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Summary: This travel note introduces Shanhaiguan Halal Travel Guide: Mosques, Sea Views and the Great Wall. Beijing in July is stiflingly hot. The weather forecast said the temperature in Shanhaiguan was under 30 degrees, so I caught an early train on Saturday for a one-day trip to Shanhaiguan. It is useful for readers interested in Shanhaiguan Travel, China Mosques, Great Wall.

Beijing in July is stiflingly hot. The weather forecast said the temperature in Shanhaiguan was under 30 degrees, so I caught an early train on Saturday for a one-day trip to Shanhaiguan.

As soon as I got off the train, I went to Xiaobailou Yangtang (lamb soup restaurant) south of the road to have lamb tripe and head meat soup with egg and vermicelli, paired with rousu shaobing (crispy meat-filled flatbread). Xiaobailou is a relatively famous halal lamb soup restaurant in Shanhaiguan. I ate at their place when I visited Shanhaiguan before, and this time I specifically came to bring Zainab to eat there. A special feature of their place is that you can drop an egg into the lamb soup to eat together; I quite like this way of eating it. The rousu shaobing (crispy meat-filled flatbread) is also very fragrant and goes very well with the soup.











At noon, I had cold noodles at Laobaijia Halal Snacks in Xiguan, Shanhaiguan. It was sweet and sour, which is very suitable for summer. The flavor of the cold noodles here is quite similar to what I had in Suizhong before; I feel it should be of the western Liaoning style.





This area in Xiguan, Shanhaiguan, belongs to a residential area for Hui Muslims. There are many halal snack shops, which are economical and affordable, but they are not as rich in variety as the menus of large restaurants.





The Shanhaiguan Mosque is located outside the west gate of Shanhaiguan. It is said to have been built in 1381 (the 14th year of the Hongwu reign). According to the Kangxi edition of the "Shanhaiguan Annals," in the first month of 1381 (the 14th year of the Hongwu reign), "General Xu Da dispatched 15,100 garrison troops from the Yanshan Guard to repair 32 passes including Yongping and Jieling." It is said that the earliest Shanhaiguan Mosque was built by the Hui Muslim officers and soldiers brought by Xu Da. Therefore, the saying "First there was the mosque, then there was Shanhaiguan" has been passed down among the Hui Muslims in Shanhaiguan.

The current main prayer hall of the Shanhaiguan Mosque was rebuilt between 1998 and 2003.











There is a Chinese pine tree that is over 600 years old, planted when the mosque was first built, and there is also a Chinese juniper next to it that was planted at the same time.

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Main prayer hall

















The mosque houses brick and wood carvings from the Ming and Qing dynasties that were replaced during the 1998 renovation, as well as old-fashioned mantel clocks.



























Pottery









There is also calligraphy gifted to the mosque by the famous calligrapher Li Wencai.



In the afternoon, I went to the Laolongtou scenic area. It was uncrowded and comfortable. I played with speedboats and go-karts, and when I was tired, I took a nap while feeling the sea breeze.











On the way from Laolongtou to Shanhaiguan, the unrestored Great Wall blends into the earth. Riding an electric scooter among the fields and vegetable greenhouses is also a rare experience. There were even sheep on the road greeting us.



















In the evening, I ate seafood at Fenghuanglou next to the train station. Fenghuanglou is a famous halal restaurant in Qinhuangdao with several branches. In recent years, it has finally opened in Shanhaiguan as well. Their menu is very rich. Traditional local halal dishes in Qinhuangdao themselves integrate Beijing-Shandong cuisine and Northeast-Shandong cuisine, so the dishes are already very rich, and they also have various kinds of seafood. We ate steamed mantis shrimp, stir-fried flower crab with scallion and ginger, two abalones grilled with minced garlic, a charcoal-grilled large prawn, and a plate of stewed eggplant with fish to go with rice. This trip to Shanhaiguan was truly satisfying for eating seafood.











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Summary: This travel note introduces Urumqi Hui Muslim Banquet: Xinjiang Halal Food and Local Muslim Culture. On January 24, 2020, I attended a welcome banquet at Zainab's home in Urumqi and met her extended family. Next, I will share with everyone what we ate at this banquet. It is useful for readers interested in Urumqi Halal Food, Hui Muslims, Xinjiang Travel.

On January 24, 2020, I attended a welcome banquet at Zainab's home in Urumqi and met her extended family. Next, I will share with everyone what we ate at this banquet.

The food at the banquet was divided into two categories. Before eating the main meal, thirteen small plates were placed on the table containing various dried fruits and snacks, which are called 'thirteen little plates'. After everyone finished chatting, the plates were cleared and replaced with the main courses. Thirteen dishes were served in order, making a total of twenty-six types of food.

Thirteen little plates

The pronunciation here is die-die-zi, which is also a common tone combination in the Xinjiang dialect.

First, the list: dried figs, Medina dates mixed with dried apricots (hen), Tatar pastries, Hui Muslim Ma-style snacks, Kazakh kurt (dried yogurt balls), candied walnuts, pistachios, almonds, cashews, melon seeds, dried apricot (hen) skins mixed with tangningningzi (fried dough twists), raisins, and loose sugar.



On the morning of the banquet, the plates were arranged in a room, which is called 'setting the little plates'.



This is what it looked like after being set.









Candied walnuts made by my mother-in-law; they are sweet.





The dried apricot (hen) skins and tangningningzi were also made by my mother-in-law. Tangningningzi is what Xinjiang Hui Muslims call them; the general term is youguozi (fried dough snacks).





The figs in Xinjiang are truly incredibly delicious, but fresh ones are only available in the summer. Most of the time, we eat dried figs, which really feel like candy inside.





Zainab and I bought Tatar-style cream cakes and walnut pie at the Marhaba Tatar Pastry Shop on Linguan Lane, Heba Third Alley.

The Tatar ethnic group is the smallest ethnic group in China, with only about 3,000 people. Most of the Tatar people in China come from the Kazan Tatars. From the 19th century to the early 20th century, they moved successively from Kazan on the banks of the Volga River to settle in Urumqi, Yining, and Tacheng in Xinjiang. At that time, most of the Tatar people were intellectuals or merchants, and they played an important role in promoting the establishment of modern education in Xinjiang.

Today, many Tatar people in Xinjiang have moved abroad. The places where you can most intuitively experience their culture are the Tatar embroidery shops in Yining and the Tatar pastry shops in Urumqi.

The Tatar pastry shop in Urumqi is located on the site of a former Russian trading port. 100 years ago, this was a place where Russians, Tatars, and various Central Asian merchants traded, somewhat similar to Sanlitun in Beijing. The Tatar pastry shop is also a witness to this history.

Their most classic cake consists of six layers of dough with six layers of cream. The dough is made of milk, eggs, ghee, and honey, without adding water, and it tastes especially fragrant.



















Ma-style snacks is one of the most famous traditional Hui Muslim snack shops in Urumqi, and it has been open for over a decade. Zainab's mother also used molds to make them herself when she was a child, but now fewer and fewer Hui Muslims in Urumqi make them themselves.



2. Thirteen dishes

Meat dishes: braised beef ribs, clear-stewed mutton, fish-drilling-net (fried meat jelly), braised meatballs, cold-dressed chicken, steamed fish

Hot dishes: pickled cabbage with meat, daylily with wood ear mushrooms, celery with lily bulbs, garlic sprouts with meat

Cold dishes: sweet platter, lotus root with wood ear mushrooms (lotus pond moonlight), bean curd skin with red chili

The staple foods were fried youxiang (leavened flatbread), momo (steamed buns), and rice.

The presentation looked like this:





1. Braised beef ribs

First, blanch the beef ribs. After they turn white, take them out. Heat oil, add the meat, ginger, a little cinnamon, star anise, and bean paste. Stir-fry for a while, then add fresh chili peppers. After the meat dries out, put it in a pressure cooker and stew for 25 minutes.











2. Clear-stewed mutton

First, skim off the blood foam, then stew. When serving, sprinkle a little raw onion on top.











Braised meatballs

The beef for the meatballs and the meat jelly was bought at a Uyghur shop in the market across from our residential compound.





The night before the banquet, we fried the meatballs, and on the morning of the banquet, we braised them.





This is what it looked like after being braised the next day.



Fish-drilling-net (fried meat jelly)

'Fish-drilling-net' is just fried meat jelly. When buying the meat, have the Uyghur uncle grind it into mince (xuanzi). The mince for the meat jelly needs to be finer than that for the meatballs; it must go through the meat grinder twice. The night before the banquet, steam the mince into meat jelly, then slice it. On the morning of the banquet, coat the slices in egg and starch and fry them in a pan. Finally, sprinkle with cumin, chili, and salt.













Cold-dressed chicken

The cold-dressed chicken was stewed the day before and placed on the windowsill, then dressed on the morning of the banquet. Cold-dressed chicken is actually chicken without the numbing pepper flavor of jiaoma chicken.



The chicken feet and gizzards were picked out and eaten beforehand.



The next morning, cut the chicken, add green onions, onions, and chili, then pour chicken broth over it to finish.





Pickled cabbage with meat

The pickled cabbage was made at home.





Sweet platter

The sweet platter was made the night before and wrapped up, then sprinkled with sugar syrup the next morning.







The next morning, boil the sugar syrup and pour it over.



Fried youxiang

To fry youxiang, first knead the dough.





Zainab and I went out shopping while they were being fried, and they were already done when we returned. Youxiang must be eaten by breaking it apart; you cannot eat it whole. After the banquet, if there is any left over, it can be soaked in various soups, rice noodles, or noodle soups.



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Summary: This travel note introduces Liaoning Halal Travel Guide: Lingyuan, Shenyang and Kaiyuan (Part 1). In May 2021, I left Chengde in the morning by high-speed train and arrived in Lingyuan, Liaoning, at noon. It is useful for readers interested in Liaoning Travel, China Mosques, Halal Food.

In May 2021, I left Chengde in the morning by high-speed train and arrived in Lingyuan, Liaoning, at noon. I ate at a small restaurant at the entrance of the Lingyuan mosque, ordering the stir-fried shredded meat with hand-pulled noodles recommended by the owner, as well as a mixed vegetable dish with doupao (fried tofu puffs), sliced meat, daylily, wood ear mushrooms, and kelp. Once you reach the Northeast, the portions are truly large and affordable; a bowl of noodles for five yuan is a great meal!

Lingyuan is located at the junction of Hebei, Liaoning, and Inner Mongolia, and was formerly known as Tazigou. Since the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, Hui Muslims from Shandong and Hebei continuously traveled beyond the Great Wall through the gaps near Xifengkou. Lingyuan was their first stop after leaving the pass, and some Hui Muslims settled there.



















The Lingyuan mosque was built during the Qianlong reign. According to the inscriptions in the mosque, Hui Muslim doctor Zhang Lichen and others cured the illness of a Mongol prince of the Kharachin Left Banner, so the prince's estate provided the foundation funds to build the Lingyuan mosque.

Mosque gate.





Chuihuamen (hanging flower gate).



The prayer hall, like traditional northern styles, consists of a juanpeng (shed-style porch), a main hall, and a yaodian (niche hall), but the architectural details are very different from the styles inside the pass.













The main hall has developed cracks due to long-term disrepair and is currently closed; the namaz (prayer) has been moved to a room nearby.



















Side rooms.















In the evening, I took the high-speed train to Shenyang and had a small barbecue at Xiguan Kaikou Xianbing in the Xiguan Hui Muslim camp night market, ordering small lamb legs, chicken racks, lamb hooves, flatfish, and stir-fried chives with squid.



















I went for a walk at night and visited the 24-hour Xiguan Yang Family Pie Shop, where I had lamb soup with pies and ordered a 'Liu Sanyang' (three-variety stir-fry), which is heart, liver, and intestine, a Northeast specialty within the Lu cuisine family. They also gave us complimentary fried shrimp chips and side dishes.



















The next morning, I had chicken cake and tofu pudding at Lao Ding Tou on Xiaoxi Street, and beef huoshao (crispy baked flatbread) with stewed tofu and tendons at Ma's Yikousu on Qingzhen Road. The huoshao cost one yuan each; they are flaky and you can't find them outside the Northeast.



















Delicatessen and fried rice cakes at the Xiguan Hui Muslim camp market. The Hui Muslim camp is much quieter than the last time I visited, and the morning market is gone.













The Shenyang South Mosque was founded in 1636 (the first year of the Chongde reign of the Qing Dynasty). The ancestors of the founding Tie family were Hui Muslim Semu people who came to the interior during the Mongol western expeditions. In the early Ming Dynasty, Tie Xuan served as the Shandong administration commissioner in Jinan. During the Jingnan Campaign in 1400, Tie Xuan led troops to defend Jinan city. The Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, attacked for three months without success until he captured Nanjing in 1402 and returned north to finally break through Jinan. After being captured, Tie Xuan was executed by dismemberment. After Tie Xuan passed away, his second son, Tie Fushu, fled outside the pass and moved from Jinzhou to Shenyang during the Wanli reign (1573-1620).

The original Shenyang South Mosque was relatively simple. In 1662 (the first year of the Kangxi reign), it was expanded into a large mosque by Tie Kui, who invited the famous Imam She Yuanshan from Beijing to set up a school. After Imam She's disciple, Tie Hongji, completed his studies, he became the leader. From then on, the Imams of the South Mosque were passed down through the Tie family for 11 generations, with the last Imam, Tie Zizhang, serving until 1956.

The rear hall of the mosque was expanded in 1902. The main hall is not the traditional 'convex' shape, but a structure of juanpeng + front hall + rear hall + hexagonal yaodian. This practice of adding a pavilion-style yaodian to the back of the main hall is relatively common in the Northeast.





















The mihrab (prayer niche) of the South Mosque is very rare in that it does not use a niche, but rather a 'great deity tablet' form, which is very locally characteristic.























The Shenyang East Mosque was founded in 1803 (the eighth year of the Jiaqing reign). In 1935, the prayer hall was rebuilt in a Western style, while the moon-watching tower retained its original Chinese style. The East Mosque was occupied in 1958, returned in 1980, and converted into the Shenyang Islamic Institute in 1988.















I took a train from Shenyang to Kaiyuan and then took a taxi to the old city of Kaiyuan. The Kaiyuan Old City Mosque is located inside the east gate of the old city. Founded in 1406 (the fourth year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty), it is the oldest mosque in the Northeast.

The gate.





The current main hall is in the style after its reconstruction in 1680 (the 19th year of the Kangxi reign), consisting of a small juanpeng + main hall + hexagonal pavilion-style yaodian, similar in style to the Shenyang South Mosque. The main hall has been closed since 2020 and has not been opened since.











Juanpeng (shed-style porch).





The old city mosque once had many plaques and couplets, but now only the 'Allah is One' plaque bestowed by the Kaiyuan County government in 1832 (the 12th year of the Daoguang reign) remains, hanging above the main hall.



Inside the main hall.









Old items stored in the hall of the old city mosque include drip tiles, roof tiles, ridge beasts, wooden carved railings from the main hall, the finial from the yaodian moon-watching tower, and a plaque inscribed with 'Lingluo Shajuan' (fine silks and satins).





















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Summary: This travel note introduces Liaoning Halal Travel Guide: Lingyuan, Shenyang and Kaiyuan (Part 2). Wood carvings and stone engravings stored in the main hall. It is useful for readers interested in Liaoning Travel, China Mosques, Halal Food.





Wood carvings and stone engravings stored in the main hall.









Very exquisite calligraphy.









Most of the Hui Muslims in the old city of Kaiyuan migrated here during the Qing Dynasty as part of the Chuang Guandong (migration to Northeast China), mainly living on both sides of East Street inside the East Gate. Nowadays, the old city of Kaiyuan is relatively declining, so it has preserved many aspects of its appearance from the last century.

















At noon, we ate at Lingtou Niu next to Kaiyuan People's Park in Liaoning, having poplar leaf salad with tofu skin, minced meat with tender tofu, copper pot stewed goose with pickled cabbage, and hand-rolled noodles; the restaurant also gave us a complimentary small cold dish. Their restaurant really has a great environment, large portions, low prices, and good taste; the cost-performance ratio for dining in the Northeast is much higher than in Beijing. Picture 1 shows the copper pot stewed goose when it arrived; we ate it so ravenously that it turned into what you see in Picture 2, and in the end, we packed up a large amount to take back to Beijing to continue eating. Even without ordering hearty dishes, this bowl of egg noodles for 8 yuan was very satisfying.



















Kaiyuan People's Park is very lively at noon, with people doing yangge (folk dance), land boat performances, stilt walking, and ballroom dancing, and there was also a Hui Muslim uncle pushing a cart selling snacks and soy milk. When we went, the snacks were already sold out, so we bought some soy milk and drank it while watching the stilt walking.













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Summary: This travel note introduces Suizhong Halal Travel Guide: Mosques and Muslim Snacks in Liaoning. Suizhong is located right next to Shanhai Pass and is the southwesternmost county in Liaoning Province. It is useful for readers interested in Suizhong Mosques, Halal Snacks, Liaoning Travel.

Suizhong is located right next to Shanhai Pass and is the southwesternmost county in Liaoning Province. Starting in the 18th century, more than ten Hui Muslim families, including the Zhang, Ding, Li, and Jin families, moved to Suizhong from Hebei Province. In 1737 (the second year of the Qianlong reign), the first mosque was built in the southeast of Suizhong city below the Kuixing Tower, and in 1797 (the third year of the Jiaqing reign), it was moved to its current location inside the West Gate.

The Suizhong Mosque was renovated between 1924 and 1927, suffered severe damage in the 1960s, and was restored between 1981 and 1984.

The main gate of the mosque; people at the entrance are preparing for a janazah (funeral prayer).



Turning left after entering the gate is the shuifang (ablution room).



Calligraphy in the ablution room.



Opposite the main gate is the second gate.



The vase-shaped ornament on the juanpeng (curved roof structure).



Inside the second gate is the main prayer hall.





The baoxia (front porch) in front of the main prayer hall is the most distinctive part of the entire mosque, and it is the most colorfully decorated mosque porch I have ever seen.



The front is inscribed with "Qingzhensi" (Mosque), and the two sides are inscribed with "Zhengxin" (rectify the heart) and "Chengyi" (sincerity of intent).







A plaque reading "Recognizing the Oneness of Allah."



Details of the patterns.







Behind the porch is the main prayer hall, and the brick carvings on the hall are also very delicate.



The large character "Jiao" (religion) at the bottom is new work, while the brick carvings above should be original old work.



You can take a close look at the content of the brick carvings, which include scrolls, painting tubes, incense vases, and even chessboards and various fruits.





Traditional Hui Muslim paintings on the doors of the main prayer hall.







The interior of the main prayer hall was likely rearranged after the 1980s, and both the mihrab (niche indicating the direction of prayer) and the minbar (pulpit) are very simple.





Above the yaodian (rear hall) at the back of the main prayer hall is the wangyuelou (moon-sighting tower).







A brand-new Halal food street is being built next to the mosque, and the old houses around the mosque are about to be demolished; judging by the wood carvings, some of these houses should be historical buildings.













There are many Halal restaurants around the South Gate of Suizhong; I had meat-braised tofu with sorghum rice for breakfast, and it was super delicious.











Tangniangao (sticky rice cake with sugar) and su shaobing (flaky baked flatbread) on the street.











Suizhong-style lengmian (cold noodles), which are perfect for eating in the summer.







Finally, sharing some street scenes.





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Summary: This travel note introduces Chengde Halal Travel Guide: Mosques, Muslim Food and Qing History. Arrived in Chengde on Friday night and had dinner at the famous Quanshunlou restaurant. It is useful for readers interested in Chengde Mosques, Halal Food, Muslim Travel.

Arrived in Chengde on Friday night and had dinner at the famous Quanshunlou restaurant. Since the new high-speed railway opened, Chengde is only 50 minutes from Beijing, but the local halal food in Chengde is really quite different from Beijing. It features traditional Lu cuisine techniques like braising and quick-frying, while also incorporating specialties from the Northeast, Beijing-Tianjin, and Bashang regions, along with unique local Chengde dishes; just looking at the menu, you feel like you couldn't finish trying everything even after several visits. Such a rich variety of dishes is a reflection of Chengde being the premier city beyond the Great Wall during the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty.

Since there were only two of us, we only ordered the sesame lamb and the stewed small fish with tiebingzi (cornmeal flatbread). Actually, I really wanted to try their mushroom-braised youmian (oat noodles) and potato and green bean stewed rolls. The sesame lamb uses the local Shandong crispy-skin method, rather than just sprinkling sesame seeds over the lamb like many restaurants in Beijing. The stewed small fish with tiebingzi is truly made by sticking cornmeal dough directly onto the iron pot! The aroma of the small fish seeps directly into the bogo (cornmeal flatbread), and the bogo is especially fluffy, not hard at all.









Then we went to the Erxianju night market to eat fried wantuo. Fried wantuo is a famous Chengde snack made by grinding buckwheat kernels into a paste, steaming it in a bowl, and letting it cool until it sets into a wantuo (buckwheat jelly cake). To eat it, you cut it into triangular pieces, fry them in oil, and then pour sesame paste and garlic sauce over them. Chengde fried wantuo is said to have originated in the Erxianju area during the Qing Dynasty. Since the Qing Dynasty, Erxianju has been a bustling commercial street in Rehe, and it is still a lively night market today; it is very interesting to take a stroll there in the evening.

They also sell lvdagun (rolling donkey, a glutinous rice roll with bean flour), which looks the same as the one in Beijing; I feel it might be a reflection of the food customs of the Rehe Banner people back then.









In the morning, we had almond tea, meatball soup, shaomai (steamed dumplings), and steamed dumplings at the famous Tuojie Snacks in Chengde. Chengde produces almonds, so the almond tea is also very famous. Almond tea is made by soaking almonds in water to peel them, soaking out the bitterness, grinding them to remove the residue, and then boiling them with rice flour and white sugar. The meatball soup in Chengde uses fried vegetarian radish meatballs, which are also very delicious. Their guozi (fried dough) turned out to be youbing (fried dough cakes) rather than youtiao (fried dough sticks), and they are so huge that I feel one person couldn't finish a single one!













Then we went to Bai's Pingquan Lamb Soup in Shaanxiying to drink lamb soup; their premium lamb soup includes tongue, eye socket meat, and tripe, and you can also add lamb brain separately. The Bai family of Hui Muslims in Pingquan originally came from Baijiaji in Gaohe County, Shandong, and moved to Chengde during the Qing Dynasty.







After breakfast, we strolled through Shaanxiying, where Hui Muslims live in Chengde, and bought a shaobing (baked flatbread) at Yang Laoda Shaobing to eat. There are many halal snacks in Shaanxiying, including lamb soup, geluo noodles, menting roubing (meat-filled flatbread), shaomai, almond tea, tripe-wrapped meat, tripe-wrapped brain, lamb neck skewers, douzhi (fermented mung bean milk), and wantuo. There are really not many places outside of Beijing where you can drink douzhi and eat menting roubing, which is also a reflection of Chengde's culture.

Since the Qing Dynasty built the Mountain Resort in 1703, Hui Muslims have gradually begun to settle in Chengde. Every time Emperor Kangxi held the Mulan autumn hunt or came to the resort to escape the summer heat, Hui Muslim officers, soldiers, and merchants would follow him. In the early years of the Yongzheng reign, the Qing Dynasty stationed Green Standard Army troops in Chengde; because most of the officers and soldiers came from Shaanxi, it was called Shaanxiying (Shaanxi Camp), and the 'Left Camp' among them was mostly composed of Hui Muslims. From then on, Shaanxiying became a residential area for Hui Muslims in Chengde.

By the Qianlong period, Chengde had become a metropolis beyond the Great Wall, and Hui Muslims from the Shandong and Hebei regions came one after another to do business, engaging in the food industry and cattle and sheep slaughtering, which was known as 'chasing the imperial camp'. Today, the ten major surnames of Hui Muslims in Chengde, such as Wang, Ma, Shi, and Chen, all moved from Shandong, the Wu surname moved from Cangzhou, Hebei, and the Kong surname moved from Beijing.



















The earliest mosque in Chengde, the East Mosque, was built during the Kangxi reign and was occupied in 1958. The existing West Mosque was built during the Daoguang reign; the prayer hall consists of a front hall with a rolled shed roof, a middle hall, and a rear hall, with the minaret located on top of the middle hall, topped with a finial.















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Summary: This travel note introduces Xixiang Muslim Travel Guide: Hui Muslims in Southern Shaanxi. Xixiang County is located in the middle of the Hanzhong Basin in southern Shaanxi, nestled between the Qinling Mountains and the Bashan Mountains, with the Muma River, a tributary of the Han River, flowing through the. It is useful for readers interested in Xixiang Travel, Hui Muslims, Shaanxi Travel.

Xixiang County is located in the middle of the Hanzhong Basin in southern Shaanxi, nestled between the Qinling Mountains and the Bashan Mountains, with the Muma River, a tributary of the Han River, flowing through the county seat. Starting from the Ming Dynasty, Hui Muslims from Pingliang, Gansu, moved to Xixiang to settle, and the Hui Muslim population continued to grow during the Kangxi and Qianlong periods. Currently, more than 2,000 Hui Muslims live in the Xiguan area of the county seat, belonging to the congregations of the North Mosque and the South Mosque. Most of the members of the South Mosque congregation are surnamed Mu, Chen, Luo, and Mi, while most of the members of the North Mosque congregation are surnamed Ma and Ha.

Beef jerky

Xixiang Hui Muslims have been famous for making beef jerky since the Tongzhi period. The local Xizhen cattle in Xixiang are a nationally famous breed of yellow cattle, which are very suitable for making beef jerky. Nowadays, shops selling halal beef jerky can be seen everywhere in the Xiguan area of Xixiang, especially concentrated in the Xiguan Halal Beef and Mutton Market. The beef jerky made by each family in Xiguan has a different taste, some hard, some soft, some salty, and some mild.

We bought some beef jerky at a shop called Zhongping Food Store, where many locals shop.



















The largest halal beef jerky brand in Xixiang is 'Xinyi'. Xinyi was founded in 1995, and the company's legal representative, Mu Xin, is the inheritor of the Shaanxi provincial intangible cultural heritage 'Xixiang Beef Jerky Making Technique'. Most of their beef is supplied by Hui Muslim butchers living in impoverished areas such as Liushu, Guanshan, Sidu, and Shahe in Xixiang, and they use more than ten kinds of Chinese herbal medicines instead of preservatives.

We bought a lot of beef jerky at the Xinyi shop in Xiguan, and also bought some local dried tofu. We were able to send it home directly via SF Express, and the dost (friend/fellow Muslim) auntie in the shop was very enthusiastic.









Xinyi Ethnic Restaurant

Xinyi also opened a 'Xinyi Ethnic Restaurant' where you can stay and eat. We stayed here while we were in Xixiang. There is a breakfast buffet in the morning and regular meals at other times. In the evening, we ordered lotus root shoots, teppan sand ginger chicken, and sweet and sour lingzhi mushrooms.











South Mosque

The Xixiang South Mosque was built in the Ming Dynasty. It was closed and occupied after the 1958 religious reforms, returned in 1986, and officially opened in 2001. The main hall was rebuilt in 1997, but the gate and the south wing are still old. The gate has a 'Mosque' plaque from the Daoguang period.















Mosque Lane Archway

After coming out of the South Mosque, you can see the wooden 'Mosque Lane' archway built during the Xianfeng period, followed by the old street of Xiguan where Hui Muslims live.















Women's Mosque

Continuing north, you can see the Women's Mosque built in 1956, which was occupied after the 1958 religious reforms and restored in 1990.





North Mosque

The North Mosque was originally called Jingning Mosque and was built in 1614 by Hui Muslims who moved to Xixiang from Jingning Prefecture (now Pingliang, Gansu). The North Mosque was expanded in 1723, later destroyed by war, rebuilt in 1816, and renovated many times. It was occupied after the Cultural Revolution, returned in 1984, and the north wing was rebuilt in 2009.



















The mihrab (niche in the wall of a mosque) is painted with very distinctive Shaanxi-style Arabic calligraphy.







Beef pulled noodles

After performing the prayer, the local dosts enthusiastically took us to eat. The halal restaurants in Xixiang are mainly concentrated in the West Gate area. We ate local specialty braised beef pulled noodles and tofu with beef at an ahong's (imam's) shop, and they also treated us to sanzi (fried dough twists) and youxiang (fried flour cakes).



















Luling Mosque

Luling Mosque is a commemorative gongbei (shrine) built on the original burial site of Qi Jingyi, the founder of the Sufi Qadiriyya order.

In 1719, Qi Jingyi passed away at Jingshi Mosque in Xixiang and was buried on the east side of Jingshi Mosque. One hundred days later, his remains were moved to Linxia, Gansu. In 1721, the followers built a commemorative gongbei at the original burial site, named Youjiu Pavilion. Later, a series of courtyards were built around Youjiu Pavilion, named Luling Mosque. Luling Mosque was destroyed during the Tongzhi period, rebuilt in 1868, the current Youjiu Pavilion was built in 1870, and the current archway was built in 1885.

During the Cultural Revolution, Luling Mosque was closed. It was reopened after the policies were implemented, and the main gongbei underwent multiple repairs in 1983, 1986, and 1999.

The tomb pavilion has double eaves, four corners, and a helmet-shaped roof, topped with a treasure vase, and is divided into inner and outer chambers.



















Outside the gongbei archway, there is a pair of Qing Dynasty stone-carved plum blossom deer. Legend has it that when the great gongbei ancestor Qi Jingyi was meditating at Jingshi Mosque in Xixiang, two plum blossom deer often lay quietly outside the gate of Jingshi Mosque. After the ancestor passed away, the two deer lay quietly beside the tomb for a long time without leaving. The disciples believed that 'deer age of a thousand years' was an auspicious meaning, so they carved a pair of stone deer and placed them outside the gongbei archway, and Luling Mosque was named after this.





Several pictures of various new and old Hezhou brick carvings at Luling Mosque.















The prayer hall in the mosque.









Jingshi Mosque

Jingshi Mosque is located on the west side of Luling Mosque and is the place where the great gongbei ancestor Qi Jingyi meditated in Xixiang. In 1690, Qi Jingyi came to Xixiang, built a thatched cottage under Niutou Mountain to meditate, and eventually passed away here.

After Qi Jingyi passed away, Gao Xiangyun, a follower of the great gongbei, spent more than ten years starting in 1814 building the entire courtyard, including the main house, east and west wing rooms, the opposite hall, and the gate, on the original site of Jingshi Mosque. Jingshi Mosque was occupied during the Cultural Revolution, returned to the great gongbei in 1981, and rebuilt in 1990 under the leadership of Yang Shijun, the head of the great gongbei.













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Summary: This travel note introduces Ankang Hui Muslim Street Guide: Halal Food and Muslim Heritage in Shaanxi. Traveled from Shuhe along the Han River to Ankang. Ankang is the largest Muslim community in southern Shaanxi. It is useful for readers interested in Ankang Muslim Street, Halal Food, Shaanxi Travel.

Traveled from Shuhe along the Han River to Ankang. Ankang is the largest Muslim community in southern Shaanxi. Hui Muslims have settled here since the Ming Dynasty, and by the Republic of China era, seven mosques had already been built. The halal food in Ankang is also the most abundant in southern Shaanxi. Snacks include zhengmian (steamed noodles), rice noodles, ciba (glutinous rice cakes), youceng (layered fried bread), malatang jiamo (spicy hot pot ingredients in a bun), and more, with even more variety in banquet dishes. Moreover, because the Hui Muslim street in Ankang is not a tourist area, everything you eat is food loved by the locals. We really had a wonderful time eating and exploring this time.

Zhengmian (steamed noodles)

In the morning, we ate zhengmian with pickled vegetable soup at the most popular Huang's Zhengmian at the entrance of Gulou Street. The owner is a Haji who returned from Hajj in 2005. Ankang zhengmian is a type of Shaanxi liangpi (cold skin noodles). Unlike Xi'an liangpi, which is seasoned with raw vinegar, Ankang zhengmian uses boiled vinegar. Zhengmian is usually served with youpo lazi (hot chili oil), but I didn't add any because I can't handle much spice.

















The yousu mo (crispy fried flatbread) across from Huang's Zhengmian also looked delicious.



Mosque

After finishing the zhengmian, we went to visit the ancient mosque. According to stone inscriptions, the Ankang Mosque was first built in the Yuan Dynasty. It was initially called Libai Mosque, later renamed Jingjue Mosque, and changed to Mosque in 1767. In 1583, the mosque was destroyed by a flood and the grounds were occupied. In the early years of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the property was returned and rebuilt on the original site. It was destroyed again in 1862, with only the screen wall remaining. The north and south lecture halls were rebuilt in 1867, and the prayer hall and other buildings were rebuilt in 1871. In 1923, a five-story, hexagonal, pointed-roof minaret was built, reaching 37 meters in height. The main hall was expanded in 1931.

In 1983, a major flood occurred in Ankang. The mosque's minaret collapsed, and the north and south lecture halls were destroyed, with only the main hall surviving. In 1984, the north and south lecture halls, minaret, and ablution room were rebuilt. The archway-style gate was rebuilt in 1999, and the main hall was rebuilt in 2013.



















After leaving the ancient mosque, we ate tanggao (fried sugar cake) with douhua (soft tofu pudding) at the intersection of Bizi Lane and Xizheng Street. Yougao (fried cake) is found all the way from Zhaotong to Nanchong and Ankang, and the douhua here is salty and spicy. The lamb pie nearby also looked very tasty.















North Mosque

The North Mosque was first built in 1502. During the 1983 Ankang flood, all the buildings of the North Mosque were washed away. Construction began in 1984 and was completed in 1994.



















Next to the North Mosque is a 232-year-old Chinese toon tree, nearly 40 meters tall. During the 1983 Ankang flood, 31 people climbed this tree and survived, so it is also called the 'Life-Saving Tree'.





Jingning South Mosque

Jingning South Mosque was first built in the Ming Dynasty. In the 1583 Han River flood, the South Mosque was submerged, and the buildings collapsed, leaving only the Wangyue Tower (Moon-Watching Tower). It was rebuilt twice, during the Kangxi era and in 1890. After 1957, it was occupied. During the Cultural Revolution, a fire broke out, and the South Mosque was burned down, with only the Wangyue Tower surviving. After the property was returned, the main hall, north and south wing rooms, ablution room, and gatehouse were rebuilt. In 1998, the Ming Dynasty Wangyue Tower was demolished and replaced with a reinforced concrete structure. In 2018, the stone archway, Wangyue Tower, and north and south wing rooms were rebuilt again.

The main hall of Jingning South Mosque is the largest among Ankang's mosques. From the aerial view, you can see it is composed of three connected buildings, each with a different architectural style.



















Vegetable rolls, ciba (glutinous rice cakes), and zhengpenzi (steamed basin dish)

After visiting the two mosques, we continued to eat snacks.

We ate vegetable rolls in front of Huang's Zhengmian. Various small vegetable dishes were rolled into freshly made pancakes. The vegetables were very flavorful, and the pancakes were fragrant. This two-yuan snack left me very satisfied.

Then we strolled along Gulou West Street and ate ciba at a sweet shop called Ma's Zongzi. We discovered a 1990s-era tangping (kettle) sign, which is extremely rare.

After walking around a lot, we went for lunch. Dongzheng Street is full of halal restaurants. We chose a place called Huifuzhai and ate their specialty, zhengpenzi (a large steamed basin dish). It was a huge basin for 68 yuan, with plenty of food, including lamb, chicken, beef sausage, shrimp dumplings, carrots, white radishes, yams, lotus roots, corn, and more. The portion was very generous. Zainabu loved it.



















Grilled fresh fish, malatang (spicy hot pot)

In the evening, we ate grilled fresh fish at Ma Laowu Barbecue on Gulou East Street. Every fish was alive. I didn't dare to choose a big fish, so we ate the smallest yellow catfish, and also had some lamb skewers. After the grilled fish, we wandered to East Street to eat Ma Dasao Malatang. Ankang's malatang is also quite unique; the sauce used is different from other places and very fragrant. I really love this late-night snack atmosphere in the Ankang Hui Muslim district; it's all food loved by the locals.

















Beef rice noodles, beef in a bun

Continuing with late-night snacks, we ate beef rice noodles and cumin beef in a bun at Ma Gang Rice Noodles on Gulou West Street. It's true that just across the Qinling Mountains, Ankang starts eating rice noodles. And Ankang people really can put anything in a bun: vegetable buns, malatang buns, cumin beef buns, ham buns, spicy meat buns, etc. I even saw a fried dough stick in a bun this morning. However, my favorite is still the cumin beef in a bun. The taste is completely different from Xi'an's roujiamo (meat in a bun). Ankang uses a sesame bun, which I personally feel has a better texture than Xi'an's baiji bun.











Vegetable bun, chicken soup wontons, lamb pie

In the morning, we ate a vegetable bun and chicken soup wontons at Ma's Rice Noodles next to Ma Gang Rice Noodles. The variety of breakfast here is also very rich; you can have whatever you want. Then we ate lamb pie at the entrance of Gulou Street. The flavor of Ankang's lamb pie is so rich that you can smell the fragrance from far away, making it impossible to walk past.













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Summary: This travel note introduces Fancheng Muslim Travel Guide: Hui Muslim History in Hubei. As the most important commercial hub in the middle reaches of the Han River, Fancheng has had Hui Muslims living there since the Yuan and Ming dynasties. It is useful for readers interested in Hubei Muslims, Hui Muslims, Muslim Heritage.

As the most important commercial hub in the middle reaches of the Han River, Fancheng has had Hui Muslims living there since the Yuan and Ming dynasties. The Hui Muslims of Fancheng were mainly concentrated on Jiaomen Street, where the mosque is located. When the Fancheng Mosque was renovated in 1792 (the 57th year of the Qianlong reign), the number of local Hui Muslim households who donated reached 222. In 2015, Jiaomen Street was completely demolished for new construction, and now only a row of shops selling beef noodles and raw beef remains at the head of the Hanjiang Bridge.

Early in the morning, we came to the bridge head to eat beef noodles at Liu's on Jiaomen Street. Liu's is run by the son of the old Ahong (imam) of the Fancheng Mosque, Liu Donghan, and is quite famous. When I was in college, our school's halal canteen had a stall for Xiangfan beef noodles, and my impression at the time was that it was really spicy! This time, I finally got to taste the authentic version. After finishing the authentic bowl, it did feel a bit spicy, haha. We specifically asked for no chili, but the broth used to braise the beef is inherently a little spicy. However, besides the spice, the beef is truly fragrant! The various meat ingredients must have been added generously, and it was stewed until very flavorful.









The beef noodle shops here at the bridge head basically open from early morning and close near noon. Eating beef noodles in the morning really makes you feel comfortable for the whole day.











After finishing the beef noodles, we went to the Fancheng Mosque. The Fancheng Mosque was once the most important mosque in northwestern Hubei. It was originally a very beautiful ancient Ming Dynasty mosque, but it was tragically demolished around 2015. It can be said to be the greatest regret for traditional Chinese mosque architecture in the 2010s; it is truly a profound pity.

According to a Qing Dynasty stele inscription once inside the mosque, it 'originated in the Yongle period of the former Ming, with orderly scale,' and 'built in the former Ming, by the early Qianlong reign of the current dynasty, the scale was grand and the halls were magnificent.' The mosque leaned toward the traditional southwestern architectural style, with a three-layered flying eave gate and fire-blocking walls. The most distinctive feature was the hexagonal main hall, which was changed from three stories to two after collapsing during a heavy rainstorm in the late Qing Dynasty. The hexagonal main hall was once the most unique traditional mosque hall style in Hubei Province. Besides the Fancheng Mosque, only the Qingzhensi Lane Mosque in Wuchang was the same. Both mosques were founded in the Ming Dynasty and both were destroyed due to the redevelopment of urban residential areas.

The picture below is the gate of the Fancheng Mosque that I took when I went to Fancheng in 2012. It is a great pity that I had not yet systematically photographed traditional mosque architecture at that time, so I did not photograph the main hall. Who would have known that the following year, the demolition of the Fancheng Hui Muslim district would begin, and even the ancient mosque, which was a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit, would be demolished.



After asking for directions, we arrived at the new Fancheng Mosque, which is now surrounded by high-rise residential buildings. The new mosque is very mediocre, with all historical information gone, leaving only a catalpa tree that is over 300 years old. Very fortunately, we were able to visit the Ahong of the Fancheng Mosque, Chen Junren. Ahong Chen also felt very emotional about the reconstruction of the mosque. He said that the old mosque used to have a great atmosphere, and performing namaz (prayer) inside felt solemn and elegant, but the newly built mosque has no feeling at all.

Ahong Chen's hometown is Nanyang, Henan, and he has been in Xiangyang for more than thirty years. He is sixty years old this year. All the halal beef and mutton in Fancheng are slaughtered by Ahong Chen himself, starting from one o'clock every morning until four o'clock in the morning. All the halal beef noodle shops at the head of the Hanjiang Bridge use the meat slaughtered by Ahong Chen. Just then, a dost (friend) asked Ahong Chen to slaughter a sheep, so we watched Ahong Chen's skills on the spot.











Ahong Chen chatted with us very congenially and very enthusiastically gave us several gifts. He gave us a copy of "Tianfang Zhisheng Shilu" (The True Record of the Greatest Sage of Arabia) by Liu Jielian Baba, which is the first biography of the Prophet written in Chinese. He also gave us two pendants brought back by others from Hajj, as well as two porcelain shards he picked up when the Fancheng Hui Muslim street was demolished.







At noon, Ahong Chen took us to the Hexie Restaurant for a meal. Ahong Chen is the uncle of the restaurant owner, Wang Zhiyong. This restaurant has been open for more than thirty years, and local Hui Muslims hold their religious banquets here. We ordered the specialty dry-pot beef offal, wooden bucket fish, and stir-fried baby cabbage with oil bean curd skin. The beef offal was spicy and numbing, with plenty of Sichuan peppercorns, which was very satisfying to eat. The wooden bucket fish was very tender; it is hard to eat such fresh and delicious fish in Beijing.











The river view and city walls of Xiangyang on the opposite bank.





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Summary: This travel note introduces Langzhong Ancient City Muslim Travel Guide: Mosques, Hui Muslims & Halal Food. Along the Jialing River, Langzhong is the place where Muslim culture is best preserved and the community is relatively the most complete. It is useful for readers interested in Langzhong Ancient City, Hui Muslims, Muslim Travel.

Along the Jialing River, Langzhong is the place where Muslim culture is best preserved and the community is relatively the most complete. In addition to the Gedimu (a traditional school of Islam in China) religious community formed by the Langzhong Mosque and Mosque Street, there is also the Baba Mosque, a gongbei (shrine) for the first-generation ancestor of the Sufi Qadiriyya menhuan (Sufi order), as well as the Boshu Hui Muslim township in the mountains.

Langzhong Mosque

Langzhong Mosque was built in 1669 (the eighth year of the Kangxi reign) with funds raised by Hui Muslim Bao Tianzuo, and was completed in 1672 (the eleventh year of the Kangxi reign). The mosque originally covered an area of more than ten mu (a unit of land area), but after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the primary school and kindergarten were separated, and it now only covers four mu. The mosque is a siheyuan (courtyard house) enclosed by the gate, north and south wing rooms, and the main prayer hall. The main hall has five visible bays and three hidden ones, with suspended pillars, appearing ancient and grand.



















Because it has been raining in Langzhong, everyone was at home performing namaz (prayer) during the day, and I only met the elders at the mosque in the evening. Because the ahong (imam) returned to his hometown for personal matters, a dost (friend/fellow believer) who had studied religious texts in Yunnan was leading the prayer. The dost is from Guangyuan. After marrying a wife from Langzhong, he settled here and opened the Wenxian Baozi Shop across from the mosque. I had a very pleasant chat with everyone, and the next day I went back to the Wenxian Baozi Shop to eat baozi (steamed stuffed buns) and beef noodles. At the entrance of the mosque in the early morning, there is a morning market selling various fresh vegetables and halal food.



















There are many halal restaurants in the ancient town of Langzhong. At one of them, I ate twice-cooked pork made with yanyeziniurou (salt-leaf beef), as well as Chuanbei liangfen (Sichuan-style mung bean jelly) and baitang zhengmo (steamed buns with white sugar). Baitang zhengmo is also a specialty delicacy of the Hui Muslims in Langzhong. It was created by the Hui Muslim pastry chef Ha Gongkui during the Qianlong period. It does not use lye but is fermented with naturally cultivated enzymes, and it also contains some osmanthus flowers; it can be steamed again.















Hui Muslims in Langzhong are famous for their braised beef. The most famous time-honored brand is Huazhen Beef, and their yanyeziniurou has been listed as a Sichuan provincial intangible cultural heritage.

In 1883 (the ninth year of the Guangxi reign), Hui Muslim Ma Xiao opened a halal beef shop on Libaisi Street, specializing in making braised beef and dried beef. Because he always used lotus leaves or mulberry leaves to wrap the braised beef when selling it, it was called 'yanyeziniurou' (salt-leaf beef). Compared with dried beef, yanyeziniurou is softer and more fragrant. The famous educator Yan Yangchu praised Ma Xiao's beef as 'Huaxia Zhenxiu' (a rare delicacy of China) after tasting it, so Ma Xiao later adopted the name 'Huazhen'.

Later, Ma Xiao passed the business to his son Ma Boliang. After the public-private partnership in 1958, Ma Boliang worked at the Langzhong Beef Processing Factory (the predecessor of Zhangfei Beef), specializing in making dried beef and yanyeziniurou, until he retired at nearly eighty years old in 1980. After retirement, Ma Boliang passed the craft to his daughter Ma Huazhen, and then to his grandson Ma Limin, who is the fourth-generation successor.

In 1988, Ma Limin restarted selling beef on Libaisi Street in Langzhong, supervised by his grandfather Ma Boliang, using traditional methods. Huazhen Beef has grown bigger and bigger since then. Now you can buy Huazhen Beef everywhere in Langzhong, but the old shop is still on Libaisi Street.

I bought a bag of yanyeziniurou at the Huazhen Beef shop on Libaisi Street, took it home, and made twice-cooked beef, which tasted very good.













I bought 'Ahong Youxiang' (fried dough) and tea snacks at the Mulin Halal Pastry Shop. It was the first time I had eaten youxiang that tasted like a tea snack. Mulin has been open for nearly thirty years. It was initially next to the Langzhong Mosque, then moved to the Muslim Home on Jingsheng'an Street, and now they have opened a new workshop on Jingsheng'an Street. Their shop is considered a relatively large halal pastry shop in Langzhong, specializing in osmanthus mooncakes, which many people buy before the Mid-Autumn Festival every year.













The largest halal restaurant in Langzhong is Gulan Gulang. I ordered steamed pork with rice flour and Hui-style guozha (deep-fried dough) here.









Street view of Libaisi Street in Langzhong, where the whole street is filled with Hui Muslims selling braised beef.





There are still many other places in the ancient city of Langzhong that sell halal beef.



The ancient city of Langzhong at dusk and dawn.











The inn where I stayed.







The Jialing River after the rain.





Baba Mosque.

Langzhong Baba Mosque is the tomb of Huazhe Abudonglaxi, the first-generation ancestor of the Qadiriyya menhuan. Qadiriyya is one of the four major Sufi menhuan in China, introduced to China by Huazhe Abudonglaxi in 1673. In 1684, Abudonglaxi was invited to Langzhong to preach, and he passed away in Langzhong in 1689. In 1691, his disciple Qi Jingyi and others built a gongbei for their master, naming it 'Jiuzhao Pavilion'. Since then, the Baba Mosque has been guarded by the Da Gongbei system founded by Qi Jingyi.

The Baba Mosque was expanded during the Qianlong period and has been well preserved ever since, until 1991 when the Jiuzhao Pavilion was rebuilt and heightened into its current three-tiered, four-cornered helmet-roof structure. Jiuzhao Pavilion is the most important building in the Baba Mosque. The inner chamber is the tomb of Abudonglaxi, and the southwest corner of the outer chamber is the tomb of Abudonglaxi's disciple Ma Shenyi, who guarded the gongbei for more than twenty years.









Next to the Jiuzhao Pavilion are the tombs of the past masters.





Directly facing the Jiuzhao Pavilion is a wooden memorial archway with four pillars, three bays, and three stories. The dougong (bracket sets) are complex and overlapping. The front plaque reads 'Ben Di Yuan Zu' (The Origin of the True Path), and the back plaque from the Daoguang period reads 'Yang Zhi' (Look Up with Respect).







The screen wall faces a brick-imitation-wood chuihua gate (a decorative gate with hanging pendants), which is exquisitely carved.









Outside the chuihua gate is a water-polished large screen wall built during the Qianlong period, ten meters long and eight meters high, with a dougong pavilion roof. The front is carved with openwork landscapes, and the back features pine, bamboo, and flowers, taken from the paintings of Zhang Zao of the Tang Dynasty and Tang Yin of the Ming Dynasty, respectively.











To the northeast of the Jiuzhao Pavilion is a courtyard consisting of a stele corridor, a prayer hall, the Qianhua Hall, and guest rooms. In the courtyard, there is a 'rootless tree' hanging high in the air brought back by Qi Jingyi from Xixiang, and a large camellia tree with a history of more than 200 years. The Qianhua Hall displays a series of plaques and calligraphy and paintings by famous artists.



















The prayer hall of the Baba Mosque.



















Boshu Mosque.

In addition to the ancient city of Langzhong, there is also a Boshu Hui Muslim 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 the Boshu Mosque.







Two nearly century-old osmanthus trees are planted in the courtyard.













When I went there, the ahong happened to be out, so the imam's wife received me. The imam's wife is from Bazhong and, like me, is a convert to Islam. She came to this ancient mosque in the mountains with the ahong. The imam's wife gave me pears that the local villagers had just picked and sent over; they were crisp, sweet, and very delicious.





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Summary: This travel note introduces Hanzhong Halal Food Guide: Xianyinsi Lamb and Muslim Travel. In 2020, while traveling along the Han River, we transferred from Shaanxi to Sichuan by train, stopping in Hanzhong along the way. It is useful for readers interested in Hanzhong Travel, Halal Food, Muslim Travel.

In 2020, while traveling along the Han River, we transferred from Shaanxi to Sichuan by train, stopping in Hanzhong along the way. We made a special trip to visit Xianyin Mosque, and while visiting the ancient mosque, we also ate some delicious lamb.

Xianyin Mosque is located not far northwest of Hanzhong Railway Station. Like the Baba Mosque in Langzhong and the Luling Mosque in Xixiang, it belongs to the Qadiriyya Sufi order's Da Gongbei tradition, though it is not as famous as the first two. One day in 1685, Ma Ziyun, the Hanzhong garrison commander, was hunting in a forest in Shimayan in the northern suburbs of Hanzhong. He shot a rabbit, but it escaped. As Ma Ziyun chased it, he discovered an old Shaykh sitting in meditation where the rabbit had been. This was the first-generation ancestor of the Qadiriyya order, Khwaja Abdullah. Ma Ziyun held the Khwaja in high esteem, so he invited him back to his residence and treated him with the respect due to a teacher. Later, when Ma Ziyun was promoted to the garrison commander of northern Sichuan, he invited the Khwaja to Langzhong to preach.

To commemorate the meeting between Ma Ziyun and the Khwaja here, later generations built Xianyin Mosque during the Guangxu reign. Therefore, this is a commemorative Gongbei (shrine), also known as the Shimayan Gongbei.

Xianyin Mosque was originally a small, elegant siheyuan (courtyard house). The main hall was the prayer hall, with three rooms on both the north and south sides, and a living room opposite. The side rooms and living room were hung with calligraphy and paintings by famous people from ancient and modern times. In the courtyard, there was a small pavilion called the "Hermit's Pavilion," along with various flowers and bonsai, and behind the courtyard was the Gongbei. After the religious reforms in 1958, Xianyin Mosque was severely damaged, and none of the original buildings remained. After the religious policy was implemented, Yang Shijun, the head of the Da Gongbei, sent his disciple Yang Qifang to rebuild Xianyin Mosque. Construction began in 1992 and was completed in 1994. All the brick and wood carvings were made in Linxia and then transported to Hanzhong for assembly, with an architectural style consistent with the Da Gongbei in Linxia.

The road to Xianyin Mosque was quite winding. It had just rained heavily that day, and the only dirt road leading to the mosque was muddy and almost impassable. We tried several times and almost gave up, but finally decided to push forward through the mud, which allowed us to reach Xianyin Mosque.

The couplet on the gate of Xianyin Mosque is very poetic: "After the immortal leaves, clouds seal the mosque; when the hermit returns, the moon serves as a lamp."



















Next to the Shimayan Gongbei is the Kashi Taiye Gongbei. Kashi Taiye, whose religious name was Habibullah and Chinese name was Ha Huiyi, was a disciple of Khwaja Abdullah and passed away in Hanzhong in 1709. The Kashi Taiye Gongbei was also rebuilt between 1992 and 1994 by Yang Qifang, a disciple of Yang Shijun, the head of the Da Gongbei.





The courtyard and the mihrab (niche in the wall indicating the direction of prayer) of the prayer hall.











The two ascetics guarding the Gongbei at Xianyin Mosque welcomed us warmly. In addition to following the scriptures and traditions, the Qadiriyya order's Da Gongbei tradition believes that one must shed the temptations of secular life and achieve the goal of knowing and drawing near to Allah through ascetic practice. Therefore, disciples of the Da Gongbei tradition enter the Gongbei from a young age, living a life of seclusion, never marrying, and are known as "ascetics." According to the rules, ascetics must take turns every three years to guard the various Gongbei under the jurisdiction of the Da Gongbei, which is called "guarding the Gongbei." The two ascetics at Xianyin Mosque were both sent from the Da Gongbei in Linxia and will return to Linxia after their three-year term is up.

When we visited Xianyin Mosque, we happened to meet a large family from Linxia who had come to hold a khatm al-Qur'an (a gathering for reciting the Quran), and we were able to eat some delicious Hezhou food in Hanzhong. The shouzhuarou (hand-grabbed lamb) made from lamb freshly slaughtered by the ascetics was very tender. We also had stir-fried lamb liver and deep-fried tangmian youxiang (leavened dough fritters).















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Summary: This travel note introduces Samarkand Travel Guide: Timur's Capital, Mosques & Islamic History (Part 1). In 1220, Genghis Khan led the Mongol army to conquer the ancient Central Asian city of Samarkand, killed all the civilians who had taken refuge in the citadel and the mosque, and looted all the treasures in the city. It is useful for readers interested in Uzbekistan Travel, Timurid History, Muslim Heritage.

In 1220, Genghis Khan led the Mongol army to conquer the ancient Central Asian city of Samarkand, killed all the civilians who had taken refuge in the citadel and the mosque, and looted all the treasures in the city; Samarkand lost its former glory.

In 1370, Emperor Timur established the Timurid dynasty on the ruins of the Chagatai Khanate and made Samarkand his capital. Over the next 35 years, Timur employed craftsmen, artists, and architects from all over the Timurid Empire to rebuild the city of Samarkand, making it the undisputed center of Central Asia. During Timur's reign, the population of Samarkand exceeded 150,000, and important monuments such as the Shah-i-Zinda mausoleum complex and the Bibi-Khanym Mosque have been preserved to this day.

Between 1409 and 1449, a period of 40 years, the city of Samarkand continued to grow as a city of science and culture under the rule of Timur's grandson, Ulugh Beg. In addition to the completion of the Gur-e-Amir mausoleum for Emperor Timur, the Ulugh Beg Madrasah (Islamic school) and the Ulugh Beg Observatory are both important testaments to this.

After the death of Ulugh Beg, the Timurid dynasty went from prosperity to decline and fell into division. In the early 16th century, the Uzbeks occupied Samarkand and established the Shaybanid dynasty, later moving the capital to Bukhara in 1561. Since then, Samarkand gradually declined.

By the 19th century, most of the Timurid dynasty monuments in Samarkand were severely damaged. During the Soviet era, large-scale renovations were carried out on the Timurid monuments in Samarkand; unfortunately, the 'tear down the old and build the new' approach erased too much historical information and has been criticized by later generations.

In 2001, the ancient city of Samarkand was inscribed on the World Heritage List under the name 'Samarkand – Crossroad of Cultures'.

The old photos shared in this article, the black and white ones, come from the 'Turkestan Album', produced between 1871 and 1872 under the sponsorship of Konstantin P. von Kaufman, the first Governor-General of Russian Turkestan.

The color photos are from Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii. Some of these photos date back to 1905, with most of the work coming from between 1909 and 1915. During this period, he traveled to many different regions of the Russian Empire with the support of Tsar Nicholas II and the Ministry of Transport.

Table of Contents

I. Shah-i-Zinda: 11th–15th centuries

II. Rukhabad Mausoleum: 1380s

III. Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum: 1404

4. Bibi-Khanym Mosque: 1404

5. Bibi-Khanym Mausoleum: 1404

6. Ulugh Beg Madrasah: 1420

7. Ulugh Beg Observatory: 1429

8. Ishrat-khana Mausoleum: 1464

9. Ak-Saray Mausoleum: Presumed to be 1450s-1470s

10. Khodja Abdu Derun Mausoleum: 15th century

11. Mausoleum of Prophet Daniel: Rebuilt in the early 20th century

I. Shah-i-Zinda: 11th–15th centuries

Shah-i-Zinda is the oldest and most important Islamic mausoleum complex in Samarkand. In the 11th century, the tomb of Kusam Ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, was built here; during the Timurid dynasty in the 14th century, a large number of women from the Timurid family and Timur's confidants were also buried here.

The Shah-i-Zinda complex can be divided into three parts: south, middle, and north, each with its own gate. The southern complex is the latest in date, built by Timur's grandson, Ulugh Beg. The middle complex contains the tombs of Timur's ministers, generals, nieces, and sisters. The northern complex is the core part; in addition to the Prophet's cousin, two of Timur's wives and local religious leaders are also buried there.



(I) Southern Complex



1. Gate: 1435

The gate of Shah-i-Zinda (Chartak of Abdulaziz) was built in 1435 by Ulugh Beg, the third ruler of the Timurid dynasty, on behalf of his son Abdulaziz. Abdulaziz was Ulugh Beg's second son, raised by Ulugh Beg from childhood, deeply loved by him, and was also the designated heir of Ulugh Beg.

In 1449, Ulugh Beg's eldest son, Abdal-Latif Mirza, launched a rebellion against his father; Ulugh Beg led his army to meet him while ordering Abdal-Aziz to stay behind and guard Samarkand. Abdulaziz's poor management eventually led to an uprising in Samarkand; he locked himself in the citadel and sent a letter to his father for help, and Ulugh Beg had to return to Samarkand after receiving the letter. Abdal-Latif subsequently attacked Samarkand, and Ulugh Beg and Abdal-Aziz surrendered to him. Abdal-Latif arranged for Ulugh Beg and Abdulaziz to go on Hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca and had them both killed on the way.













2. Double-domed Mausoleum: 1437

The Double-domed Mausoleum is the first mausoleum after entering the gate, believed to have been built by the third ruler of the Timurid dynasty, Ulugh Beg, in 1437. The occupant of the tomb may be Timur's benefactor Uldzk Inak and her daughter Bibi Zinet, but there is also a theory that the occupant is the astronomer Kazi Zadeh Al-Rumi, who worked under Ulugh Beg.

Kazi Zadeh Al-Rumi was a famous astronomer and mathematician of the 14th–15th centuries, born in Bursa, the capital of the Ottoman Empire in 1364, and came to work at the Ulugh Beg Observatory in Samarkand during Ulugh Beg's reign. At the observatory, he worked with Ulugh Beg and other astronomers to complete the famous 'Zīj-i Sultānī' (Ulugh Beg's astronomical tables).













(II) Middle Complex

After passing through the gate and the Double-domed Mausoleum and climbing the stairs, one enters the middle complex. The middle complex can also be divided into southern and northern parts. The southern part consists of five adjacent mausoleums, mainly for important figures in Timur's court: the mausoleum of Timur's minister Amirzade (1386), the mausoleum of Timur's niece Shadi Mulk Aka (1372), the mausoleum of Timur's sister Shirin Bika Aka (1386), and the mausoleum of Timur's general Tughlu Tekin (1376); there is also an octagonal mausoleum of unknown occupant, presumably built in the 1430s.





View of the gate of the middle complex from the Double-domed Mausoleum

Shot from west to east, from left to right are the mausoleum of niece Shadi Mulk Aka, the mausoleum of sister Shirin Bika Aka, the mausoleum of minister Amirzade, and the Double-domed Mausoleum.





Shot from northeast to southwest, the three domes from left to right are the mausoleum of sister Shirin Bika Aka, the octagonal tomb pavilion, and the mausoleum of niece Shadi Mulk Aka; on the right are three others rebuilt in modern times.



Shot from northeast to southwest, the three domes from left to right belong to the mausoleum of sister Shirin Bika Aka, the mausoleum of minister Amirzade, and the mausoleum of niece Shadi Mulk Aka; in the front is the octagonal tomb pavilion.



Shot from northwest to southeast, from left to right are the octagonal tomb pavilion, the mausoleum of sister Shirin Bika Aka, the mausoleum of niece Shadi Mulk Aka, the mausoleum of minister Amirzade, and the Double-domed Mausoleum.



Shot from north to south, from left to right are the mausoleum of Shirin Bika Aka, the mausoleum of Amirzade, and the mausoleum of Shadi Mulk Aka.



Shot from south to north, on the left is the octagonal tomb pavilion, and on the right is the mausoleum of Shadi Mulk Aka.



Shot from south to north, on the left are the mausoleum of Amirzade and the mausoleum of Shadi Mulk Aka.





The mausoleum of Amirzade shot from north to south.



Shot from north to south, from left to right are the mausoleum of Amirzade and the mausoleum of Shadi Mulk Aka.



1. Amirzade Mausoleum: 1386

Amirzade was a minister in Timur's court. In addition to geometric patterns and eight-petaled rose patterns, the Peshtak (portal) entrance of the mausoleum also features Kufic calligraphy and Thuluth calligraphy.











2. Shadi Mulk Aka Mausoleum: 1372

Shadi Mulk Aka was the daughter of Timur's eldest sister, Kutlug Turkan Aka.















3. Tughlu Tekin Mausoleum: 1376

Tughlu Tekin was the mother of Timur's general Amir Hussein, and later Amir Hussein was also buried here.



4. Shirin Bika Aka Mausoleum: 1386

The occupant of the tomb is Timur's sister.













5. Octagonal Tomb Pavilion: presumably 1430s

The occupant of this tomb pavilion has not been verified to this day.







6. Usto Ali Mausoleum: 1360s–1380s

On the north side of the middle complex is a separate mausoleum; the occupant is unknown, only that the architect was Usto Ali from Nasaf (Qarshi).





View from south to north















(III) Northern Complex



1. Passage of the Departed: 14th century

The Passage of the Departed (Yuqori Chortoq) is the gate to the northern complex.









2. Kusam Ibn Abbas Mausoleum: 11th century

The Kusam Ibn Abbas Mausoleum is the earliest building constructed in Shah-i-Zinda, dating back to the 11th century, and was renovated in the 14th and 15th centuries. Kusam is legendary as the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad and the son of the Prophet's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib. Kusam is said to be one of the first people to come to Central Asia to spread Islam and eventually died in Samarkand.

In 1333, the famous Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta passed through Samarkand and visited the Kusam mausoleum. The 'Rihla' (Travels of Ibn Battuta) records:

'The people of Samarkand come to visit this tomb every Monday and Friday eve; the Tatars also come to visit and make great vows to him, bringing cattle, sheep, dirhams, and dinars to be used as funds for the food and lodging of passing travelers and for the servants of the shrine.' 'On the tomb is a dome built on four pillars, each pillar flanked by two marble columns in green, black, white, and red.' 'The walls of the dome are carved and inlaid with gilded marble, and the ceiling is made of lead.' 'The tomb is inlaid with ebony, the four corners of the tomb are wrapped in silver leaf, three silver lamps are hung over the tomb, and wool and cotton carpets are spread inside the dome.' "





















There are also some tombstones outside the mausoleum.





3. Tuman Aka Mausoleum: 1405

Opposite the Kusam Ibn Abbas Mausoleum is the mausoleum of Timur's wife, Tuman Aka. Tuman Aka, also written as Touman Agha, married Timur in 1377 and came from the family of the last Chagatai Khan, Qazan Sultan. She was Timur's favorite wife and a younger relative of Sarai Mulk Khanym, the daughter of Qazan Sultan.

Tuman Aka's mausoleum was built on the ruins of an Islamic madrasah destroyed in the 14th century; the inscription on the mausoleum bears the construction date of 1405 and the name of a calligrapher from Tabriz, Iran.

Next to the Tuman Aqa mausoleum is a Sufi khanaka (hospice) named after Tuman Aqa. It is speculated that the khanaka was built earlier than the mausoleum, probably around the end of the 14th century.



4. Khodja Ahmad Mausoleum: 1360s

The Khodja Ahmad Mausoleum is located at the northernmost part of the entire Shah-i-Zinda complex, built in the 1360s, and is the tomb of a local religious leader. The facade (Peshtak or Pischtak) of the mausoleum is decorated with a large number of floral, geometric patterns, and calligraphic tiles. The Kufic calligraphy tiles on the inside bear the name of the architect Fakhri-Ali, and the Thuluth calligraphy tiles on the outside read, 'May Allah perpetuate this eternity and make the mausoleum a garden of happiness for Khodja Ahmad.' "

















5. Qutlugh Aka Mausoleum: 1361

To the east of the Khwaja Ahmad Mausoleum is the tomb of an unidentified woman, dating back to 1361. Some information indicates that Timur's wife, Qutlugh Aka, is buried here.









II. Rukhabad Mausoleum: 1380s

The Rukhabad Mausoleum is one of the earliest buildings built by Timur in Samarkand. Legend has it that after the Sufi sheikh Burkhan ad-Din Sagardji died during the Yuan Dynasty, his son Abu Said brought his remains to Samarkand for burial according to his father's last wish. During his stay in Samarkand, Abu Said became Timur's religious mentor, and Timur built a mausoleum for Sagardji in the 1380s, naming it 'Rukhabad' (House of the Spirit).







Behind the mausoleum are the ruins of a madrasah.







III. Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum: 1404

Gur-e-Amir is the mausoleum of Timur, which holds an important position in the history of Central Asian architecture and became the precursor and model for later Mughal architecture.

The complex was originally a Sufi khanqah and madrasah built by Timur's favorite grandson, Muhammad Sultan, at the end of the 14th century, called Khangah-i Muhammad Sultan; now only part of the foundation remains.

Muhammad Sultan died in 1403 while accompanying Timur on his expedition to the Ottoman Empire. He was initially buried in northwestern Iran, and it was not until a year later that he was transported to Samarkand and reburied in the Khangah-i Muhammad Sultan. In 1405, Timur died on his way to campaign against the Ming Dynasty; his body could not be transported back to his hometown of Shahrisabz due to heavy snow and was eventually buried with his grandson Muhammad Sultan.

After Timur's death, his son Shah Rukh inherited the eastern part of the empire. Shah Rukh moved the capital of the Timurid Empire from Samarkand to Herat in Afghanistan and had his son Ulugh Beg rule Samarkand starting in 1409. During Ulugh Beg's rule in Samarkand, he hired the architect Muhammad ibn Mahmud from Isfahan, Iran, to formally convert the Khangah-i Muhammad Sultan into the royal mausoleum of the Timurid dynasty, Gur-e-Amir, which means 'Tomb of the King' in Persian.



After the 17th century, as the center of Transoxiana shifted from Samarkand to Bukhara, Gur-e-Amir gradually fell into disrepair. It was not until the 1950s that renovations began on the dome, gate, and minarets, and the interior was renovated in the 1970s.







The alley behind Gur-e-Amir

The entrance to Gur-e-Amir is a huge Iwan arch, covered with glazed ceramic panels featuring complex plant and geometric patterns. In the 19th century, the upper part had collapsed and was later restored.











Back of the arch

After entering the arch is the main building of the mausoleum. The mausoleum was fortunately preserved, but unfortunately, only the northwestern one of the four minarets remained by the 19th century. The minaret has spiral-thickened Kufic Arabic calligraphy.







The main body of the mausoleum is divided into three levels: an octagonal base, a middle drum structure, and a large ribbed dome. The base is decorated with thickened Kufic Arabic calligraphy in blue tiles, while the drum structure is decorated with slender Persian-Arabic calligraphy in black and white tiles.





There is also a huge main arch on the west side of the mausoleum.







The current entrance is on the north side of the mausoleum.





The interior of the mausoleum is divided into two levels: the upper level contains the tombstones indicating the positions, and the lower level is the actual burial site. There are 9 people buried in the mausoleum: Timur himself, his sons Miran Shah and Shah Rukh, his grandsons Ulugh Beg and Muhammad Sultan, as well as Timur's spiritual mentor Mir Said Baraka and another Islamic master, Seyid Omar.





Ulugh Beg placed a hard, dark green jade stone over Timur's tomb, which is said to have come from the throne of the Chagatai Khanate. In 1740, Nader Shah, the emperor of the Persian Afsharid dynasty, took the tombstone back to Persia, but the stone cracked when it was moved, and Nader Shah immediately began to suffer misfortune. The tombstone was considered the cause of the misfortune, so he eventually returned it to its original place.



To the west of Timur's tombstone is Shah Rukh's tombstone. Shah Rukh was the second ruler of the Timurid dynasty. In 1447, Shah Rukh died of illness and was buried in Herat. The following year, Ulugh Beg occupied Herat, dug up his father's remains, brought them back to Samarkand, and reburied them in Gur-e-Amir.



To the south of Timur's tombstone is Ulugh Beg's tombstone. Ulugh Beg was the third ruler of the Timurid dynasty. In 1449, Ulugh Beg's eldest son, Abdal-Latif Mirza, launched a rebellion, captured Ulugh Beg near Samarkand, and subsequently had him killed. But Abdal-Latif only ruled for 6 months before being murdered, and Samarkand was then ruled by Ulugh Beg's nephew, Abdallah Mirza. Abdallah buried Ulugh Beg's remains in Gur-e-Amir, together with his grandfather Timur and father Shah Rukh.



To the east of Timur's tombstone is Muhammad Sultan's tombstone.

Muhammad Sultan's father was Timur's favorite son, Jahangir, but he died of illness in 1376, the year after Muhammad was born. In 1386, the 10-year-old Muhammad Sultan was appointed by Timur to rule the important Iranian city of Tabriz. Five years later, he began to accompany his grandfather on campaigns, performing well in two wars invading the Golden Horde, and grew into an excellent officer. In 1397, Muhammad Sultan was appointed to manage the Fergana region in the easternmost part of the Timurid Empire and was given an army of 40,000 men.

Just before Timur's invasion of India in 1398, Muhammad Sultan was appointed by Timur as the heir to the throne (Vali al-lakhd). It is said that when Timur preached the Khutbah (sermon) at the Jumu'ah (Friday) congregational prayer after conquering Delhi, he placed Muhammad Sultan's name alongside his own.

In 1402, Timur invaded the Ottoman Empire, and the two sides fought a decisive battle in Ankara. On the battlefield, Muhammad Sultan led the army to inflict heavy damage on the enemy and captured the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I. After the war, Muhammad Sultan was sent to Bursa, the then-capital of the Ottoman Empire, and seized a large amount of treasure.

However, while returning from Bursa to the main force led by Timur, Muhammad Sultan was wounded in battle and eventually died in 1403. Timur felt immense grief over his grandson's death and ordered everyone in the army to wear dark clothes to mourn.



Further west of Timur's tombstone is the tombstone of Timur's third son, Miran Shah. After Timur conquered Iran in 1393, he granted the 'Hulagu Throne' to Miran Shah, with territories including Persia and the Caucasus region, such as Baghdad and Tabriz. However, after suffering a mental illness from falling off a horse, Miran Shah increasingly became a tyrant.

Miran Shah lived a dissolute life, including drinking in the mosque, throwing gold coins out of palace windows, and suffering successive military failures. Most importantly, he began to question Timur's ability to govern, which Timur learned about.

In 1399, Timur sent his nephew Sulaiman Shah to bring Miran Shah back to Samarkand, stripped him of all positions, and made him a follower of Timur.

After Timur died in 1405, Miran Shah supported his son Khalil Sultan to inherit the throne, launching a war of succession with his brother Shah Rukh. Miran Shah led an army to fight in western Persia but was defeated by the Turkmen Black Sheep dynasty in the battle for Tabriz in 1406. During the rout, Miran Shah was killed by the Turkmen, and his head was later cut off and hung on the walls of Tabriz.

After the war, the Turkmen handed over Miran Shah's head and body to Shah Rukh, who had ultimately won the war of succession, and Shah Rukh buried Miran Shah in Gur-e-Amir.

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Summary: This travel note introduces Samarkand Travel Guide: Timur's Capital, Mosques & Islamic History (Part 2). The true burial chamber on the lower level is currently not open. It is useful for readers interested in Uzbekistan Travel, Timurid History, Muslim Heritage.





The true burial chamber on the lower level is currently not open.



4. Bibi-Khanym Mosque: 1404

The Bibi-Khanym Mosque is hailed as the most magnificent mosque architecture in 15th-century Central Asia and is the most important mosque of the Timurid dynasty, serving as a model for many later mosques.

The mosque was commissioned in 1399 after Timur conquered Delhi, India, to commemorate his wife, Sarai Mulk Khanym, the daughter of the last Chagatai Khan, Qazan Sultan. When Timur returned to Samarkand in 1404, the mosque was nearly complete, but he was dissatisfied with it, feeling the main dome was not grand enough, and ordered it to be rebuilt. However, during the reconstruction process, Timur passed away in 1405. Afterward, the mosque gradually revealed structural problems caused by its excessive size, and bricks began to fall from the dome; the Timurid dynasty never ceased its repairs on the mosque.

In the late 16th century, Abdullah Khan II (reigned 1583-1598) of the Bukhara Khanate ordered a halt to the maintenance of the Bibi-Khanym Mosque. Subsequently, the bricks and stones of the mosque were continuously taken by local residents to build houses, and the mosque gradually fell into ruins, with the arch of the main gate collapsing in the 1897 earthquake.

In 1974, the Soviet Union began restoring the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, and the restoration work continues to this day.





The Bibi-Khanym Mosque is a classic "Four-Iwan scheme" mosque, consisting of four buildings with Iwan (vaulted hall) arches: the east gate, the west main hall, and two classrooms to the north and south.

The mosque gate has a tall Pishtak (monumental portal) facade, with an Iwan arch in the center.



Front of the main gate





Details of the main gate





Back of the main gate



The main hall has a huge dome, but when viewed from the courtyard, the dome is blocked by the Pishtak facade; in reality, it can only be seen from the sides and the back.

The domes of the main hall and the side halls utilize the innovative "double dome" technique. The inner dome of the main hall is 30 meters high, and the outer dome is 40 meters high, with a 10-meter hollow space in between. This allows the proportion of the interior mihrab (niche indicating the direction of prayer) to the entire hall to be as harmonious as possible, while the exterior dome can be as tall as possible.

























The two classrooms to the north and south of the mosque were once surrounded by a circle of 7.2-meter-high rooms forming a courtyard, composed of continuous arches and domes, but today all the rooms are in ruins, with only the foundations remaining.









North classroom



South classroom





In the middle of the courtyard is a marble Quran stand, which is an original artifact from the Timurid era.





5. Bibi-Khanym Mausoleum: 1404

The Bibi Khanym Mausoleum is located directly opposite the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, built at the same time as the mosque, and is connected to it by a path. In addition to Timur's wife, Sarai Mulk Khanym, other women of the Timurid family are buried in the mausoleum.

Sarai Mulk Khanym was the daughter of the last Khan of the Chagatai Khanate, Qazan Khan ibn Yasaur (reigned 1343-1346), and her first husband was the Chagatai warlord Amir Husayn. Husayn was once Timur's main ally before he came to power; in 1370, their alliance broke down, and Timur defeated and executed Husayn, taking over his harem and thus marrying Husayn's wife, Sarai Mulk Khanym.

As a direct descendant of Genghis Khan and a princess of the Chagatai Khanate, Sarai Mulk Khanym held a very high status in Timur's court. By marrying Sarai Mulk Khanym, Timur acquired the title of "Gurgan" (son-in-law), a title that was very important to Timur, indicating his relationship with the Genghis Khan-Chagatai family.

Sarai Mulk Khanym is referred to in historical records as Timur's favorite queen, and she always played a significant role in the court. When Timur was not in Samarkand, Sarai Mulk Khanym even managed state affairs as regent.

Sarai Mulk Khanym had no children, but she treated Timur's youngest son, Shah Rukh (the second ruler of the Timurid dynasty), as her own. After the birth of Shah Rukh's son, Ulugh Beg (the third ruler of the Timurid dynasty), in 1394, Sarai Mulk Khanym also raised and educated Ulugh Beg just as she did Shah Rukh.













6. Ulugh Beg Madrasah: 1420

The Ulugh Beg Madrasah (Islamic school) is located on the west side of Registan Square and was built by the Timurid ruler and famous astronomer Ulugh Beg (reigned 1447-1449) between 1417 and 1420.

After Timur's death in 1405, his son Shah Rukh inherited the eastern part of the empire. Shah Rukh moved the capital of the Timurid Empire from Samarkand to Herat in Afghanistan, and from 1409, he let his son Ulugh Beg rule Samarkand.

The Ulugh Beg Madrasah is hailed as the best Islamic school in 15th-century Central Asia, and it also made Samarkand the cultural center of 15th-century Central Asia. The school usually had about 100 students studying mathematics, geometry, logic, natural sciences, and theology. Ulugh Beg taught here himself; the great Persian poet and Sufi scholar Abdul-Rahman Jami studied here, and the school also produced many astronomers. After the establishment of the Bukhara Khanate in the 16th century, Samarkand lost its status as the capital, but the Ulugh Beg Madrasah remained one of the best schools in Central Asia.















The Ulugh Beg Madrasah was severely damaged in two major earthquakes in 1817 and 1818, and finally became a ruin after the 1897 earthquake. After the 1920s, the Ulugh Beg Madrasah began to be restored, a process that has lasted for more than 70 years. The first phase of work mainly focused on protecting the surviving parts of the building, and the northeast minaret was straightened in 1932. Major restoration work was carried out in the 1950s and 1960s; the ground level was lowered by two meters, doors, windows, and various architectural decorations were restored, and the southeast minaret was restored in 1965. In the 1990s, the second floor of the school building, which had been demolished in the 18th century, was restored.

The archaeological section of the "Turkestan Album," produced by Russia between 1871 and 1872, photographed the Ulugh Beg Madrasah at that time.









Russian photographer Prokudin-Gorskii photographed the Ulugh Beg Madrasah in 1905.





7. Ulugh Beg Observatory: 1429

The Ulugh Beg Observatory is located northeast of Samarkand and is hailed as one of the most famous observatories in the Islamic world.

After the Ulugh Beg Madrasah was completed in 1420, Ulugh Beg invited many astronomers to teach there. To further promote astronomical research, Ulugh Beg began building the observatory in 1424. After the observatory was officially completed in 1429, Ulugh Beg appointed his student Ali Qushji to be in charge of the main work, and many famous astronomers such as Qāḍīzāda al-Rūmī and Jamshid Kashani observed celestial movements here.

In 1437, under the sponsorship of Ulugh Beg, astronomers in Samarkand used the Ulugh Beg Observatory to map the coordinates of 1,018 stars, known as the "Zīj-i Sultānī" (Ulugh Beg Astronomical Tables), which was an important update to the star catalogs of predecessors like Ptolemy.

In 1449, Ulugh Beg was assassinated on his way to perform Hajj (pilgrimage), and the observatory was subsequently destroyed by religious fanatics, remaining unknown for more than 400 years thereafter. It was not until 1908 that a Samarkand archaeologist, V. L. Vyatkin, finally discovered the exact location of the observatory in a document from the Timurid period. He immediately began archaeological excavations and discovered a huge marble sextant.







Site of the marble sextant

Astronomical instruments unearthed during archaeological excavations





Unearthed stone column components of the observatory



Restoration model of the observatory



In 1970, the Ulugh Beg Observatory Museum was established on the site of the observatory, housing related artifacts.

The image below is a 1542 manuscript of the astronomical work of Ulugh Beg's student Ali Qushji; he was the main person in charge of the Ulugh Beg Observatory and a famous astronomer, mathematician, and physicist of the 15th century.



Porcelain plate from the era of Ulugh Beg.



14th-century ceramic tile.



14th-15th-century ceramic tiles and marble tiles





15th-century military drum.



8. Ishrat-khana Mausoleum: 1464

The Ishrat-khana Mausoleum is located in the southeast of the old city of Samarkand and is one of the few Timurid monuments in Samarkand that has not been renovated.



Ishrat-khana means "House of Pleasure." According to the discovery by archaeologist V. L. Vyatkin in 1896, this building was built in 1464 by Habiba Sultan, the wife of the Timurid ruler Abu Sa'id Mirza (reigned 1451-1469), for their daughter Havend Sultan-bika. In 1940, Professor M. E. Masson organized an archaeological excavation of the mausoleum and discovered an octagonal tomb under the hall, which contained 23 graves of women and children, all of whom were likely members of the Timurid royal family.

Abu Sa'id Mirza was the great-grandson of Timur the Great and the grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire. Abu Sa'id Mirza occupied Samarkand in 1451 with the help of the Uzbeks, defeated other Timurid princes in 1459, and conquered eastern Iran and most of Afghanistan in 1461, becoming the last monarch to unify the Timurid Empire.





















The Ishrat-khana Mausoleum was severely damaged in the 1903 earthquake, the dome was destroyed, and only an iron sheet roof was added later for protection. The archaeological section of the "Turkestan Album," produced by Russia between 1871 and 1872, contains photos of the Ishrat-khana Mausoleum before the earthquake, where the former dome of the mausoleum can be seen.





9. Ak-Saray Mausoleum: Presumed to be 1450s-1470s

The Ak-Saray Mausoleum is located right next to the Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum; it is a rectangular domed building with narrow stairs leading to an octagonal tomb underground.



"Ak-Saray" means "White Palace," and no information about the identity of the tomb owner was left inside the tomb. According to the speculation of Soviet historian and orientalist Mikhail Masson, the tomb owner is likely the Timurid ruler Abdal-Latif Mirza (reigned 1449-1450).

Abdal-Latif Mirza was the great-grandson of Timur the Great and the eldest son of Ulugh Beg. Abdal-Latif initially followed his father in battle and helped his father capture the city of Herat, but was later exiled by his father, allegedly because he was disloyal to his father; another theory is that Ulugh Beg predicted through astrology that he would be killed by his son. In 1449, Abdal-Latif launched a rebellion, captured Ulugh Beg near Samarkand, and subsequently murdered him; therefore, Abdal-Latif is also known as "Padarkush" (the patricide). A few days later, Abdal-Latif killed his brother to seize the throne, but he was killed after ruling for only 6 months. It is speculated that because Abdal-Latif was a patricide, he could not be buried in the Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum where his father Ulugh Beg was buried, so he could only be buried nearby.







Another speculation is that the tomb owner is the Timurid ruler Abu Sa'id Mirza (reigned 1451-1469), who was Abdal-Latif's cousin. Abu Sa'id Mirza wanted to expand the scale of the Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum to continue burying male members of the Timurid royal family, so he planned to build this mausoleum. Abu Sa'id Mirza died in 1469, so this mausoleum may have been built in the 1470s. In addition, the Ishrat-khana Mausoleum, built by Abu Sa'id in 1464 to bury female and child royal family members, is very similar in architectural style to the Ak-Saray Mausoleum, which is also evidence for this view.









The Ak-Saray Mausoleum once fell into ruins, was later protectively restored between 1924 and 1925, renovated again in 2007, and is now open to tourists as an attraction. The archaeological section of the "Turkestan Album," produced by Russia between 1871 and 1872, contains old photos of the Ak-Saray Mausoleum, where it can be seen that the dome of the Ak-Saray Mausoleum had completely collapsed at that time.



10. Khodja Abdu Derun Mausoleum: 15th century

The Khodja Abdu Derun Mausoleum was built to commemorate a 9th-century Arab judge, where "Derun" refers to the fact that the mausoleum is located inside the city of Samarkand.

The earliest domed mausoleum was built in the 12th century and was expanded in the 15th century into a complex including a pond, a mosque, and a gate.





















11. Mausoleum of Prophet Daniel: Rebuilt in the early 20th century

Daniel (Daniyar in Uzbek) is a prophet recorded in the Old Testament of the Bible, who lived between the 7th and 6th centuries BC and was buried in the ancient city of Susa in Persia after his death. Legend has it that when Timur passed through the city of Susa, he brought the right hand of the Prophet Daniel back to Samarkand and buried it next to a spring on the bank of the Siab River at the foot of Afrosiab Hill, which is the current Mausoleum of Khodja Daniyar.

The Mausoleum of the Prophet Daniel was originally just covered by stones by the river, with a sacred pillar inserted on top. Legend has it that the mausoleum kept growing, forcing people to continuously lengthen the marble sarcophagus. It was not until the early 20th century that people built the current mausoleum building, which contains an 18-meter-long sarcophagus.

In addition to Samarkand, there are mausoleums of the Prophet Daniel in Jerusalem, the ancient city of Susa, Istanbul, and the ancient city of Sumar in Iraq, but unfortunately, the prophet's mausoleum in the ancient city of Sumar was destroyed by ISIS not long ago.







Furthermore, the spring next to the prophet's mausoleum is believed to have the power to heal the body and soul.

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Summary: This travel note introduces Longshengzhuang Travel Notes: an Old Shanxi Merchant Town on the Mongolian Trade Route. Take the high-speed train from Hohhot to Ulanqab, then take a taxi from the train station to the ancient Jin merchant town of Longshengzhuang. It is useful for readers interested in Longshengzhuang, Shanxi Merchants, China Travel.

Take the high-speed train from Hohhot to Ulanqab, then take a taxi from the train station to the ancient Jin merchant town of Longshengzhuang.

Longshengzhuang is located at the border of Shanxi and Inner Mongolia. From the Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China, it was at the intersection of trade routes between Hohhot, Datong, and Zhangjiakou. It was an important market town for Jin merchants trading in Mongolia and was officially named Longshengzhuang in 1765 (the 30th year of the Qianlong reign). Jin merchants trading in Mongolia transported rice, flour, tea, oil, wine, and various daily goods from Longshengzhuang to Mongolia, and brought back furs, livestock, and leather, bringing great wealth to Longshengzhuang.

During the Xianfeng reign, the economy of Longshengzhuang reached its peak, with 500,000 sheep sold and transshipped annually. In the early Republic of China, Longshengzhuang reached its zenith, with over 300 merchant firms in the town and more than a dozen horse inns used for transshipping and trading cattle, horses, and sheep. At that time, there were nearly 2 kilometers of storefronts from the South Street to the North Street of Longshengzhuang, lined with merchant firms. Today, you can still see the century-old Ding Si Horse Inn on North Street, as well as shop facades that blend Chinese and Western styles.



















Starting from the early Qing Dynasty, Hui Muslims from Hebei and Shandong traveled to Longshengzhuang in Inner Mongolia for business, and in the late Qing Dynasty, many Hui Muslims from Shaanxi also migrated here. During the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, the Hui Muslim population in Longshengzhuang grew to two or three thousand, reaching over five thousand at its peak in the early Republic of China. At that time, Longshengzhuang had a large halal restaurant, as well as nearly twenty merchant firms including livestock traders, brokers, and horse inns. After the Ping-Sui Railway opened in 1921, Longshengzhuang declined rapidly. After the 1930s, a large number of people moved away. Today, only about 30 Hui Muslims remain, mostly elderly, and there are no longer any halal restaurants.

Today, in Maqiao Square in the center of Longshengzhuang, there are still a few Hui Muslims selling misu (honey-crisp pastry), maye (fried dough strips), mahua (fried dough twists), and beizi (steamed buns). We bought a sugar-coated maye at the Liu Zhen time-honored brand; although it looked very sweet, it was not greasy at all, and I finished it in a few bites.



















The Longshengzhuang Mosque was first built in 1751 (the 16th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty). Initially, it only had three main halls. Later, as the number of Muslims doing business here increased, 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 reign), forming a three-courtyard layout.



















The mosque's scroll-style shed was expanded in 1926 and features exquisite ironwork decorations from the Republic of China era.



















The main hall was also expanded in 1926.

















The 'Zun Da Qing Gao' (Respect the Great Qing's Nobility) plaque from 1915 (the 4th year of the Republic of China) bears the inscription 'Koubei Mongolian Salt Bureau'. From the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, all types of salt produced in the salt lakes of the Inner Mongolian Plateau were collectively referred to as Mengyan (Mongolian salt). In 1913, the Beiyang government signed a 25-million-pound reorganization loan with a banking consortium from Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and Japan, using salt taxes as collateral. The agreement stipulated that China must hire foreigners to assist in reorganizing the salt tax. China thus began salt administration reforms, and the Koubei Mongolian Salt Bureau was established, with its headquarters in Dolon Nor and a branch office in Longshengzhuang, Fengzhen.



In 1861 (the 11th year of the Xianfeng reign), the Fengzhen Prefect presented the 'Dao Tong Qian Kun' (The Way Connects Heaven and Earth) plaque.



Prince De inscribed 'Shou Zhen Cun Cheng' (Uphold Truth and Maintain Sincerity) in 1940. The date is written as '734th Year of the Genghis Khan Era,' which is 1940, as Prince De was a descendant of Genghis Khan. Prince Demchugdongrub was a Mongolian prince and the Duke of the Sunid Right Banner. In 1933, he initiated the 'Inner Mongolia High Autonomy Movement' at Bailingmiao. In 1939, he became the chairman of the puppet regime 'Mongolian United Autonomous Government.' This plaque was inscribed when Prince De took office as chairman.



Inscribed in 1909 (the 1st year of the Xuantong reign) by Datong Muslims Deng Risheng and Ma Jiansheng. The Ma-surname Hui Muslims were originally from Youwei, Shanxi. During the Ming Dynasty, they were a prominent military family. The 'Ma Family Army' formed by Ma Gui and his brothers and nephews in the mid-Wanli reign was known for its combat prowess and made great contributions by defending Youwei for six months against Altan Khan. The Ma surname has been a major Hui Muslim family in Datong since the Ming Dynasty. They participated in the renovation of the Datong Mosque many times during the Ming and Qing dynasties and served as religious leaders. After the Qing Dynasty, when military garrisons were converted into prefectures and counties, the Ma-surname Hui Muslims in Datong left the military to become civilians. They achieved success in both business and officialdom and were once the actual managers of the Datong Mosque.



A commemorative plaque left by the local Muslims when the prayer hall was expanded in 1926.



The 'Qi Zun Wu Dui' (His Nobility is Unmatched) and 'Kai Tian Gu Jiao' (Ancient Religion that Opened the Heavens) plaques were inscribed by Ma Fuxiang, a Hui Muslim general who was a Lieutenant General and the Military Governor of Suiyuan at the time, to celebrate the mosque's expansion in 1926. The brick-carved screen wall behind the main hall of the Hohhot Great Mosque also features an inscription by Ma Fuxiang.





Scenery of Longshengzhuang.



















In the afternoon, we said goodbye to Longshengzhuang and took a car to Jining, the capital of Ulanqab. Xinti Street can be called the halal food street of Jining, with one halal restaurant after another. There are youmian (oat noodles), bone dishes, steamed dumplings, shaomai (steamed dumplings), rice noodles, stir-fried meat, barbecue, and more. However, we arrived at 3:00 PM, and many of these restaurants were closed, so we ate meat pies. The freshly pan-fried meat pies were hot and fragrant. We also ordered mixed tofu strips, soy-sauce braised beef liver, and stir-fried potato starch noodles with meat. The starch noodles were quite delicious, and the meat had no gamey smell at all.



















On the train from Ulanqab to Beijing.











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