that tasted quite good.
I just remembered that I can add locations to my official account posts, so I will also add locations for the Tianjin restaurants recommended in previous issues.
Between the mountains and the sea: from Huairou farmhouses to coastal Western restaurants.
Haishiwan Halal Western Restaurant.
Eating Halal Western food at Haishiwan on Binjiang Road in Tianjin. Overall, their dish names and plating are quite fancy and look great in photos, but the actual taste is average, similar to fast food in a shopping mall.
The best thing they have is probably the avocado salad, which is very healthy. The tuna salad is more like a simple home-style mixed vegetable dish. The seafood fried rice and beef fried rice are both soy sauce-based, which feels more suited to the tastes of the Shandong cuisine region. The seafood pizza is plated very beautifully, but the pizza base itself is very average, just like the taste of a cheap fast-food chain. They also have various drinks with names I don't recognize, which are just sparkling water mixed with syrup. The fog coffee is great for photos, but the coffee itself is also very average.
Nuobona Halal Western Restaurant.
Nuobona Halal Western Restaurant at the 80 Food Plaza in TEDA, Tianjin, is definitely the best Halal Western food I have ever eaten! The taste is far better than the ones in downtown Tianjin.
Muyi Chinese Restaurant, Nuobona Western Restaurant, and the Western bakery on the first floor in Taifeng are all part of the Yisilai Mu Restaurant founded in 1994, and their Halal license number is Binhai 001. We have eaten at Muyi before; it is creative Chinese food with many dishes they invented themselves, and the taste is excellent. This time we tried their Western food and still had nothing but praise. Their environment is also very good, and they have a special area for children to play, which is very thoughtful.
We ordered charcoal-grilled baby lobster and creamy lobster soup served two ways, French escargot, British fish and chips, baked potato skins, golden pillow durian pizza, lasagna, tiramisu, non-alcoholic mojito, dirty milk, and rose soda, and we also ordered a kids' meal for Suleiman (spaghetti, pumpkin soup, french fries, grilled chicken wings, and fruit salad). The lobster is very tender, and the creamy lobster soup is rich and very fragrant. This was my first time eating baked escargot; the texture is very chewy and bouncy, and the various spices are added perfectly. It was my first time eating British-style fried fish, though it didn't come with french fries. The way they make it is very different from the common cod cakes in China; the fish meat is ground very finely, and the texture is very moist.
Taking kids out to eat in Tianjin: Yemeni food, Algerian desserts, rice noodle rolls (changfen), Japanese food, and water caltrop soup.
Socotra Yemeni Restaurant.
Many Yemeni restaurants have opened in Guangzhou and Yiwu, but Beijing's Arab restaurants are still mostly Levantine style. If you want a Yemeni meal, you have to take an intercity train to Tianjin.
Socotra is Socotra Island in the Arabian Sea, southeast of Yemen. It was called Sugudala in the Ming Dynasty's Zheng He Navigation Map. Socotra Island was listed as a World Natural Heritage site in 2008. The island is most famous for its dragon blood trees. The Socotra restaurant's logo is a dragon blood tree, and there are photos of the trees hanging in the shop.
We ordered the signature soup, chicken lentil soup, lamb Zurbian rice, Mushakkal stir-fried vegetables, Fahsa beef stew, banana mango juice, and Khubz flatbread. Zurbian rice is a bit like Indian Biryani rice, as both are stir-fried with various spices. Their lamb is roasted and smells great, but we found the rice a bit dry. There are also small bone fragments inside, so be careful not to let children eat it.
When you go to a Yemeni restaurant, you must try the classic Yemeni dish, Fahsa beef stew. Fahsa is usually made with lamb, but this place uses beef. When they make it, they stew the meat until it is very tender. It starts in a large vat and is then moved to a small pot to continue stewing. Besides ginger, garlic, and cumin, they add a spice called fenugreek (Hulbah) when stewing the meat. Fenugreek is actually what people in Northwest China often call fragrant beans (kudou). People in the Northwest dry the leaves of the fenugreek plant and grind them into powder to steam buns, while Yemenis grind the seeds to stew meat. Fenugreek seeds expand when they meet water and easily foam up when stirred in a bowl.
The classic pairing for Fahsa stew is Mulawah Yemeni flatbread, but this place requires you to order it in advance. You can only get Khubz flatbread if you walk in. Khubz flatbread is actually the same as the pita bread in Levantine cuisine. The version they make is quite hard, and to be honest, it is not very tasty.
Qianmu Halal Japanese Cuisine
There are no longer any halal Japanese restaurants in Beijing, so you have to go to Tianjin for this. This place is very popular, and it is hard to get a seat without booking in advance. When we went after eight o'clock, they had even sold out of rice, so we had to go to the ramen shop across the street to buy some.
We ordered tempura udon, sukiyaki, eel rice, a grilled platter, cod roe potato gratin, cheese-baked crab shell, a slow-cooked sushi platter, and marble soda. Suleiman loves their udon noodles. He couldn't stop eating them, and after he finished, he was so happy that he fell right asleep. There are quite a few grilled items, but they are mostly mushroom-based vegetable dishes with less meat. The soy sauce for the sushi is a bit salty, and the sushi itself is just average, which is a pity. The staff saw we had a child, so they cooked the sukiyaki for us before bringing it to the table. That deserves a thumbs up. The eel rice tastes okay, and next time I want to try their teriyaki chicken rice.
Xue's Northwest Corner Old-Style Breakfast
Ever since the Northwest Corner became super popular, I basically stopped going there to eat. Actually, Tianjin has so many delicious breakfast spots, not just the Northwest Corner. I used to go to Tianmu and Jinjiayao for breakfast, but this time I went to Xue's Northwest Corner Old-Style Breakfast in the Lushuidao area of Jinnan District. Their shop is a simple neighborhood eatery on the ground floor of an apartment complex, where all the local seniors come to eat.
We didn't arrive until nine, so most things were sold out. We just ordered water caltrop dumplings (lingjiao tang), sesame flatbread with meat (shaobing jiarou), and savory crepe strips in sauce (guobacai). Their water caltrop dumplings are truly delicious. The skin is the perfect texture, and the filling is very fragrant. Suleiman ate several in one go. The sesame flatbread for the meat sandwich is crispy, and the flavor is quite good. The savory crepe strips are a traditional old-school flavor, but eating both the dumplings and the crepe strips together is a bit heavy. I feel like the crepe strips go best with iron-pot soy milk.
Algerian Bakery
I had an Algerian afternoon tea at Lyn's Healthy Bakeshop on Chifeng Road in Tianjin. Chifeng Road is in the former French Concession area, which is full of small Western-style villas and all kinds of little shops.
The owner, who is from Algeria, opened this small shop for tea and desserts. It should be the first Algerian restaurant in China. I have to say, Tianjin's food scene is once again at the forefront of internationalization!
They offer both à la carte and afternoon tea sets. They have both traditional Algerian desserts and Western pastries. Everything uses maple syrup instead of white sugar, focusing on healthy eating. It is probably the least sweet Arabic dessert shop I have ever visited!
We drank Algerian mint tea and Algerian orange blossom lemonade (Sherbet Mazhar). The mint tea is brewed to order, so you have to wait a while. The aroma is very strong, but because it is freshly brewed, you cannot get refills. Orange blossom water is definitely a signature Algerian drink, especially classic at wedding banquets in northern Algeria. The orange blossom drink is made from orange blossom water distilled from bitter orange blossoms, mixed with syrup and water. It is very refreshing in the summer.
We ate Algerian baklava (Baklawa), apple pie, milk pudding (M'halbi), and cheesecake. Suleiman loved the cheesecake the most. Baklava was introduced to Algeria from Turkey during the Ottoman period. The Algerian version adds crushed almonds and orange blossom water, so the taste is different from the Turkish one.
Milk pudding (M'halbi) is a classic Middle Eastern dessert for breaking the fast and is most popular during Ramadan. The name M'halbi comes from Al-Muhallab, the governor of Khorasan during the Umayyad Caliphate. Legend has it that he once had a stomachache, and a doctor made him milk-boiled rice flour with sugar. He liked it so much that he named the dessert after himself.
Finally, I want to say that their food is excellent, but the decor is still a bit simple. If they could highlight the Algerian theme more, it would definitely become a new trendy spot in Tianjin.
Yiweizhai Halal Rice Noodle Rolls
I ate rice noodle rolls (changfen) at Yiweizhai on Xihu Road in Tianjin. I used to go to Yeji Changfen whenever I visited Tianjin, but this was my first time at Yiweizhai. The shop at Yiweizhai is small, but they have a huge variety of dishes. We ordered seafood rice noodle rolls, fresh shrimp steamed dumplings (shaomai), chicken feet in black bean sauce (chizhi fengzhua), claypot rice with cured beef (laoniurou baozai fan), plain beef tendon balls, curry beef balls, curry fish balls, and traditional crispy mung bean starch jelly (laowei cuipi menzi). Except for the claypot rice, which takes a while because it is cooked from raw rice, the other dishes arrived very quickly.
Overall, their food is very good. It really shows how much effort Tianjin people put into their cooking. Their rice noodle rolls have a great texture, not as firm as the ones I had in Hong Kong. Their beef tendon balls and fish balls also have a fantastic texture; we ordered one portion and then added another. By comparison, the beef balls were just average. This was my first time eating crispy mung bean starch jelly. I had only ever had pan-fried versions before, which clearly do not taste as good as this crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside version.
My hometown: Hexiwu Town, Wuqing, Tianjin.
Xinpengzhai Restaurant.
I first bought the signature golden-rimmed braised noodles (jinbian koumen) at Xinpengzhai Restaurant. It is beef and bean sprout braised noodles (menbing) topped with a fried egg. The egg was very fragrant, and it was my first time eating menbing this way. It tasted excellent.
Wangji Lirenzhai.
Inside the Hexiwu farmers' market is the Shouyi Snack Street, where the most famous item is the yellow rice fried cake (huangmi zhagao) from the century-old shop Wangji Lirenzhai. We arrived a bit late and they were closing at 1:00 PM, so we just bought all the remaining fried cakes.
Lirenzhai is a Tianjin intangible cultural heritage project for the craft of making Hexiwu Lirenzhai fried cakes. The Wang family's ancestral home was in Cangzhou, Hebei. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, they fled the war and came to Wuqing. They first settled in Yangcun, but later heard that Hexiwu was densely populated and had a large community of Hui Muslims, so they moved to Hexiwu to settle down. In 1918, Wang Zhenlong inherited the family craft and officially set up a stall in Hexiwu, specializing in yellow rice fried cakes. After 1958, the Wangji fried cake business was merged into a cooperative store, and it was shut down after the 1960s. It wasn't until 1979 that the second-generation successor, Wang Jinyuan, inherited the family business and revived Wangji fried cakes. In 1999, the third-generation successor, Wang Xueren, took over and renamed it Lirenzhai, which is what it is called today.
Yangji Gezhihe.
Besides yellow rice fried cakes, the fried mung bean flour rolls (gezhihe) in Hexiwu are also very famous. Unlike the common version, the ones here are filled. They come in mung bean flour and wheat flour varieties, giving them a richer texture than standard fried mung bean flour rolls. Collapse Read »
Museum Guide: Tianjin Kazakhstan National Museum Exhibition - History and Artifacts
Reposted from the web
Summary: This article covers the Kazakhstan National Museum collection exhibition at Tianjin Museum, with a close look at historical artifacts, steppe culture, and Central Asian heritage. It preserves the original exhibition details, object names, photographs, and cultural context for English readers.
From September 30, 2024, to February 12, 2025, the fifth floor of the Tianjin Museum is hosting an exhibition of historical artifacts from the National Museum of Kazakhstan. Overall, it is not very stunning and lacks any major, heavy-hitting artifacts. Of course, I did not see any particularly significant artifacts when I visited the National Museum of Kazakhstan in person either.
These are carved clay tiles from the 12th-century Karakhanid dynasty Aisha-Bibi Mausoleum in the ancient city of Taraz. The architectural style of this mausoleum follows the Samanid Mausoleum in Bukhara and serves as an important example of Karakhanid architecture. Taraz grew into a wealthy city during the 9th-century Samanid dynasty, reached its peak during the 10th to 12th-century Karakhanid dynasty, and was destroyed by the Mongol army in 1220.
These are painted glazed tiles and glazed pottery shards from the Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Mausoleum, dating to the Timurid dynasty between 1389 and 1405. This mausoleum is a masterpiece of Timurid architecture and an important religious center in southern Kazakhstan. It was added to the World Heritage List in 2003.
These are glazed tile fragments unearthed from a mausoleum at the Zhaiyk ancient city site, dating to the 14th-century Golden Horde period. The Zhaiyk ancient city site was discovered by an archaeological team in 2001 and has since been fully excavated and studied. Inside the city, they found the remains of a Turkish bath with an underfloor heating system, and in the cemetery west of the city, they found a domed mausoleum decorated with colorful glazed tiles.
These are clay bricks unearthed from the Kyshkala ancient city site in the Syr Darya delta. Kyshkala was a wealthy ancient city during the Golden Horde period that produced a large number of clay bricks.
This is a Kimeshek, an embroidered head covering for married women from 19th-century southern Kazakhstan.
A Kimeshek with lace pendants.
A Kebeje, which is a wooden chest with bone inlays, dating from the 19th to the mid-20th century.
A Khan's robe (chapan) made of velvet, gold and silver thread, and appliqué from 18th to 19th-century northern Kazakhstan. After the 18th century, due to long-term conflicts with the Dzungar Khanate, the Kazakh Khanate split into the Senior, Middle, and Junior Juz, with each Juz having its own Khan. After the mid-19th century, the Kazakh Khanate was gradually controlled by the Russian Empire. Khan Kenesary Kasymov (reigned 1841–1847) was the last national hero to bravely resist Russia. After he died for his country in 1847, the Kazakh Khanate was declared fallen.
Traditional Kazakh clothing made by master designer Aizhan Abdubait. She comes from a family of tailors and is dedicated to making ethnic clothing. She has also restored the gold-thread embroidery technique that was gradually lost after the fall of the Kazakh Khanate in the 19th century. This is an embroidery technique that was used on the clothing of Khans and Sultans during the Kazakh Khanate era.
A 19th-century chest ornament.
A 20th-century belt.
An axe, a club, and a sheathed knife.
A 19th-century copper pot. Collapse Read »
Summary: This article covers the Kazakhstan National Museum collection exhibition at Tianjin Museum, with a close look at historical artifacts, steppe culture, and Central Asian heritage. It preserves the original exhibition details, object names, photographs, and cultural context for English readers.
From September 30, 2024, to February 12, 2025, the fifth floor of the Tianjin Museum is hosting an exhibition of historical artifacts from the National Museum of Kazakhstan. Overall, it is not very stunning and lacks any major, heavy-hitting artifacts. Of course, I did not see any particularly significant artifacts when I visited the National Museum of Kazakhstan in person either.
These are carved clay tiles from the 12th-century Karakhanid dynasty Aisha-Bibi Mausoleum in the ancient city of Taraz. The architectural style of this mausoleum follows the Samanid Mausoleum in Bukhara and serves as an important example of Karakhanid architecture. Taraz grew into a wealthy city during the 9th-century Samanid dynasty, reached its peak during the 10th to 12th-century Karakhanid dynasty, and was destroyed by the Mongol army in 1220.
These are painted glazed tiles and glazed pottery shards from the Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Mausoleum, dating to the Timurid dynasty between 1389 and 1405. This mausoleum is a masterpiece of Timurid architecture and an important religious center in southern Kazakhstan. It was added to the World Heritage List in 2003.
These are glazed tile fragments unearthed from a mausoleum at the Zhaiyk ancient city site, dating to the 14th-century Golden Horde period. The Zhaiyk ancient city site was discovered by an archaeological team in 2001 and has since been fully excavated and studied. Inside the city, they found the remains of a Turkish bath with an underfloor heating system, and in the cemetery west of the city, they found a domed mausoleum decorated with colorful glazed tiles.
These are clay bricks unearthed from the Kyshkala ancient city site in the Syr Darya delta. Kyshkala was a wealthy ancient city during the Golden Horde period that produced a large number of clay bricks.
This is a Kimeshek, an embroidered head covering for married women from 19th-century southern Kazakhstan.
A Kimeshek with lace pendants.
A Kebeje, which is a wooden chest with bone inlays, dating from the 19th to the mid-20th century.
A Khan's robe (chapan) made of velvet, gold and silver thread, and appliqué from 18th to 19th-century northern Kazakhstan. After the 18th century, due to long-term conflicts with the Dzungar Khanate, the Kazakh Khanate split into the Senior, Middle, and Junior Juz, with each Juz having its own Khan. After the mid-19th century, the Kazakh Khanate was gradually controlled by the Russian Empire. Khan Kenesary Kasymov (reigned 1841–1847) was the last national hero to bravely resist Russia. After he died for his country in 1847, the Kazakh Khanate was declared fallen.
Traditional Kazakh clothing made by master designer Aizhan Abdubait. She comes from a family of tailors and is dedicated to making ethnic clothing. She has also restored the gold-thread embroidery technique that was gradually lost after the fall of the Kazakh Khanate in the 19th century. This is an embroidery technique that was used on the clothing of Khans and Sultans during the Kazakh Khanate era.
A 19th-century chest ornament.
A 20th-century belt.
An axe, a club, and a sheathed knife.
A 19th-century copper pot. Collapse Read »
Travel Food Guide: Southeast Asia Drinks - Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia
Reposted from the web
Summary: This article follows a tasting route through drinks from Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, from street-side juices to regional bottled drinks and cafe favorites. It keeps the original drink names, places, prices, photos, and travel notes for readers looking for everyday food culture in Southeast Asia.
Malaysia
Malacca: avocado juice, longan lemon tea, and lime plum juice (lime plum shuizhi).
Penang: sour plum guava juice, Penang nutmeg water, and Arabian rose water.
Seremban: lychee water.
Kuala Lumpur: blue pea flower tea and barley lime water.
Singapore
Clear soup (chee kong), three-layer milk tea, pulled tea (teh tarik), Milo dinosaur, and ginger tea.
Indonesia
Yogyakarta: cendol drink (es dawet ayu), dragon fruit juice, and ginger herbal drink (sekoteng).
Solo: basil seed cendol (es dawet telasih), durian cendol (es dawet durian), and herbal medicine (jamu).
Kudus: fruit ice (es buah).
Banten: mixed ice dessert (es campur).
Jakarta: layered rice flour jelly drink (selendang mayang).
Malaysia
Malacca
Avocado juice
Across from Dataran Pahlawan in Malacca, there is a large Malay night market that seems to open only on weekends, offering endless varieties of snacks. We had just finished a meal and were too full to eat, so we bought a huge avocado juice. Tropical fruits are cheap all over Malaysia. As long as you don't buy durian in tourist areas, you can basically eat as much fruit as you want.
Longan lemon tea
In Kampung Hulu, there is a lovely cake shop called Malaiqa By Gula Cakery that is very popular with young people. The shop is located in a shophouse built in 1941. The decor is fresh and simple, showing a great example of revitalizing the old city. We ordered the longan lemon tea, and it tasted great. These fresh, small shops in Malaysia are really wonderful, though we usually go for traditional food and don't visit places like this very often.
Lime plum drink (juzi suanmei shui)
As the birthplace of Nyonya culture, you must try Nyonya food when visiting Malacca. There are many halal Nyonya restaurants on the east side of Malacca's old town along Merdeka Street (Jln Merdeka), with Atlantic and Cottage Spices being the most famous. Both places had lines when we arrived, so we took numbers for both. Cottage Spices had an opening first, so we ate there. We ordered the lime plum drink (juzi suanmei shui), which was tart and very appetizing.
Penang
Sour plum guava juice
Lagenda Cafe in Penang is a themed restaurant honoring the godfather of Malay film and music, P. Ramlee (1929-1973), and it plays his classic songs on a loop. We drank Asam Boi & Guava Tea, made with lime, mint, black tea, sour plum, and fresh-pressed guava juice; it was very refreshing and smooth.
Penang nutmeg drink and Arabian rose water (sherbet)
A unique group called Jawi Peranakan lives in Penang and Singapore. They are a Malay-speaking community formed by the intermarriage of Indian (as well as Arab and Persian) men and Malay women. "Jawi" means "Southeast Asia" in Arabic, and "Peranakan" means "locally born" in Malay.
After the 20th century, as the British Empire declined, the Jawi Peranakan community began to integrate into the Malay population. Today, the government counts most Jawi Peranakan as "Malay." Even so, the Jawi Peranakan community still works hard to pass on its unique culture, which shows in their architecture, clothing, jewelry, and food.
Today, the best place in Penang to experience Jawi Peranakan culture is the Jawi House Cafe Gallery. The building was originally a Straits Eclectic-style Chinese shophouse built in the 1860s with Malay-style decorations, and it later served as an Indian coppersmith shop. The street where the shop is located, Armenian Street (Lebuh Armenian, formerly Malay lane), was the earliest settlement area for the Jawi Peranakan community. In 2012, the Karim family, who have lived in Penang for six generations and have Punjabi roots, opened Jawi House here to make authentic Jawi Peranakan food.
We drank the Penang Nutmeg and Arabian Sherbet here. Nutmeg is a local Penang specialty, and this drink is mixed with honey and lemon for a sweet and sour taste.
Sherbet comes from the Persian word "Sharbat," which means a non-alcoholic sugary drink. In medieval Arabia, people loved to add syrup and honey to Sharbat for sweetness, along with almonds, lemon, apple, pomegranate, tamarind, dates, sumac, musk, and mint. Spread by Arabs and Persians, Sharbat is now popular across West Asia, South Asia, and the Malay Archipelago, especially during Ramadan. The Arabian Sherbet at Jawi House is made with rose syrup, mallow nuts, gum arabic, and basil seeds, giving it a very rich flavor.
Hibiscus
Lychee water
Mohd Chan is likely the most famous and largest halal Cantonese restaurant chain in Malaysia, now with 19 locations including restaurants, dim sum shops, and takeout spots. The founder of Mohd Chan, Dato HJ Mohd Chan, was born in Gombak, Selangor. Influenced by his Malay friends, he converted to Islam in 2007 and started his halal Cantonese restaurant that same year, focusing on blending Cantonese cuisine with local flavors. We drank their lychee water, which was packed with plenty of ingredients.
Kuala Lumpur
Blue pea flower tea and barley lime water
Whether it is halal Chinese food or halal Nyonya cuisine, the Klang Valley area where Kuala Lumpur is located has the highest number of options in Malaysia. Just inside the NU Sentral mall opposite Kuala Lumpur Sentral station, there are three halal Nyonya restaurants, making it a great place for traveling friends (dosti) to grab a bite. We ate at the largest of the three, Peranakan Place, which has several branches in Kuala Lumpur and Malacca. We ordered the blue pea flower tea and barley lime water, both of which were very unique.
Singapore
Chee Kong clear soup (qing tang)
Geylang Serai is located near the Geylang River in eastern Singapore. The Geylang Serai Malay bazaar (market) dates back to the 1920s. During World War II, the Japanese turned it into an amusement park, but after the war, it returned to being a bustling Malay bazaar where local Malay residents come to shop. The only Chinese stall in the bazaar is Chee Kong clear soup (qing tang), an old shop that opened in the 1950s. You can add longan, sweet potato, and ginkgo nuts to the clear soup, and it can be served hot or cold. Drinking a bowl of clear soup is very refreshing after eating spicy Malay food.
Three-layer milk tea
Haig Road Market & Food Centre has a lot of Malay delicacies. We drank the classic three-layer milk tea, which uses palm sugar, milk, and black tea to create three distinct layers with a rich taste.
Pulled tea (teh tarik) and Milo Dinosaur
We had a cup of the classic Nanyang pulled tea (teh tarik) at Tarik, a shop next to the Sultan Mosque in Kampong Glam. Local Malay youth really love this place. Tarik means 'pull' in Malay. By mixing black tea and condensed milk and pouring it back and forth between two containers with outstretched arms, the tea cools down and becomes frothy. We also ordered a cup of Milo, which is a chocolate malt powder from Nestlé. People in Malaysia and Singapore like to sprinkle Milo powder on iced Milo, which they call Milo Dinosaur.
Ginger tea
Bhai Sarbat on Baghdad Street was started by an Indian Muslim in the 1950s and has been around for 70 years. Bhai means brother in Urdu. Bhai Sarbat started as a street pushcart stall and moved into this shophouse on Baghdad Street in the 1970s. Today it sells hundreds of drinks, but the ginger tea is still the most famous.
Indonesia
Yogyakarta
Es Dawet Ayu
Es Dawet Ayu is a specialty iced drink from Central Java that comes from the small town of Banjarnegara. Its main ingredients are rice flour, glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, palm sugar syrup, and grass jelly.
Dragon fruit juice
Freshly squeezed dragon fruit juice on the streets of Yogyakarta. The juices in Java are really rich.
Sekoteng
Sekoteng is a Javanese specialty hot ginger drink made with peanuts, bread slices, and pearl flowers. Hot drinks are still quite rare in Java. It feels like the ginger helps remove dampness.
Solo
Es Dawet Telasih
Es Dawet Telasih is a Solo specialty iced drink made of coconut milk, palm sugar, cendol (rice flour jelly), bubur sumsum (coconut rice pudding), basil seeds, and black glutinous rice.
Es Dawet Durian is Es Dawet Telasih with durian added.
Jamu
Jamu is a specialty Javanese drink, which is a traditional Javanese herbal medicine mixed with honey and palm sugar.
Kudus
Es Buah
I drank Es Buah, a Javanese iced drink with various fruits added, in Kudus.
Banten
Mixed ice drink (Es Campur)
As a holy site, the Great Mosque of Banten attracts a constant stream of visitors every day, and a very lively bazaar has formed around it. At the bazaar, I drank a mixed ice drink (Es Campur) made with coconut milk, red sugar syrup, coconut meat, and fruit jelly.
Jakarta
Layered rice flour drink (Selendang Mayang)
Jakarta Old Town (Kota Tua Jakarta), also called Old Batavia (Oud Batavia), was the most important Dutch colonial outpost in Southeast Asia and served as the headquarters for the Dutch East India Company from the 17th to the 19th century. The center of Old Batavia is Fatahillah Square, where the main building is the Jakarta History Museum. The Jakarta History Museum was built in 1710 and was formerly the Batavia City Hall. The museum courtyard has a small area dedicated to traditional Betawi snacks, where I drank a rare, historic Batavian ice drink called layered rice flour drink (Selendang Mayang). Layered rice flour drink (Selendang Mayang) is made from rice flour, vanilla powder, pandan leaves, red sugar syrup, and coconut milk.
The Betawi people are a unique ethnic group that formed in Jakarta. In 1619, the Dutch established Batavia as the trade and administrative center for the Dutch East India Company. After the Dutch East India Company signed a formal peace treaty with the Sultanate of Banten in 1684, the swampy areas around Batavia could finally be cultivated. More and more people lived outside the city walls, including Malays, Sundanese, Javanese, Minangkabau, and Bugis people. Between the 18th and 19th centuries, the various ethnic groups living in Batavia began to merge. Over the course of a hundred years, they finally formed the modern Betawi people by the early 20th century. The Betawi people speak a version of Malay mixed with many words from Fujian Chinese, Arabic, and Dutch, known as Betawi Malay. It is the only Malay-speaking region on the northern coast of Java. Betawi cuisine is also strongly influenced by Indonesian Chinese, Arab, European, and local Sundanese and Javanese food.
Collapse Read »
Summary: This article follows a tasting route through drinks from Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, from street-side juices to regional bottled drinks and cafe favorites. It keeps the original drink names, places, prices, photos, and travel notes for readers looking for everyday food culture in Southeast Asia.
Malaysia
Malacca: avocado juice, longan lemon tea, and lime plum juice (lime plum shuizhi).
Penang: sour plum guava juice, Penang nutmeg water, and Arabian rose water.
Seremban: lychee water.
Kuala Lumpur: blue pea flower tea and barley lime water.
Singapore
Clear soup (chee kong), three-layer milk tea, pulled tea (teh tarik), Milo dinosaur, and ginger tea.
Indonesia
Yogyakarta: cendol drink (es dawet ayu), dragon fruit juice, and ginger herbal drink (sekoteng).
Solo: basil seed cendol (es dawet telasih), durian cendol (es dawet durian), and herbal medicine (jamu).
Kudus: fruit ice (es buah).
Banten: mixed ice dessert (es campur).
Jakarta: layered rice flour jelly drink (selendang mayang).
Malaysia
Malacca
Avocado juice
Across from Dataran Pahlawan in Malacca, there is a large Malay night market that seems to open only on weekends, offering endless varieties of snacks. We had just finished a meal and were too full to eat, so we bought a huge avocado juice. Tropical fruits are cheap all over Malaysia. As long as you don't buy durian in tourist areas, you can basically eat as much fruit as you want.
Longan lemon tea
In Kampung Hulu, there is a lovely cake shop called Malaiqa By Gula Cakery that is very popular with young people. The shop is located in a shophouse built in 1941. The decor is fresh and simple, showing a great example of revitalizing the old city. We ordered the longan lemon tea, and it tasted great. These fresh, small shops in Malaysia are really wonderful, though we usually go for traditional food and don't visit places like this very often.
Lime plum drink (juzi suanmei shui)
As the birthplace of Nyonya culture, you must try Nyonya food when visiting Malacca. There are many halal Nyonya restaurants on the east side of Malacca's old town along Merdeka Street (Jln Merdeka), with Atlantic and Cottage Spices being the most famous. Both places had lines when we arrived, so we took numbers for both. Cottage Spices had an opening first, so we ate there. We ordered the lime plum drink (juzi suanmei shui), which was tart and very appetizing.
Penang
Sour plum guava juice
Lagenda Cafe in Penang is a themed restaurant honoring the godfather of Malay film and music, P. Ramlee (1929-1973), and it plays his classic songs on a loop. We drank Asam Boi & Guava Tea, made with lime, mint, black tea, sour plum, and fresh-pressed guava juice; it was very refreshing and smooth.
Penang nutmeg drink and Arabian rose water (sherbet)
A unique group called Jawi Peranakan lives in Penang and Singapore. They are a Malay-speaking community formed by the intermarriage of Indian (as well as Arab and Persian) men and Malay women. "Jawi" means "Southeast Asia" in Arabic, and "Peranakan" means "locally born" in Malay.
After the 20th century, as the British Empire declined, the Jawi Peranakan community began to integrate into the Malay population. Today, the government counts most Jawi Peranakan as "Malay." Even so, the Jawi Peranakan community still works hard to pass on its unique culture, which shows in their architecture, clothing, jewelry, and food.
Today, the best place in Penang to experience Jawi Peranakan culture is the Jawi House Cafe Gallery. The building was originally a Straits Eclectic-style Chinese shophouse built in the 1860s with Malay-style decorations, and it later served as an Indian coppersmith shop. The street where the shop is located, Armenian Street (Lebuh Armenian, formerly Malay lane), was the earliest settlement area for the Jawi Peranakan community. In 2012, the Karim family, who have lived in Penang for six generations and have Punjabi roots, opened Jawi House here to make authentic Jawi Peranakan food.
We drank the Penang Nutmeg and Arabian Sherbet here. Nutmeg is a local Penang specialty, and this drink is mixed with honey and lemon for a sweet and sour taste.
Sherbet comes from the Persian word "Sharbat," which means a non-alcoholic sugary drink. In medieval Arabia, people loved to add syrup and honey to Sharbat for sweetness, along with almonds, lemon, apple, pomegranate, tamarind, dates, sumac, musk, and mint. Spread by Arabs and Persians, Sharbat is now popular across West Asia, South Asia, and the Malay Archipelago, especially during Ramadan. The Arabian Sherbet at Jawi House is made with rose syrup, mallow nuts, gum arabic, and basil seeds, giving it a very rich flavor.
Hibiscus
Lychee water
Mohd Chan is likely the most famous and largest halal Cantonese restaurant chain in Malaysia, now with 19 locations including restaurants, dim sum shops, and takeout spots. The founder of Mohd Chan, Dato HJ Mohd Chan, was born in Gombak, Selangor. Influenced by his Malay friends, he converted to Islam in 2007 and started his halal Cantonese restaurant that same year, focusing on blending Cantonese cuisine with local flavors. We drank their lychee water, which was packed with plenty of ingredients.
Kuala Lumpur
Blue pea flower tea and barley lime water
Whether it is halal Chinese food or halal Nyonya cuisine, the Klang Valley area where Kuala Lumpur is located has the highest number of options in Malaysia. Just inside the NU Sentral mall opposite Kuala Lumpur Sentral station, there are three halal Nyonya restaurants, making it a great place for traveling friends (dosti) to grab a bite. We ate at the largest of the three, Peranakan Place, which has several branches in Kuala Lumpur and Malacca. We ordered the blue pea flower tea and barley lime water, both of which were very unique.
Singapore
Chee Kong clear soup (qing tang)
Geylang Serai is located near the Geylang River in eastern Singapore. The Geylang Serai Malay bazaar (market) dates back to the 1920s. During World War II, the Japanese turned it into an amusement park, but after the war, it returned to being a bustling Malay bazaar where local Malay residents come to shop. The only Chinese stall in the bazaar is Chee Kong clear soup (qing tang), an old shop that opened in the 1950s. You can add longan, sweet potato, and ginkgo nuts to the clear soup, and it can be served hot or cold. Drinking a bowl of clear soup is very refreshing after eating spicy Malay food.
Three-layer milk tea
Haig Road Market & Food Centre has a lot of Malay delicacies. We drank the classic three-layer milk tea, which uses palm sugar, milk, and black tea to create three distinct layers with a rich taste.
Pulled tea (teh tarik) and Milo Dinosaur
We had a cup of the classic Nanyang pulled tea (teh tarik) at Tarik, a shop next to the Sultan Mosque in Kampong Glam. Local Malay youth really love this place. Tarik means 'pull' in Malay. By mixing black tea and condensed milk and pouring it back and forth between two containers with outstretched arms, the tea cools down and becomes frothy. We also ordered a cup of Milo, which is a chocolate malt powder from Nestlé. People in Malaysia and Singapore like to sprinkle Milo powder on iced Milo, which they call Milo Dinosaur.
Ginger tea
Bhai Sarbat on Baghdad Street was started by an Indian Muslim in the 1950s and has been around for 70 years. Bhai means brother in Urdu. Bhai Sarbat started as a street pushcart stall and moved into this shophouse on Baghdad Street in the 1970s. Today it sells hundreds of drinks, but the ginger tea is still the most famous.
Indonesia
Yogyakarta
Es Dawet Ayu
Es Dawet Ayu is a specialty iced drink from Central Java that comes from the small town of Banjarnegara. Its main ingredients are rice flour, glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, palm sugar syrup, and grass jelly.
Dragon fruit juice
Freshly squeezed dragon fruit juice on the streets of Yogyakarta. The juices in Java are really rich.
Sekoteng
Sekoteng is a Javanese specialty hot ginger drink made with peanuts, bread slices, and pearl flowers. Hot drinks are still quite rare in Java. It feels like the ginger helps remove dampness.
Solo
Es Dawet Telasih
Es Dawet Telasih is a Solo specialty iced drink made of coconut milk, palm sugar, cendol (rice flour jelly), bubur sumsum (coconut rice pudding), basil seeds, and black glutinous rice.
Es Dawet Durian is Es Dawet Telasih with durian added.
Jamu
Jamu is a specialty Javanese drink, which is a traditional Javanese herbal medicine mixed with honey and palm sugar.
Kudus
Es Buah
I drank Es Buah, a Javanese iced drink with various fruits added, in Kudus.
Banten
Mixed ice drink (Es Campur)
As a holy site, the Great Mosque of Banten attracts a constant stream of visitors every day, and a very lively bazaar has formed around it. At the bazaar, I drank a mixed ice drink (Es Campur) made with coconut milk, red sugar syrup, coconut meat, and fruit jelly.
Jakarta
Layered rice flour drink (Selendang Mayang)
Jakarta Old Town (Kota Tua Jakarta), also called Old Batavia (Oud Batavia), was the most important Dutch colonial outpost in Southeast Asia and served as the headquarters for the Dutch East India Company from the 17th to the 19th century. The center of Old Batavia is Fatahillah Square, where the main building is the Jakarta History Museum. The Jakarta History Museum was built in 1710 and was formerly the Batavia City Hall. The museum courtyard has a small area dedicated to traditional Betawi snacks, where I drank a rare, historic Batavian ice drink called layered rice flour drink (Selendang Mayang). Layered rice flour drink (Selendang Mayang) is made from rice flour, vanilla powder, pandan leaves, red sugar syrup, and coconut milk.
The Betawi people are a unique ethnic group that formed in Jakarta. In 1619, the Dutch established Batavia as the trade and administrative center for the Dutch East India Company. After the Dutch East India Company signed a formal peace treaty with the Sultanate of Banten in 1684, the swampy areas around Batavia could finally be cultivated. More and more people lived outside the city walls, including Malays, Sundanese, Javanese, Minangkabau, and Bugis people. Between the 18th and 19th centuries, the various ethnic groups living in Batavia began to merge. Over the course of a hundred years, they finally formed the modern Betawi people by the early 20th century. The Betawi people speak a version of Malay mixed with many words from Fujian Chinese, Arabic, and Dutch, known as Betawi Malay. It is the only Malay-speaking region on the northern coast of Java. Betawi cuisine is also strongly influenced by Indonesian Chinese, Arab, European, and local Sundanese and Javanese food.
Collapse Read »
2024 Halal Travel Summary: Singapore, Malaysia, China and Beyond (Jan-Jun)
Reposted from the web
Summary: This 2024 travel summary covers the first half of the year, including trips through Singapore, Malaysia, China, and other destinations with halal food and Muslim travel notes. It keeps the original route, dates, places, photographs, and food details as a clear English travel record.
January in Singapore.
I traveled to Singapore in January and tasted various halal Chinese dishes. I found prawn noodles (xia mian), Hakka stuffed tofu (niang doufu), Hong Kong-style dim sum, Hainanese chicken rice, and stir-fry tea house dishes run by Hui Muslims. See "Tasting Halal Chinese Food in Singapore."
I discovered a halal-certified Peranakan restaurant in Singapore called Old Nyonya Kitchen (Lao Niangre Xiaochu) on Joo Chiat Road. Also, in Bedok North Street in eastern Singapore, there is a 60-year-old shop called Lu Lin Nyonya Kueh. They have a shop in front and a factory in the back, selling all kinds of halal Nyonya cakes (kueh). See "Eating Nyonya Food in Singapore."
Singapore has a very strong Indian culture. Tamil people from the southeastern coast of India built the Al-Abrar Mosque and the Jamae Mosque in Chinatown, as well as the Nagore Dargah, a Sufi shrine (gongbei). Little India is the liveliest place in Singapore. The shophouses on both sides are filled with Indian shops. At the southern end, there is the Abdul Gafoor Mosque built by Tamils, and at the northern end, there is the Angullia Mosque built by Gujaratis. The Tekka Centre in Little India has a row of Indian food stalls, and there is also the Indian Heritage Centre that introduces Indian culture. Kampong Glam has many century-old Indian shops. Some specialize in roti prata (fei bing), and some were even favored by British governors. See "Experiencing Indian Muslim Culture in Singapore."
The Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore originally focused on collecting crafts from Malays and other indigenous peoples of Southeast Asia. After the 1990s, it expanded its scope to collect items from West and South Asia, gradually becoming a museum that showcases the intersection of different Asian cultures and civilizations. See "Visiting the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore."
In Fort Canning Park, Singapore, there is the tomb of Sultan Iskandar Shah of Singapore, who is said to be the founder of the Malacca Sultanate. Archaeologists discovered thousands of 14th-century artifacts near the Sultan's tomb, many of which came from China and Java. At the foot of Mount Faber in southern Singapore, there is the tomb of Temenggong Abdul Rahman, one of the founders of modern Singapore, and his family. Kampong Glam in Singapore was originally the land of Sultan Hussein of Johor. The Sultan's family built the Sultan Mosque, the palace, and the Prime Minister's office here, and there is also a cemetery for the Sultan's family in the north. On the east side of Kampong Glam, there is the Hajjah Fatimah Mosque built by a Malay noblewoman. East of the Sultan's palace is the former site of a publishing house founded by members of the Sultan's family. Kampong Glam has several long-standing Padang rice (padang fan) restaurants that are well worth eating at. See "The Malays and the Early History of Singapore."
After Singapore was established as a free trade port in 1819, the Aljunied family from Yemen, who were doing business in Palembang, Sumatra, immediately came to Singapore and then established a spice and batik clothing trade network there. After that, other Arab merchants also came to Singapore to open shops, gradually forming Arab Street. We visited a batik and Nyonya clothing store opened by the Aljunied family in 1940, and bought traditional batik clothing at another batik shop opened by people of Yemeni descent. Another family from Yemen, the Alsagoff family, once dominated the spice trade in Singapore. They founded the oldest existing Islamic school (madrasa) in Singapore and built a shrine (gongbei) for a Yemeni Sufi sage in Singapore. See "Arab Merchants in Singapore."
Geylang Serai is located in the eastern part of Singapore. In the early 20th century, it became an important Malay community in Singapore. The Geylang Serai Market is the largest Malay market in Singapore, where you can taste various Malay delicacies. The nearby Haig Road Market and Food Centre also have many Malay delicacies. On the second floor of City Plaza near the Geylang River, you can find Singapore's last shop making handmade traditional caps (songkok). The Malay Heritage Centre is located next to the Geylang Serai Market. See "Visiting the Malay Market in Geylang Serai, Singapore."
January: Johor Bahru, Seremban, Klang, Ipoh, and Kuala Kangsar, Malaysia.
We went to Malaysia to eat various halal Chinese meals. In Johor Bahru, we ate at the Hainanese coffee shop Hua Mui and visited the Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum. In Seremban, we ate at the halal Chinese restaurants Muhammad Kew and Mohd Chan. In Klang, we ate at the halal Chinese restaurants Yiqi Chichi and Rahmat Tan. In Ipoh, we ate at the famous halal Chinese restaurant Lau Kee, the halal Chinese stir-fry shop Gerai Ipoh Ipoh Aje, and stayed at the heritage shophouse hotel Sarang Paloh. In Kuala Kangsar, we ate at the old-school Hainanese coffee shop Yut Loy. See "Tasting Halal Chinese Food in Malaysia."
After the 14th century, the Minangkabau people living on Sumatra Island crossed the Strait of Malacca to settle in Negeri Sembilan on the Malay Peninsula. Today, you can experience Minangkabau culture at the Negeri Sembilan State Museum. On the hill to the east of Seremban Lake Garden is the Tuanku Ja'afar Royal Gallery. In the city center, there is the century-old Jamek Mosque and the famous long-standing shop Haji Shariff's Cendol. See "Negeri Sembilan: The Settlement of the Minangkabau People in Malaysia."
Kuala Kangsar is located in Perak, Malaysia. It has been the royal city of the Sultan of Perak since the 18th century, where you can feel the authentic Malay village (kampung) atmosphere. On Friday, we visited the night market at the Kuala Kangsar Market and tasted various Malay snacks. The core area of the Perak Sultan's royal city is on Bukit Chandan hill. It features the Istana Hulu built in 1898 (currently closed), the Ubudiah Mosque built in 1913, the Perak Royal Mausoleum built in 1915, the Perak Prince's wooden house built in 1912, the bamboo-walled Istana Kenangan built in 1926, and the Istana Iskandariah built in 1933 (not open to the public). See "The Royal City of the Perak Sultan and the Lively Malay Night Market."
Ipoh is located in Perak, Malaysia, and is known as the "City of Tin." In the late 19th century, many South Indian Tamils came to Ipoh to make a living, and the Ipoh Indian Mosque was built in 1908. Some North Indian Pathans (Pashtun descent) and Punjabis also came to Ipoh to work as police officers, and they built the Pakistan Mosque in Ipoh's Little India in 1930. In Ipoh's old town, we ate at a Tamil mamak stall that has been serving rice with curry (nasi kandar) for over 50 years, and we also had durian shaved ice (cendol) in the old town. The center for Malay people in Ipoh is the Panglima Kinta Mosque, built in 1898 by the Kinta River. See "Indian and Malay Mosques in Ipoh, Malaysia."
The Muhammadiah Mosque in Tasek, in the northern suburbs of Ipoh, was rebuilt under the leadership of the Ipoh branch of the Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association. It is the first mosque in Malaysia with a purely Chinese architectural style, and you can see Chinese characters everywhere inside. I performed the Friday prayer (namaz) at the mosque and met Dato' Sheikh Abdul Rahman, the chairman of the Ipoh branch of the Chinese Muslim Association. See "Performing Friday Prayer at a Chinese Mosque in Malaysia."
In 1889, Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor officially moved the royal capital to Johor Bahru. The Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque is a mosque in Malaysia with a very distinct Victorian style. The Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum is the royal burial ground for the Sultans of Johor, and it also uses Victorian architectural style. The Pasir Pelangi Royal Mosque is located next to the Pasir Pelangi Palace of the Sultan of Johor, and the entire structure is in a neoclassical style. The Johor Art Gallery has many works by Johor artists, and there is a young man on-site to guide you through the experience of traditional tie-dyeing. There are traditional Johor Malay buildings in the courtyard where you can change into traditional clothes for photos. On Jalan Dhoby in the old town of Johor Bahru, there is a traditional Indian bakery that has been open for over 80 years, and there is also an Indian mosque nearby. See "The Royal City of the Temenggong Dynasty of the Johor Sultanate—Johor Bahru."
On Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, a street with century-old arcade buildings in the old town of Johor Bahru, you will find Nyonya Dynasty, the first Nyonya restaurant in Johor state to receive halal certification. There are three halal Nyonya restaurants in the NU Sentral mall opposite KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur, and this time we ate at the largest of the three, Peranakan Place. See "Eating Nyonya Cuisine in Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia."
Selangor is located on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. After the 17th century, the Bugis people from Sulawesi Island entered Selangor as mercenaries and established the Sultanate of Selangor in the 18th century. In 1874, the Selangor royal city was destroyed in a civil war, and Sultan Abdul Samad moved the royal city to the foot of Jugra Hill inside the mouth of the Selangor River. Today, two historical buildings, the Alaeddin Palace and the Alaeddin Mosque, are still preserved here. The Sultan also built the Alam Shah Palace in Klang. The Sultan Sulaiman Royal Mosque, which is right next to the palace, uses Art Deco style. The Sultan Abdul Aziz Royal Gallery is located in the center of the old town of Klang. The arcade area of Klang's old town has a lively Little India neighborhood, and the Indian mosque is a landmark building. See "The Royal City of the Sultan of Selangor—Jugra, Klang."
February, Urumqi.
Hotan Street is a famous food street in Urumqi. We ate the Kashgar Yibazhua (a type of meat bun) that had the longest line on Hotan Second Street, drank pigeon soup, bought traditional Uyghur pastries, and ate roasted goose eggs, handmade yogurt, and Yangle spicy chicken. There are also many Kazakh restaurants on Hotan Street. We ate horse sausage narin (a traditional meat and noodle dish) and milk tea at the Sai Gulu Ke restaurant, and had a Kazakh breakfast at Baoersake. I also bought an old-fashioned poplar wood sapayi (a traditional percussion instrument) at the Duoluozhe Ethnic Musical Instrument Store in Erdaoqiao, and bought usma (a plant-based eyebrow pencil) on the street. We walked around the Tianshan Vanke mall, which has many Uyghur restaurants and even a restaurant specifically for children's supplementary food. See "Hotan Street, Erdaoqiao, and Tianshan Vanke in Urumqi."
Although I was busy with night prayers during this return to Urumqi, I still found time to visit two small Hui Muslim eateries. The first one is Zainab's childhood treasure restaurant—Heping Bridge Dumpling Restaurant. Their place is a rare, old-school Hui Muslim sour soup dumpling shop in Urumqi. The second place is Xinshenghua Meatball Soup (wanzi tang) for Hui Muslims in Changji. The environment is very nice, the kitchen is open for everyone to see, and the food tastes great. See "Sharing Two Hui Muslim Eateries I Visited in Urumqi This Time."
I went to the Dawan Gongbei in Urumqi to attend the funeral (maitai) for an elder from the Luyuan Street community. After the funeral, I visited the two sages at the Dawan Gongbei. The first is the elder from Weijiapu, the first imam (ahong) to start formal religious education in Urumqi. The second is Imam Ma Zongfu, the leader of the Beiliang Mosque and Beifang Mosque in Urumqi, known to everyone as Elder Datong. See "Visiting the Dawan Gongbei in Urumqi."
March, Wuhan
I returned to Wuhan ten years after graduation. At night, I ate at Diaohuzi Hui Muslim Barbecue in Erqi, Jiang'an. In the morning, I prayed (namaz) at the Jiang'an Mosque. At Chengliji, I caught some freshly fried beef meatballs (niurou yuanzi). At the Yixiangzhai food shop nearby, I bought peanut brittle (huasheng su) and ginger candy (jiangzhi zatang). On the side road of Erqi, I ate three-ingredient noodles and beef mixed noodles at the Halal Shuangbao Red Oil Beef series shop. At noon, I ate Ma's hot dry noodles (reganmian) on Liangdao Street in Wuchang and taro cheese bricks at the Halal Red Brick Wall shop. In the evening, I went to the Yizhiwei Restaurant on Bayi Road to eat Halal Hubei cuisine. See "Returning to Wuhan Ten Years After Graduation (Part 1): Jiang'an Mosque, Central China Normal University, and Wuchang Food."
Early in the morning, I went to the Ma Si Baba Gongbei on Huquan Street to pay my respects. In the afternoon, I drank sand-boiled coffee and ate baklava at a Turkish cafe in Tongxingli, Hankou. In the afternoon, I went to the Fatumei Restaurant on Huangxing Road to eat beef spring rolls, stir-fried beef tripe, and shredded dry-fried beef. See "Returning to Wuhan Ten Years After Graduation (Part 2): Ma Si Baba Gongbei, Turkish Coffee, and Fatumei Restaurant."
March, Hexiwu, Wuqing, Tianjin
I went back to my hometown with my family in Hexiwu Town, Wuqing District, Tianjin. Because it was a key hub for water transport, Hexiwu Town had many Hui Muslim merchants during the Ming and Qing dynasties. There was a Hui Muslim camp southwest of the town, and the Hexiwu Mosque was first built in the early years of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty. After leaving the mosque, we bought the local specialty golden-rimmed braised meat (jinbian koumen) at the Xinpengzhai Restaurant. Then we went to the "First Post Station Snack Street" inside the Hexiwu Farmers' Market. The most famous item there is the yellow rice fried cake (huangmi zhagao) from the century-old Wangji Lirenzhai. Also, the crispy fried dough pockets (gezhe he) of Hexiwu are very famous. See "My Hometown—Hexiwu Town, Wuqing, Tianjin."
May, Yiwu and Lishui, Zhejiang
After four years, we visited Yiwu again. After travel restrictions were lifted, Yiwu became busy again. People from countries in the Middle East and Africa all came to Yiwu to buy goods, and many new Middle Eastern restaurants opened, especially in the Binwang business district. This time, we chose a few of the newly opened restaurants to try. See "Many New Middle Eastern Restaurants Have Opened in Yiwu."
On the afternoon of May 2, I took the high-speed train from Yiwu to Lishui to visit Lishui Mosque. Lishui Mosque has two sections, featuring two gate towers, a front hall, connecting corridors, and a main hall, all in a distinct local Lishui style. The gate towers are the most unique part and are listed as a Lishui City cultural heritage site. See "Visiting Lishui Mosque in Zhejiang."
In May, I visited Fuzhou, Quanzhou, and Xiamen in Fujian.
I visited Fuzhou Mosque at Nanmendou and went to pay my respects at the tomb of the Sheikh (shaihai) inside the Hui Muslim cemetery on Meifeng Road. The Fuzhou Museum displays three Song and Yuan dynasty tombstone carvings from Quanzhou. I had lunch at the famous Turkish restaurant Aladdin, then returned to Fuzhou Mosque for Jumu'ah prayer. See "Jumu'ah in Fuzhou: Fuzhou Mosque, Sheikh Tomb, Song and Yuan Stone Carvings, and a Turkish Restaurant."
I went to Qingjing Mosque in Quanzhou for Zuhr prayer. Imam Ma of Qingjing Mosque is from Hualong, Qinghai. During the day, he leads prayers in the main hall donated by Oman, and after the tourist area closes, he leads prayers in the smaller Mingshan Hall. The next morning, I continued exploring Qingjing Mosque. See "The Thousand-Year-Old Qingjing Mosque in Quanzhou."
Lingshan Holy Tomb is in the east of Quanzhou city, also known as the Tomb of the Three and Four Sages. The holy tomb currently has two granite graves divided into three layers, with lotus petal carvings on the bottom layer. In 1958, when the Fuzhou-Xiamen highway outside the East Gate of Quanzhou was widened, several Song and Yuan dynasty Muslim pedestal-style tomb stones by the road were moved next to the Lingshan Holy Tomb. Next to the Lingshan Holy Tomb is the cemetery for local Quanzhou Hui Muslims. The Ge, Ma, and Huang families are descendants of the generations of imams who served at Qingjing Mosque. A large section of the Lingshan Sacred Tomb scenic area is dedicated to the Ding family cemetery from Chendai. See "Lingshan Holy Tomb in Quanzhou."
At noon, I took a taxi south of Quanzhou to Chendai Mosque for Asr prayer and visited the Chendai Hui Muslim History Museum located inside the Ding Family Ancestral Hall. See "Chendai Mosque and the Chendai Hui Muslim History Museum in Quanzhou, Fujian."
In Quanzhou, besides the famous Baiqi Guo family of Hui Muslims, there is also a branch of the Jundong Guo family of Hui Muslims. Today, the Xingzhai Guo Family Ancestral Hall is a large Southern Fujian-style ancestral hall with three rows of buildings, two courtyards, and two side houses. It is a Quanzhou cultural heritage site and serves as the cultural activity center for the Xingzhai Hui Muslim Seniors Association. Inside the Guo Family Ancestral Hall in Xingzhai, there are several stone tablets, one of which is inscribed with 'Site of the Islamic Mosque'. See 'Echoes of the Faith: The Guo Family Mosque of the Hui Muslims in Xingzhai, Quanzhou'.
The Quanzhou Maritime Museum was built in 1959. In 2003, the Quanzhou Islamic Culture Exhibition Hall was completed, and in 2008, the 'Arabs and Persians in Quanzhou' exhibition officially opened, displaying over 200 stone carvings from the Song and Yuan dynasties related to the faith. See 'Song and Yuan Dynasty Islamic Stone Carvings in the Quanzhou Maritime Museum Collection'.
At noon, I visited the Xiamen Mosque and was very grateful to have braised noodles (huimian) made by Imam Liu. Inside the Xiamen Mosque, there are two stone tablets dating back to 1902 (the 28th year of the Guangxu reign) and 1924 (the 13th year of the Republic of China). I had dinner at the main branch of Ma'erlong in the evening. See '[2024 May Day Trip] Xiamen Mosque and Ma'erlong Xinjiang Cuisine'.
The Anthropology Museum of Xiamen University is the first university museum in the People's Republic of China, and it houses a large number of Song and Yuan dynasty Islamic stone carvings from Quanzhou. See 'Song and Yuan Dynasty Islamic Stone Carvings in the Xiamen University Anthropology Museum Collection'.
May: Chengdu, Dujiangyan, and Leshan, Sichuan.
I went to Chengdu for a business trip in May and stayed behind the Huangcheng Mosque. This time, I felt the area in front of the Huangcheng Mosque was much livelier than before, with many new restaurants opened. See 'The Huangcheng Mosque Neighborhood in Chengdu is Great for Exploring'.
Tuqiao is located in the northwest of Chengdu. Since the Qing Dynasty, it has been a necessary stop for merchants traveling to Chengdu from Aba and Songpan via the Songmao Ancient Road. Many Hui Muslims settled here, and during the reigns of Yongzheng and Qianlong, two mosques were built, known as the Tuqiao Lower Mosque and Upper Mosque. On the evening of May 16, I first bought half a smoked duck at Shunji Marinated Meats (Shunji Yanlu) in front of the Tuqiao Upper Mosque. Then, I bought a serving of braised beef offal (shao niuza) with rice at the nearby Dama Ge Beef Restaurant. After coming down from Hufutan, I had some spicy wontons (hongyou chaoshou) at the Old Street Restaurant in front of the Tuqiao Upper Mosque. Tuqiao is very lively in the morning, and a line formed in front of Shunji Marinated Meats. The Sichuan-style marinated meats here are really worth buying. After finishing breakfast, I visited the Tuqiao Hui Muslim Cemetery, which has a history of over 200 years. See 'Tasting Sichuan Delicacies in Tuqiao, Chengdu'.
On May 15, we set off from Chengdu to Dujiangyan and visited the Dujiangyan Mosque at noon. There are many halal restaurants around the Dujiangyan Mosque, where you can eat authentic traditional Hui Muslim dishes from western Sichuan. Huixiangyuan, located right next to the Dujiangyan Mosque, is a long-established restaurant that displays a traditional soup pot (tangping) sign. I had some chilled tofu pudding (bing douhua) at a small snack shop in Dujiangyan; it was soft and very refreshing. See "Ancient Mosques and Food in Dujiangyan, Sichuan."
We left Chengdu early on May 16 and arrived in Leshan after a two-hour drive, heading to the local restaurant Haishi Qiaojiao Beef for lunch. The restaurant is right across from the Leshan Giant Buddha, next to the old Leshan Port on the Min River. Haishi Qiaojiao Beef was founded by Imam Hai Weixiong. Imam Hai is from Qingliu Town in the Rongchang District of Chongqing. His ancestors moved to Sichuan from Hubei and Hunan during the Kangxi reign. In October 1989, he became the first imam of the Leshan Mosque after the policy was restored, serving until 1998 when he retired to go into business. Besides Haishi Qiaojiao Beef in Leshan, there is also Sulaimani Qiaojiao Beef on the Maluqiao Food Street at the foot of Mount Emei. The owners are Hui Muslims from Rong County, Zigong City. See "Eating Qiaojiao Beef in Leshan and Mount Emei, Sichuan."
June, Liaocheng and Linqing, Shandong
Seven years later, I visited the Dongguan Hui Muslim community in Liaocheng again. There are two mosques in Liaocheng Dongguan: the west one is commonly known as the Great Mosque (Da Libaisi), and the east one is called the Small Mosque (Xiao Libaisi). The "Great and Small Mosque Street District" in Liaocheng Dongguan is among the first batch of historical and cultural districts in Shandong Province and serves as an important historical witness to the Hui Muslim communities along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal during the Ming and Qing dynasties. See "Revisiting the Great and Small Mosque Streets in Liaocheng Dongguan."
We took a train from Liaocheng to Linqing and went to Baoliang First Shop to eat a meat-filled pancake roll (bing juan rou). In the afternoon, we prayed the Dhuhr (lidigele) prayer at the North Mosque in Linqing, then went to the East Mosque across the street to pray the Asr (shamu) and Maghrib (hufutan) prayers. After the Asr prayer, we ate big bowls of food at Erliang Diguo Millet Porridge at the intersection of Xianfeng Road and Dazhong Road. After the Maghrib prayer, I rode my bike to the Linqing Women's Mosque to find Zainab. In the morning, we had breakfast at Kong Family Steamed Bowl (kouwan) at the Xianfeng Road intersection. After eating, we went to Xianfeng Road to have tofu brain (doufunao) and old tofu (lao doufu). At noon, we ate Wang Family Ten-Fragrance Noodles (shixiang mian) on Xinhua Road, then went to Hongguanying Mosque in Linxi County, Xingtai, Hebei, to pray the Dhuhr (pieshen) prayer. On the way back, we bought deep-stir-fried meat tenderloin (ganzha liji), meat-filled baked buns (rou huoshao), and smoked pigeon (xunge). See "The Ancient Canal City of Linqing, Shandong."
June: Shenyang, Xinmin, Dalian, Fuzhou, Fengcheng, Dandong, and Xinlitun in Liaoning.
I went to Liaoning for the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. I took a high-speed train from Beijing Chaoyang Station to Shenyang in the evening. The next morning, I went to the Lijiang Morning Market in Shenyang and had lamb soup, shaomai, and pan-fried meat pies (huitou) at Heige Lamb Soup. On the third morning, I visited the Bayi Morning Market in Shenyang again. Shenyang has so many morning markets, and every one of them is full of delicious food. After the market, I took a train from Shenyang Station to Xinmin to visit the Xinmin Mosque. At the halal restaurants around the Xinmin Mosque, you can see signs for the Jin, Bai, and Yang families. See "[Dragon Boat Festival Liaoning Trip] Visiting Shenyang Morning Markets and the Ancient Xinmin Mosque."
On the morning of June 8, I took a train from Shenyang to the ancient city of Fuzhou and had "Fuzhou old-style dishes" at the Qunfangyuan Restaurant near the Fuzhou city roundabout. After lunch, we went to the Fuzhou Mosque for namaz. The imam of the Fuzhou Mosque is from Mengcun, Cangzhou, Hebei. Hui Muslim homes in Fuzhou city. The old street has blue bricks and dark tiles, with Arabic calligraphy on the walls, keeping the look of the old days. There is a legendary halal food spot in Fuzhou city, which is my friend's family shop, Yin's sticky rice cake (jiangmi lianggao). In the afternoon, I took a high-speed train from Wafangdian West Station to Dalian North Station and had dinner at the long-established Ma's Dumpling Restaurant (Ma Jia Jiaozi Guan) in front of Dalian Railway Station. After dinner, I went to the Dalian Mosque on Beijing Street for namaz. The next morning, I left from Dalian Station for Qingdui, then took a taxi to the ancient town of Qingdui to visit the Qingdui Mosque. See "[Dragon Boat Festival Liaoning Trip] Dalian City, Fuzhou Ancient City, and Qingdui Ancient Town."
At noon on June 9, I took a train from Dalian to Fengcheng. At Wenbin Snack Bar, I had the Dandong-style stir-fried corn noodles (chao chazi), and also ordered corn grit eight-treasure porridge (dazhazi babaozhou) and a 6-yuan vegetable platter. After eating, I went to the Fengcheng Mosque for namaz. The imam of the Fengcheng Mosque is also from Cangzhou. In the afternoon, I took a train from Fengcheng to Dandong and visited the Dandong Mosque. The entrance to the mosque was very busy. In the afternoon, I had dinner at the long-established Jinlongge Restaurant in Dandong. They have a wide variety of traditional stir-fried dishes and seafood. See "[Dragon Boat Festival Liaoning Trip] Fengcheng Ancient Mosque and Dandong Food."
On the morning of June 10, I took a high-speed train from Liaoning's Xinmin North Station, arrived at Heishan North Station in 15 minutes, and then took a taxi to Xinlitun Town. I performed the afternoon prayer (peshin) at Xinlitun Mosque, where the imam, Ma, is from Cangzhou. There are many halal restaurants in Xinlitun, but many were closed for the Dragon Boat Festival. We bought beef jerky and smoked dried tofu (xungan doufu) at Wang Zijing Deli, and both were delicious! In the afternoon, we took a train from Xinlitun Railway Station to Fuxin South Station. We performed the late afternoon prayer (asr) and sunset prayer (maghrib) at Fuxin Mosque, then had dinner at Daijia Restaurant Huiweizhai near the mosque. Collapse Read »
Summary: This 2024 travel summary covers the first half of the year, including trips through Singapore, Malaysia, China, and other destinations with halal food and Muslim travel notes. It keeps the original route, dates, places, photographs, and food details as a clear English travel record.
January in Singapore.
I traveled to Singapore in January and tasted various halal Chinese dishes. I found prawn noodles (xia mian), Hakka stuffed tofu (niang doufu), Hong Kong-style dim sum, Hainanese chicken rice, and stir-fry tea house dishes run by Hui Muslims. See "Tasting Halal Chinese Food in Singapore."
I discovered a halal-certified Peranakan restaurant in Singapore called Old Nyonya Kitchen (Lao Niangre Xiaochu) on Joo Chiat Road. Also, in Bedok North Street in eastern Singapore, there is a 60-year-old shop called Lu Lin Nyonya Kueh. They have a shop in front and a factory in the back, selling all kinds of halal Nyonya cakes (kueh). See "Eating Nyonya Food in Singapore."
Singapore has a very strong Indian culture. Tamil people from the southeastern coast of India built the Al-Abrar Mosque and the Jamae Mosque in Chinatown, as well as the Nagore Dargah, a Sufi shrine (gongbei). Little India is the liveliest place in Singapore. The shophouses on both sides are filled with Indian shops. At the southern end, there is the Abdul Gafoor Mosque built by Tamils, and at the northern end, there is the Angullia Mosque built by Gujaratis. The Tekka Centre in Little India has a row of Indian food stalls, and there is also the Indian Heritage Centre that introduces Indian culture. Kampong Glam has many century-old Indian shops. Some specialize in roti prata (fei bing), and some were even favored by British governors. See "Experiencing Indian Muslim Culture in Singapore."
The Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore originally focused on collecting crafts from Malays and other indigenous peoples of Southeast Asia. After the 1990s, it expanded its scope to collect items from West and South Asia, gradually becoming a museum that showcases the intersection of different Asian cultures and civilizations. See "Visiting the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore."
In Fort Canning Park, Singapore, there is the tomb of Sultan Iskandar Shah of Singapore, who is said to be the founder of the Malacca Sultanate. Archaeologists discovered thousands of 14th-century artifacts near the Sultan's tomb, many of which came from China and Java. At the foot of Mount Faber in southern Singapore, there is the tomb of Temenggong Abdul Rahman, one of the founders of modern Singapore, and his family. Kampong Glam in Singapore was originally the land of Sultan Hussein of Johor. The Sultan's family built the Sultan Mosque, the palace, and the Prime Minister's office here, and there is also a cemetery for the Sultan's family in the north. On the east side of Kampong Glam, there is the Hajjah Fatimah Mosque built by a Malay noblewoman. East of the Sultan's palace is the former site of a publishing house founded by members of the Sultan's family. Kampong Glam has several long-standing Padang rice (padang fan) restaurants that are well worth eating at. See "The Malays and the Early History of Singapore."
After Singapore was established as a free trade port in 1819, the Aljunied family from Yemen, who were doing business in Palembang, Sumatra, immediately came to Singapore and then established a spice and batik clothing trade network there. After that, other Arab merchants also came to Singapore to open shops, gradually forming Arab Street. We visited a batik and Nyonya clothing store opened by the Aljunied family in 1940, and bought traditional batik clothing at another batik shop opened by people of Yemeni descent. Another family from Yemen, the Alsagoff family, once dominated the spice trade in Singapore. They founded the oldest existing Islamic school (madrasa) in Singapore and built a shrine (gongbei) for a Yemeni Sufi sage in Singapore. See "Arab Merchants in Singapore."
Geylang Serai is located in the eastern part of Singapore. In the early 20th century, it became an important Malay community in Singapore. The Geylang Serai Market is the largest Malay market in Singapore, where you can taste various Malay delicacies. The nearby Haig Road Market and Food Centre also have many Malay delicacies. On the second floor of City Plaza near the Geylang River, you can find Singapore's last shop making handmade traditional caps (songkok). The Malay Heritage Centre is located next to the Geylang Serai Market. See "Visiting the Malay Market in Geylang Serai, Singapore."
January: Johor Bahru, Seremban, Klang, Ipoh, and Kuala Kangsar, Malaysia.
We went to Malaysia to eat various halal Chinese meals. In Johor Bahru, we ate at the Hainanese coffee shop Hua Mui and visited the Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum. In Seremban, we ate at the halal Chinese restaurants Muhammad Kew and Mohd Chan. In Klang, we ate at the halal Chinese restaurants Yiqi Chichi and Rahmat Tan. In Ipoh, we ate at the famous halal Chinese restaurant Lau Kee, the halal Chinese stir-fry shop Gerai Ipoh Ipoh Aje, and stayed at the heritage shophouse hotel Sarang Paloh. In Kuala Kangsar, we ate at the old-school Hainanese coffee shop Yut Loy. See "Tasting Halal Chinese Food in Malaysia."
After the 14th century, the Minangkabau people living on Sumatra Island crossed the Strait of Malacca to settle in Negeri Sembilan on the Malay Peninsula. Today, you can experience Minangkabau culture at the Negeri Sembilan State Museum. On the hill to the east of Seremban Lake Garden is the Tuanku Ja'afar Royal Gallery. In the city center, there is the century-old Jamek Mosque and the famous long-standing shop Haji Shariff's Cendol. See "Negeri Sembilan: The Settlement of the Minangkabau People in Malaysia."
Kuala Kangsar is located in Perak, Malaysia. It has been the royal city of the Sultan of Perak since the 18th century, where you can feel the authentic Malay village (kampung) atmosphere. On Friday, we visited the night market at the Kuala Kangsar Market and tasted various Malay snacks. The core area of the Perak Sultan's royal city is on Bukit Chandan hill. It features the Istana Hulu built in 1898 (currently closed), the Ubudiah Mosque built in 1913, the Perak Royal Mausoleum built in 1915, the Perak Prince's wooden house built in 1912, the bamboo-walled Istana Kenangan built in 1926, and the Istana Iskandariah built in 1933 (not open to the public). See "The Royal City of the Perak Sultan and the Lively Malay Night Market."
Ipoh is located in Perak, Malaysia, and is known as the "City of Tin." In the late 19th century, many South Indian Tamils came to Ipoh to make a living, and the Ipoh Indian Mosque was built in 1908. Some North Indian Pathans (Pashtun descent) and Punjabis also came to Ipoh to work as police officers, and they built the Pakistan Mosque in Ipoh's Little India in 1930. In Ipoh's old town, we ate at a Tamil mamak stall that has been serving rice with curry (nasi kandar) for over 50 years, and we also had durian shaved ice (cendol) in the old town. The center for Malay people in Ipoh is the Panglima Kinta Mosque, built in 1898 by the Kinta River. See "Indian and Malay Mosques in Ipoh, Malaysia."
The Muhammadiah Mosque in Tasek, in the northern suburbs of Ipoh, was rebuilt under the leadership of the Ipoh branch of the Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association. It is the first mosque in Malaysia with a purely Chinese architectural style, and you can see Chinese characters everywhere inside. I performed the Friday prayer (namaz) at the mosque and met Dato' Sheikh Abdul Rahman, the chairman of the Ipoh branch of the Chinese Muslim Association. See "Performing Friday Prayer at a Chinese Mosque in Malaysia."
In 1889, Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor officially moved the royal capital to Johor Bahru. The Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque is a mosque in Malaysia with a very distinct Victorian style. The Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum is the royal burial ground for the Sultans of Johor, and it also uses Victorian architectural style. The Pasir Pelangi Royal Mosque is located next to the Pasir Pelangi Palace of the Sultan of Johor, and the entire structure is in a neoclassical style. The Johor Art Gallery has many works by Johor artists, and there is a young man on-site to guide you through the experience of traditional tie-dyeing. There are traditional Johor Malay buildings in the courtyard where you can change into traditional clothes for photos. On Jalan Dhoby in the old town of Johor Bahru, there is a traditional Indian bakery that has been open for over 80 years, and there is also an Indian mosque nearby. See "The Royal City of the Temenggong Dynasty of the Johor Sultanate—Johor Bahru."
On Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, a street with century-old arcade buildings in the old town of Johor Bahru, you will find Nyonya Dynasty, the first Nyonya restaurant in Johor state to receive halal certification. There are three halal Nyonya restaurants in the NU Sentral mall opposite KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur, and this time we ate at the largest of the three, Peranakan Place. See "Eating Nyonya Cuisine in Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia."
Selangor is located on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. After the 17th century, the Bugis people from Sulawesi Island entered Selangor as mercenaries and established the Sultanate of Selangor in the 18th century. In 1874, the Selangor royal city was destroyed in a civil war, and Sultan Abdul Samad moved the royal city to the foot of Jugra Hill inside the mouth of the Selangor River. Today, two historical buildings, the Alaeddin Palace and the Alaeddin Mosque, are still preserved here. The Sultan also built the Alam Shah Palace in Klang. The Sultan Sulaiman Royal Mosque, which is right next to the palace, uses Art Deco style. The Sultan Abdul Aziz Royal Gallery is located in the center of the old town of Klang. The arcade area of Klang's old town has a lively Little India neighborhood, and the Indian mosque is a landmark building. See "The Royal City of the Sultan of Selangor—Jugra, Klang."
February, Urumqi.
Hotan Street is a famous food street in Urumqi. We ate the Kashgar Yibazhua (a type of meat bun) that had the longest line on Hotan Second Street, drank pigeon soup, bought traditional Uyghur pastries, and ate roasted goose eggs, handmade yogurt, and Yangle spicy chicken. There are also many Kazakh restaurants on Hotan Street. We ate horse sausage narin (a traditional meat and noodle dish) and milk tea at the Sai Gulu Ke restaurant, and had a Kazakh breakfast at Baoersake. I also bought an old-fashioned poplar wood sapayi (a traditional percussion instrument) at the Duoluozhe Ethnic Musical Instrument Store in Erdaoqiao, and bought usma (a plant-based eyebrow pencil) on the street. We walked around the Tianshan Vanke mall, which has many Uyghur restaurants and even a restaurant specifically for children's supplementary food. See "Hotan Street, Erdaoqiao, and Tianshan Vanke in Urumqi."
Although I was busy with night prayers during this return to Urumqi, I still found time to visit two small Hui Muslim eateries. The first one is Zainab's childhood treasure restaurant—Heping Bridge Dumpling Restaurant. Their place is a rare, old-school Hui Muslim sour soup dumpling shop in Urumqi. The second place is Xinshenghua Meatball Soup (wanzi tang) for Hui Muslims in Changji. The environment is very nice, the kitchen is open for everyone to see, and the food tastes great. See "Sharing Two Hui Muslim Eateries I Visited in Urumqi This Time."
I went to the Dawan Gongbei in Urumqi to attend the funeral (maitai) for an elder from the Luyuan Street community. After the funeral, I visited the two sages at the Dawan Gongbei. The first is the elder from Weijiapu, the first imam (ahong) to start formal religious education in Urumqi. The second is Imam Ma Zongfu, the leader of the Beiliang Mosque and Beifang Mosque in Urumqi, known to everyone as Elder Datong. See "Visiting the Dawan Gongbei in Urumqi."
March, Wuhan
I returned to Wuhan ten years after graduation. At night, I ate at Diaohuzi Hui Muslim Barbecue in Erqi, Jiang'an. In the morning, I prayed (namaz) at the Jiang'an Mosque. At Chengliji, I caught some freshly fried beef meatballs (niurou yuanzi). At the Yixiangzhai food shop nearby, I bought peanut brittle (huasheng su) and ginger candy (jiangzhi zatang). On the side road of Erqi, I ate three-ingredient noodles and beef mixed noodles at the Halal Shuangbao Red Oil Beef series shop. At noon, I ate Ma's hot dry noodles (reganmian) on Liangdao Street in Wuchang and taro cheese bricks at the Halal Red Brick Wall shop. In the evening, I went to the Yizhiwei Restaurant on Bayi Road to eat Halal Hubei cuisine. See "Returning to Wuhan Ten Years After Graduation (Part 1): Jiang'an Mosque, Central China Normal University, and Wuchang Food."
Early in the morning, I went to the Ma Si Baba Gongbei on Huquan Street to pay my respects. In the afternoon, I drank sand-boiled coffee and ate baklava at a Turkish cafe in Tongxingli, Hankou. In the afternoon, I went to the Fatumei Restaurant on Huangxing Road to eat beef spring rolls, stir-fried beef tripe, and shredded dry-fried beef. See "Returning to Wuhan Ten Years After Graduation (Part 2): Ma Si Baba Gongbei, Turkish Coffee, and Fatumei Restaurant."
March, Hexiwu, Wuqing, Tianjin
I went back to my hometown with my family in Hexiwu Town, Wuqing District, Tianjin. Because it was a key hub for water transport, Hexiwu Town had many Hui Muslim merchants during the Ming and Qing dynasties. There was a Hui Muslim camp southwest of the town, and the Hexiwu Mosque was first built in the early years of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty. After leaving the mosque, we bought the local specialty golden-rimmed braised meat (jinbian koumen) at the Xinpengzhai Restaurant. Then we went to the "First Post Station Snack Street" inside the Hexiwu Farmers' Market. The most famous item there is the yellow rice fried cake (huangmi zhagao) from the century-old Wangji Lirenzhai. Also, the crispy fried dough pockets (gezhe he) of Hexiwu are very famous. See "My Hometown—Hexiwu Town, Wuqing, Tianjin."
May, Yiwu and Lishui, Zhejiang
After four years, we visited Yiwu again. After travel restrictions were lifted, Yiwu became busy again. People from countries in the Middle East and Africa all came to Yiwu to buy goods, and many new Middle Eastern restaurants opened, especially in the Binwang business district. This time, we chose a few of the newly opened restaurants to try. See "Many New Middle Eastern Restaurants Have Opened in Yiwu."
On the afternoon of May 2, I took the high-speed train from Yiwu to Lishui to visit Lishui Mosque. Lishui Mosque has two sections, featuring two gate towers, a front hall, connecting corridors, and a main hall, all in a distinct local Lishui style. The gate towers are the most unique part and are listed as a Lishui City cultural heritage site. See "Visiting Lishui Mosque in Zhejiang."
In May, I visited Fuzhou, Quanzhou, and Xiamen in Fujian.
I visited Fuzhou Mosque at Nanmendou and went to pay my respects at the tomb of the Sheikh (shaihai) inside the Hui Muslim cemetery on Meifeng Road. The Fuzhou Museum displays three Song and Yuan dynasty tombstone carvings from Quanzhou. I had lunch at the famous Turkish restaurant Aladdin, then returned to Fuzhou Mosque for Jumu'ah prayer. See "Jumu'ah in Fuzhou: Fuzhou Mosque, Sheikh Tomb, Song and Yuan Stone Carvings, and a Turkish Restaurant."
I went to Qingjing Mosque in Quanzhou for Zuhr prayer. Imam Ma of Qingjing Mosque is from Hualong, Qinghai. During the day, he leads prayers in the main hall donated by Oman, and after the tourist area closes, he leads prayers in the smaller Mingshan Hall. The next morning, I continued exploring Qingjing Mosque. See "The Thousand-Year-Old Qingjing Mosque in Quanzhou."
Lingshan Holy Tomb is in the east of Quanzhou city, also known as the Tomb of the Three and Four Sages. The holy tomb currently has two granite graves divided into three layers, with lotus petal carvings on the bottom layer. In 1958, when the Fuzhou-Xiamen highway outside the East Gate of Quanzhou was widened, several Song and Yuan dynasty Muslim pedestal-style tomb stones by the road were moved next to the Lingshan Holy Tomb. Next to the Lingshan Holy Tomb is the cemetery for local Quanzhou Hui Muslims. The Ge, Ma, and Huang families are descendants of the generations of imams who served at Qingjing Mosque. A large section of the Lingshan Sacred Tomb scenic area is dedicated to the Ding family cemetery from Chendai. See "Lingshan Holy Tomb in Quanzhou."
At noon, I took a taxi south of Quanzhou to Chendai Mosque for Asr prayer and visited the Chendai Hui Muslim History Museum located inside the Ding Family Ancestral Hall. See "Chendai Mosque and the Chendai Hui Muslim History Museum in Quanzhou, Fujian."
In Quanzhou, besides the famous Baiqi Guo family of Hui Muslims, there is also a branch of the Jundong Guo family of Hui Muslims. Today, the Xingzhai Guo Family Ancestral Hall is a large Southern Fujian-style ancestral hall with three rows of buildings, two courtyards, and two side houses. It is a Quanzhou cultural heritage site and serves as the cultural activity center for the Xingzhai Hui Muslim Seniors Association. Inside the Guo Family Ancestral Hall in Xingzhai, there are several stone tablets, one of which is inscribed with 'Site of the Islamic Mosque'. See 'Echoes of the Faith: The Guo Family Mosque of the Hui Muslims in Xingzhai, Quanzhou'.
The Quanzhou Maritime Museum was built in 1959. In 2003, the Quanzhou Islamic Culture Exhibition Hall was completed, and in 2008, the 'Arabs and Persians in Quanzhou' exhibition officially opened, displaying over 200 stone carvings from the Song and Yuan dynasties related to the faith. See 'Song and Yuan Dynasty Islamic Stone Carvings in the Quanzhou Maritime Museum Collection'.
At noon, I visited the Xiamen Mosque and was very grateful to have braised noodles (huimian) made by Imam Liu. Inside the Xiamen Mosque, there are two stone tablets dating back to 1902 (the 28th year of the Guangxu reign) and 1924 (the 13th year of the Republic of China). I had dinner at the main branch of Ma'erlong in the evening. See '[2024 May Day Trip] Xiamen Mosque and Ma'erlong Xinjiang Cuisine'.
The Anthropology Museum of Xiamen University is the first university museum in the People's Republic of China, and it houses a large number of Song and Yuan dynasty Islamic stone carvings from Quanzhou. See 'Song and Yuan Dynasty Islamic Stone Carvings in the Xiamen University Anthropology Museum Collection'.
May: Chengdu, Dujiangyan, and Leshan, Sichuan.
I went to Chengdu for a business trip in May and stayed behind the Huangcheng Mosque. This time, I felt the area in front of the Huangcheng Mosque was much livelier than before, with many new restaurants opened. See 'The Huangcheng Mosque Neighborhood in Chengdu is Great for Exploring'.
Tuqiao is located in the northwest of Chengdu. Since the Qing Dynasty, it has been a necessary stop for merchants traveling to Chengdu from Aba and Songpan via the Songmao Ancient Road. Many Hui Muslims settled here, and during the reigns of Yongzheng and Qianlong, two mosques were built, known as the Tuqiao Lower Mosque and Upper Mosque. On the evening of May 16, I first bought half a smoked duck at Shunji Marinated Meats (Shunji Yanlu) in front of the Tuqiao Upper Mosque. Then, I bought a serving of braised beef offal (shao niuza) with rice at the nearby Dama Ge Beef Restaurant. After coming down from Hufutan, I had some spicy wontons (hongyou chaoshou) at the Old Street Restaurant in front of the Tuqiao Upper Mosque. Tuqiao is very lively in the morning, and a line formed in front of Shunji Marinated Meats. The Sichuan-style marinated meats here are really worth buying. After finishing breakfast, I visited the Tuqiao Hui Muslim Cemetery, which has a history of over 200 years. See 'Tasting Sichuan Delicacies in Tuqiao, Chengdu'.
On May 15, we set off from Chengdu to Dujiangyan and visited the Dujiangyan Mosque at noon. There are many halal restaurants around the Dujiangyan Mosque, where you can eat authentic traditional Hui Muslim dishes from western Sichuan. Huixiangyuan, located right next to the Dujiangyan Mosque, is a long-established restaurant that displays a traditional soup pot (tangping) sign. I had some chilled tofu pudding (bing douhua) at a small snack shop in Dujiangyan; it was soft and very refreshing. See "Ancient Mosques and Food in Dujiangyan, Sichuan."
We left Chengdu early on May 16 and arrived in Leshan after a two-hour drive, heading to the local restaurant Haishi Qiaojiao Beef for lunch. The restaurant is right across from the Leshan Giant Buddha, next to the old Leshan Port on the Min River. Haishi Qiaojiao Beef was founded by Imam Hai Weixiong. Imam Hai is from Qingliu Town in the Rongchang District of Chongqing. His ancestors moved to Sichuan from Hubei and Hunan during the Kangxi reign. In October 1989, he became the first imam of the Leshan Mosque after the policy was restored, serving until 1998 when he retired to go into business. Besides Haishi Qiaojiao Beef in Leshan, there is also Sulaimani Qiaojiao Beef on the Maluqiao Food Street at the foot of Mount Emei. The owners are Hui Muslims from Rong County, Zigong City. See "Eating Qiaojiao Beef in Leshan and Mount Emei, Sichuan."
June, Liaocheng and Linqing, Shandong
Seven years later, I visited the Dongguan Hui Muslim community in Liaocheng again. There are two mosques in Liaocheng Dongguan: the west one is commonly known as the Great Mosque (Da Libaisi), and the east one is called the Small Mosque (Xiao Libaisi). The "Great and Small Mosque Street District" in Liaocheng Dongguan is among the first batch of historical and cultural districts in Shandong Province and serves as an important historical witness to the Hui Muslim communities along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal during the Ming and Qing dynasties. See "Revisiting the Great and Small Mosque Streets in Liaocheng Dongguan."
We took a train from Liaocheng to Linqing and went to Baoliang First Shop to eat a meat-filled pancake roll (bing juan rou). In the afternoon, we prayed the Dhuhr (lidigele) prayer at the North Mosque in Linqing, then went to the East Mosque across the street to pray the Asr (shamu) and Maghrib (hufutan) prayers. After the Asr prayer, we ate big bowls of food at Erliang Diguo Millet Porridge at the intersection of Xianfeng Road and Dazhong Road. After the Maghrib prayer, I rode my bike to the Linqing Women's Mosque to find Zainab. In the morning, we had breakfast at Kong Family Steamed Bowl (kouwan) at the Xianfeng Road intersection. After eating, we went to Xianfeng Road to have tofu brain (doufunao) and old tofu (lao doufu). At noon, we ate Wang Family Ten-Fragrance Noodles (shixiang mian) on Xinhua Road, then went to Hongguanying Mosque in Linxi County, Xingtai, Hebei, to pray the Dhuhr (pieshen) prayer. On the way back, we bought deep-stir-fried meat tenderloin (ganzha liji), meat-filled baked buns (rou huoshao), and smoked pigeon (xunge). See "The Ancient Canal City of Linqing, Shandong."
June: Shenyang, Xinmin, Dalian, Fuzhou, Fengcheng, Dandong, and Xinlitun in Liaoning.
I went to Liaoning for the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. I took a high-speed train from Beijing Chaoyang Station to Shenyang in the evening. The next morning, I went to the Lijiang Morning Market in Shenyang and had lamb soup, shaomai, and pan-fried meat pies (huitou) at Heige Lamb Soup. On the third morning, I visited the Bayi Morning Market in Shenyang again. Shenyang has so many morning markets, and every one of them is full of delicious food. After the market, I took a train from Shenyang Station to Xinmin to visit the Xinmin Mosque. At the halal restaurants around the Xinmin Mosque, you can see signs for the Jin, Bai, and Yang families. See "[Dragon Boat Festival Liaoning Trip] Visiting Shenyang Morning Markets and the Ancient Xinmin Mosque."
On the morning of June 8, I took a train from Shenyang to the ancient city of Fuzhou and had "Fuzhou old-style dishes" at the Qunfangyuan Restaurant near the Fuzhou city roundabout. After lunch, we went to the Fuzhou Mosque for namaz. The imam of the Fuzhou Mosque is from Mengcun, Cangzhou, Hebei. Hui Muslim homes in Fuzhou city. The old street has blue bricks and dark tiles, with Arabic calligraphy on the walls, keeping the look of the old days. There is a legendary halal food spot in Fuzhou city, which is my friend's family shop, Yin's sticky rice cake (jiangmi lianggao). In the afternoon, I took a high-speed train from Wafangdian West Station to Dalian North Station and had dinner at the long-established Ma's Dumpling Restaurant (Ma Jia Jiaozi Guan) in front of Dalian Railway Station. After dinner, I went to the Dalian Mosque on Beijing Street for namaz. The next morning, I left from Dalian Station for Qingdui, then took a taxi to the ancient town of Qingdui to visit the Qingdui Mosque. See "[Dragon Boat Festival Liaoning Trip] Dalian City, Fuzhou Ancient City, and Qingdui Ancient Town."
At noon on June 9, I took a train from Dalian to Fengcheng. At Wenbin Snack Bar, I had the Dandong-style stir-fried corn noodles (chao chazi), and also ordered corn grit eight-treasure porridge (dazhazi babaozhou) and a 6-yuan vegetable platter. After eating, I went to the Fengcheng Mosque for namaz. The imam of the Fengcheng Mosque is also from Cangzhou. In the afternoon, I took a train from Fengcheng to Dandong and visited the Dandong Mosque. The entrance to the mosque was very busy. In the afternoon, I had dinner at the long-established Jinlongge Restaurant in Dandong. They have a wide variety of traditional stir-fried dishes and seafood. See "[Dragon Boat Festival Liaoning Trip] Fengcheng Ancient Mosque and Dandong Food."
On the morning of June 10, I took a high-speed train from Liaoning's Xinmin North Station, arrived at Heishan North Station in 15 minutes, and then took a taxi to Xinlitun Town. I performed the afternoon prayer (peshin) at Xinlitun Mosque, where the imam, Ma, is from Cangzhou. There are many halal restaurants in Xinlitun, but many were closed for the Dragon Boat Festival. We bought beef jerky and smoked dried tofu (xungan doufu) at Wang Zijing Deli, and both were delicious! In the afternoon, we took a train from Xinlitun Railway Station to Fuxin South Station. We performed the late afternoon prayer (asr) and sunset prayer (maghrib) at Fuxin Mosque, then had dinner at Daijia Restaurant Huiweizhai near the mosque. Collapse Read »
Travel Guide: Malacca Malay Wooden Houses and Historic Sites (Part 1)
Reposted from the web
Summary: This first part introduces Malay wooden houses and historic sites in Malacca, with attention to old homes, local architecture, and neighborhood history. It keeps the original place names, photographs, building details, and travel notes for readers interested in Malaysian heritage.
The beautiful and peaceful Malay village of Kampung Morten.
In the northern part of Malacca city sits a beautiful and peaceful Malay village called Kampung Morten. This area was once a mangrove swamp on a bend of the Malacca River, filled with mud crabs. In 1920, the nearby Kampung Jawa was forced to relocate due to land development. The village head, Dato' Othman Mohd Noh, asked the British Land Commissioner at the time, Frederick Joseph Morten, for help. Morten applied for a 10,000 Straits dollar loan from the government that same year, which was then used under Dato' Othman's leadership to buy land and build the village. The village was officially completed in 1922, and the villagers voted to name it Kampung Morten.
Today, Kampung Morten preserves 56 traditional Malay stilt houses and was listed as a heritage village in 1998. After a century of urban growth, the area is now part of downtown Malacca, making it the most convenient place in the city to experience the atmosphere of a Malay kampung.
I encountered a Malay wedding in Kampung Morten where whole families came to eat together, which was very lively.
At a beautiful Malay house in Kampung Morten, the grandfather who owns the home chatted with us very warmly.
The village has a small mosque called Surau Al Abidin with a cute pink exterior.
Several shops in the village serve traditional Malay kampung food, but they do not open until 5:30 in the evening. Some shops set their tables and chairs along the Malacca River, which is very pleasant.
The most worth-visiting Malay wooden house in Kampung Morten is Villa Sentosa, built in 1922 by Haji Hashim Abdul Ghani, who helped build the village. Haji Hashim's descendants still live here today, and they have kept many pieces of furniture and household items that are decades or even a century old. However, the opening hours are not fixed. If the owner is out, at prayer, or taking a nap, the house is closed. We were sorry to find the owner away when we visited, so we could only look around from the outside.
The ancient Malay village of Kampung Ketek.
Behind the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, the oldest Chinese temple in the old town of Malacca, lies the equally ancient Malay village of Kampung Ketek. Kampung Ketek formed during the Dutch era in the 17th century. Although Malay villages within the old city of Malacca shrank rapidly after the 19th century due to the construction of shophouses, you can still see several well-preserved traditional Malay stilt houses in Kampung Ketek today. Abdullah bin Abdul al Kadir (1796-1854), known as the Father of Modern Malay Literature, was born here.
Inside Kampung Ketek, you can see the tomb of Syed Syamsuddin Ibni Al Sumatrani, a famous scholar and national hero from the Aceh Sultanate in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Syamsuddin was a mufti (legal judge) and advisor to Sultan Iskandar Muda (reigned 1607-36) of the Aceh Sultanate in northern Sumatra. He was well-versed in religious knowledge and held a high position in the Sultan's court.
After the Portuguese occupied Malacca in 1511, the Aceh Sultanate kept attacking the Portuguese in an attempt to capture the city. During the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda, the Aceh Sultanate was strong and powerful, with a fleet of heavy galleys, cavalry riding Persian horses, elephant corps, and thousands of cannons. In 1629, Sultan Iskandar sent a massive force of 236 warships and 19,000 men to Malacca, but they suffered a total defeat, with all soldiers killed or captured. Sang Sutin also died heroically in this battle and was eventually buried in Kampung Kuli in the old city of Malacca.
Two tombs of heroes from the Malacca Sultanate
Continuing south from Kampung Hulu Road, you enter the core area of the Malacca old city, a World Heritage site where the alleys are filled with murals related to the city's history.
The Tomb of Hang Jebat (Makam Hang Jebat) in the old city of Malacca features the Aceh style from northern Sumatra, which was the common high-status architectural style for tombs during the Malacca Sultanate.
Hang Jebat was a famous Malay hero during the 15th-century Malacca Sultanate and one of the five heroes in the classic Malay novel Hikayat Hang Tuah. In the novel, the five heroes study martial arts together, serve the Malacca Sultan together, and earn his favor. Later, the Sultan of Malacca listens to slander and wants to kill Hang Tuah, so his brother Hang Jebat rebels against the Sultan to seek revenge. Eventually, the Sultan pardons Hang Tuah and sends him to fight a duel with Hang Jebat. After seven days of fighting, Hang Jebat dies in the arms of his former brother.
Since the 1960s, Hang Jebat has been portrayed in various plays and novels as a folk hero who resists tyranny and yearns for freedom, and many roads and buildings in Malaysia and Singapore are named after him.
Walking further west, you can see the tomb of Hang Kasturi, another of the five heroes of the Malacca Sultanate. In the Malay Annals (Sejarah Melayu), it is Hang Kasturi, not Hang Tuah, who ultimately kills Hang Jebat. This tomb has an Indian style and was likely built by later generations to commemorate Hang Kasturi.
Tomb of Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor
In the backyard of the Kampung Kling Mosque (Masjid Kampung Kling) lies the tomb of Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor (reigned 1819–1835), who played a key role in the founding of Singapore.
After the Portuguese occupied Malacca in 1511, the Sultan of Malacca fled to Johor to continue his rule. After the last Sultan of Malacca died in 1528, his son Alauddin Riayat Shah II officially established the Johor Sultanate, considering it the legitimate continuation of the Malacca Sultanate.
Hussein Shah was born in 1776 and was the eldest son of Sultan Mahmud Shah III of Johor. When Mahmud Shah III passed away in 1812, Hussein Shah was not in the capital, so his younger brother quickly took the throne with the support of ministers, forcing Hussein Shah into exile in the Riau Islands.
In 1819, the British East India Company decided to establish a new base in Southeast Asia. They found the exiled Hussein Shah and named him Sultan of Johor and Singapore in exchange for the right to establish a trading post in Singapore. Hussein Shah then came to Singapore and became a Sultan under British control.
In 1824, the British bought Singapore for 33,200 dollars, and Sultan Hussein Shah received a monthly payment of 1,300 dollars. He held no real power in Singapore and served only a symbolic role.
Sultan Hussein Shah lived in Singapore until 1834, then moved to Malacca with his family. He passed away in Malacca in 1835 and was buried at the Kampung Hulu Mosque (Dongjiena Si).
The Sultan's Well in Malacca
Travel east from the old town of Malacca to the foot of Bukit Cina, and you will find the Sultan's Well (Perigi Raja). Legend says it was built in 1459 by the sixth Sultan of Malacca, Mansur Shah, who reigned from 1459 to 1477.
According to the classic Malay text Sejarah Melayu, Sultan Mansur Shah built a palace at the foot of Bukit Cina to welcome a Ming Dynasty princess named Hang Li Po. He had this well dug specifically for her, which is why it is also called Hang Li Po's Well. However, there are no records of Princess Hang Li Po in Ming Dynasty or Portuguese documents, so her true identity remains a mystery.
Another theory suggests the well was dug by Zheng He's troops when they were stationed in Malacca during his voyages to the Western Ocean. Legend says Zheng He's troops dug seven wells at the foot of Bukit Cina. Five were destroyed by road construction in the 1950s and 1960s. Only two remain today: the Sultan's Well and the Sam Po Well (Sanbao Jing) in the backyard of the Poh San Teng Temple.
Legend has it that when the Portuguese invaded the Malacca Sultanate in 1511, Malay warriors poisoned the well to kill many Portuguese soldiers. In the early 17th century, both the Dutch and the Acehnese used the tactic of poisoning the well to eliminate their enemies.
After the Dutch occupied Malacca in 1641, they built a fortress-style wall around the Sultan's Well to protect the water source, complete with guard posts and cannons. The well was abandoned during the British colonial period, and the guard posts fell into disrepair.
On the western slope of Bukit Cina lies a Malay village called Kampung Bukit Cina, where some traditional Malay stilt houses are still preserved.
The Hero's Well in Malacca
Hang Tuah's Well (Perigi Hang Tuah) is located in Kampung Duyong in eastern Malacca. It is said to have been dug by the Malacca Sultanate hero Hang Tuah and has never run dry. Malay people believe the well water has magical properties and can cure illnesses and ward off misfortune, making it a famous attraction in Malacca.
The traditional Malay wooden house next to Hang Tuah's Well was first built in 1946. It was moved to its current site in 2001 after the original land was acquired. The owner, Samad Nordin, was originally a woodcarver, so he is skilled at maintaining wood. He performs maintenance on the house every five years.
Inside the house hang portraits of the Nuh ship and the Nine Saints (Wali Sanga) who brought the faith to Southeast Asia. Wali refers to the Sufi saints. These nine figures came to Java 500 years ago to preach, which helped the faith gradually spread across Southeast Asia.
Small Mosque in the Center of Malacca's Old Town
This small, newly built mosque in the center of Malacca's old town faces the Dutch Square and backs onto the Malacca River. The roof retains a traditional Javanese style. Inside the main hall, there are displays introducing various ancient mosques in Malacca, and a traditional drum used for the call to prayer sits in the center. Performing namaz in the mosque while feeling the breeze from the Malacca River brings a sense of calm, as if the noise outside no longer matters.
Malacca History Museum
A replica of the mythical bird boat (Perahu Burung Petalawati) is kept in the Malacca History Museum. The Perahu Burung Petalawati was a mythical bird boat used by Kelantan nobles for parades during circumcision ceremonies. After 1933, all of them were destroyed because they were seen as straying from the faith. Later, the tradition was preserved by the Malay community in Pattani, Thailand, though the celebrations are much smaller now.
The origins of this mythical bird go back to ancient Malay legends and Indian culture. It was likely influenced by the giant bird in the Malay epic Isma Dewa and the mythical bird Garuda from Indian mythology.
Collapse Read »
Summary: This first part introduces Malay wooden houses and historic sites in Malacca, with attention to old homes, local architecture, and neighborhood history. It keeps the original place names, photographs, building details, and travel notes for readers interested in Malaysian heritage.
The beautiful and peaceful Malay village of Kampung Morten.
In the northern part of Malacca city sits a beautiful and peaceful Malay village called Kampung Morten. This area was once a mangrove swamp on a bend of the Malacca River, filled with mud crabs. In 1920, the nearby Kampung Jawa was forced to relocate due to land development. The village head, Dato' Othman Mohd Noh, asked the British Land Commissioner at the time, Frederick Joseph Morten, for help. Morten applied for a 10,000 Straits dollar loan from the government that same year, which was then used under Dato' Othman's leadership to buy land and build the village. The village was officially completed in 1922, and the villagers voted to name it Kampung Morten.
Today, Kampung Morten preserves 56 traditional Malay stilt houses and was listed as a heritage village in 1998. After a century of urban growth, the area is now part of downtown Malacca, making it the most convenient place in the city to experience the atmosphere of a Malay kampung.
I encountered a Malay wedding in Kampung Morten where whole families came to eat together, which was very lively.
At a beautiful Malay house in Kampung Morten, the grandfather who owns the home chatted with us very warmly.
The village has a small mosque called Surau Al Abidin with a cute pink exterior.
Several shops in the village serve traditional Malay kampung food, but they do not open until 5:30 in the evening. Some shops set their tables and chairs along the Malacca River, which is very pleasant.
The most worth-visiting Malay wooden house in Kampung Morten is Villa Sentosa, built in 1922 by Haji Hashim Abdul Ghani, who helped build the village. Haji Hashim's descendants still live here today, and they have kept many pieces of furniture and household items that are decades or even a century old. However, the opening hours are not fixed. If the owner is out, at prayer, or taking a nap, the house is closed. We were sorry to find the owner away when we visited, so we could only look around from the outside.
The ancient Malay village of Kampung Ketek.
Behind the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, the oldest Chinese temple in the old town of Malacca, lies the equally ancient Malay village of Kampung Ketek. Kampung Ketek formed during the Dutch era in the 17th century. Although Malay villages within the old city of Malacca shrank rapidly after the 19th century due to the construction of shophouses, you can still see several well-preserved traditional Malay stilt houses in Kampung Ketek today. Abdullah bin Abdul al Kadir (1796-1854), known as the Father of Modern Malay Literature, was born here.
Inside Kampung Ketek, you can see the tomb of Syed Syamsuddin Ibni Al Sumatrani, a famous scholar and national hero from the Aceh Sultanate in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Syamsuddin was a mufti (legal judge) and advisor to Sultan Iskandar Muda (reigned 1607-36) of the Aceh Sultanate in northern Sumatra. He was well-versed in religious knowledge and held a high position in the Sultan's court.
After the Portuguese occupied Malacca in 1511, the Aceh Sultanate kept attacking the Portuguese in an attempt to capture the city. During the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda, the Aceh Sultanate was strong and powerful, with a fleet of heavy galleys, cavalry riding Persian horses, elephant corps, and thousands of cannons. In 1629, Sultan Iskandar sent a massive force of 236 warships and 19,000 men to Malacca, but they suffered a total defeat, with all soldiers killed or captured. Sang Sutin also died heroically in this battle and was eventually buried in Kampung Kuli in the old city of Malacca.
Two tombs of heroes from the Malacca Sultanate
Continuing south from Kampung Hulu Road, you enter the core area of the Malacca old city, a World Heritage site where the alleys are filled with murals related to the city's history.
The Tomb of Hang Jebat (Makam Hang Jebat) in the old city of Malacca features the Aceh style from northern Sumatra, which was the common high-status architectural style for tombs during the Malacca Sultanate.
Hang Jebat was a famous Malay hero during the 15th-century Malacca Sultanate and one of the five heroes in the classic Malay novel Hikayat Hang Tuah. In the novel, the five heroes study martial arts together, serve the Malacca Sultan together, and earn his favor. Later, the Sultan of Malacca listens to slander and wants to kill Hang Tuah, so his brother Hang Jebat rebels against the Sultan to seek revenge. Eventually, the Sultan pardons Hang Tuah and sends him to fight a duel with Hang Jebat. After seven days of fighting, Hang Jebat dies in the arms of his former brother.
Since the 1960s, Hang Jebat has been portrayed in various plays and novels as a folk hero who resists tyranny and yearns for freedom, and many roads and buildings in Malaysia and Singapore are named after him.
Walking further west, you can see the tomb of Hang Kasturi, another of the five heroes of the Malacca Sultanate. In the Malay Annals (Sejarah Melayu), it is Hang Kasturi, not Hang Tuah, who ultimately kills Hang Jebat. This tomb has an Indian style and was likely built by later generations to commemorate Hang Kasturi.
Tomb of Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor
In the backyard of the Kampung Kling Mosque (Masjid Kampung Kling) lies the tomb of Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor (reigned 1819–1835), who played a key role in the founding of Singapore.
After the Portuguese occupied Malacca in 1511, the Sultan of Malacca fled to Johor to continue his rule. After the last Sultan of Malacca died in 1528, his son Alauddin Riayat Shah II officially established the Johor Sultanate, considering it the legitimate continuation of the Malacca Sultanate.
Hussein Shah was born in 1776 and was the eldest son of Sultan Mahmud Shah III of Johor. When Mahmud Shah III passed away in 1812, Hussein Shah was not in the capital, so his younger brother quickly took the throne with the support of ministers, forcing Hussein Shah into exile in the Riau Islands.
In 1819, the British East India Company decided to establish a new base in Southeast Asia. They found the exiled Hussein Shah and named him Sultan of Johor and Singapore in exchange for the right to establish a trading post in Singapore. Hussein Shah then came to Singapore and became a Sultan under British control.
In 1824, the British bought Singapore for 33,200 dollars, and Sultan Hussein Shah received a monthly payment of 1,300 dollars. He held no real power in Singapore and served only a symbolic role.
Sultan Hussein Shah lived in Singapore until 1834, then moved to Malacca with his family. He passed away in Malacca in 1835 and was buried at the Kampung Hulu Mosque (Dongjiena Si).
The Sultan's Well in Malacca
Travel east from the old town of Malacca to the foot of Bukit Cina, and you will find the Sultan's Well (Perigi Raja). Legend says it was built in 1459 by the sixth Sultan of Malacca, Mansur Shah, who reigned from 1459 to 1477.
According to the classic Malay text Sejarah Melayu, Sultan Mansur Shah built a palace at the foot of Bukit Cina to welcome a Ming Dynasty princess named Hang Li Po. He had this well dug specifically for her, which is why it is also called Hang Li Po's Well. However, there are no records of Princess Hang Li Po in Ming Dynasty or Portuguese documents, so her true identity remains a mystery.
Another theory suggests the well was dug by Zheng He's troops when they were stationed in Malacca during his voyages to the Western Ocean. Legend says Zheng He's troops dug seven wells at the foot of Bukit Cina. Five were destroyed by road construction in the 1950s and 1960s. Only two remain today: the Sultan's Well and the Sam Po Well (Sanbao Jing) in the backyard of the Poh San Teng Temple.
Legend has it that when the Portuguese invaded the Malacca Sultanate in 1511, Malay warriors poisoned the well to kill many Portuguese soldiers. In the early 17th century, both the Dutch and the Acehnese used the tactic of poisoning the well to eliminate their enemies.
After the Dutch occupied Malacca in 1641, they built a fortress-style wall around the Sultan's Well to protect the water source, complete with guard posts and cannons. The well was abandoned during the British colonial period, and the guard posts fell into disrepair.
On the western slope of Bukit Cina lies a Malay village called Kampung Bukit Cina, where some traditional Malay stilt houses are still preserved.
The Hero's Well in Malacca
Hang Tuah's Well (Perigi Hang Tuah) is located in Kampung Duyong in eastern Malacca. It is said to have been dug by the Malacca Sultanate hero Hang Tuah and has never run dry. Malay people believe the well water has magical properties and can cure illnesses and ward off misfortune, making it a famous attraction in Malacca.
The traditional Malay wooden house next to Hang Tuah's Well was first built in 1946. It was moved to its current site in 2001 after the original land was acquired. The owner, Samad Nordin, was originally a woodcarver, so he is skilled at maintaining wood. He performs maintenance on the house every five years.
Inside the house hang portraits of the Nuh ship and the Nine Saints (Wali Sanga) who brought the faith to Southeast Asia. Wali refers to the Sufi saints. These nine figures came to Java 500 years ago to preach, which helped the faith gradually spread across Southeast Asia.
Small Mosque in the Center of Malacca's Old Town
This small, newly built mosque in the center of Malacca's old town faces the Dutch Square and backs onto the Malacca River. The roof retains a traditional Javanese style. Inside the main hall, there are displays introducing various ancient mosques in Malacca, and a traditional drum used for the call to prayer sits in the center. Performing namaz in the mosque while feeling the breeze from the Malacca River brings a sense of calm, as if the noise outside no longer matters.
Malacca History Museum
A replica of the mythical bird boat (Perahu Burung Petalawati) is kept in the Malacca History Museum. The Perahu Burung Petalawati was a mythical bird boat used by Kelantan nobles for parades during circumcision ceremonies. After 1933, all of them were destroyed because they were seen as straying from the faith. Later, the tradition was preserved by the Malay community in Pattani, Thailand, though the celebrations are much smaller now.
The origins of this mythical bird go back to ancient Malay legends and Indian culture. It was likely influenced by the giant bird in the Malay epic Isma Dewa and the mythical bird Garuda from Indian mythology.
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Travel Guide: Malacca Malay Wooden Houses and Historic Sites (Part 2)
Reposted from the web
Summary: This second part continues through Malay wooden houses and historic sites in Malacca, focusing on house forms, museum displays, and old neighborhood details. It keeps the original place names, photographs, architectural notes, and cultural context for readers exploring Malacca heritage.
A traditional wooden box used by the Malays in Malacca to open coconuts.
Attire worn during traditional Malay wedding ceremonies in Malacca from the 1940s to the 1960s.
The tombstone of Mansur Shah, the sixth Sultan of Malacca (reigned 1459-77), held in the collection of the Malacca History Museum.
Sultan Mansur Shah began the golden age of the Malacca Sultanate, and he was known as a knowledgeable, fair, and pious ruler. He followed an expansionist policy, occupying many areas including the Malay Peninsula, eastern Sumatra, Singapore, and Bintan Island, and he helped spread the faith widely across the Malay Peninsula through marriage alliances.
During his reign, Sultan Mansur Shah lowered trade taxes, charging 6% to Arab and Indian merchants from the west, 3% to local merchants, and exempting merchants from China, Japan, and Java, which made trade in Malacca more prosperous.
Sultan Mansur Shah was passionate about the faith and encouraged Sufi studies, personally studying under Maulana Abu Bakr and translating the famous commentary Ad Darrul Manzum into Malay.
The interior layout of a traditional Malay wooden house recreated at the Malacca History Museum feels quite authentic. The exhibition hall also has a map showing the locations of typical Malay wooden houses in Malacca, so interested friends (dosti) can follow the map to visit them in person.
The Malacca History Museum houses a set of three enamel incense burners and vases, and there is a statue of Zheng He in the museum courtyard. The museum also features a painting of the Ming Emperor Chengzu sending his envoy Yin Qing to issue an imperial decree to the Sultan of Malacca in 1403 (the first year of the Yongle era).
Muzium Budaya Melayu dan Islam Melaka (Malacca Malay and Islamic World Museum).
A glimpse into what life looked like during the Malacca Sultanate era.
Tepak Sireh is a metal container for storing betel nut, used when welcoming guests, during traditional dances, and in royal ceremonies.
Traditional Malay clothing.
Traditional Malay manuscripts.
Malacca Sultanate Palace Museum.
The Malacca Sultanate Palace Museum, a reconstruction of the palace from the reign of Sultan Mansur Shah (1459-77) built in 1984 based on records in the Malay Annals.
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Summary: This second part continues through Malay wooden houses and historic sites in Malacca, focusing on house forms, museum displays, and old neighborhood details. It keeps the original place names, photographs, architectural notes, and cultural context for readers exploring Malacca heritage.
A traditional wooden box used by the Malays in Malacca to open coconuts.
Attire worn during traditional Malay wedding ceremonies in Malacca from the 1940s to the 1960s.
The tombstone of Mansur Shah, the sixth Sultan of Malacca (reigned 1459-77), held in the collection of the Malacca History Museum.
Sultan Mansur Shah began the golden age of the Malacca Sultanate, and he was known as a knowledgeable, fair, and pious ruler. He followed an expansionist policy, occupying many areas including the Malay Peninsula, eastern Sumatra, Singapore, and Bintan Island, and he helped spread the faith widely across the Malay Peninsula through marriage alliances.
During his reign, Sultan Mansur Shah lowered trade taxes, charging 6% to Arab and Indian merchants from the west, 3% to local merchants, and exempting merchants from China, Japan, and Java, which made trade in Malacca more prosperous.
Sultan Mansur Shah was passionate about the faith and encouraged Sufi studies, personally studying under Maulana Abu Bakr and translating the famous commentary Ad Darrul Manzum into Malay.
The interior layout of a traditional Malay wooden house recreated at the Malacca History Museum feels quite authentic. The exhibition hall also has a map showing the locations of typical Malay wooden houses in Malacca, so interested friends (dosti) can follow the map to visit them in person.
The Malacca History Museum houses a set of three enamel incense burners and vases, and there is a statue of Zheng He in the museum courtyard. The museum also features a painting of the Ming Emperor Chengzu sending his envoy Yin Qing to issue an imperial decree to the Sultan of Malacca in 1403 (the first year of the Yongle era).
Muzium Budaya Melayu dan Islam Melaka (Malacca Malay and Islamic World Museum).
A glimpse into what life looked like during the Malacca Sultanate era.
Tepak Sireh is a metal container for storing betel nut, used when welcoming guests, during traditional dances, and in royal ceremonies.
Traditional Malay clothing.
Traditional Malay manuscripts.
Malacca Sultanate Palace Museum.
The Malacca Sultanate Palace Museum, a reconstruction of the palace from the reign of Sultan Mansur Shah (1459-77) built in 1984 based on records in the Malay Annals.
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