Reposted from the web

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

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

January: 3 mosques in Jiangsu.

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



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



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



February: 2 mosques in Zhejiang.

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



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



March: 3 mosques in Jiangsu.

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



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



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



March: 2 mosques in Hebei.

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



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



April, 1 mosque in Hubei

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



May, 1 mosque in Jiangxi

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



June, 2 mosques in Anhui

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



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



Three mosques in Shanghai in June.

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



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



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



Six mosques in Yunnan in July.

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



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



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



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



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



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



August, 1 mosque in Jiangsu.

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



August, 2 mosques in Anhui.

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



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



December, 1 mosque in Shanghai.

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reposted from the web

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

February: 1 in Hebei.

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



February: 24 in India.

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



February: 1 mosque in Vietnam.

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



April: 3 mosques in Xinjiang.

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



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



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



May: 2 mosques in Tibet.

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





June: 1 mosque in Tianjin.

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



June: 5 mosques in the UAE.

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



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



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



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



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



July, Jiangsu

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



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



July, Liaoning, 1 mosque

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



August, Beijing, 2 mosques

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



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



September, Shanxi, 1 mosque

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



14 sites in Azerbaijan in September

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



38 mosques in Turkey in October.

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Tianjin food article follows Arabic restaurants representing Syrian, Yemeni, Tunisian, and Algerian cooking. It preserves the original restaurant details, dishes, photos, and travel observations while presenting the account in natural English.

Syrian food: Al-Andalus Restaurant.

We had Levantine food at Al-Andalus Restaurant in the Sunac Center, Nankai District. The owner is Syrian. Al-Andalus was the name Arabs used for the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. In the 8th century, under the Umayyad dynasty, it was a famous center for economy, culture, academics, and education, serving as a key bridge for cultural and scientific exchange between East and West.

We ordered the four-person feast set. It included lentil soup, cream of mushroom soup, a trio of hummus, lamb samosa (samosa), chicken shawarma (shawarma), four-season pizza, mixed grilled meats, black tea, and a crispy salad. We also ordered yogurt separately. Overall, the food is very authentic. It offers better value than Arab restaurants in Beijing, and you do not have to wait in line. Their yogurt is especially good. It has a rich, tangy milk flavor that beats many Arab restaurants in Beijing. The only downside is that the samosa pastry is a bit thick, more like the South Asian version than the thin-crust Levantine style.

























Yemeni food: Socotra.

Socotra is an island in the Arabian Sea, southeast of Yemen. In the Ming Dynasty, the Zheng He navigation charts called it Sugudala. Socotra Island became a World Natural Heritage site in 2008 and is famous for its dragon blood trees. The Socotra restaurant logo is a dragon blood tree, and photos of the trees hang in the shop.

We ordered the specialty soup, chicken lentil soup, lamb zurbian (zurbian) rice, mushakkal (mushakkal) stir-fried vegetables, fahsa (fahsa) beef stew, banana mango juice, and khubz (khubz) flatbread. Zurbian rice is similar to Indian biryani, as both are stir-fried with various spices. Their lamb is grilled and very fragrant, but we found the rice a bit dry. It also contained small bone fragments, so be careful if feeding children.

When visiting a Yemeni restaurant, you must try the classic Yemeni dish, fahsa beef stew. Fahsa is usually made with lamb, but they use beef. The meat is stewed until very tender, first in a large vat and then finished in a small pot. Besides ginger, garlic, and cumin, the stew requires a spice called fenugreek (hulbah). Fenugreek is what people in Northwest China often call xiangdouzi (bitter beans). Northwesterners dry the leaves and grind them into powder to steam buns, while Yemenis grind the seeds to stew meat. Fenugreek seeds expand in water and easily foam up when stirred in a bowl.

The classic pairing for fahsa is mulawah (mulawah) Yemeni bread, but they require you to order it in advance. We could only get khubz flatbread at the restaurant. Khubz is essentially the pita bread found in Levantine cuisine. Their version was quite hard and, honestly, not very tasty.



















Algerian tea and snacks: Lyn's Healthy Bakeshop.

We had Algerian afternoon tea at Lyn's Healthy Bakeshop on Chifeng Road in Tianjin. Chifeng Road is in the former French Concession area. There are many small Western-style buildings here, along with all kinds of little restaurants.

The owner is from Algeria and opened a small shop here for tea and desserts. It is likely the first Algerian restaurant in China. It is impressive to see Tianjin leading the way in international dining again!

You can order à la carte or choose an afternoon tea set. They serve both traditional Algerian desserts and Western pastries. They use maple syrup instead of white sugar for a healthier approach. This is probably the least sweet Arabic dessert shop I have ever visited!

We drank Algerian mint tea and an Algerian orange blossom lemonade called Sherbet Mazhar. The mint tea is brewed to order, so it takes a while. It has a very strong aroma, but since it is freshly brewed, you cannot get refills. Orange blossom water is definitely a signature Algerian drink, especially classic at wedding feasts in northern Algeria. This drink is made from orange blossom water distilled from bitter orange blossoms, mixed with syrup and water. It is very refreshing in the summer.

We ate Algerian baklava (Baklawa), apple pie, milk pudding (M'halbi), and cheesecake. Suleiman loved the cheesecake the most. Baklava was introduced to Algeria from Turkey during the Ottoman period. The Algerian version adds crushed almonds and orange blossom water, so the taste is different from the Turkish one.

Milk pudding (M'halbi) is a classic Middle Eastern dessert for breaking the fast and is most popular during Ramadan. The name M'halbi comes from Al-Muhallab, a governor of Khorasan during the Umayyad Caliphate. Legend says he once had a stomachache, and his doctor fed him rice flour cooked with milk and sugar. He liked it so much that he named the dessert after himself.

Finally, the food here is excellent, though the decor is a bit simple. If they could highlight the Algerian theme more, this place would definitely become a new trendy spot in Tianjin.



















Tunisian food: Sidi Bou Said.

There is a Tunisian restaurant called Sidi Bou Said (Blue and White Town) in Aocheng Plaza where you can eat Tunisian food. The shop is small. The owner is Chinese, and the head chef is Tunisian. Since there is only one chef, service might be slow when it is busy. It is best to call ahead and book a table. We were the only table when we went, so our meal went quite smoothly.

The name Sidi Bou Said comes from a small Mediterranean town northeast of Tunis. It is named after the famous Sufi saint Abu Said al-Baji, who is buried there. In the 1920s, the French painter and musician Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger introduced the blue and white color scheme, turning it into a famous tourist destination in Tunisia.

We ordered the 3-4 person set, which included tuna fried triangles (Brick), North African eggs (Shakshouka), lamb stew, pasta with meat sauce, and a dessert called Kunafa. They served mint tea first, which is very Tunisian. Then they brought the Brick. It is a classic Tunisian snack filled with tuna, minced meat, a raw egg, and harissa chili paste, wrapped in a very thin pastry called Malsouka. The North African eggs are made with eggs, tomatoes, olive oil, harissa, and onions, then sprinkled with cumin and chili powder. Tomatoes were not actually introduced to Tunisia from the Middle East until the late Ottoman period. Turkey has an appetizer with the same name, shakshuka (Şakşuka), but it does not contain eggs.

Their lamb leg is stewed until very tender and falls right off the bone, which is perfect for children. The lamb leg sits on a bed of mashed potatoes, which are soft and delicious. The pasta uses an Italian meat sauce (Bolognese), but it seems to be made with hand-rolled noodles. It ends up tasting a lot like the dry meat sauce noodles (saozi mian) eaten by Hui Muslims in Xinjiang. Their kunafa (kunafa) is delicious, and it is a low-sugar version that suits the Chinese palate. Kunafa appears in One Thousand and One Nights, and legend says it was invented by an Arab caliph for breaking the fast.

















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Reposted from the web

Summary: This Urumqi food account introduces four Hui Muslim banquet restaurants and the dishes that shape local halal dining. The English version keeps the original restaurant names, photos, food details, and practical observations without adding outside claims.

I returned to Urumqi for a wedding and ate at four Hui Muslim restaurants. I am sharing my experience with you now.

Silk Road Rice Fragrance (Silu Mixiang) is a restaurant in the New District where Hui Muslims host guests. It has a large private room that can seat twenty people at two tables.

We started the meal with three-tier tea (sanpaotai), which includes goji berries, red dates, and rock sugar. Then the dishes arrived: spinach with chickpeas, cold-tossed beef shank, beef stew with vermicelli, dry-pot beef tripe, beef medley, sauced meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), sweet platter (tianpanzi), stir-fried bean sprouts with chives, snowflake meatballs, stir-fried black and white lung, steamed opium fish, lamb with braised flatbread, sauced stuffed eggplant, and stir-fried mushrooms. This included traditional Hui Muslim banquet dishes like meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha) and sweet platter (tianpanzi), as well as newer banquet dishes that have become popular in Urumqi over the last few decades, such as snowflake meatballs and steamed opium fish. These dishes represent the current taste of Hui Muslim banquets in Urumqi.

















The Jinyue Loulan Banquet Hall in Anningqu Cultural Tourism Town has a great environment. It is very spacious, bright, and the banquet hall is huge.

Before the meal starts, they set out nine appetizer plates, usually filled with dried fruits, preserved fruits, candies, and small pieces of fruit. Then they clear the appetizer plates to officially start the meal, serving cold dishes first, followed by hot dishes, and finally the main courses. We ate cold-tossed beef, spinach with gluten, cold-tossed chicken, fern root noodles, stir-fried beef tripe, Dongxiang-style hand-grabbed lamb (shouzhuayangrou), yellow noodles with grilled meat, sweet platter (tianpanzi), vegetarian pilaf, flower-roll chicken, meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), yellow-braised meat, steamed opium fish, and meatballs. Dishes at traditional Urumqi banquets are generally lighter than street food, with less chili and salt. The cold-tossed chicken is not made into spicy peppercorn chicken (jiaomaji), which actually suits the tastes of people from inland China better.



















Jinhaiwan is the most popular Hui Muslim banquet hall in the Dawan area of Urumqi. I held my own wedding here five years ago, and coming back now brings back many memories. The cold dishes at the banquet included spicy beef shank, cold-tossed chicken, blueberry yam, and mixed vegetable salad. Hot dishes included hand-grabbed lamb (shouzhuayangrou), yellow-braised beef, oil-seared meat, sauced meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), yellow noodles with grilled meat, steamed sea bass, stir-fried meat with Awei mushrooms, red-braised meatballs, lotus root and lily stir-fry, and sweet platter (tianpanzi). The staples included thin-skinned buns (baopi baozi), oil towers (youtazi), pilaf with preserved fruits, and grilled flatbread. I was too busy to really eat at my own wedding, but this time I finally enjoyed a great meal.



















The next day, we went to Jiamei Banquet on Liyushan Road for the post-wedding meal (xiatang). We ate cold-tossed chicken, cold-tossed beef shank, oil-seared meat, spinach with gluten, braised meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), oil towers (youtazi), stir-fried beef tripe, sweet platter (tianpanzi), hand-grabbed meat (shouzhuarou), yellow noodles with grilled meat, red-braised carp, yellow-braised meat, pearl meatballs, and soup. For the post-wedding meal, the restaurant also provides a bowl of minced meat noodles (saozimian). This place is the best among the Hui Muslim banquet restaurants I have tried in Urumqi. The lamb is the most tender and fresh, and the beef shank has the best texture and is the most flavorful. Their minced meat noodles (saozimian) are also delicious and very satisfying. However, they do not have as many tables, so they are used more for engagement parties or post-wedding meals, and are a bit small for a full wedding.

















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Reposted from the web

Summary: This article visits the Sabah Islamic Civilization Museum in Malaysia, with a focus on regional Muslim history, exhibition displays, and local cultural context. It keeps the original museum details, photographs, artifact notes, and travel observations for readers interested in Islamic heritage in Sabah.

The Sabah Islamic Civilization Museum opened in 2002. It has a small collection and is not well-known, but it is special because it holds unique Islamic cultural artifacts from the Malay Archipelago that you cannot see in other museums.





This is a wooden prayer gong (kentung) made in 1918 by the Sambas Sultanate in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is a traditional instrument used to signal the call to prayer.

The Sambas Malays live on the northwest coast of Borneo, right next to the Malaysian state of Sabah. The Sambas Malays founded the Sambas Sultanate in 1675. It became part of Indonesia in 1956, and the Sultan of Sambas still lives in the palace today. The Sambas Malays are mainly Sufi. Their rituals combine features of the Qadiriyya and Naqshbandiyya orders and are famous for their unique chanting style.











This is a manuscript of scripture from Sulawesi, Indonesia, written on date palm leaves and bound in goatskin. It is over a hundred years old. It was donated to the Sabah Islamic Civilization Museum in 2015 by Tuan Hj. Abdullah Abas, a religious teacher from Kinarut, Sabah, Malaysia.







This is a traditional Indonesian wooden chest carved with scripture, used for storing clothes. This type of wood carving is found in several Islamic museums in Malaysia and is a very distinctive piece of Islamic craft.

























This is a bridal curtain used by the Bajau (Sama) people, a sea-faring group living on the west coast of Sabah, Malaysia, in Kota Belud.









This is a porcelain plate with scripture from the 1930s, acquired by the museum in 2005. Malay people usually display this kind of porcelain plate in a cabinet as a decoration.



These scripture-inscribed ceramics were brought to Sabah through trade and include pieces from both China and Europe. Under the rule of the Sultanate of Brunei, Sabah had very close trade ties with the Qing Dynasty, Spain, the Netherlands, and other countries.

















This is a protective vest (dua vest) worn by indigenous soldiers in Sabah during the anti-British resistance led by Mat Salleh between 1894 and 1905.

The resistance leader Mat Salleh, whose real name was Datuk Muhammad Salleh, was an indigenous leader in Sabah. In 1881, the British took control of Sabah by establishing the North Borneo Chartered Company. Mat Salleh felt this violated the rights of the indigenous people and refused to recognize the company. In 1895, after negotiations with the company failed, Mat Salleh was declared a wanted man. He immediately built a fortress to openly resist the British and successfully launched several attacks. He died in battle in 1900, and his followers continued to fight until they were finally defeated in 1905.









This is a decorative wooden frame made in 1918, featuring scripture carvings and traditional embroidery in the center.



These are wooden grave markers from the Semporna region. This type of wooden grave marker is unique to the Semporna area and is carved with floral patterns around the edges.







This is a century-old bas-relief bronze plaque featuring the Basmala.





This is a prayer drum (beduk) made of palm wood and cowhide. It is usually placed in front of the main hall or at the entrance of a mosque, which is why many traditional mosques in Southeast Asia do not have minarets.





There are many wavy-bladed daggers (keris) in museums across Malaysia and Indonesia, but very few have a clear record of their origin. The Museum of Islamic Civilization in Sabah displays a sword called Pedang Khusus. Palace guards in the Tidung Kingdom on Tarakan Island off the east coast of Borneo wore this gold-made, highly detailed weapon.









The second type is called Sundang, a wavy-bladed dagger (keris) with blood grooves used by the Sulu people. The handle of the Sundang is cylindrical, which keeps it from slipping out of your hand during use.





Woodcarver Mba Hj. Edie Ifa from Jepara, Java, Indonesia, worked with students from a nearby Islamic school (madrasa) to carve a pair of scripture-inscribed door panels from a century-old teak log.



A wooden tombstone from the Bajau people of Semporna, with the top carved into the shape of a hat.



A hand-copied Persian scripture from 1796.









A scripture stand from Qom, Iran, dating back to the 18th century.



Tiles from the Ilkhanate period, dating to the 13th or 14th century.



A copper bowl from the Mamluk period in Egypt.



Two sets of cloisonné (jingtailan) altar vases and incense burners. One set likely traveled from Hong Kong to Malaysia during the era of export-oriented production.









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Reposted from the web

Summary: This first part follows a visit to the Great Mosque of Kairouan for Jumu'ah in one of Tunisia's most important Islamic cities. It keeps the original prayer experience, mosque history, photographs, and travel details for readers interested in Muslim heritage in North Africa.

On Friday, we left from the Louage station south of Sousse and reached Kairouan, the most important ancient city in Tunisia, in just one hour. The Louage station in Kairouan is on the west side of the city, but you can ask the driver to drop you off right at the gate of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.

When we arrived at the Great Mosque at twelve o'clock, it was already closed. A young man at the gate told us that other mosques in Kairouan hold Jumu'ah prayer at one o'clock, but only the Great Mosque holds it at three, so he suggested we come back later.

We used this time to look at the exterior of the mosque. The Great Mosque of Kairouan is the oldest and most spectacular Jumu'ah mosque in Tunisia. It was first built in 670 by order of Uqba ibn Nafi, a general of the Arab Umayyad Caliphate. It was destroyed by Christian Berbers in 690 and rebuilt by the Umayyad Caliphate in 703. As the Arab population in Tunisia grew, the number of Muslims in Kairouan increased. The Great Mosque was rebuilt and renovated many times between 724-728, 774, 836, 862-863, and 875, finally taking its current form in the 9th century.

The Great Mosque is a huge, irregular quadrilateral with a perimeter of 405 meters, looking like a fortress from the outside. The outer walls are 1.9 meters thick and built from stone, rubble, and bricks. Because the ground is quite soft, many buttresses were built on the outer walls to increase stability.

The Great Mosque has nine gates, some of which have porches and spiral-shaped domes. Bab Lalla Rihana on the southeast side was built in 1293 during the Hafsid dynasty. It features a horseshoe arch and ancient stone columns that blend perfectly with the 9th-century walls.



















While waiting for Jumu'ah, we had lunch at El Brija Restaurant, located on the city wall next to the Great Mosque. The atmosphere and service were both good, and they serve traditional Tunisian food. I recommend eating here when visiting the Great Mosque.

We ordered a traditional appetizer platter and a mixed couscous stew. When eating at a proper restaurant in Tunisia, you really only need to order the main course, as most places provide side dishes and bread.

Our appetizer platter included Tunisian salad, Houria carrot salad, and Mechouia green pepper salad. We ate these three dishes almost every day in Tunisia. Tunisian salad is made of diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions mixed with olive oil, topped with boiled eggs and tuna. Mechouia salad contains green peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and more. Tunisians love it, and it is rich in vitamins and very healthy. The couscous stew was very rich, containing lamb, Merguez sausage, chicken, beef, dried fruits, and preserved fruits. The Merguez sausage is seasoned with cumin and chili, making it very flavorful.

After the meal, we were served mint tea and Makroudh dessert. Makroudh is a classic North African Maghreb snack for breaking the fast. It is made of semolina on the outside, filled with date paste and dried fruits, then baked and soaked in syrup.



















We returned to the Great Mosque after two o'clock, and people were already entering the prayer hall. Once inside the courtyard, the first thing you see is the oldest minaret (bangke ta) still in existence today. The minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan was built between the 8th and 9th centuries. The current structure mostly dates back to 836. It is one of the three most important early minarets, alongside the spiral minaret of the Great Mosque of Samarra in Iraq, built between 848 and 852, and the spiral minaret of the Abu Dulaf Mosque in Iraq, built in 859. These three served as models for later minarets across Andalusia and the Maghreb.

There were no minarets during the time of the Prophet and the four Caliphs. People called for prayer (adhan) from the mosque entrance or the roof. Platforms for calling the adhan appeared during the Umayyad dynasty in the 7th century, but true minarets did not emerge until the Abbasid dynasty in the 8th century. There is no final conclusion on the origin of the minaret. Some say it mimics the towers of Syrian churches, while others suggest it was inspired by the Lighthouse of Alexandria or Mesopotamian ziggurats. Four towers were built during the reconstruction of the Sacred Mosque in Mecca in the late 8th century, but they have not survived. The earliest surviving minarets are the one at the Great Mosque of Kairouan and the two in Iraq. The Bride's Minaret at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus may also date to the 9th century, but there is no clear record of this.

The minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan is 31.5 meters tall. Its base dates back to the Umayyad period in 725, and you can see Latin inscriptions from the Roman era on the walls. The first and second levels of the minaret were built in 836 using carefully cut stone. The side facing the courtyard has windows, while the other three sides have arrow slits. The third level of the minaret is a four-arched structure (chahartaq), which was likely added later.













Three sides of the Great Mosque are surrounded by double-row horseshoe-shaped arcades. The columns come from various ancient Roman and Byzantine ruins, including some from the famous site of Carthage.

There is a dome above the main entrance of the prayer hall and another above the mihrab. These domes, built in 836, are important examples of early mosque domes.

The prayer hall connects to the arcades through 17 carved wooden doors. The most beautiful one in the center was built in 1828 and features rich geometric and floral patterns.



















The mihrab of the Great Mosque is 5.1 meters high. It was built in 863 and is the oldest concave mihrab in the world. The main body of the mihrab is a horseshoe arch supported by two red marble columns. The columns have Byzantine-style capitals with very fine carvings.

The upper part of the mihrab features 139 iridescent ceramic tiles fired in the second half of the 9th century. This metallic-lustre glazed pottery originated in Abbasid-ruled Iraq and was traded throughout West Asia and North Africa. It is not yet certain whether the iridescent tiles of the Great Mosque of Kairouan were fired in Iraq or if Iraqi craftsmen were invited to Kairouan to make them.

The concave center of the upper part is made of painted wood, featuring complex vine patterns in yellow on a blue background. The lower part is inlaid with 28 white marble slabs carved with complex floral and geometric patterns, including stylized grape leaves, flowers, and shells.



















Next to the mihrab are the pulpit (minbar) for the Friday sermon and the enclosure (maqsurah) used by kings and nobles.

The minbar of the Great Mosque of Kairouan was also built in 863 and is the oldest surviving minbar in the world. The minbar is made of teak imported from India and is assembled from over 300 wooden panels carved with floral and geometric patterns. Although it was restored in the early 20th century, all but nine of the wooden panels are original pieces from over a thousand years ago. Today, the sides of the minbar are protected by glass, making it difficult to take photos due to the reflection.

The maksura at the Great Mosque of Kairouan was built in the first half of the 11th century. It is the oldest maksura in the world still in use. The maksura at the Great Mosque of Cordoba in Spain was built in 965, but it is no longer used today. The maksura is made of cedar and is 14 meters long. It is carved with ornate Kufic calligraphy and floral patterns, representing the highest achievement in Tunisian carving art at that time.

The maksura originated during the time of Caliph Uthman in the mid-7th century. After Caliph Umar was assassinated inside the prayer hall, Uthman built a partition wall inside the hall to protect himself. Later, mosques where the Caliph resided would all have a maksura built inside.



















The prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan is 70.6 meters wide and 37.5 meters deep. It consists of 17 aisles, with the aisle directly facing the mihrab being the tallest and widest. This layout was later adopted by major mosques across the Maghreb and Andalusia.

There are 414 stone columns inside the prayer hall. They are made of marble, granite, and porphyry, with capitals in styles including Corinthian, Ionic, and Composite. Some capitals were carved specifically for the prayer hall, while many others came from ancient Roman, Phoenician, and Byzantine sites in Tunisia, including the famous ancient city of Carthage.















The door inside the prayer hall's maksura is decorated with marble floral carvings. This door leads to the library behind the qibla wall, which is also where the imam usually stays. The imam only comes out from here to lead the prayer and deliver the khutbah.





The grand scene of Jumu'ah at the Great Mosque of Kairouan. After the adhan is finished, the imam slowly walks up the minbar to begin the khutbah. In Arabic-speaking regions, everyone understands the khutbah, so there is no sermon session beforehand.

Tunisia follows the Maliki school of thought. Their namaz movements are quite similar to our Hanafi school, including the initial takbir, but the main difference is that they also fold their arms when making intention.

After the prayer, we stood for janazah outside the prayer hall door. Because Jumu'ah was at three o'clock, we immediately returned to the prayer hall to perform Dhuhr after finishing.

From the 9th to the 11th century, the Great Mosque of Kairouan was the academic center for the entire Maghreb region and the Maliki school. to religious courses, it offered subjects like mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and botany. In 1045, the Zirid dynasty court in Kairouan announced its conversion to Sunni Islam. Upon hearing this, the Shi'a Fatimid dynasty in Egypt sent a group of Arab tribes to invade Kairouan. In 1057, these Arab tribes occupied and destroyed Kairouan. The Great Mosque of Kairouan declined from then on and did not slowly recover until after the 13th century.



















After leaving the Great Mosque of Kairouan, we started exploring the ancient medina of Kairouan. Besides the Great Mosque, the other ancient mosque remaining in Kairouan is the Mosque of the Three Doors (Masjid al-Thalathat Abwab), built in 866. This mosque has the oldest decorated facade of any religious building in the world.

Today, only the facade of the Mosque of the Three Doors retains its 9th-century appearance, while the minaret next to it was added in 1440. The gate of the Mosque of the Three Doors consists of three horseshoe arches and features four ancient stone columns. The arch is carved with floral patterns and Kufic calligraphy, which includes verses from the Quran and the name of the builder, Muhammad ibn Khairun. Muhammad ibn Khairun was a scholar and merchant from Andalusia who traveled through Iraq and Egypt to reach Kairouan, Tunisia. When the minaret was added in 1440, the original 9th-century inscriptions were rearranged to make room for the new text.



















In the northwest of the Kairouan Medina stands an important tomb for Sidi Sahib, a companion of the Prophet and his barber, which is why it is also called the Barber Mosque.

Legend says Sidi Sahib died in a battle in 654 and was buried here. By the 11th century, this place had become a famous holy site, and the tomb shrine (gongbei) was built in the 14th century. The Bey of Tunis, Hammuda Pasha (reigned 1631-66), expanded the tomb significantly in 1629 and built a new main hall. Another Bey, Mohamed (reigned 1675-96), built the minaret and a religious school (madrasa) between 1690 and 1695. Since the 19th century, the tomb of Sidi Sahib has undergone several renovations, but it still keeps its 17th-century architectural style.



















The tomb of Sidi Sahib in Kairouan blends Andalusian, Italian Renaissance, and local Kairouan architectural styles. The interior features many classic 17th-century Tunisian Qallalin tiles and rich plaster carvings.



















At the minaret, gate, and main hall of the Sidi Sahib tomb in Kairouan, an old man in the courtyard pours perfume into the hands of every visitor (dosti) who comes to pay their respects.













The Sidi Abid al-Ghariani school (madrasa) and shrine (zawiya) inside the Kairouan Medina were founded in the 14th century and expanded significantly in the 17th century. Abid al-Ghariani was a scholar, and his teacher, Al-Jadidi, was a famous judge in Kairouan. Al-Jadidi passed away in 1384 while on the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca. Abid al-Ghariani took over his teacher's role to continue teaching in Kairouan, and after he died in 1402, he was buried next to the school.

Besides Abid al-Ghariani, the Hafsid dynasty Caliph Moulay Hasan (reigned 1526-1543) is also buried here. In 1534, the famous pirate Barbarossa led a fleet to invade Tunisia. Moulay Hasan eventually took back Tunisia with the help of the Holy Roman Empire, but he had to sign a treaty to become a vassal of Spain. In 1542, while Moulay Hasan was traveling to Italy to collect weapons and ammunition, his son usurped the throne, and he was eventually exiled. He lived in Naples and Sicily for several years and later met with the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope, becoming the most well-known Arab monarch to Europeans of that era.































The city walls and gates of the Kairouan Medina.

Kairouan was founded in 670 by the Arab Umayyad general Uqba ibn Nafi, who chose the site to serve as a military base for the Arab conquest of Tunisia. Over the next hundred years, the Berbers launched wave after wave of uprisings against the Arabs. After surviving many attacks, Kairouan was finally captured by the Berbers in 745 and was not retaken until the end of the 8th century.





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Reposted from the web

Summary: This Beijing halal food guide lists 38 international Muslim restaurants across the city, including Middle Eastern, South Asian, Central Asian, and other halal dining options. It keeps the original locations, restaurant notes, food details, and practical context for readers planning halal meals in Beijing.

Arab restaurants

1. The owner of Taiba is Iraqi, and the shop is in Sanlitun SOHO.

2. Taiba's new restaurant, Alkhaleej Mandi Kitchen, focuses on Gulf Arab flavors and serves Yemeni food.

3. The Lebanese restaurant Alameen is in the Sanlitun embassy area, behind the German Embassy.

4. The Lebanese restaurant Sumac (Sumake) is by the Liangma River. It is a bit pricey, and I have not been there yet.

5. The Palestinian restaurant Alsafir is on the Ocean Express food street at Sanyuanqiao.

6. The rotisserie meat shop Shawarma City (Shawama Cheng) is in the sunken plaza of Sanlitun SOHO. The owner is Palestinian and sells rotisserie meat. There is no indoor seating, so you can eat on the chairs at the entrance or take it to go.

7. The Syrian restaurant BRBR has one shop in Wudaokou and another in SOLANA, which is very busy on weekends.

8. The Syrian restaurant One Thousand and One Nights is next to the Sanlitun Diplomatic Residence Compound and is a long-standing Arab restaurant.

9. The Egyptian restaurant Cleopatra is in Sanlitun SOHO. It is a hookah lounge that sells light meals and has a buffet on weekends.

10. The Tunisian restaurant La Medina is on Liangmahe South Road outside Dongzhimen, by the Liangma River.

11. Habibi in Jiugong, Daxing. I have not eaten here yet.

Turkish restaurants

12. The high-end Turkish restaurant Sultan (Sutan) serves main courses and Mado breakfast, located in Jinshangyuan, Xinyuanli.

13. Turkish Mama is next to the Sanlitun Diplomatic Residence Compound, right by One Thousand and One Nights and Iranian food.

14. The owner of West Yard (Xiting Xiuse) is Azerbaijani. One shop is next to Sultan in Jinshangyuan, another is in China Central Place, and a new shop in WF Central is opening soon.

15. The owner of Dardanelles (Dadanier) is also Azerbaijani. The main shop is on Ritan Shangjie, and there are snack shops in Sanlitun SOHO and Xiushui Street.

16. Desert Rose and Dardanelles have the same owner, and the prices are slightly lower than Dardanelles.

Azerbaijani restaurants

17. The long-standing Azerbaijani restaurant Ruilin on Ritan Shangjie is a witness to the trade with Russia on Yabaolu. They also serve Russian food.

18. A newly opened Azerbaijani restaurant on Xiaoyun Road. I have not been there yet.

South Asian restaurants

19. The Pakistani restaurant Samosa focuses on buffets. One shop is at the old China International Exhibition Center, and the other is outside Dongzhimen.

The Pakistani restaurant Zamzam is on Xueqing Road and also features a buffet.

The Pakistani restaurant Habibi is north of the west gate of Minzu University and also features a buffet.

The Pakistani restaurant Khan Baba has one location in Wudaokou and another in Sanlitun SOHO. The owner is a Pashtun from Peshawar.

The Pakistani restaurant Lahore Restaurant has one location on Qingnian Road and another outside Dongzhimen. The owner is Punjabi.

The Pakistani restaurant Sultan is in the mountains of Huairou and offers accommodation.

The Pakistani restaurant Masala is in the Huairou county seat and has the same owner as Sultan.

Shalimar Restaurant is near the Capital Airport's Euro Plaza (Xiangyun Xiaozhen). The owner is Bangladeshi and serves mostly Indian food.

Punjabi (Benjiebi) is on Haoyun Street across from Solana (Lanse Gangwan). The owner is Bangladeshi and serves mostly Indian food.

Saduli is on Beiluoguxiang. The owner is Bangladeshi and serves mostly Indian food.

Yummy is an Indian flying bread (feibing) shop near the Communication University of China that I have not tried yet.

Dastaan Restaurant is in Sanlitun SOHO and the owner is an Indian Muslim.

Bollywood Story is a restaurant the owner of Dastaan opened in Baiziwan, which I have not tried yet.

Love at Curry (Ai Zai Gali) is on the basement floor of the Hongqiao Market in Ciqikou. The server said the owner is a Muslim from New Delhi.

Ganges Impression (Henghe Yinxiang) is in the Gulou Garden on Gulou East Street. It has a halal sign at the door, but I have not tried it yet.

The long-standing Indian restaurant Indian Kitchen (Yindu Xiaochu) is on Ritan Shangjie. The owner is Hindu, but the ingredients are halal.

Ganges Legend (Henghe Chuanqi) is in The Place (Shimao Tianjie). They are likely also Hindu, but the ingredients are halal.

African food

Tribal Garden (Buluo Huayuan) is a newly opened West African Ghanaian restaurant in Sanlitun SOHO.

Indonesian restaurants

The owner of NomNom is not Muslim, but the ingredients are halal. Indonesian Muslim students and embassy staff eat there.

Iranian restaurants

Iranian Food (Yilang Meishi) is next to the Sanlitun Diplomatic Apartment. It used to be an authentic Iranian restaurant called Persepolis. I went once after they changed the name, but I saw the staff were all Chinese and the taste was not very authentic, so I never went back. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Tianjin halal food guide follows an autumn eating route through Syrian dishes, giant river prawns, yellow broth pulled noodles, Turkish food, and Xinjiang fresh milk ice cream. It keeps the original restaurant details, dishes, photos, and food notes for readers planning Muslim-friendly meals in Tianjin.

Two months later, we went back to Tianjin for a weekend trip with our kids. We arrived in Tianjin on Saturday at noon and headed straight to the Al-Andalus restaurant in the Nankai District Sunac Center for some Levantine food. The owner is Syrian. Al-Andalus was the name Arabs used for the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. In the 8th century, under the Umayyad dynasty, Al-Andalus was a famous center for economy, culture, academics, and education, serving as an important bridge for cultural and scientific exchange between the East and the West.

We ordered the four-person feast set, which included lentil soup, cream of mushroom soup, a hummus trio, lamb samosas (samosa), chicken wraps (shawarma), a four-season pizza, a mixed grill platter, black tea, and a crispy salad. We also ordered yogurt separately. Overall, the food was very authentic. It offers better value than the Arab restaurants in Beijing, and you don't have to wait in line. Their yogurt was especially good, with a rich, tangy flavor that beats many of the Arab restaurants in Beijing. The only downside was that the samosa dough was a bit thick, more like the South Asian version than the thin-crust Levantine style.

























After lunch, we went to the Tianjin Museum, which is currently hosting an exhibition of historical artifacts from the National Museum of Kazakhstan. See diary: [Exhibition Visit] Tianjin Museum's Kazakhstan National Museum Historical Artifacts Exhibition.



The Tianjin Museum displays exquisite brick carvings by the Hui Muslim families known as the 'Fancy Work Ma Family' (Huahuo Majia) and 'Brick Carver Liu' (Kezhuan Liu) from the Northwest Corner. See diary: [Exhibition Visit] Exquisite brick carvings by Hui Muslim artisans 'Huahuomajia' and 'Kezhuanliu' in the Northwest Corner of Tianjin.



If you are a friend (dosti) from Beijing and are tired of the same old restaurants, a trip to Tianjin will definitely open your eyes. On this trip to Tianjin, we discovered a restaurant called Xiju that specializes in giant river prawns (luoshixia). It is located on Fuxing Road, just west of the Northwest Corner. It is run by local Hui Muslims and is very busy at night.

Their signature dish is a two-pound platter of giant river prawns, which you can get spicy or with garlic sauce. Giant river prawns are freshwater prawns originally from Malaysia in Southeast Asia. They are large and have plump, tender meat, but the texture isn't as firm as sea prawns, and the prawn flavor isn't as intense. It is similar to the difference between freshwater fish and sea fish. We ordered the garlic giant river prawns. You can add noodles to the sauce, which my son loved. He couldn't stop eating them, from start to finish, and he was the one at our table who enjoyed the meal the most.

Their Chaoshan seafood porridge was also excellent. Besides having plenty of prawns, it was packed with other seafood, making the flavor very rich.

They also have various barbecue items. We ordered squid, flounder, pineapple beef skewers, cheese bread slices, charcoal-grilled beef short ribs, and beef kimchi cheese rolls. Everything tasted great, especially the flounder, which had a wonderful texture and flavor.

Their sizzling sea bass pot (zhuzhu luyu bao) was also a hit with everyone. The sea bass was very fresh, and the garlic-clove-shaped meat had a great texture.

Their fried chicken racks are sweet and sour, making them a perfect snack that gets addictive the more you eat.



















On Sunday morning, we had breakfast at Shunfa Lamian and Zhensucheng in the Xiaohaidi area of the Hexi District. Xiaohaidi is a lively residential area in the south of Tianjin with plenty of halal snacks. Shunfa Lamian is a noodle shop that has been open for over twenty years, specializing in yellow broth pulled noodles (lamian) and braised noodles (banmian). Zhensucheng is a breakfast shop that opened in 1979, specializing in crispy crepe strips in savory sauce (guobacai). Both of these shops are now franchises. The one in Xiaohaidi joined both brands, so now you can have yellow broth pulled noodles (huangtang lamian) and traditional breakfast at the same time in the morning.

We ordered yellow broth pulled noodles, water caltrop soup (lingjiao tang), flour tea (miancha), and beef pie (niurou bing). It was my first time having yellow broth pulled noodles. The yellow curry powder makes the flavor very rich, and I think it tastes even more satisfying than the clear broth version. Their water caltrop soup and flour tea both taste good, and Suleiman especially likes their flour tea. However, their beef pie has a bit too little filling. I noticed many people at the neighboring tables were eating flatbread rolls with fried fritters (dabing juanquan).













After eating at so many good restaurants in Tianjin, I finally hit a dud this time. On Sunday at noon, we went to the Galata Turkish Restaurant in Hengji Plaza, Hexi District. First of all, their tables are tiny. We ordered a meal for four, and it couldn't even fit on the table. Secondly, it is not authentic! We have eaten at so many Turkish restaurants in Beijing, Yiwu, Fuzhou, and Guangzhou, and they were all very authentic, whether run by Turkish or Azerbaijani people. This is the first time we have eaten at an inauthentic one; it is nothing like what we ate in Turkey.

Their potatoes and roasted chicken were covered in thick layers of salad dressing and ketchup. It felt just like fast food sold at a temple fair, which doesn't fit the Mediterranean diet of Turkey that focuses on spices. Also, the grilled meat was not good. Some parts were dry, and some were salty. The grill chef's skills need improvement. The grilled meat was served with pilaf (zhuafan) made with domestic short-grain rice. I suspect the chef is our fellow countryman from Xinjiang.

They do have one big advantage, which is that it is cheap! The price is about half of what you would pay at a Turkish restaurant in Beijing, so you get what you pay for. Their milk pudding and Turkish coffee also taste good. The milk pudding is not sweet, and it is quite pleasant to have with coffee. It is just that they served the coffee with a candy ball that children often eat, which is also a bad match. They should at least serve it with Turkish delight or even a piece of chocolate.













After leaving Hengji Plaza, we went to the Tatami Xinjiang Restaurant at the entrance to pack some diced noodle stir-fry (dingding chaomian) for Suleiman to eat in the evening. Their decor is quite good and very Xinjiang-style. The waiter who served us was Uyghur, and the chefs in the kitchen were all Hui Muslims. It is an open kitchen, and the chefs have real skill. We specifically asked for it to be made for a child, and the diced noodle stir-fry was indeed very suitable. Suleiman loved it. They also sell fresh milk ice cream from Tacheng, and I bought one that tasted quite good.



















I just remembered that I can add locations to my official account posts, so I will also add locations for the Tianjin restaurants recommended in previous issues.

Between the mountains and the sea: from Huairou farmhouses to coastal Western restaurants.

Haishiwan Halal Western Restaurant.

Eating Halal Western food at Haishiwan on Binjiang Road in Tianjin. Overall, their dish names and plating are quite fancy and look great in photos, but the actual taste is average, similar to fast food in a shopping mall.

The best thing they have is probably the avocado salad, which is very healthy. The tuna salad is more like a simple home-style mixed vegetable dish. The seafood fried rice and beef fried rice are both soy sauce-based, which feels more suited to the tastes of the Shandong cuisine region. The seafood pizza is plated very beautifully, but the pizza base itself is very average, just like the taste of a cheap fast-food chain. They also have various drinks with names I don't recognize, which are just sparkling water mixed with syrup. The fog coffee is great for photos, but the coffee itself is also very average.

Nuobona Halal Western Restaurant.

Nuobona Halal Western Restaurant at the 80 Food Plaza in TEDA, Tianjin, is definitely the best Halal Western food I have ever eaten! The taste is far better than the ones in downtown Tianjin.

Muyi Chinese Restaurant, Nuobona Western Restaurant, and the Western bakery on the first floor in Taifeng are all part of the Yisilai Mu Restaurant founded in 1994, and their Halal license number is Binhai 001. We have eaten at Muyi before; it is creative Chinese food with many dishes they invented themselves, and the taste is excellent. This time we tried their Western food and still had nothing but praise. Their environment is also very good, and they have a special area for children to play, which is very thoughtful.

We ordered charcoal-grilled baby lobster and creamy lobster soup served two ways, French escargot, British fish and chips, baked potato skins, golden pillow durian pizza, lasagna, tiramisu, non-alcoholic mojito, dirty milk, and rose soda, and we also ordered a kids' meal for Suleiman (spaghetti, pumpkin soup, french fries, grilled chicken wings, and fruit salad). The lobster is very tender, and the creamy lobster soup is rich and very fragrant. This was my first time eating baked escargot; the texture is very chewy and bouncy, and the various spices are added perfectly. It was my first time eating British-style fried fish, though it didn't come with french fries. The way they make it is very different from the common cod cakes in China; the fish meat is ground very finely, and the texture is very moist.

Taking kids out to eat in Tianjin: Yemeni food, Algerian desserts, rice noodle rolls (changfen), Japanese food, and water caltrop soup.

Socotra Yemeni Restaurant.

Many Yemeni restaurants have opened in Guangzhou and Yiwu, but Beijing's Arab restaurants are still mostly Levantine style. If you want a Yemeni meal, you have to take an intercity train to Tianjin.

Socotra is Socotra Island in the Arabian Sea, southeast of Yemen. It was called Sugudala in the Ming Dynasty's Zheng He Navigation Map. Socotra Island was listed as a World Natural Heritage site in 2008. The island is most famous for its dragon blood trees. The Socotra restaurant's logo is a dragon blood tree, and there are photos of the trees hanging in the shop.

We ordered the signature soup, chicken lentil soup, lamb Zurbian rice, Mushakkal stir-fried vegetables, Fahsa beef stew, banana mango juice, and Khubz flatbread. Zurbian rice is a bit like Indian Biryani rice, as both are stir-fried with various spices. Their lamb is roasted and smells great, but we found the rice a bit dry. There are also small bone fragments inside, so be careful not to let children eat it.

When you go to a Yemeni restaurant, you must try the classic Yemeni dish, Fahsa beef stew. Fahsa is usually made with lamb, but this place uses beef. When they make it, they stew the meat until it is very tender. It starts in a large vat and is then moved to a small pot to continue stewing. Besides ginger, garlic, and cumin, they add a spice called fenugreek (Hulbah) when stewing the meat. Fenugreek is actually what people in Northwest China often call fragrant beans (kudou). People in the Northwest dry the leaves of the fenugreek plant and grind them into powder to steam buns, while Yemenis grind the seeds to stew meat. Fenugreek seeds expand when they meet water and easily foam up when stirred in a bowl.

The classic pairing for Fahsa stew is Mulawah Yemeni flatbread, but this place requires you to order it in advance. You can only get Khubz flatbread if you walk in. Khubz flatbread is actually the same as the pita bread in Levantine cuisine. The version they make is quite hard, and to be honest, it is not very tasty.

Qianmu Halal Japanese Cuisine

There are no longer any halal Japanese restaurants in Beijing, so you have to go to Tianjin for this. This place is very popular, and it is hard to get a seat without booking in advance. When we went after eight o'clock, they had even sold out of rice, so we had to go to the ramen shop across the street to buy some.

We ordered tempura udon, sukiyaki, eel rice, a grilled platter, cod roe potato gratin, cheese-baked crab shell, a slow-cooked sushi platter, and marble soda. Suleiman loves their udon noodles. He couldn't stop eating them, and after he finished, he was so happy that he fell right asleep. There are quite a few grilled items, but they are mostly mushroom-based vegetable dishes with less meat. The soy sauce for the sushi is a bit salty, and the sushi itself is just average, which is a pity. The staff saw we had a child, so they cooked the sukiyaki for us before bringing it to the table. That deserves a thumbs up. The eel rice tastes okay, and next time I want to try their teriyaki chicken rice.

Xue's Northwest Corner Old-Style Breakfast

Ever since the Northwest Corner became super popular, I basically stopped going there to eat. Actually, Tianjin has so many delicious breakfast spots, not just the Northwest Corner. I used to go to Tianmu and Jinjiayao for breakfast, but this time I went to Xue's Northwest Corner Old-Style Breakfast in the Lushuidao area of Jinnan District. Their shop is a simple neighborhood eatery on the ground floor of an apartment complex, where all the local seniors come to eat.

We didn't arrive until nine, so most things were sold out. We just ordered water caltrop dumplings (lingjiao tang), sesame flatbread with meat (shaobing jiarou), and savory crepe strips in sauce (guobacai). Their water caltrop dumplings are truly delicious. The skin is the perfect texture, and the filling is very fragrant. Suleiman ate several in one go. The sesame flatbread for the meat sandwich is crispy, and the flavor is quite good. The savory crepe strips are a traditional old-school flavor, but eating both the dumplings and the crepe strips together is a bit heavy. I feel like the crepe strips go best with iron-pot soy milk.

Algerian Bakery

I had an Algerian afternoon tea at Lyn's Healthy Bakeshop on Chifeng Road in Tianjin. Chifeng Road is in the former French Concession area, which is full of small Western-style villas and all kinds of little shops.

The owner, who is from Algeria, opened this small shop for tea and desserts. It should be the first Algerian restaurant in China. I have to say, Tianjin's food scene is once again at the forefront of internationalization!

They offer both à la carte and afternoon tea sets. They have both traditional Algerian desserts and Western pastries. Everything uses maple syrup instead of white sugar, focusing on healthy eating. It is probably the least sweet Arabic dessert shop I have ever visited!

We drank Algerian mint tea and Algerian orange blossom lemonade (Sherbet Mazhar). The mint tea is brewed to order, so you have to wait a while. The aroma is very strong, but because it is freshly brewed, you cannot get refills. Orange blossom water is definitely a signature Algerian drink, especially classic at wedding banquets in northern Algeria. The orange blossom drink is made from orange blossom water distilled from bitter orange blossoms, mixed with syrup and water. It is very refreshing in the summer.

We ate Algerian baklava (Baklawa), apple pie, milk pudding (M'halbi), and cheesecake. Suleiman loved the cheesecake the most. Baklava was introduced to Algeria from Turkey during the Ottoman period. The Algerian version adds crushed almonds and orange blossom water, so the taste is different from the Turkish one.

Milk pudding (M'halbi) is a classic Middle Eastern dessert for breaking the fast and is most popular during Ramadan. The name M'halbi comes from Al-Muhallab, the governor of Khorasan during the Umayyad Caliphate. Legend has it that he once had a stomachache, and a doctor made him milk-boiled rice flour with sugar. He liked it so much that he named the dessert after himself.

Finally, I want to say that their food is excellent, but the decor is still a bit simple. If they could highlight the Algerian theme more, it would definitely become a new trendy spot in Tianjin.

Yiweizhai Halal Rice Noodle Rolls

I ate rice noodle rolls (changfen) at Yiweizhai on Xihu Road in Tianjin. I used to go to Yeji Changfen whenever I visited Tianjin, but this was my first time at Yiweizhai. The shop at Yiweizhai is small, but they have a huge variety of dishes. We ordered seafood rice noodle rolls, fresh shrimp steamed dumplings (shaomai), chicken feet in black bean sauce (chizhi fengzhua), claypot rice with cured beef (laoniurou baozai fan), plain beef tendon balls, curry beef balls, curry fish balls, and traditional crispy mung bean starch jelly (laowei cuipi menzi). Except for the claypot rice, which takes a while because it is cooked from raw rice, the other dishes arrived very quickly.

Overall, their food is very good. It really shows how much effort Tianjin people put into their cooking. Their rice noodle rolls have a great texture, not as firm as the ones I had in Hong Kong. Their beef tendon balls and fish balls also have a fantastic texture; we ordered one portion and then added another. By comparison, the beef balls were just average. This was my first time eating crispy mung bean starch jelly. I had only ever had pan-fried versions before, which clearly do not taste as good as this crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside version.

My hometown: Hexiwu Town, Wuqing, Tianjin.

Xinpengzhai Restaurant.

I first bought the signature golden-rimmed braised noodles (jinbian koumen) at Xinpengzhai Restaurant. It is beef and bean sprout braised noodles (menbing) topped with a fried egg. The egg was very fragrant, and it was my first time eating menbing this way. It tasted excellent.

Wangji Lirenzhai.

Inside the Hexiwu farmers' market is the Shouyi Snack Street, where the most famous item is the yellow rice fried cake (huangmi zhagao) from the century-old shop Wangji Lirenzhai. We arrived a bit late and they were closing at 1:00 PM, so we just bought all the remaining fried cakes.

Lirenzhai is a Tianjin intangible cultural heritage project for the craft of making Hexiwu Lirenzhai fried cakes. The Wang family's ancestral home was in Cangzhou, Hebei. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, they fled the war and came to Wuqing. They first settled in Yangcun, but later heard that Hexiwu was densely populated and had a large community of Hui Muslims, so they moved to Hexiwu to settle down. In 1918, Wang Zhenlong inherited the family craft and officially set up a stall in Hexiwu, specializing in yellow rice fried cakes. After 1958, the Wangji fried cake business was merged into a cooperative store, and it was shut down after the 1960s. It wasn't until 1979 that the second-generation successor, Wang Jinyuan, inherited the family business and revived Wangji fried cakes. In 1999, the third-generation successor, Wang Xueren, took over and renamed it Lirenzhai, which is what it is called today.

Yangji Gezhihe.

Besides yellow rice fried cakes, the fried mung bean flour rolls (gezhihe) in Hexiwu are also very famous. Unlike the common version, the ones here are filled. They come in mung bean flour and wheat flour varieties, giving them a richer texture than standard fried mung bean flour rolls. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This article covers the Kazakhstan National Museum collection exhibition at Tianjin Museum, with a close look at historical artifacts, steppe culture, and Central Asian heritage. It preserves the original exhibition details, object names, photographs, and cultural context for English readers.

From September 30, 2024, to February 12, 2025, the fifth floor of the Tianjin Museum is hosting an exhibition of historical artifacts from the National Museum of Kazakhstan. Overall, it is not very stunning and lacks any major, heavy-hitting artifacts. Of course, I did not see any particularly significant artifacts when I visited the National Museum of Kazakhstan in person either.







These are carved clay tiles from the 12th-century Karakhanid dynasty Aisha-Bibi Mausoleum in the ancient city of Taraz. The architectural style of this mausoleum follows the Samanid Mausoleum in Bukhara and serves as an important example of Karakhanid architecture. Taraz grew into a wealthy city during the 9th-century Samanid dynasty, reached its peak during the 10th to 12th-century Karakhanid dynasty, and was destroyed by the Mongol army in 1220.



These are painted glazed tiles and glazed pottery shards from the Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Mausoleum, dating to the Timurid dynasty between 1389 and 1405. This mausoleum is a masterpiece of Timurid architecture and an important religious center in southern Kazakhstan. It was added to the World Heritage List in 2003.





These are glazed tile fragments unearthed from a mausoleum at the Zhaiyk ancient city site, dating to the 14th-century Golden Horde period. The Zhaiyk ancient city site was discovered by an archaeological team in 2001 and has since been fully excavated and studied. Inside the city, they found the remains of a Turkish bath with an underfloor heating system, and in the cemetery west of the city, they found a domed mausoleum decorated with colorful glazed tiles.



These are clay bricks unearthed from the Kyshkala ancient city site in the Syr Darya delta. Kyshkala was a wealthy ancient city during the Golden Horde period that produced a large number of clay bricks.







This is a Kimeshek, an embroidered head covering for married women from 19th-century southern Kazakhstan.





A Kimeshek with lace pendants.







A Kebeje, which is a wooden chest with bone inlays, dating from the 19th to the mid-20th century.







A Khan's robe (chapan) made of velvet, gold and silver thread, and appliqué from 18th to 19th-century northern Kazakhstan. After the 18th century, due to long-term conflicts with the Dzungar Khanate, the Kazakh Khanate split into the Senior, Middle, and Junior Juz, with each Juz having its own Khan. After the mid-19th century, the Kazakh Khanate was gradually controlled by the Russian Empire. Khan Kenesary Kasymov (reigned 1841–1847) was the last national hero to bravely resist Russia. After he died for his country in 1847, the Kazakh Khanate was declared fallen.









Traditional Kazakh clothing made by master designer Aizhan Abdubait. She comes from a family of tailors and is dedicated to making ethnic clothing. She has also restored the gold-thread embroidery technique that was gradually lost after the fall of the Kazakh Khanate in the 19th century. This is an embroidery technique that was used on the clothing of Khans and Sultans during the Kazakh Khanate era.











A 19th-century chest ornament.



A 20th-century belt.





An axe, a club, and a sheathed knife.



A 19th-century copper pot. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This article follows a tasting route through drinks from Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, from street-side juices to regional bottled drinks and cafe favorites. It keeps the original drink names, places, prices, photos, and travel notes for readers looking for everyday food culture in Southeast Asia.

Malaysia

Malacca: avocado juice, longan lemon tea, and lime plum juice (lime plum shuizhi).

Penang: sour plum guava juice, Penang nutmeg water, and Arabian rose water.

Seremban: lychee water.

Kuala Lumpur: blue pea flower tea and barley lime water.

Singapore

Clear soup (chee kong), three-layer milk tea, pulled tea (teh tarik), Milo dinosaur, and ginger tea.

Indonesia

Yogyakarta: cendol drink (es dawet ayu), dragon fruit juice, and ginger herbal drink (sekoteng).

Solo: basil seed cendol (es dawet telasih), durian cendol (es dawet durian), and herbal medicine (jamu).

Kudus: fruit ice (es buah).

Banten: mixed ice dessert (es campur).

Jakarta: layered rice flour jelly drink (selendang mayang).

Malaysia

Malacca

Avocado juice

Across from Dataran Pahlawan in Malacca, there is a large Malay night market that seems to open only on weekends, offering endless varieties of snacks. We had just finished a meal and were too full to eat, so we bought a huge avocado juice. Tropical fruits are cheap all over Malaysia. As long as you don't buy durian in tourist areas, you can basically eat as much fruit as you want.





Longan lemon tea

In Kampung Hulu, there is a lovely cake shop called Malaiqa By Gula Cakery that is very popular with young people. The shop is located in a shophouse built in 1941. The decor is fresh and simple, showing a great example of revitalizing the old city. We ordered the longan lemon tea, and it tasted great. These fresh, small shops in Malaysia are really wonderful, though we usually go for traditional food and don't visit places like this very often.









Lime plum drink (juzi suanmei shui)

As the birthplace of Nyonya culture, you must try Nyonya food when visiting Malacca. There are many halal Nyonya restaurants on the east side of Malacca's old town along Merdeka Street (Jln Merdeka), with Atlantic and Cottage Spices being the most famous. Both places had lines when we arrived, so we took numbers for both. Cottage Spices had an opening first, so we ate there. We ordered the lime plum drink (juzi suanmei shui), which was tart and very appetizing.









Penang

Sour plum guava juice

Lagenda Cafe in Penang is a themed restaurant honoring the godfather of Malay film and music, P. Ramlee (1929-1973), and it plays his classic songs on a loop. We drank Asam Boi & Guava Tea, made with lime, mint, black tea, sour plum, and fresh-pressed guava juice; it was very refreshing and smooth.







Penang nutmeg drink and Arabian rose water (sherbet)

A unique group called Jawi Peranakan lives in Penang and Singapore. They are a Malay-speaking community formed by the intermarriage of Indian (as well as Arab and Persian) men and Malay women. "Jawi" means "Southeast Asia" in Arabic, and "Peranakan" means "locally born" in Malay.

After the 20th century, as the British Empire declined, the Jawi Peranakan community began to integrate into the Malay population. Today, the government counts most Jawi Peranakan as "Malay." Even so, the Jawi Peranakan community still works hard to pass on its unique culture, which shows in their architecture, clothing, jewelry, and food.

Today, the best place in Penang to experience Jawi Peranakan culture is the Jawi House Cafe Gallery. The building was originally a Straits Eclectic-style Chinese shophouse built in the 1860s with Malay-style decorations, and it later served as an Indian coppersmith shop. The street where the shop is located, Armenian Street (Lebuh Armenian, formerly Malay lane), was the earliest settlement area for the Jawi Peranakan community. In 2012, the Karim family, who have lived in Penang for six generations and have Punjabi roots, opened Jawi House here to make authentic Jawi Peranakan food.

We drank the Penang Nutmeg and Arabian Sherbet here. Nutmeg is a local Penang specialty, and this drink is mixed with honey and lemon for a sweet and sour taste.

Sherbet comes from the Persian word "Sharbat," which means a non-alcoholic sugary drink. In medieval Arabia, people loved to add syrup and honey to Sharbat for sweetness, along with almonds, lemon, apple, pomegranate, tamarind, dates, sumac, musk, and mint. Spread by Arabs and Persians, Sharbat is now popular across West Asia, South Asia, and the Malay Archipelago, especially during Ramadan. The Arabian Sherbet at Jawi House is made with rose syrup, mallow nuts, gum arabic, and basil seeds, giving it a very rich flavor.







Hibiscus

Lychee water

Mohd Chan is likely the most famous and largest halal Cantonese restaurant chain in Malaysia, now with 19 locations including restaurants, dim sum shops, and takeout spots. The founder of Mohd Chan, Dato HJ Mohd Chan, was born in Gombak, Selangor. Influenced by his Malay friends, he converted to Islam in 2007 and started his halal Cantonese restaurant that same year, focusing on blending Cantonese cuisine with local flavors. We drank their lychee water, which was packed with plenty of ingredients.







Kuala Lumpur

Blue pea flower tea and barley lime water

Whether it is halal Chinese food or halal Nyonya cuisine, the Klang Valley area where Kuala Lumpur is located has the highest number of options in Malaysia. Just inside the NU Sentral mall opposite Kuala Lumpur Sentral station, there are three halal Nyonya restaurants, making it a great place for traveling friends (dosti) to grab a bite. We ate at the largest of the three, Peranakan Place, which has several branches in Kuala Lumpur and Malacca. We ordered the blue pea flower tea and barley lime water, both of which were very unique.







Singapore

Chee Kong clear soup (qing tang)

Geylang Serai is located near the Geylang River in eastern Singapore. The Geylang Serai Malay bazaar (market) dates back to the 1920s. During World War II, the Japanese turned it into an amusement park, but after the war, it returned to being a bustling Malay bazaar where local Malay residents come to shop. The only Chinese stall in the bazaar is Chee Kong clear soup (qing tang), an old shop that opened in the 1950s. You can add longan, sweet potato, and ginkgo nuts to the clear soup, and it can be served hot or cold. Drinking a bowl of clear soup is very refreshing after eating spicy Malay food.









Three-layer milk tea

Haig Road Market & Food Centre has a lot of Malay delicacies. We drank the classic three-layer milk tea, which uses palm sugar, milk, and black tea to create three distinct layers with a rich taste.







Pulled tea (teh tarik) and Milo Dinosaur

We had a cup of the classic Nanyang pulled tea (teh tarik) at Tarik, a shop next to the Sultan Mosque in Kampong Glam. Local Malay youth really love this place. Tarik means 'pull' in Malay. By mixing black tea and condensed milk and pouring it back and forth between two containers with outstretched arms, the tea cools down and becomes frothy. We also ordered a cup of Milo, which is a chocolate malt powder from Nestlé. People in Malaysia and Singapore like to sprinkle Milo powder on iced Milo, which they call Milo Dinosaur.











Ginger tea

Bhai Sarbat on Baghdad Street was started by an Indian Muslim in the 1950s and has been around for 70 years. Bhai means brother in Urdu. Bhai Sarbat started as a street pushcart stall and moved into this shophouse on Baghdad Street in the 1970s. Today it sells hundreds of drinks, but the ginger tea is still the most famous.





Indonesia

Yogyakarta

Es Dawet Ayu

Es Dawet Ayu is a specialty iced drink from Central Java that comes from the small town of Banjarnegara. Its main ingredients are rice flour, glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, palm sugar syrup, and grass jelly.











Dragon fruit juice

Freshly squeezed dragon fruit juice on the streets of Yogyakarta. The juices in Java are really rich.





Sekoteng

Sekoteng is a Javanese specialty hot ginger drink made with peanuts, bread slices, and pearl flowers. Hot drinks are still quite rare in Java. It feels like the ginger helps remove dampness.





Solo

Es Dawet Telasih

Es Dawet Telasih is a Solo specialty iced drink made of coconut milk, palm sugar, cendol (rice flour jelly), bubur sumsum (coconut rice pudding), basil seeds, and black glutinous rice.





Es Dawet Durian is Es Dawet Telasih with durian added.





Jamu

Jamu is a specialty Javanese drink, which is a traditional Javanese herbal medicine mixed with honey and palm sugar.



Kudus

Es Buah

I drank Es Buah, a Javanese iced drink with various fruits added, in Kudus.







Banten

Mixed ice drink (Es Campur)

As a holy site, the Great Mosque of Banten attracts a constant stream of visitors every day, and a very lively bazaar has formed around it. At the bazaar, I drank a mixed ice drink (Es Campur) made with coconut milk, red sugar syrup, coconut meat, and fruit jelly.







Jakarta

Layered rice flour drink (Selendang Mayang)

Jakarta Old Town (Kota Tua Jakarta), also called Old Batavia (Oud Batavia), was the most important Dutch colonial outpost in Southeast Asia and served as the headquarters for the Dutch East India Company from the 17th to the 19th century. The center of Old Batavia is Fatahillah Square, where the main building is the Jakarta History Museum. The Jakarta History Museum was built in 1710 and was formerly the Batavia City Hall. The museum courtyard has a small area dedicated to traditional Betawi snacks, where I drank a rare, historic Batavian ice drink called layered rice flour drink (Selendang Mayang). Layered rice flour drink (Selendang Mayang) is made from rice flour, vanilla powder, pandan leaves, red sugar syrup, and coconut milk.

The Betawi people are a unique ethnic group that formed in Jakarta. In 1619, the Dutch established Batavia as the trade and administrative center for the Dutch East India Company. After the Dutch East India Company signed a formal peace treaty with the Sultanate of Banten in 1684, the swampy areas around Batavia could finally be cultivated. More and more people lived outside the city walls, including Malays, Sundanese, Javanese, Minangkabau, and Bugis people. Between the 18th and 19th centuries, the various ethnic groups living in Batavia began to merge. Over the course of a hundred years, they finally formed the modern Betawi people by the early 20th century. The Betawi people speak a version of Malay mixed with many words from Fujian Chinese, Arabic, and Dutch, known as Betawi Malay. It is the only Malay-speaking region on the northern coast of Java. Betawi cuisine is also strongly influenced by Indonesian Chinese, Arab, European, and local Sundanese and Javanese food.





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Reposted from the web

Summary: Halal Travel Guide: Fengcheng and Dandong - Mosque Visit and Liaoning Food is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear, natural English. The account focuses on Fengcheng, Dandong, Liaoning Travel while preserving the names, places, food, photos, and historical details from the Chinese source.

On June 9 at noon, we headed east from Dalian toward Dandong. We arrived at Fengcheng East Station at 12:14 and took a taxi to the center of Fengcheng for lunch. We first went to a restaurant called Nanlaishun, but we found braised lamb blood on the menu, so we went to another place called Wenbin Snack Bar instead.

We ordered the local Dandong specialty stir-fried corn noodles (chao chazi), along with eight-treasure porridge with corn grits (dazhazi babaozhou) and a 6-yuan vegetable platter. The vegetable platter included stir-fried potato, eggplant, and pepper (di san xian), cucumber with scrambled eggs, and stir-fried dried tofu. I noticed other people just ordering one vegetable platter with rice, which is a great deal.

Stir-fried corn noodles (chao chazi) are made by fermenting corn and grinding it into a liquid, then taking the settled corn starch residue and pressing it into noodles before stir-frying. These noodles are a classic example of turning coarse grains into a refined dish. They have a smooth, delicate texture without any of the usual grittiness of corn flour, and they taste quite good.

Zainab really loved their eight-treasure porridge with corn grits (dazhazi babaozhou). She even said it was her favorite thing she ate during her entire trip to Liaoning. The eight-treasure porridge with corn grits (dazhazi babaozhou) contains almost no rice, just a wide variety of beans. They are very generous with the ingredients, making it a perfect choice for people who want a healthy meal.













After finishing our stir-fried noodles (chao chazi), we went to Fengcheng Mosque to pray. The imam at Fengcheng Mosque is also from Cangzhou.

Fengcheng Mosque was first built in 1775, during the 40th year of the Qianlong reign. It was renovated in 1862, the first year of the Tongzhi reign. In 1876, the second year of the Guangxu reign, the north lecture hall was rebuilt and side rooms were added. In 1890, the 16th year of the Guangxu reign, the Moon-Sighting Tower (Wangyue Lou) was built, giving the mosque its current size.

The most unique part of Fengcheng Mosque is the Moon-Sighting Tower, built during the Guangxu reign. It has a double-eaved, four-cornered, pointed roof with beautiful upturned eaves, brackets, and intricate openwork carvings.



















The mosque features 300-year-old cypress trees and a stone tablet from the Guangxu renovations. The wood carvings on the brackets and the brick calligraphy carvings on the wall corners are also very beautiful.



















Outside the mosque, there are shops selling beef, pastries, roasted chicken, and instructions on how to boil sweet rice balls (yuanxiao). We bought some old-fashioned Northeast-style plain biscuits (guangtou bing). They get tastier the more you chew, with a subtle sweetness that lingers.















We left Fengcheng East Station at 3:39 PM and arrived at Dandong Station at 3:56 PM. We then walked to Pier 2 to take a Yalu River cruise. From the boat, you can see the shipyards, amusement park, old paper mill site, General's Building, schools, and various hidden and visible guard posts in Sinuiju, North Korea, on the other side. We were surprised to see a person swimming across the Yalu River all the way to the North Korean side, and he even waved at us.























Dandong Mosque (Dandong Si) was first built in 1876, and the current building was rebuilt in 2004. The sign at the entrance of the mosque is very rare.

The storefronts of Dandong Mosque are very busy. On the first floor are two old shops, Yixiang and Yiguang, which sell various traditional pastries, mooncakes (yuebing), and sticky rice dumplings (zongzi). Upstairs is the Yixiang Nursing Home, which is open to elderly people of all ethnic groups.



















In the afternoon, we had dinner at the long-established Jinlongge Restaurant in Dandong. They serve a wide variety of traditional stir-fried dishes and seafood. We ordered oyster soup (ligeng tang), braised mixed fish (jiangmen zabanyü), and Northeast-style cold noodles (dongbei da lengmian), and we also drank the local Yalu River soda. Northeast Chinese food comes in huge portions! We used our fists to compare the size of the plates, and one dish is more than enough for two people.

The food here tastes great overall; the large cold noodles (lengmian) are chewy, the fish is fragrant, and the meat quality is excellent. The oyster soup (ligeng tang) is very savory and does not have a fishy smell.

















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Reposted from the web

Summary: Halal Travel Guide: Dalian, Fuzhou Ancient City and Qingdui Ancient Town is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear, natural English. The account focuses on Dalian, Liaoning Travel, Ancient Towns while preserving the names, places, food, photos, and historical details from the Chinese source.

On the morning of June 8, we took a high-speed train from Shenyang Railway Station and arrived at Wafangdian West Station in Dalian in an hour and a half. After leaving the station, we shared a ride for 20 minutes to reach the ancient town of Fuzhou.

We first stopped at the Qunfangyuan Restaurant near the Fuzhou town roundabout to eat some traditional Fuzhou old-style dishes (Fuzhou laocai). Fuzhou is a thousand-year-old town established during the Liao Dynasty. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, it has been a major commercial hub in southern Liaoning, attracting many merchants. It only began to lose its importance to Wafangdian along the railway line after the South Manchuria Railway was built in modern times. Around 1641, the sixth year of the Chongde reign of the Qing Dynasty, four Hui Muslim families—the Yin, Ma, Dai, and Hui families from Cangzhou, Hebei—moved to Fuzhou. Later, they worked with the local Manchu and Han people to develop the unique Fuzhou old-style dishes.

Fuzhou old-style dishes are known for their oil-fried meat (guoyourou), twice-cooked meat (huishaorou), braised meatballs (huiwanzi), dragon and tiger fight (longhudou), and fried crispy crackers (zhabaochui). Because portions of Northeast Chinese food are so large, we just ordered the most famous oil-fried meat to try. The Fuzhou version of oil-fried meat contains only meat with no side vegetables. It is seasoned with vinegar and garlic, giving it a salty, fresh, and sour taste that goes perfectly with rice.

Fuzhou oil-fried meat is also called the dish of ethnic unity. Legend has it that during the late Qing Dynasty, a soldier named Tuoerha from the Plain Blue Banner died in battle in southern Xinjiang, leaving his wife and children helpless in Fuzhou. One day, just before the Lunar New Year, a mother and her son were walking down the street. The boy was so drawn to the aroma from a restaurant that he refused to leave. The owner knew the boy's father had died for his country, so he invited them inside. He told the kitchen staff to prepare a dish of pure meat for them and to fry it an extra time. Because of this, double-fried meat (guoyourou) became a signature New Year dish for the people of Fuzhou.















After lunch, we went to Fuzhou Mosque (Fuzhou Si) to pray. The imam at Fuzhou Mosque is from Mengcun in Cangzhou, Hebei, which is a major tradition for the faith in Liaoning.

In the early Qing Dynasty, Hui Muslims with the surnames Yin, Dai, Ma, and Hui moved to Fuzhou from Cangzhou. In 1649 (the sixth year of the Shunzhi reign), they began building Fuzhou Mosque. By 1656 (the thirteenth year of the Shunzhi reign), they had finished three thatched rooms to serve as the main prayer hall. The main hall was rebuilt in 1774 (the thirty-ninth year of the Qianlong reign) and expanded again in 1880 (the sixth year of the Guangxu reign), though it still had a thatched roof. In 1920, the front porch and rear kiln-style hall were added, and the roof was changed to blue brick tiles, creating the structure seen today.



















Hanging in front of the main hall of Fuzhou Mosque is a plaque that reads "Returning to Simplicity and Truth" (Huan Pu Gui Zhen). It was presented in 1897 (the twenty-third year of the Guangxu reign) by Wang Tingxiang, a third-rank official, imperial censor, and scholar of the Hanlin Academy.







Additionally, the brick carvings on the wall ends feature traditional calligraphy of a dua.







Hui Muslim homes inside Fuzhou City. The old street features blue bricks and dark roof tiles, with Arabic calligraphy (jingzi) and dua written on the walls, keeping the look of the past. Many people have moved to Wafangdian and Dalian to live, so the old street has become quiet.



















There is a legendary halal food spot in Fuzhou City, which is my friend's family business, Yin's sticky rice cake (jiangmi lianggao). The Yin family of Fuzhou originally came from Qing County in Cangzhou and settled in Fuzhou during the early Qing Dynasty. The sticky rice cake made by my friend's great-uncle, Yin Xiangzhou, was famous in Fuzhou a hundred years ago, and now my friend's mother pushes a small cart to sell it along the street every day. A loudspeaker plays, 'Sticky rice cake, fragrant and sweet.' Then everyone comes out to buy the sticky rice cake.

Sticky rice cake (jiangmi lianggao) is made by topping sticky rice with fillings like peanuts, sesame, and sugar. Traditionally, it included candied green and red fruit strips (qinghongsi), but these are now left out to suit younger tastes. Sticky rice cake is very refreshing in the summer, and it feels great on the stomach when paired with tea.

A quick tip: some people say the Yin family pushcart is hard to find. We spotted it at 2:15 p.m. at the intersection west of the Fuzhou Prefectural Office (Fuzhou Zhizhou Yashu). It then moves south along the main road, and you can hear the vendor calling out from far away.















We took the high-speed train from Wafangdian West Station at 3:30 p.m., arrived at Dalian North Station at 4:00 p.m., and then took a taxi to our accommodation to drop off our luggage.

We stayed at the No. 21 Mansion (Ershiyi Hao Gongguan) near the Russian Style Street. The hotel sits in a courtyard that is part of the Yantai Street Russian-style building complex, which includes 28 European-style villas and marks the starting point of Dalian's history. In 1898, Tsarist Russia leased Dalian Bay and began building Dalian city the following year. The first street built was called Engineer Street, which is now known as Russian Style Street. Soon after, Timov Street was built right next to Engineer Street, and it was renamed Yantai Street after 1946. Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Tsarist Russia hired German and Russian designers to build a series of European-style villas on Yantai Street, and 28 of them still stand today.

After the Russian-style building complex on Yantai Street was restored in 2011, several hotels and restaurants moved in. When we visited, several places were hosting weddings, which felt a bit like the Italian Style Street in Tianjin. Several villas in the courtyard belong to the Dalian Railway 1896 Garden Hotel, which you can stay in at any time. The No. 21 Mansion where we stayed is military property and only opens during holidays, but you can book it online.

Building No. 21 was built in 1903 and designed by the famous German architect Jan Hendel. In 1920, early labor movement leader and Manchurian Provincial Committee Secretary Wang Ligong lived here. The house we stayed in had windows on both the north and south sides, making the environment very pleasant. The courtyard was very quiet, which was a sharp contrast to the busy Russian-style street next door.



















In the afternoon, we had dinner at the long-established Majia Dumpling Restaurant in front of Dalian Railway Station. We ordered sea snail and chive dumplings (haoluo jiucai jiaozi), mackerel ball soup (bayu wanzi tang), and dry-braised flatfish (gan shao piankou yu). Traditionally, Hui Muslims in North and Northeast China do not cook seafood; they focus on beef and lamb. They only started making seafood dumplings after the Reform and Opening-up, and it gradually became a local specialty. They serve dumplings with yellow mustard sauce, which is very unique and adds a great kick to the flavor. The dry-braised flatfish was also well-prepared, with a sweet and spicy taste that really whets the appetite. People who ate at their original shop say the dumplings were even better decades ago, and I can really understand that sense of nostalgia. But as travelers, we are already very happy to be able to eat these dumplings.

Ma Family Dumpling Restaurant (Ma Jia Jiaozi Guan) was the first halal dumpling shop in Dalian and one of the city's two earliest dumpling restaurants. It was opened in 1947 by Liu Yushan, Ma Baishi, and Zhao Fangchen at the Bo'ai Market in Xigang. It was originally called Ruixianghao Hui Muslim Dumpling Restaurant before changing its name to Ma Family Dumpling Restaurant. After the Reform and Opening-up, the restaurant moved to the former site of the Goubuli Steamed Bun Shop on Tianjin Street. It moved to its current location after the renovation of Tianjin Street in the early 21st century. At first, the restaurant only served beef dumplings. After the Reform and Opening-up, seafood dumplings appeared in Dalian, so the restaurant started making new varieties like mackerel dumplings (bayu jiaozi) and sea snail dumplings (hailuo jiaozi).



















After dinner, we headed to the Dalian Mosque (Dalian Si) on Beijing Street. After Dalian opened as a port in 1897, Hui Muslims from places like Shandong and Hebei came here to make a living. Ma Xinglong, Wang Qifa, Jin Xiangchen, and others first rented a few small rooms on Dalong Street in Xigang to perform their prayers. In 1925, a Russian Muslim working for the South Manchuria Railway (Mantie) secured funding and land from the company to build the Dalian Mosque in a traditional Kazan Tatar style.

The original Dalian Mosque looked very similar to Tatar mosques in Kazan, Russia, featuring a neoclassical main hall and two minarets at the front and back. The minbar pulpit inside the main hall has stairs that lead directly to the minaret on the roof, which is very rare for a traditional mosque in China.

This Kazan Tatar-style Dalian Mosque stood for 64 years, was rebuilt in 1990, and finally expanded into its current structure in 2005.



















I left Dalian Station at 6:20 on June 9, arrived at Qingdui Station at 8:00, and then took a taxi to the ancient town of Qingdui to visit Qingdui Mosque.

Qingdui Town is a thousand-year-old town that has served as a fishing port and commercial hub on the Liaodong Peninsula since the Tang Dynasty. Qingbu Port officially opened in 1743 (the eighth year of the Qianlong reign), making Qingdui Town an important transit point for people from Shandong and Hebei moving to Northeast China. During the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era, Qingdui Town had over three hundred businesses, with shops lining the streets and bustling with activity. Today, Qingdui Town still keeps many old houses with grey bricks and dark tiles from the late Qing and Republican periods, and Qingdui Mosque is one of them.

Qingdui Mosque was first built during the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty and started as just three thatched huts. The First Sino-Japanese War began in July 1894. Famous Hui Muslim general Zuo Baogui led his troops to Korea to fight the Japanese and passed by Qingdui Mosque (Qingdui Si). General Zuo Baogui and the imam of Qingdui Mosque, Zhang Chaozhen, got along very well. Later, the general donated money himself. Along with funds raised by his personal Hui Muslim guards and three local halal restaurants—Deshengyuan, Qingshengyuan, and Yongshengyuan—they prepared to expand the mosque. Sadly, before the expansion was finished, General Zuo Baogui died heroically while fighting the Japanese in Pyongyang.

In 1895 (the 21st year of the Guangxu reign), Hui Wanchun, the elder in charge of Qingdui Mosque, oversaw the rebuilding of the main hall into the three-room green brick and tile structure seen today. In 1920 (the 9th year of the Republic of China), the gate tower was rebuilt and the lecture hall was expanded, giving the mosque its current size.

The gate of Qingdui Mosque features a brick-carved couplet that reads: 'The pure palace spreads the teachings of the Quran and the path of Muhammad; the true sage passes down scriptures that bring the grace of the Western Regions to this place.' This is a very precious piece of brick-carved calligraphy from the Republic of China era. The main gate is usually closed, so you must enter the mosque through the south wing where the imam lives. The imam came from Gansu and warmly told us about the situation at Qingdui Mosque (Qingdui Si). It is not easy for his family to stay and serve at this small community mosque (xiaofang).



















Hui Muslim homes in the ancient town of Qingdui. Because Qingbu Port silted up and closed, the ancient town of Qingdui gradually became quiet, and the town center moved to the area near the road to the north. There are a few halal restaurants in town. We ordered lamb soup at one of them, Jinhong Lamb Soup Restaurant (Jinhong Yangtang Guan), but when it arrived, we found it contained lamb blood. I had heard long ago that some halal restaurants in Shandong and Northeast China sell lamb blood, but this is the first time I have encountered it in years. We had no choice but to return the lamb soup and take a taxi to the train station to continue our trip to the next stop.

















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Reposted from the web

Summary: Islamic Art Guide: Quanzhou Maritime Museum Song-Yuan Stone Inscriptions (Part 1) is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear, natural English. The account focuses on Quanzhou, Islamic Art, Stone Inscriptions while preserving the names, places, food, photos, and historical details from the Chinese source.

The Quanzhou Maritime Museum was built in 1959. The Quanzhou Islamic Culture Exhibition Hall opened in 2003, and the 'Arabs and Persians in Quanzhou' exhibition launched in 2008, featuring over 200 stone carvings from the Song and Yuan dynasties. I visited the 'Arabs and Persians in Quanzhou' exhibition in 2017. Returning seven years later, the layout has not changed much, but some of the most iconic stone tablets, such as the tombstone of 'Consul Pan,' have been moved to the 'Quanzhou: World Maritime Trade Center in Song and Yuan China' exhibition, with replicas now in their place.









Tombstone

The largest category of Song and Yuan dynasty Islamic stone carvings in the museum's collection is tombstones.





The tombstone in the picture below was once used as a stone tabletop under the eaves of Yuanshan Hall (later renamed Fentuoshi) on Zhongshan Middle Road in Quanzhou. It is said to have been moved there in 1952 when building materials were purchased from the city's East Gate wall foundations for construction. Ms. Wu Yuanying donated it to the museum in 1965.

The person buried is named Husayn b. Muhammad Khalati. Khalati refers to the ancient city of Ahlat in what is now southeastern Turkey. Historically, Ahlat was part of the Armenian Kingdom, was occupied by Arabs in the mid-7th century, and developed into an important trade hub in southeastern Turkey by the 10th century. Ahlat was captured by the Seljuk Empire in 1071 and later became the capital of the Turkmen beylik known as Shah-Armens.

Because the inscription is written in a very irregular way, there are still many questions about how to read it. If we read the date as 567 in the Islamic calendar, which is 1171 in the Gregorian calendar, this stone would be the oldest Arabic inscription found in Quanzhou.



The tombstone in the picture below was found in 1939 when the North Gate (Chaotian Gate) of Quanzhou was torn down. The person buried there was named Nuransa Ibn Khwaja Balad-shah b. Khwaja Haji Harbk Khorazmi, who died in 1322.

In his name, Nuransa is his given name, and Balad-shah is his father's name, which means leader in Persian. Harbk is his grandfather's name, Khwaja shows his noble status, Haji means his grandfather had been on the Hajj, and Khorazmi shows his family came from the Khwarezm region of Central Asia.

The Khwarezmian Empire was destroyed by the Mongol Empire in 1221 and was later divided between the Chagatai Khanate and the Golden Horde. In the 14th century, Khwarezm was an important trade center in Central Asia until it was destroyed by the Timurid Empire in 1388.



The tombstone in the picture below was found in 1936 at Jintoupu Village outside the East Gate (Tonghuai Gate) of Quanzhou. The person buried there died in 1358 and was named Banan b. Ghasim Isfahani, who came from the famous Iranian city of Isfahan.

Isfahan became the capital of the Seljuk Empire in the mid-11th century and reached its peak in the late 11th century. Isfahan declined after the fall of the Seljuk Empire in the 13th century. It suffered a massacre by Timur in 1387 and did not revive until the Safavid dynasty in the 16th century.



The tombstone in the picture below was unearthed in 1931 at Jintoupu outside Tonghuai Gate in Quanzhou. The person buried there was Sihab al-dunya sa l-din b. Daghab, the son of a garrison commander from Balashaghun. He died in 1301, and the inscription includes a verse from the Quran (3:185).

Balashaghun is located on the banks of the Chu River in Kyrgyzstan. It was once the capital of the Kara-Khanid Khanate and the new capital of the Western Liao dynasty. It is the hometown of Yusuf Khass Hajib, the author of Wisdom of Royal Glory (Kutadgu Bilig). Balashaghun was captured by the Mongol Empire in 1218 and gradually became a ruin by the 14th century.



The tombstone in the picture below was unearthed in 1933 from the city wall of Renfeng Gate in Quanzhou. The person buried there was Muhammad b. Su'ud Yahya, who died in 1326.



The tombstone in the picture below was unearthed in 1939 from the city wall of Tonghuai Gate in Quanzhou. The person buried there was Khwaja Ali b. Uthman al-Jilani, who died in 1357.

Gilan is located on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea in northwestern Iran. It was ruled by locals until the 11th to 16th centuries. It was occupied by the Ilkhanate in 1307 but regained its independence in 1336.



The tombstone in the picture below.

This was unearthed in 1978 on a street in Houhai Road Village, outside Tonghuai Gate in Quanzhou, and it is carved with verses from the Quran (21:35, 28:88).



The bottom half of the tombstone in the picture below was found in 1934 on a field path outside Tonghuai Gate in Quanzhou, while the top half was found in 1942 while digging for city wall foundation stones at the East Gate of Quanzhou. The person buried here was named Shaikh Aklab Umar, who passed away in 1303, and the inscription also features verses from the Quran (55:26-27, 3:185).



The tombstone in the picture below was found in 1938 while digging for city foundation stones at Renfeng Gate, the East Gate of Quanzhou; the person buried here was named Granto Takin b. Sultan Husayn, who passed away in 1308. Takin is a Turkic title for a prince or noble.



The tombstone in the picture below is a replica, and the original is on display in the main hall of the Maritime Museum. It was discovered in the summer of 1934 within the city foundations at the East Gate of Quanzhou. The top is carved with scripture (28:88) and also Chinese characters: 'General Manager Pan died on the first day of the fourth lunar month.' According to the History of Song, Volume 7 on Official Positions, the position of General Manager was created during the Jianyan era of Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1130) to manage money, grain, and taxes. By the Shaoxing era of the Southern Song Dynasty, the General Manager could directly participate in military and political affairs and held great power. However, the Yuan Dianzhang records that the title of General Manager was used for minor officials in the prisons of various prefectures and counties.



The tombstone in the picture below was found in April 1958 in the city foundation near Tonghuai Gate at the East Gate of Quanzhou. The tomb owner was named Haji Khwaja b. Hasam al-Din b. Yalaki Siraf, who passed away in 1362.

Siraf is also translated in historical records as Shiluowei, Shilafu, Sanawei, Shilafu, or Siluofu. It is located in southern Iran and was the largest trading port in the Persian Gulf between the 9th and 13th centuries. Most Persian merchants traveling to Quanzhou during the Song and Yuan dynasties set off from here.



The tombstone in the picture below was discovered in 1926 by the famous archaeologist Chen Wanli on South Street in Quanzhou (now Zhongshan Road). He asked the Quanzhou government to move it to the Construction Bureau for safekeeping, but it was lost during a flood in 1935. In 1955, residents digging at the old Construction Bureau site found a stone tablet, but the bottom part with the date was broken. The person buried there was the daughter of Sayyid Burtumi b. Sayyid Muhammad al-Hamdani.

Hamadan is located southwest of Tehran and serves as an important commercial center and transport hub in northwestern Iran. Hamadan became the capital of the Seljuk Empire in the 11th century, but it was destroyed by the Mongol army in 1220 and again during the Timurid invasion in the 14th century, only recovering during the Safavid dynasty in the 16th century.



The tombstone in the picture below was found in 1929 when the Renfeng Gate wall at the East Gate of Quanzhou was torn down. It broke into three pieces and was stacked into a house wall, then rediscovered in 1950 after the wall collapsed. A corner of the tombstone was lost in the late 1960s. The person buried there died in 1337, and the inscription is a verse from the Quran (21:34-35).



The tombstone in the picture below was found in September 1958 next to a field in Huazhou Village outside the South Gate of Quanzhou. Local villagers said it was a city stone dug up from the Quanzhou South Gate wall over 20 years earlier. They originally planned to use it to build a house, but after realizing it was a tombstone, they used it to pave a path in the field instead. The person buried there was named Abu Masman Ghath, and the inscription is a verse from the Quran (55:26-27).



The tombstone in the picture below was found on the road surface of West Street in Quanzhou in 1932. It was originally taken from the city wall to pave the road. The person buried there is named Khadija bint Fanshah.



The tombstone in the picture below was unearthed in 1981 at a villager's home in Jinputou, outside Tonghuai Gate at the East Gate of Quanzhou. The person buried there is named al-Hamd Suad.



The tombstone in the picture below was found in a resident's home near the South Gate factory area in Quanzhou in 1945 and was recovered for preservation in 1953. The inscription is a verse from the Quran (29:57).



The tombstone in the picture below was excavated from the city wall at the East Gate of Quanzhou in 1930. The center features a full moon carved in Arabic script, with a swirling cloud on each side, creating a cloud and moon pattern. The top center of the tombstone features the Shahada, surrounded by dua.



The tombstone in the picture below was found in 1940 while digging city foundations near Jiaochangtou, close to Tonghuai Gate at the East Gate of Quanzhou. The tombstone features a cloud and moon design, with a full moon in the center and swirling cloud patterns on both sides. The person buried here died in 1350, and the inscription is a verse from the Quran (55:26-27).



The tombstone in the picture below was found in June 1959 in Xiawei Village, outside Tonghuai Gate at the East Gate of Quanzhou. According to local villagers, this stone was dug up from the city wall many years ago and used to pave a small path in the fields. It was dug up again during road construction and kept in an ancestral hall because the writing on it looked unusual. The inscription consists of verses from the Quran (39:4, 55:26-27).



The tombstone in the picture below was found in 1947 in the city foundations of Deji Gate at the South Gate of Quanzhou. That same year, it was used to build a pier for the Shunji Bridge at the South Gate, but it was later discovered and moved. The inscription is a verse from the Quran (55:26-27).



The tombstone inscription in the picture below is a verse from the Quran (55:26-27). The lower part of the tombstone is damaged, so we only know the person was a "pure servant who died on Saturday, May 2nd, in the year..."



The tombstone in the picture below was found in a field near East Lake outside the Small East Gate of Quanzhou in April 1962. Local villagers say it was dug up from the city wall years ago to pave the road. The inscription is a verse from the Quran (3:85).



The tombstone in the picture below was found in a pond outside Renfeng Gate at the East Gate of Quanzhou in 1939. The tomb owner's title is Sayyid al-Ajall al-Kabir, which translates to "the first, the respected, the important." The other side is carved with Chinese characters reading "Fengxun Dafu, Darughachi of Yongchun County..."

Darughachi was a government position during the Yuan Dynasty, held only by Mongols or powerful Semu people. Yongchun County is under the jurisdiction of Quanzhou. According to the Yongchun Prefecture Records, there was once a darughachi named Tuohuanshaduoluoboer, who might be the same person as the tomb owner.





The tombstone in the picture below was found in 1931 when the East Gate of Quanzhou was dismantled. The tomb owner was named Khwaja Jalal al-Din b. Muhammad b. Ibrahim, who passed away in 1305. The back is carved with verses from the Quran (89:28-30).



The tombstone in the picture below was found in 1942 at a stone shop on Renfeng Street outside the East Gate of Quanzhou. It had been dug out from the city wall. The tomb owner was named Amir Tughasun Amir Ali b. Hasan b. Ali al-Ghazwini, who passed away in 1371 (some say 1273). Amir, also translated as Yimi, originally meant commander and was later used to refer to a lord.

In his book Religious Stone Inscriptions of Quanzhou, Wu Wenliang speculates that this Amir was the imam of the foreign quarter in Quanzhou at that time. In the early Ming Dynasty, the government briefly followed the open policies of the Yuan Dynasty, encouraged foreign trade, and established a Maritime Trade Office in Quanzhou. This policy did not last long. In 1371, the Ming Dynasty issued a maritime ban, and in 1374, it closed the Quanzhou Maritime Trade Office. The once-thriving foreign quarter in Quanzhou quickly declined.

Qazvin is located in northwestern Iran, south of the Caspian Sea. In 1220, the Mongol army massacred the population of Qazvin. Afterward, many Turkic-speaking people moved to Qazvin to settle. In 1295, Qazvin suffered heavy damage during the turmoil of Ghazan Khan's struggle for the throne of the Ilkhanate, and many people left the city.





The tombstone in the picture below was discovered in 1940 when the Renfeng Gate at the east gate of Quanzhou was demolished. The person buried there was Shams al-Din b. Nur al-Din b. Ishaqan Shahristani, who died in 1325 and came from Shahristan in Iran. The back features a verse from the Quran (3:19).





The tombstone in the picture below was found in March 1963 in the home of a farmer at Ruifengling outside the east gate of Quanzhou. The family said it was discovered when an old wall that had stood for a hundred years collapsed. Several gravestones belonging to the faith were found near Ruifeng Ridge, marking it as one of the burial sites for Muslims in Quanzhou during the Song and Yuan dynasties. The person buried there was named Fatima bint Naina, who passed away in 1306. The back of the stone is carved with verses from the Quran (55:26-27).



The gravestone in the picture below is broken into several pieces, with two parts remaining today; they were unearthed in 1953 and 1956 at Jintoupu, outside the Tonghuai Gate of Quanzhou's East Gate. The person buried there was named Abu Bakr b. Husayn Sinan, who passed away in 1319.





The gravestone in the picture below was excavated from the city wall at Quanzhou's East Gate in 1929; the person buried there was named Haji b. Agfar Beg b. Haji al-Malighi, who passed away in 1387 (though some say 1290). If the date is 1387, it is a rare gravestone from the Ming dynasty. The back is carved with a verse from the Quran (2:156) and a hadith stating, 'Whoever dies in a foreign land dies a martyr.'





The tombstone in the picture below was found in 1930 when the East Gate of Quanzhou was demolished. The person buried there was named Mansur b. Haji al-Qasim al-Jajarmi, who died in 1277. The back features the Shahada and a verse from the Quran (28:88). This Mansur and the previously mentioned Qutb al-Din Ya'qub both came from Jajarm in the North Khorasan province of Iran.

In 1276, the Yuan army captured Lin'an, and Wen Tianxiang and others supported Emperor Duanzong as they fled to Quanzhou. The Song army seized 2,000 of Pu Shougeng's ships (some say over 400) and confiscated his property. This led Pu Shougeng to carry out a retaliatory massacre of the Southern Song royal family members living abroad and to hunt down Emperor Duanzong. In 1277, the Yuan army arrived in Quanzhou, and Pu Shougeng surrendered the city, marking a new chapter in Quanzhou's history.





The tombstone in the picture below was found in 1932 when the Renfeng Gate of the Quanzhou East Gate city wall was demolished. The person buried there was named Shirin Khatun bint Hasan Zaituni, who died in 1321. In Turkic languages, Khatun means queen or lady. The inscription also features a verse from the Quran (29:57).

Citong is another name for Quanzhou, named after the coral trees (citong) planted everywhere since the Five Dynasties period. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, Arab merchants called Quanzhou Zaitun because the name sounded like the Arabic word for olive (zaitun).





The tombstone in the picture below was found in November 1978 inside a family home at Jintoupu, outside Tonghuai Gate in Quanzhou, where it was being used as a foundation stone. Before that, it had been excavated from the city walls of Tonghuai Gate. The person buried there was named Ibn Ghawamar al-Din al-Ghar... The inscription describes him as a Khwaja, a leader of the faith, and a leader of the Mawla. The text uses Persian several times, so the person buried there likely came from a Persian cultural background.





The tombstone in the picture below was unearthed in March 1964 at the construction site of the Overseas Chinese Mansion in downtown Quanzhou. This site was once the location of the Haiqing Pavilion during the Qing Dynasty. When the Senate building was built in the early 1940s, the city walls of the east and south gates of Quanzhou were torn down for building materials, and this stone tablet was likely buried in the wall foundation at that time. One side of the tombstone is carved with the Shahada, and the other side is carved with a verse from the Quran (3:185).





The tombstone in the picture below was found in the foundation of the east gate of Quanzhou in 1944. One side is carved with the Basmala and the Shahada, and the other side is carved with a verse from the Quran (29:57).





The tombstone in the picture below was unearthed in 1973 during the cleaning of the North Canal in Quanzhou and is carved with verses from the Quran (89:28-30).





Sumeru-pedestal stone tomb.

The second largest category after tombstones is the Sumeru-pedestal stone tomb.

These are two Sumeru-pedestal style tomb stones. The upper tomb cap stone was found near Dongchan Mosque outside the east gate of Quanzhou in 1927 and was recovered and preserved in the Maritime Museum in 1958.

The person buried here was named Qutb al-Din Ya'qub. He came from Jajarm in the North Khorasan province of Iran and passed away in 1309. The inscription begins by saying, 'He is eternal and never dies; he has moved from the world of destruction to the world of eternity.'

Jajarm sits on the edge of the central Iranian desert and holds many historical and archaeological sites. This city was an important trade hub in Khorasan during the 10th and 11th centuries, but it slowly declined after the Persian Safavid dynasty in the 16th century.

The lower half has five layers. The fourth layer is carved with scripture (2:255). In 1958, the Quanzhou Cultural Relics Management Committee temporarily stored it in the main hall of the Qingjing Mosque, later moved it to the Lingshan Islamic Cemetery area, and finally placed it in the Maritime Museum.









The patterns on this Sumeru-style stone tomb are very unique. The bottom and second layers are destroyed. The third layer features overlapping lotus petal reliefs, the fourth layer has continuous swastika pattern reliefs, and the fifth layer shows a cloud and moon relief on the front with a square cloth relief in the middle. This tombstone was found in 1959 by the seaside in Meishan, Fashi Township, 5 kilometers outside the Tonghuai Gate of Quanzhou. It was later moved to the Maritime Museum for preservation.









Several other Sumeru-style stone tombs.













The tombstone base of a pedestal-style altar tomb.

A corner of the Maritime Museum (Haijiaoguan) is piled with many tombstones. There are no labels, and many are hard to see because they are stacked on top of each other. They were arranged this way when I visited in 2017, and nothing has changed after seven years.



















Found in 1937 at Jintoupu Village outside Tonghuai Gate at the East Gate of Quanzhou, the inscription reads, 'Everyone (shall taste death).'



Found in 1943 inside the city wall foundation at the East Gate of Quanzhou, the inscription contains Quranic verses (9:21-22).



The tombstone base above was found in 1939 inside the city wall at Tonghuai Gate at the East Gate of Quanzhou, and it contains Quranic verses (29:57).



Found in 1943 near the East Drill Ground (Dongjiaochang) in Quanzhou, the inscription reads, 'Your Lord of Might.'













The tombstone base in the picture below was found in 1959 in a pile of rubble at the Qingjing Mosque. This pile of rubble was dug up from the city wall foundation near Tonghuai Gate at the East Gate of Quanzhou, and it was moved to the Maritime Museum (Haijiaoguan) for preservation in 1964. The inscription states the tomb owner's name is Toghan-shah b. Umar b. Sayyid Ajall. Toghan means eagle in Turkic, and Shah means king in Persian, which is how Central Asians addressed nobles. Sayyid Ajall means honorable gentleman in Arabic, and it is a respectful title for descendants of the Prophet.

Coincidentally, a tombstone unearthed in 1952 at the foundation of the Southeast Drill Ground in Quanzhou likely belongs to the same person as the Toghan-shah tombstone mentioned above. Unfortunately, this tombstone was moved to the National Museum of China in 1959 and is not currently on display, so the Maritime Museum only shows a replica. This tombstone states the owner's name is Amir Sayyid Ajall Tohgan-shah b. Sayyid Ajall Umar b. Sayyid Ajall Amiran b. Amir Isfahasalar Darnakrani al-Buhari, who passed away in 1302. The term Isfahasalar is made up of the Persian word Isfahah and the Turkic word Salar, meaning military general.

Both tombstones mention that Toghan-shah's father was named Umar Sayyid Ajall. The second son of Nasulading, who was the son of the famous Yuan Dynasty politician Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din, was named Umar Sayyid Ajjal. Umar once served as the administrator of the Fujian Branch Secretariat in Quanzhou. According to Rashid al-Din's History of the Mongols, Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din was from Bukhara, which matches the records on the tombstone.







The tombstone in the picture below was found in 1987. One side is carved with the testimony of faith, and the other side, translated by Imam Wang Yaodong from Ningxia, says the person buried there was named Haji Abdullah.







The tombstone base stone above was found in the foundation of the East Gate of Quanzhou in 1944 and is carved with a verse from the Quran (21:35). The bottom left of Figure 1 shows a tombstone base stone from a pedestal-style altar. It was found near the South Gate of Quanzhou in 1959, and local residents say it was recovered when the South Gate was torn down between 1946 and 1948. The inscription on the stone features a verse from the Quran (24:35).



The tombstone base stone above was found in the foundation of the East Gate of Quanzhou in 1944 and is carved with a verse from the Quran (28:88).



The tombstone marker in the middle of the picture below was found in 1960 among a pile of rubble at the entrance of Chongfu Mosque at the East Gate of Quanzhou. It reads, 'Everything will perish except Him.'







The shape of this stone carving is quite unique and different from any other tombstones or tombstone markers seen so far. It was found in 1948 in Jintoupu Village outside the Tonghuai Gate at the East Gate of Quanzhou. Villagers said it was dug up from the foundation of the city wall.



The tombstone marker in the picture below was built into the east wall of a vegetable market near the South Drill Ground in Quanzhou in the autumn of 1953. It is said to have been bought when the market purchased stones from the city wall foundation for construction. It was removed in the 1990s when the market was rebuilt. The inscription is a verse from the Quran (28:88).







It was found in 1954 in Jintoupu Village outside the Tonghuai Gate at the East Gate of Quanzhou.



It was found in 1957 in a field between the Small East Gate and Jintoupu Village in Quanzhou. The content is a verse from the Quran (39:74).













It was purchased in 1949 from a stonemason's shop at the East Gate of Quanzhou.





The tombstone base in the picture below was found in 1948 at Jintoupu Village outside the Tonghuai Gate of Quanzhou's East Gate. In 1973, Liu Wanru, the widow of Mr. Wu Wenliang, donated it to the Quanzhou Cultural Relics Management Committee. It features Quranic verses (55:26-27).



The tombstone base in the picture below was found in 1948 in Tingdian Village, 3 kilometers outside Quanzhou's South Gate. It features Quranic verses (89:29-30).



The tombstone base in the picture below was found in 1938 inside the city wall of Quanzhou's East Gate. It features a Quranic verse (30:11).





Lintel stone of a gongbei

Besides tombstones, Sumeru-pedestal style stone tombs, and Sumeru-pedestal altar-style stone tombs, the Maritime Museum also houses another type of religious stone carving: the lintel stone of a gongbei (a domed tomb for a Sufi saint). Unfortunately, only the lintel stone has been found so far, so we do not know what the original gongbei looked like.

The item in the picture below was dug up in 1946 from the foundation of Quanzhou's South Gate. The front is inscribed with Quranic verses (9:21-22), and the beginning mentions 'minbar,' which is the pulpit inside a mosque, though its specific meaning here is unclear.



The item in the picture below was found in 1958 in a villager's home not far from the South Gate of Quanzhou. The villager said he found it deep in the city wall foundation while helping dig at the South Gate between 1946 and 1948. I originally wanted to take them home to build a wall, but I left them behind because their shapes made them hard to stack. The text reads, "(Every living thing) will die, (He is the Everlasting) who does not die."



The image below shows the pivot stone from a gongbei lintel. It was found in a resident's home near the south gate city wall of Quanzhou in 1959, and it is said to have been taken when the south city gate was torn down between 1946 and 1948. The left square of the stone carving features a relief of a camellia branch, the right square features a relief of a peony branch, and the back features a relief of a melon-petal-shaped door pivot. The text reads, "If anyone in this world could live forever, the Messenger of Allah would be the one to live forever in this world." No one can escape death, for the Prophet Muhammad faced the decree of death."



The image below shows a lintel stone from a gongbei tomb, with a relief of a peony branch on the right side. The stone carving was originally laid on a grain-drying ground on the south side of the street in Jintoupu Village, outside Tonghuai Gate at the east gate of Quanzhou. It was moved to the Maritime Museum for preservation in 1978.



The altar-style stone tomb with a pedestal base (xumizuo) restored by Mr. Wu Wenliang. Quanzhou has found many tomb wall stones and some tomb roof stones, but so far, no complete altar-style stone tomb with a pedestal base (xumizuo) from the faith has been discovered. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: Halal Food Guide: Taiwan - Halal Restaurants Across the Island is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear, natural English. The account focuses on Taiwan, Halal Food, Muslim Travel while preserving the names, places, food, photos, and historical details from the Chinese source.

I am sharing an article from the 300th issue of China Islam magazine titled 'Remembering Brother Mu Huaijia’s Passing—Reflections on the History of Halal Restaurants in Taiwan.' Today I am transcribing the second part, which recalls various halal restaurants in Kaohsiung, Tainan, Taichung, and Taipei.



In the southern city of Kaohsiung, Elder Zhao Ming (may Allah grant him a high place in Paradise) founded the restaurant Meat Pie and Porridge (xianbing zhou), which was popular with both Muslims and the general public. It only operated for a few years before closing when Elder Ming moved north to the Taipei Mosque. Later, people like Xiao Sang and Song Mingcai opened halal restaurants near the Guangfu Theater, which provided convenience for fellow Muslims.

Two elderly people also ran a snack shop that was very helpful to Muslims in the south. It was located in Kaohsiung on Qiuting Road in Dagangpu, behind the wall of the Telecommunications Bureau. It was in a row of makeshift buildings and the place was very simple. The elderly couple’s shop had no name, just a hanging sign with a water pitcher (tangping) symbol.

The owner was a fellow Muslim named Ma Renshan (may Allah grant him a high place in Paradise), who was from Baoding, Hebei. They mainly served steamed buns (baozi) and beef noodles, and when they had time, they would also fry large scallion pancakes (cong you bing). People who know about it always stop by the old man's place when they visit Kaohsiung. Old Mr. Ma liked me because I learned wrestling as a child, and he was a top-tier wrestling master in North and Northwest China. Everyone knows Chang Dongsheng was a national wrestling champion and a fellow Muslim, but few know Old Mr. Ma was also an expert who once challenged Chang Zhi (may Allah grant him a high place in Paradise) to a match, though Chang did not accept.

Old Mr. Ma once served as a guard battalion commander for General Yan Xishan, and he lived a quiet, retired life after coming to Taiwan. In his later years, he ran this small snack shop to make a living. After Old Mr. Ming closed his shop, Old Mr. Ma's snack shop provided a lot of convenience for the local Muslims.

In the Tainan market, several enthusiastic Muslims including Wang Peijie (now known as Liu Zhi'an) and Hui Wanju pooled their money to open a halal restaurant. Business was good, but it closed after a few years due to a fire. Later, Wang Peijie opened another halal restaurant on Wufu 4th Road in Kaohsiung, and I even held my engagement party there. Wang Laohe later came to Taipei to seek opportunities and even ran a restaurant in Saudi Arabia for a time.

In Taichung, fellow Muslims like Hui Wanjuju, Mu Huaijia, and Chai Menglin (now named Chai Jin) once opened a halal restaurant, but business was hard to sustain and they closed the shop after a few years. Later, Song Mingcai ran a restaurant called Ende Yuan across from Taichung Park for many years, but it closed when Song immigrated abroad.

In Taichung, a fellow Muslim from Henan named Ma Yukun ran a specialty dumpling shop for many years, which also closed when he immigrated. There is a small halal restaurant on Jingwu Road in Taichung City that focuses on noodle dishes; they have a wide variety with good flavors that suit the general public. The owner was surnamed Sun, a man from Henan, and he eventually closed the shop as well.

Looking at Taipei, there were several large-scale halal restaurants that could serve full-course halal banquets and were quite popular for a time. The most prominent was the Donglaishun Halal Restaurant, located on Zhonghua Road across from Ende Yuan, which was run by fellow Muslim Yang Zhongbao. Xiao Ahong (may Allah grant him a high place in Paradise) planned a forty-table wedding banquet at Donglaishun. He had just arrived in Taiwan and did not know many fellow Hui Muslims yet. When he went to book the tables, the owner, Mr. Yang, asked for a deposit. Since National Assembly representatives were not yet receiving their salaries, Xiao Ahong could not pay the deposit at that time. He eventually found a fellow Hui Muslim named Hui Wanju to act as a guarantor, which allowed the wedding to go ahead. This happened half a century ago.

Hui Wanju was born in 1913 and is now ninety-seven years old. He is from Fenghuangcheng in Andong, is still alive, and often comes to the mosque for Friday namaz. He is single and currently lives at the Guangci Care Home in Taipei. When he was young, he was very skilled at catering for both weddings and funerals and trained many apprentices in Taiwan. He worked in various halal restaurants and also opened restaurants in partnership with others. When he first arrived in Taiwan, beef was hard to find because the local people did not eat beef and would not slaughter cows. Hui Wanju started slaughtering cows in the north, central, and southern parts of the island to supply beef to various halal restaurants. In his later years, he partnered with Fengji Dim Sum Shop on Jinshan South Road to make snacks. He was famous for his sesame flatbread (shaobing) and brown sugar baked rolls (huoshao), and he also supplied mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: Halal Travel Guide: Beijing Ramadan Diary - Week Three Mosques and Iftar is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear, natural English. The account focuses on Beijing Ramadan, Mosques, Halal Food while preserving the names, places, food, photos, and historical details from the Chinese source.

Day 15, Ramadan is halfway through! We broke our fast at Balizhuang Mosque with fermented mung bean milk (douzhi) again; it was very sour and refreshing! Many elders (xianglao) went back for a second bowl. The fast-breaking meal (zhaifan) included stir-fried tripe with cilantro (yanbao dusi), yam with meatballs, and braised eggplant. I met more friends (dosti) at Balizhuang today; everyone is welcome to visit the mosque more often during Ramadan.











Day 16, Elder Li at Balizhuang Mosque made yellow rice cake (huangmi qiegao) and Elder Fu made fried vegetable meatballs; both were delicious. Every elder at Balizhuang Mosque has a special hidden talent. For the fast-breaking meal, we had noodles with shredded chicken sauce and noodles with diced eggplant sauce, featuring both wheat noodles and oat noodles (youmian) from Zhangjiakou. The noodle toppings included blanched cabbage, blanched cowpeas, blanched bean sprouts, shredded cucumber, and shredded radish, making for a very rich texture.

















Day 17, Balizhuang Mosque continued to break the fast with fermented mung bean milk. The meal included large steamed buns (baozi) with cowpea and fennel fillings, which were impossible to stop eating when paired with rice porridge.

















I received camel milk soap given as charity (chusan) by an elder at Balizhuang Mosque; may it bring reward (thawab).



In the evening, I met up with friends (dosti) to pray Tarawih at the Sudanese Embassy. The Sudanese Embassy is right next to Tuanjiehu subway station. We arrived at 7:50 and were able to enter after showing our ID cards at the intersection. The call to prayer (adhan) was at 8:05, and the prayer started at 8:30. There were friends (dosti) from all over the world in the hall, with people of all skin colors standing in rows; it really felt like being abroad. The imam for Tarawih was a young hafiz from Libya whose recitation was melodic, pleasant, and very moving. We prayed eight units (rak'ah) of Tarawih, with a greeting (salam) every four units. The final Witr prayer consisted of two units with a salam, followed by one single unit. This is quite different from the traditional prayer methods of the Gedimu Hui Muslims.

















My Ramadan collection includes a teacup fired in Jingdezhen in the 1980s, featuring a traditional calligraphy style common in southern China. The lid is inscribed with gratitude, blessings, mercy, and worship, while the cup body reads, 'Mercy draws near to those who do good' and 'The stingy cannot enter paradise, even if they are people who worship Allah.'









On the 18th day, a friend (dosti) from Hunan invited us to break our fast at Nanxiapo Mosque, where we had a very delicious meal of stewed meat with rice. I met many new friends during this time; Ramadan is truly a great opportunity for everyone to gather together.















On the 19th day, I went to the Carthage Arabic Restaurant on Dongzhimen Outer Street for the iftar buffet. It is a new spot opened by Adel, the head chef of La Medina, in the breakfast area on the first floor of the Atour X Hotel in Sanlitun Taikoo Li, still focusing on Tunisian flavors. Since it has not been open long, it is mostly frequented by foreign friends (dosti) from the nearby embassy district, so there is no need to wait in line.

Because Adel is in charge, the dishes are similar to those at La Medina, though the variety is slightly smaller. Appetizers include chickpea dip (hummus), parsley salad (tabbouleh), and the Tunisian-style roasted eggplant salad (mechouia). Besides roasted eggplant, the roasted eggplant salad (mechouia) contains tomatoes, chili peppers, onions, and olive oil, making it very healthy.

The main course features North African sausage (merguez), made from lamb and beef mixed with cumin, harissa, chili, and various other spices. It appeared as early as the 12th century in Andalusia and later spread throughout North Africa.

They also serve the classic North African Maghreb tomato and chili poached egg dish (shakshouka). The tomato and chili poached egg dish (shakshouka) originated in North Africa under Ottoman rule in the 16th century, when tomatoes and chili peppers were introduced to North Africa from the Americas and then became part of the local diet.

They also have the Arabic version of fried triangular pastries (sambousek), which is a classic Ramadan snack for Arabs. The fried triangular pastry (sambousek) originated in Iran and entered the Arab diet after the 10th century, later spreading to India, China, Indonesia, and Africa. In some parts of eastern China, Hui Muslims still use its Persian name, 'sanmosan'.



















On the 20th day, two-thirds of Ramadan has passed. At Balizhuang Mosque, they freshly made sugar-rolled fruit (tangjuanguo) and fried crispy dough (zhagezhi). I continued to break my fast with mung bean milk (douzhi), ate stir-fried green beans with meat and braised meatballs (huisongrou) for the meal, and thirteen elders joined in the opening prayer (kaijing). Breaking the fast at the mosque brings richness to both the spirit and the body.



















Ramadan collection. I received a traditional late Qing Dynasty Tianjin-style pine wood dua plaque made by teacher Wang Qifei, which reads, 'O Allah!' Grant Your forgiveness and mercy to those who live in this house and to the believers who enter it!'





On the twenty-first day, the elders at Balizhuang Mosque gathered to make dumplings (jiaozi) with carrot and cabbage fillings. Nothing really beats the taste of dumplings! After eating, I felt full of energy and ready for the Taraweeh prayers.







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