Reposted from the web

Summary: This Muslim travel guide China 2026 update keeps the original Yarkand travel notes intact while making the history easier for English readers to follow. It is useful for readers researching halal food in China, Chinese Muslim food, old mosques, and Silk Road Muslim heritage in Xinjiang.

I visited Yarkant in 2018 and recorded some images related to the Yarkent Khanate.

By the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Western Regions were united, with Yarkent being the largest—from the Xinjiang Illustrated Records (Xinjiang Tuzhi).

The Yarkent Khanate was a state established in 1514 by Sultan Said Khan, a descendant of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate royal family. With Yarkent (the city of Shache) as its capital, it ruled southern Xinjiang and surrounding areas for over a hundred years until it was incorporated into the Dzungar Khanate in 1680.

During the Yarkent Khanate's rule over southern Xinjiang, the Chagatai Mongols shifted from a nomadic lifestyle to a settled one and integrated into the Uyghur people. The Uyghur people also gradually developed and formed into a modern ethnic group during this period. Culturally, the Yarkent Khanate period saw the appearance of famous historical works like the History of Rashid (Tarikh-i-Rashidi) and the Chronicles, and the Twelve Muqam was also finalized during this time.

The name Yarkent Khanate is actually a term used by modern scholars. Earlier local documents used the Persian word Moghuliye, which means Mongol State. Around the same time, Sultan Said Khan's cousin Babur established a state in northern India and also used the term Moghul for himself. To distinguish between them, Chinese generally translates them as Mengwu'er and Mowuo'er respectively.



A map of the Yarkent Khanate's territory drawn by SY.

1. A Bumpy Road of Exile

In the second half of the 15th century, the Eastern Chagatai Khanate split again. The founder of the Yarkent Khanate, Sultan Said Khan, was the third son of Ahmad Alaq, the ruler of Uyghurstan (the area around modern-day Turpan) in the eastern part of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate.

1. The First Exile

Sultan Said Khan was born in Turpan in 1487. At age 14 (in 1501), he followed his father to support his uncle, Mahmud Khan, the ruler of the western part of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, against the Uzbek tribal leader Muhammad Shaybani. The Eastern Chagatai coalition was defeated by Muhammad Shaybani in Tashkent. Sultan Said Khan was shot in the thigh and fell on the battlefield, after which he was imprisoned by the Eastern Chagatai rebels. At the same time, Sultan Said Khan's cousin Babur, the future founder of the Mughal Empire, was also in the coalition. After his defeat, he crossed the mountains and headed to Afghanistan.

The following year, Muhammad Shaybani attacked the Fergana Valley again and released Sultan Said Khan. Muhammad Shaybani felt sympathy for Sultan Said Khan, took him along on military campaigns, and later left him in the city of Samarkand. While Muhammad Shaybani was campaigning in Khwarezm, Sultan Said Khan escaped from Samarkand and made his way back to his uncle Mahmud Khan's camp.

Sultan Said Khan's father died of grief shortly after the defeat, so Sultan Said Khan stayed to serve in his uncle's court. Soon, Sultan Said Khan could not stand his uncle's neglect of state affairs, so he fled the court again to join his younger brother, Khalil Sultan.



A portrait of Muhammad Shaybani drawn around 1507, held by the Uzbekistan Academy of Arts.

2. The Second Exile

Starting in 1504, the 17-year-old Sultan Said Khan and his brother fought against their uncle several times, finally defeating him in 1508. That same year, Sultan Said Khan's older brother, Mansur Khan, the ruler of the eastern part of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, sent troops from Turpan. The two sides fought a decisive battle in Almaty. After his defeat, Sultan Said Khan set out on the road of exile once again.

Said Khan and a few loyal followers started a thrilling escape. They faced betrayal, robbery, and broken promises before finally disguising themselves to cross the Pamir Mountains. After many hardships, they reached Kabul, Afghanistan, to join his cousin Babur. Said Khan and Babur shared a deep bond, and Said Khan finally found a stable life in Afghanistan for two years.

3. Counterattacking Central Asia

In 1510, Shaybani Khan was defeated and killed in a war against the Safavid dynasty of Iran. The following year, the leaders of all Uzbek tribes held a meeting in Samarkand and decided to kill all Chagatai Mongols in the Transoxiana region of Central Asia. The Chagatai Mongols in Transoxiana learned of this and rose up in rebellion. They sent a letter to Babur in Afghanistan asking for help, so Babur sent his cousin Said Khan to lead an army to their rescue.

In 1511, Said Khan arrived in Andijan, the center of the Chagatai Mongol resistance in the Fergana Valley, where he received a grand welcome. While Said Khan was fighting the Uzbek army, the ruler of the Kashgar Kingdom, Abu Bakr, took the chance to surround the city of Andijan. Said Khan quickly fought back. He faced Abu Bakr in a decisive battle outside Andijan and defeated the enemy despite being outnumbered. Soon after, Babur led his army to occupy Samarkand, forcing the Uzbek troops to withdraw from Andijan.

In 1512, the Uzbek army defeated Babur and recaptured Samarkand. Babur asked for help from the Safavid dynasty of Iran and Said Khan. Said Khan led his army from Andijan to help, but they were blocked on the way. After losing the battle, he had to retreat to Andijan. Soon, the joint forces of Babur and the Safavid dynasty were completely crushed by the Uzbek tribes, and Babur returned to Afghanistan once again.

II. Transoxiana or Southern Xinjiang?

In 1514, after stabilizing their hold on Transoxiana, the Uzbek army prepared to march into the Fergana Valley. After careful thought and discussion, Said Khan realized he could not withstand the Uzbek army's attack. He decided to cross the Tianshan Mountains to Yarkand to fight the easier target, Abu Bakr.

1. Abu Bakr's Yarkand

Let's go back to the 15th century. In 1432, the East Chagatai Khan, Vais Khan, passed away. The Dughlat tribe, which held the actual military power of the Khanate, fell into division. The noble Amirs supported Vais Khan's two sons, Esen Buqa and Yunus Khan (Said Khan's grandfather), and the East Chagatai Khanate split into two parts.

The main figure supporting Esen Buqa was the Dughlat noble Amir Abu Bakr. He defeated Yunus Khan's attacks and began ruling the western part of southern Xinjiang, including Kashgar, Yarkand, Yengisar, and Hotan, starting in the 1460s.

2. Azna Mosque

The Azna Mosque, built during Abu Bakr's rule of Yarkand (1465-1514), still stands in Yarkand today. This mosque has never been rebuilt by later generations and still keeps its original appearance, making it very precious.

The Azna Mosque belongs to the typical Persian-Turkic architectural style. Its design is very similar to the Bibi-Khanym Mosque of the 14th and 15th-century Timurid Empire and the Begampur Mosque of the Delhi Sultanate, though it is smaller in size.

The most unique feature of the Azna Mosque is its 52 domes on the roof. Unfortunately, the mosque is not open to the public, so you can only look at the exterior facade.













3. Qiletan Mazar

Another building said to have been built during the reign of Aba Bakr is the Qiletan Mazar. This mazar was originally an adobe structure, but it was rebuilt with brick and wood during the rule of Yaqub Beg (1865-1877), so it now reflects a 19th-century style. The current building has a mosque on the east side and the mazar on the west side. Because there are seven tombs inside the mazar, it is also called the "Mazar of the Seven Muhammads."













III. Founding the Yarkand Khanate

In the spring of 1514, Sultan Said Khan led his army over the Tianshan Mountains and arrived in Kashgar via the Torugart Pass. At that time, Aba Bakr was recruiting soldiers in Yarkand city. Sultan Said Khan fought a fierce battle outside the city against the Kashgar garrison and defeated them. The enemy closed the gates and refused to come out, so Sultan Said Khan could not take the city and turned to attack Yengisar city instead. Sultan Said Khan besieged Yengisar for two months and finally captured it after six days of intense fighting.

Hearing that Yengisar had fallen, the Kashgar garrison abandoned the city and fled, so Sultan Said Khan marched directly toward Yarkand. When Aba Bakr heard this, he abandoned the city and fled to Hotan, and soon after, Sultan Said Khan entered Yarkand city. On September 3, 1514, Sultan Said Khan officially ascended the throne and established the Yarkand Khanate.

1. Restoring Order

In 1516, Sultan Said Khan reconciled with his older brother, Mansur Khan, the ruler of the eastern part of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate. He agreed to mention Mansur's name during the khutbah (sermon) and to mint coins bearing Mansur's name. Southern Xinjiang welcomed long-lost peace and order that year. The Tarikh-i-Rashidi describes it this way:

The reconciliation of these two brothers resulted in safety and prosperity for the residents, such that anyone could travel alone between Hami in China and the Fergana region without needing provisions or fearing robbery.

2. Palace Ruins

Today in the old city of Yarkand (Shache), there is a site called "Ordakul," which means "palace pond." This is very likely the location of the Yarkand Khanate's royal palace. The Tarikh-i-Rashidi describes Yarkand city during the early period of the Yarkand Khanate like this:

They diverted rivers into the city and built gardens... The main roads people walked on were tree-lined paths of white poplar. So when people walked around the city, they could spend half their journey under the shade of these trees, and most of the tree-lined paths had water channels on both sides.

Ordakul





Ordakule Mosque





3. Jiaman Mosque

To the west of Ordakule is Jiaman Mosque. Jiaman is also translated as Jumu'ah, which refers to the weekly Friday congregational prayer. This is the most important prayer of the week for Muslims and is usually held at the largest mosque in a community.

Jiaman Mosque was reportedly first built by Sultan Said Khan and later expanded during the reign of Abdullah Khan (1638–1669). The mosque gates are locked tight outside of prayer times, and the uncle who looks after the place said he does not have a key either.

























4. Settled or Nomadic?

After settling down in the oases of southern Xinjiang, many Chagatai Mongols began to complain about city life and missed the nomadic life on the grasslands of their homeland, Moghulistan, more and more. the small pastures in the southern Xinjiang oases could not support the needs of the Mongol army. In 1522, Sultan Said Khan sent his son, Abdurashid Khan, to lead troops into Moghulistan, where they occupied the Kyrgyz people living there.

In 1526, the Kazakhs entered Moghulistan and joined forces with the Kyrgyz, reaching a total of over 200,000 people. Sultan Said Khan realized his strength was not enough to fight them, so he had to order all the Chagatai Mongols to return to southern Xinjiang. The Chagatai Mongols' five-year attempt to return to their homeland for a nomadic life ended in failure.

5. The Death of Sultan Said Khan

After the failure in the north, Sultan Said turned to attack the south. In 1529, Sultan Said Khan raided the Badakhshan region, which sat between the Yarkent Khanate and the Mughal Empire. This raid caused conflict between Sultan Said Khan and his cousin, Emperor Babur. Emperor Babur wrote a letter to Sultan Said Khan warning him that if he continued, "you will know the rest for yourself."

In 1532, Sultan Said Khan personally led his army south to prepare for an expedition to Lhasa. While crossing the Karakoram Mountains, Sultan Said Khan suffered from severe altitude sickness and lost his strength. In 1533, he decided to return to Yarkent to recover, but he died from altitude sickness while crossing the Karakoram Mountains again.

After Sultan Said Khan died in 1533, his son, Abdurashid Khan, succeeded him. Abdurashid Khan built a mausoleum for his father at the west gate of Yarkent city. Later, this place also became the royal tomb for the Yarkent Khanate.

The current mausoleum of Sultan Said Khan was rebuilt in 1997.























The Altun Mosque (Altun Qingzhensi) next to the royal tombs was also built in 1533, though its current appearance dates to renovations in 1735. The Altun Mosque is currently closed to visitors.





4. Yarkant and Muqam

During the reign of Rashid Khan, foreign wars decreased significantly while the success rate of those fought increased. The national situation stabilized, and social, economic, and cultural life began to recover.

According to the History of Musicians (Tavārikh-i mūsīqiyyūn) written in 1853 by the Khotan scholar Mulla Ismatulla Mujizi, Queen Amannisa Khan and the chief court musician Kidirhan organized a group of talented musicians, singers, and poets during Rashid Khan's reign to collect and organize Muqam music from various regions. This effort resulted in the compilation of 16 Muqam suites, including one set each processed by Amannisa Khan and Kidirhan.

During the Yarkant Khanate, Muqam existed only in the form of the grand suite known as Qong Neghma. In 1879, musicians from Kashgar and Yarkant reorganized the Muqam again, adding folk narrative poems called Dastan and song-and-dance performances known as Mexirep, which made the Muqam structure much larger. In the 1950s, the Xinjiang Military District Cultural Department recorded the complete Twelve Muqam as performed by the master Turdi Akhun. After editing and compilation, the musical scores were officially published in 1960, finalizing the form of the Twelve Muqam.

A new tomb for Amannisa Khan was built in the 1990s at the entrance to the Yarkant Royal Tombs.







A statue of Amannisa Khan in the park.



The tomb of Kidirhan is located within the Yarkant Royal Tombs.











I am grateful to Mr. Ilham, director of the Yarkant Muqam Heritage Center, for this trip to Yarkant and for letting us enjoy performances by the masters of the Yarkant Twelve Muqam.













5. The Prosperous Chamber of Commerce

Between 1603 and 1604, the Portuguese Jesuit missionary Bento de Góis visited the city of Yarkant. In the book 'China in the Sixteenth Century: The Journals of Matthew Ricci,' Bento de Góis's travel records note that because merchants gathered there frequently to sell a wide variety of goods, Yarkant became the capital of the Kashgar Kingdom (Yarkant Khanate) and a major commercial hub. Caravans from Kabul would disband here to form new ones heading toward Cathay.

At that time, there were two main international trade routes passing through Yarkant, forming a T-shape:

The east-west route connected Central Asia with the Chinese heartland: Bukhara—Samarkand—Kashgar—Yarkant—Aksu—Kuqa—Turpan—Hami—Suzhou (Jiuquan).

The north-south route connected Xinjiang with India: Yarkant—Kashgar—Pamir—Kabul—Lahore—Delhi.

The Yarkant Bazaar today.











6. The Center of the Black Mountain Sect—Altun Mazar

1. The Black Mountain Sect controls the Yarkant Khanate.

The reigns of the first three rulers of the Yarkant Khanate—Sultan Said Khan (1514-1533), Abdurashid Khan (1533-1560), and Abdul Karim Khan (1560-1591)—are known as the 'Golden Age' of the Yarkant Khanate, a time when the monarchs were diligent and focused on economic and cultural development.

During the reign of the fourth ruler, Muhammad Khan (1591-1610), the Khoja family of the Black Mountain faction (Qara Taghliq) of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, which rose in the Transoxiana region, began to hold real power. This marked the decline of the Yarkand Khanate.

In 1596, Khoja Muhammad Ishaq Wali of the Black Mountain faction sent his son, Khoja Shadi, to Yarkand to become Muhammad Khan's mentor. From then on, Yarkand became the center of the Black Mountain faction, and the Yarkand Royal Mausoleum, known as Altun Mazar, became the burial place for the Black Mountain Khojas.

2. The White Mountain faction defeats the Black Mountain faction

In the 1630s, Khoja Muhammad Yusuf of the White Mountain faction (Aq Taghliq), another branch of the Naqshbandi order, arrived in Kashgar. He used Kashgar as a base to oppose the rule of the Black Mountain faction, plunging the Yarkand Khanate into conflict between the two groups.

In 1680, Afaq Khoja of the White Mountain faction led the army of Galdan of the Dzungar Khanate to capture Yarkand. Khoja Abdullah of the Black Mountain faction fled to India, and Yarkand fell into the hands of the White Mountain faction.

However, shortly after Afaq Khoja died in 1694, the White Mountain faction fell into internal strife. In 1697, Galdan was defeated by the Qing army and committed suicide. Afterward, the Dzungar Khanate could no longer control southern Xinjiang, and the exiled Black Mountain Khoja, Khoja Daniyal, returned to Yarkand.

3. The Black Mountain faction under the Dzungar Khanate

In 1713, the Dzungar Khanate, having regained its strength, marched south to attack Yarkand. Khoja Daniyal surrendered without a fight and was taken to Ili. Because he was relatively loyal to the Dzungar Khanate, Khoja Daniyal was appointed by them in 1720 as the ruler of the four cities: Yarkand, Kashgar, Aksu, and Hotan. After Khoja Daniyal died in 1730, he was buried in Altun Mazar.

After Khoja Daniyal's death, the Dzungar Khan Galdan Tseren divided power by giving Yarkand, Kashgar, Aksu, and Hotan to each of Khoja Daniyal's four sons. Khoja Chagan ruled Yarkand.

After Galdan Tseren died in 1745, the Dzungar Khanate fell into intense infighting. Khoja Yusuf, the Black Mountain leader ruling Kashgar, broke away from Dzungar rule in 1754 and unified the entire southern Xinjiang region.

4. The fall of the Black Mountain faction.

In 1755, the Qing dynasty captured Ili. The White Mountain Khoja brothers, who had been held in Ili by the Dzungar Khanate, surrendered to the Qing. The Qing sent the elder Khoja, Khoja Burhan-ud-din, to lead an army into southern Xinjiang. He occupied most of the region, leaving the Black Mountain faction with only the isolated city of Yarkand. After fierce fighting, betrayals, wavering loyalties, and massacres, Yarkand was finally captured. The entire Black Mountain Khoja family was killed, and the faction exited the stage of history.

Today's Altun Mazar is the site of the former mausoleum of the Black Mountain Khojas.











Lecture hall







Scripture recitation room













The historical records in this article are mainly compiled from three books: A Brief History of the Islamic Khanates in Xinjiang, An Outline of the History of the Yarkand Khanate, and A History of Islam in China's Xinjiang Region. Additionally, one may refer to Ancient City of Yarkand and Map of Ancient Architecture in Xinjiang. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Muslim friendly China travel guide keeps the original 2021 Gaoyou, Yangzhou, and Zhenjiang trip notes intact for Part 1. It is useful for Muslim travel guide China 2026, halal food in China, Chinese Muslim food, and mosque-friendly routes in Jiangsu.

On the morning of April 4, 2021, I left Nanjing by high-speed train. I arrived in Gaoyou in one hour and took a bus directly to the Gaoyou Mosque. Gaoyou and Lingtang were two places I missed during my canal mosque tour in 2016-17. Five years later, I finally made up for it.

Gaoyou

Gaoyou Mosque is a very beautiful traditional mosque. It is small and delicate, with the charm of a water town. The founding date of the mosque is unknown, but there is a cypress tree in the courtyard that is over two hundred years old. In 1864 (the third year of the Tongzhi reign), local elders Ma Guixing, Liu Xingtian, and Ma Hongxing rebuilt the mosque. The current entrance has a stone carving that says it was rebuilt in the middle of winter in the second year of the Tongzhi reign.

It was a pity that the mosque gate was locked when we arrived. We asked at a nearby noodle shop, and they said it only opens for Jumu'ah prayers. It seems I will have to wait for another chance to visit inside.















I wandered around Gaoyou, visiting Mengcheng Post Station and the West Dike. The Grand Canal and Gaoyou Lake run side by side, making it truly feel like a water town.













Lingtang

At noon, I took a taxi from Gaoyou to Lingtang Hui Muslim Township. Lingtang is the only Hui Muslim township in Jiangsu, home to the four major surnames: Yang, Xue, Li, and Sha. One branch of the Yang family moved here from Suzhou at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, and another branch moved from Suzhou during the Qing Dynasty. The Xue family moved here from Xuebeizhuang in Gaoyou during the Qing Dynasty, later converted to Islam, and for generations have mostly only married into the Yang family. The Sha surname is said to come from the Persian word "Shah," as they are descendants of Persian ancestors from the Huihuiwan area during the Yuan Dynasty.

At Huixianglou Restaurant, I ate salted goose (yan shui e), egg yolk stir-fried buckwheat slices (dan huang shao ku qiao pian), amaranth stir-fried with fava beans (xian cai chao can dou), and beef wing soup (niu chi tang), all of which are local specialties. The founder of Huixianglou, Yang Yangui, opened a halal restaurant on Lingtang Bridge Old Street in 1969. It moved to its current location in 2010 and specializes in Lingtang salted goose from Gaoyou Lake.



















At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, a mosque was built in "Huihuiwan" by the side of Gaoyou Lake in Lingtang, but it was later destroyed by a flood. In the mid-Ming Dynasty, the mosque moved to Yangdazhuang, then to its current site in the early Qing Dynasty. It was rebuilt in 1844 (the twenty-fourth year of the Daoguang reign), expanded again in 1921, and completed in 1924.















The golden osmanthus tree (jin gui shu) next to the kiln hall (yao dian) was planted when local elder Xue Yukuan and his wife, Mrs. Xue Yang, asked an imam to recite the Nikah. It has a history of over 130 years.

















The exhibition hall of the Yangzhou Lingtang Mosque displays a water kettle (tang ping hu) made and gifted by the Jizhaoying Mosque in Nanjing during the Qing Dynasty, a Republic-era water kettle, a copper Xuande incense burner (tong xuande lu), a blue and white porcelain incense burner, and the steamer (guo zheng zi) and bucket (diao tong) from the mosque's 1950s washroom. The steamer was used to boil hot water, and the bucket had a hole at the bottom; you could pull out the wooden plug to take a shower.

















The mosque is also the inheritance site for the Yangzhou intangible cultural heritage, "Hui Muslim Customs of Lingtang Hui Muslim Township."



Yangzhou

In the afternoon, I took a taxi from Lingtang to Yangzhou, visiting the Yangzhou Xianhe Mosque for the second time after four years.

Yangzhou's Xianhe Mosque is one of the four great ancient mosques in Southeast China, along with the Phoenix Mosque in Hangzhou, the Lion Mosque in Guangzhou, and the Qilin Mosque in Quanzhou. It was founded in 1275 (the 12th year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty) by the Western sage Puhading before he passed away. It was rebuilt in 1390 (the 23rd year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty) by Ha San, renovated in 1523 (the 3rd year of the Jiajing era) by the merchant Ma Zongdao and the imam Ha Ming, and repaired again in 1791 (the 56th year of the Qianlong era).

The gatehouse has a single-eave, ridge-roofed hard-mountain style, with some wooden parts dating back to the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty drum-shaped stone bases in front of the gate are very exquisite and rare among mosques in China.







The Xianhe Mosque layout uses small courtyards, unlike the four-sided courtyard (siheyuan) layout common in northern mosques. Xianhe Mosque divides the lecture hall, the main prayer hall, and the gate into three separate small courtyards. It also features a moon-viewing pavilion and a covered walkway outside the south gable of the main hall, giving the mosque a garden-like atmosphere.































Inside Xianhe Mosque stands a 745-year-old ginkgo tree, the oldest surviving ginkgo in Yangzhou.







From Xianhe Mosque, I went to the Puhading Tomb, but it was already locked after closing time, so I could not get in. Puhading is said to be a 16th-generation descendant of the Prophet. He came to Yangzhou during the Xianchun period of the Song Dynasty (1265–1274) and died in Yangzhou in 1275 (the 12th year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty). He was buried on a high ridge east of the East Gate River in the New City, a place later called Huihui Hall (commonly known as Baba Kiln). However, I had already explored the tomb carefully in 2016, so I did not feel it was a regret.













Behind the mihrab of the mosque at the Puhading Tomb.







Looking at the Puhading Tomb from the banks of the Grand Canal, watching the sunlight hit the bricks and feeling the breeze, I felt very relaxed.





The disappearance of local halal food in Yangzhou is a great pity. From the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, Yangzhou's halal food scene was once very popular. During the Republican era, there were over ten famous halal restaurants. Famous Peking opera actors Zhou Xinfang and Cheng Yanqiu would eat at the most famous halal restaurant at the time, Tianxing Restaurant, whenever they came to Yangzhou to perform.

During the Republic of China, Yangzhou also had over ten halal chicken and duck shops, over ten beef shops, more than thirty sesame flatbread (shaobing) shops, and two tea houses. The most famous chicken and duck shop was Linyuanxing, which later became the predecessor of Hongxing, the only halal restaurant left in Yangzhou. Linyuanxing was good at making oil-poached chicken and salted duck. At that time, it not only had multiple shops in Yangzhou but also had branches and stalls in Shanghai, Suzhou, and Zhenjiang.

Yangzhou's halal food industry declined sharply after 1949. When I visited in 2016, the only places serving local food were Tianxingzhai, which used the name of the old Tianxing Restaurant, Yixiangzhai next to the Puhading Tomb, and the old brand Hongxing. When I visited again in 2021, Tianxingzhai had become a small barbecue shop, Yixiangzhai had closed, Hongxing was under renovation with only a snack window, and the rest were just Lanzhou hand-pulled noodle (lamian) shops.

We bought vegetarian chicken and smoked fish at Hongxing. The preparation was similar to the style in Nanjing, and it was the only local Yangzhou halal food we could find during the 2021 Qingming Festival (I heard Hongxing is finished with renovations now, and inshaAllah I will have a chance to taste it again).







Zhenjiang

On the morning of April 5, I took the high-speed train from Yangzhou to Zhenjiang. I rode an e-bike to Yongan Road to eat beef vermicelli soup at Hualiji. The soup was slightly sweet and very refreshing.

The Hua family of Hui Muslims moved to Zhenjiang from Taierzhuang, Shandong, during the Taiping Rebellion. The Taiping Rebellion caused heavy damage to Zhenjiang, leading to a large population decrease and the arrival of many people from the north. This is one of the reasons why Zhenjiang eventually changed from a Wu-speaking area to a Jianghuai Mandarin-speaking area. Huali Ji is a family of halal butchers in Zhenjiang. They have been in business for six generations, starting from the Daoguang era. In 2002, they moved from the Zhenjiang mosque to their current location on Yongan Road.







Next, I went to the newly opened Yang Family Halal Restaurant (Yangjia Qingzhen Guan) next to Muyuan Restaurant. I had beef wontons, dried tofu strips (gansi), and pan-fried buns (jianbao). This place was opened in Zhenjiang by Hui Muslims from Heze, Shandong.







Then I went to Jianxiang Halal Food Store at the Jiangbin vegetable market to buy Zhenjiang specialties: egg crisps (jidan su), Jingjiang navel cakes (Jingjiang qi), and Jingguo powder (Jingguo fen). The owner, Ma Jian, was originally a worker at a Zhenjiang pastry factory. After being laid off in 1995, he started his own Jianxiang Halal Food Factory. In 2009, he opened this current shop next to the Jiangbin vegetable market. When I visited last winter, I bought some delicious cloud-slice cakes (yunpian gao), but they don't make them in the spring. Friends who want to try them can add the landlady on WeChat to have them shipped. 15262910548

Jingjiang navel cakes are a Zhenjiang specialty snack. Mr. Xia Rongguang described them in detail in his book, A Brief History of the Hui Economy in Modern Zhenjiang. Jingjiang navel cakes are commonly called 'vat navels' (gangqi) or 'navel-lets' (qier). Legend says they were originally octagonal, but they were changed to hexagonal during the Qing Dynasty to avoid the taboo of the 'Eight Banners'. Jingjiang navel cakes come in sweet and savory versions. The savory ones sell more because you can dip them in beef or chicken soup. In the past, Zhenjiang people often served Jingjiang navel cakes soaked in salted egg water to guests.

Making these cakes requires great skill and heat control. When shaping the hexagonal ones, the savory version must be rolled six and a half times, and the sweet version three and a half times. Missing even one roll affects the quality.

According to Fan Shoubao, a tea snack industry veteran born in the 1900s, he became an apprentice at the Wuyunzhai Halal Tea Shop in the 1910s at age fourteen. He made at least two bags of flour into nearly a thousand Jingjiang navel cakes every day. Back then, visitors to Zhenjiang or locals leaving town would often buy hundreds at a time.

















The Shanxiang Mosque in Zhenjiang is also called the West City Mosque or the West Great Mosque. Its founding date is unknown, but it was expanded during the Kangxi era. It was destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion in 1853 (the third year of the Xianfeng era) and rebuilt in 1873 (the twelfth year of the Tongzhi era). According to the History of Islam in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, the late Imam Tan Yuanshen, who lived to be over eighty, recalled hearing from his grandfather and elders in the community that before the Kangxi-era expansion, the West City Mosque was just three thatched huts. At that time, the area around the mosque was sparsely populated and vast; you could see the Zhenjiang city gate tower to the east and Yuntai Mountain to the west.

After Zhenjiang opened as a treaty port, the area outside the West Gate became a bustling commercial district. In 1865, the British established a concession by the river. With the opening of the Shanghai-Nanjing Railway, the area outside the West Gate developed further, and Hui Muslims kept arriving to trade and settle around the Shanxiang Mosque.

In 1902 (the 28th year of the Guangxu era), the Zhenjiang Hui community raised funds to expand the Shanxiang Mosque. The current layout of the mosque dates back to this renovation.

The Shanxiang Mosque consists of a small courtyard and a large courtyard. Entering the main gate, you find the first small courtyard. Passing through the front hall leads to the second small courtyard, with a side door and the second gate directly ahead. Passing through the second gate leads to the third small courtyard. Then, a corridor leads into the large courtyard, which is made up of the prayer hall, the south lecture hall, and the opposite hall. This layout of large and small courtyards is very characteristic of the Jianghuai region.

Main gate







The front hall was used as a classroom for Muyuan Primary School during the War of Resistance. The plaque above was written by Imam Hua Guilin in 1984, and the couplets were written by the famous Beijing Arabic calligrapher Li Wencai in 2010.







The stone door bases outside the front hall.



The rockery inside the second small courtyard.



The second gate.







Facing the side gate hall is a green screen door with the circular characters for "halal" (qingzhen) written in the center.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the mosque was smashed and then occupied, leaving only the side gate hall guarded by an elderly man named Ma Zhonglin. The occupying unit tried to force Ma Zhonglin out with various excuses, but he refused every time and spent ten difficult years there. During those ten years, all the Hui Muslims in Zhenjiang used this gate hall to store funeral supplies and to hold and prepare the deceased. At that time, only Ma Zhonglin washed the bodies of the deceased, led the namaz, and recited dua while burying them. He also slaughtered poultry for the elders in the side gate hall every morning.

In 1981, Ma Zhonglin passed away. Afterward, Tan Quanhong and Zhang Dagui took turns slaughtering poultry for the elders in the side gate hall every morning. That same year, the occupying unit began to move out, and the Shanxiang Mosque was finally recovered.







The third small courtyard outside the second gate.









The large courtyard. The courtyard has a cross-shaped path and is planted with pine and ginkgo trees. There were once two ginkgo trees over 200 years old in the courtyard, but they were cut down in 1958 to support the Great Leap Forward steel production.





Shanxiang Mosque was once an important national base for printing and publishing Islamic books. From the Qianlong to the Tongzhi periods of the Qing Dynasty, more than 20 types of philosophy and religious books, including the "Baoming Zhenjing," "Tianfang Dianli," "Guizhen Zongyi," and "Huihui Yuanlai," were woodblock printed in hundreds of editions and shipped across the country by land and water. To this day, the Cultural Palace of Nationalities in Beijing, the Central University for Nationalities Library, and the Peking University Library all hold books printed by the Zhenjiang Shanxiang Mosque.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Shanxiang Mosque was severely damaged, and none of its scriptures, woodblocks, plaques, couplets, furniture, decorations, or other cultural relics survived.









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Summary: This Muslim travel guide China 2026 update keeps the original Gaoyou, Yangzhou, and Zhenjiang trip notes intact for Part 2. It also helps readers looking for halal food in China, Chinese Muslim food, China Muslim travel tips, and mosque stops in Jiangsu canal towns.









In the main hall, there is a central calligraphy scroll hanging on the wall along with other calligraphy scrolls.













The traditional winding alleys.





The alley name comes from the Persian word Baba, which is what Hui Muslims often call Baba.



At noon, we ate pufferfish (hetun), mountain delicacy tofu pot (shanzhen doufu bao), and stir-fried shrimp with egg white (furong xiaren) at Muyuan Restaurant. Muyuan is the only local halal restaurant in Zhenjiang, and Hui Muslims always hold their gatherings and banquets here. Last time I came here, I ate Yangtze white fish (jiangbaiyu), which was very fresh and tender. Because of the ten-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River, the owner recommended pufferfish to us, saying that April is the best time for it. We had never eaten pufferfish before, but it was really delicious, and the fish soup was perfect with rice.











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Summary: This Halal Food Guide keeps the original 2017 Xuzhou travel notes intact while making the English easier to read. It is useful for halal food in China, Chinese Muslim food, China Muslim travel tips, and mosque visits in Jiangsu.

On March 12, 2017, I went to Xuzhou to eat and explore.

The Xuzhou section of the Grand Canal.

In 1283 and 1289, Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty ordered the construction of the Jizhou River and the Huitong River. These connected the existing Sui and Tang Dynasty Grand Canal to the Si River, then linked it to the southern canal via the Yellow River. Xuzhou, located where the Yellow River flows into the Si River, became the central hub of the canal. After the Yuan Dynasty Grand Canal was finished, Xuzhou became a place for civilian boats to deliver grain and a transit point for government troops, making it increasingly busy and prosperous.

In 1855, the Yellow River burst its banks at Tongwaxian in Henan. The canal dikes in the Xuzhou section were washed away and the waterway dried up. By 1877, the Xuzhou section of the canal was completely silted over.



Jianguo Road Mosque.

In 1913, the Tianjin-Pukou Railway opened fully. In 1916, the Kaifeng-Xuzhou section of the Longhai Railway opened. As the intersection of the Tianjin-Pukou and Longhai railways, Xuzhou rose again as a transportation hub. According to the Jiangsu Provincial Gazetteer of Religion, in 1916, Hui Muslim merchant Lan Dengyun, railway worker Zhang Xuelou, and postal worker Yang Xianyun bought 1,500 square meters of wasteland on the west side of the old Yellow River bed south of Xuzhou city. They built a wall and three flat-roofed rooms, calling it the 'Traveler's Mosque in Xuzhou' (Lvxu Qingzhensi) for passing Muslims to perform namaz. In 1924, the Traveler's Mosque in Xuzhou was destroyed by a heavy rainstorm and was rebuilt in 1931.

In 1937, the famous Hui Muslim Peking Opera performer Ma Lianliang held a charity performance to raise funds for the mosque. The following year, leather merchants Ha Guanglu, Ma Yuqing, and others donated money to expand the mosque to 32 rooms. After 1949, Jianguo East Road was built in front of the mosque, and it was renamed Jianguo Road Mosque. After 1966, the mosque was occupied and 14 rooms in the back courtyard were demolished. It was restored and reopened in 1980. In 1997, the mosque was demolished again for road widening, then relocated and rebuilt into its current form.





Dakang Pastries.

Next to Jianguo Road Mosque, there is a deli and a pastry shop. At the pastry shop, I bought chestnut cakes (lizisu), peach cakes (taosu), sesame crisps (mapian'er), and honey-glazed horn-shaped pastries (jiaojiaomi).

















Taikang Hui Muslim Food Store.

Taikang Hui Muslim Food Store is a century-old halal shop in Xuzhou, founded in 1908. The owner was Bai Shaoxuan, a Hui Muslim from Jining, Shandong. It is most famous for making sesame crisps (mapian) and white sesame osmanthus sugar cakes (baima guihua su-tang). In May 1938, Taikang was destroyed by Japanese bombers. Owner Bai had to painfully switch to the beef and mutton business until he started selling pastries again after 1945.

At Taikang, I bought rose mung bean cakes (meigui lvdougao), honey-preserved sponge cakes (mizhi fenggao), egg rolls (danjuan), salted osmanthus sauce (xian guihua jiang), and rose sauce (meigui jiang).













Rose sauce (meigui jiang).



Osmanthus sauce (guihua jiang).





Honey-preserved sponge cake (mizhi fenggao).



Rose mung bean cake (meigui lvdougao).



Egg rolls (danjuan)

Feng Tianxing

Feng Tianxing is another long-standing halal shop in Xuzhou. Feng Shibo founded Feng Tianxing in Nanjing in 1757, the 22nd year of the Qianlong reign. It started by selling roasted chicken, then moved to Xuzhou and became a classic halal brand there. I bought duck tongue, duck liver, and dried tofu. Everything was delicious, especially the duck tongue, which was so fragrant.



I really like the design of this water pitcher (tangping) brand.















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Summary: This China Mosque Travel Guide keeps the original 2016 Jining notes, places, and image order intact. It also helps readers researching Muslim travel guide China 2026, halal food in China, Chinese Muslim food, and Grand Canal mosque heritage.

On December 10, 2016, I went to Jining to eat and explore. This article uses information from the books "A Brief History of the Hui Muslims in Jining" and "A Sequel to the History of the Hui Muslims in Jining."

In 1292 (the 29th year of the Zhiyuan era), the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal opened completely. The Yuan Dynasty sent 12,000 soldiers to the Jining section to guard the canal and farm the land. At least 2,000 of these soldiers were Hui Muslim officers and troops. These Hui Muslim soldiers brought their families and settled down. At that time, there were already two mosques in Jining city, the Old East Mosque and the Old West Mosque.

When the Yuan Dynasty fell in 1368, the canal soldiers in Jining surrendered to Xu Da and Chang Yuchun. Most of them were settled where they were, and some of these Hui Muslim soldiers began to live together along the banks of the Yuehe River in the south of Jining city. After the wars of the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the Shandong section of the canal became blocked and unusable. It was not until 1411 (the 9th year of the Yongle era) that the Huitong River was reopened. The canal banks in Jining became orderly, and the business district began to thrive. The Hui Muslims living in the southern gate area built a new East Mosque, which is the current Shunhe East Mosque.

In 1622 (the 2nd year of the Tianqi era), an outer city was built in the south of the old Jining city, known as the "City Perimeter Corridor" or "Circle Dike." The areas where Hui Muslims lived—such as the Big and Small Zhakou, Liuhang, Zhongxin Gate, and the north and south banks of the Yuehe River—were all near this outer city. This formed the 53 streets and alleys where Hui Muslims lived before the old city was renovated. Among these 53 streets, the Hui Muslim population was most concentrated in Liuhang outside the Small South Gate, where they made up over 80 percent of the residents.

By 1953, Jining had seven mosques for men and two for women, known collectively as the Nine Mosques. The West Great Mosque, Liuhang East Mosque, Yuehe South Bank North Mosque, and Yangjiayuan Mosque belonged to the traditional Gedimu school. The East Great Mosque, Yuehe South Bank South Mosque, and Liuhang West Mosque belonged to the Yihewani school.





On Saturday morning, I went to the old Yang Xinghai shop at the Small South Gate for some mutton porridge (san tang), then went to the century-old shop Ma Daxing to buy chestnut-shaped pastries (fo shou) and date cakes (zao bing). Jining's mutton porridge is made by pouring hot, thick bone broth over eggs, then eating it with mutton and flatbread. It is so comforting to eat in winter. The date flavor in the Ma Daxing date cakes is very authentic. The chestnut-shaped pastries are so good that you want more after the first bite, so I bought several boxes before I left.











The Ma Daxing food shop posted a "Brief History of Ma Daxing Food Shop" written by Ma Biao. I have organized and copied it below:

Ma Daxing is a century-old food shop in Jining, originally named "Ma's Shop." The family's ancestral home was a prominent Ma family in the Shuiximen area of Nanjing. In the early Ming Dynasty, our ancestors traveled by boat along the ancient Grand Canal and drifted to Jining. They stayed at the Xiazhakou lower river west wharf and settled at the east end of the north side of Yueheya Road.

Later, my great-great-grandfather Ma Fuqi, courtesy name Huatang (July 28, 1843 – May 21, 1927), opened "Ma's Shop" on the south side of Yuehe North Road, west of Xiangling Pavilion, to sell general goods. It developed quite well.

Then, my great-grandfather Ma Luzeng (born 1870) and his younger brother Ma Yizeng used this as a foundation to carefully develop Shandong and Jiangsu style pastries. Over more than ten years, they created a book of over 10,000 words called "Ma's Preserved Fruits," learning the best techniques from both the north and south to create a wide variety of products.

Because the canal was a central hub and a key waterway for gathering and exchanging goods from the north and south, the shop's business grew daily. In 1910, the sign "Ma Daxing Fruit Shop" was put up.

My grandfather Ma Shijun, courtesy name Yangzhou, born on April 28, 1900, inherited and expanded the business in the 1920s. Until the public-private partnership on January 12, 1956, my father Ma Zhenshan was appointed by his superiors as the "Manager of the State-run Ma Daxing Food Factory and Director of the Retail Department," and Ma Zhenhai served as the pastry chef, inheriting and teaching the pastry-making skills.

The pastry business was interrupted in 1968. In 1986, Ma Yong reopened the shop at 15 Laiheguan North Street, inheriting his father's business and continuing to expand Ma Daxing Food.

Our business grew, so we moved to the Xuzhuang grain station in 1989, the breeding farm in 1992, and the Yudai shopping mall in 1997. On June 8, 2003, we opened the new Ma Daxing food shop at Xiaonanmen.

Note: The Ma Daxing shop name was written by a friend of my grandfather, Ma Xingchi. Ma Xingchi was a battlefield reporter who followed Sun Yat-sen and served as the editor-in-chief of the Shenzhou Newspaper.













After breakfast, I walked through the old 53 streets and alleys of the Hui Muslims. Even though new residential areas have been built, there are still many halal restaurants, so I made a mental note to try them tomorrow.

Jining Shunhe East Mosque

I walked through the Hui Muslim district and arrived at the Jining Shunhe East Mosque by the canal. The East Mosque was built around 1420 during the late Ming Dynasty Yongle period. It was renovated in 1459 (the third year of Tianshun), expanded during the Kangxi period, and renovated again during the Qianlong period, eventually reaching its current size.

As Professor Liu Zhiping said, the rear archway, the Moon-Watching Tower (Wangyuelou), the rear hall, and the main hall of the East Mosque create a grand and towering atmosphere with their overlapping structures. Therefore, the artistic style of all its architecture represents the spirit and boldness of the Qianlong era.







The mosque's original Call to Prayer Tower (Bangkelou), built during the Ming Dynasty Chenghua period and renovated during the Kangxi period, was destroyed along with the main gate and archway in 1968. A new Call to Prayer Pavilion (Bangleting) was built in 1999.































On the martial arts practice ground north of the main hall, I met a group of older men practicing their moves.



Single saber against flower spear



Double sabers





The most famous Hui Muslim martial art in Jining is Rencheng Chaquan. Because the most complete set of Chaquan routines is held by the family of Li Enju, a Hui Muslim from Jining, it is also called Li-style Chaquan.

Chaquan is based on the spring-leg (tantui) technique. There are ten routes of spring-leg and ten routes of boxing, with each boxing route incorporating spring-leg techniques. With running, walking, flying, and striking, the ten routes can expand into over fifty.

The names of the ten routes of Jining Li-style Chaquan:

First route: Charging tip like a whip

Second route: Cross-shaped rush to the toe

Third route: Covering style for night travel

Fourth route: Supporting and stepping to block the path

Fifth route: Single spread

Sixth route: Double spread

Seventh route: Re-engaging to strike in a crisis

Eighth Road Turning Ring (balu zhuanhuan).

Ninth Road Holding Lock (jiulu pengsuo).

Tenth Road Somersault Kick (shilu jiandan).

Li Enju was born in Nanguan, Jining, in 1857. As a young man, he was an officer in the Hebiaoying battalion. He later spent fifteen years traveling to improve his martial arts. In middle age, he returned to Jining to open the Jinyuan Hui Yongshun Escort Agency. In his later years, he went to Shanghai to teach at the Shanghai Jingwu Association founded by Huo Yuanjia. He eventually returned to Jining to teach Chaquan boxing until he passed away from illness in 1932 at the age of 75.





There are some cute little clay figurines inside the East Great Mosque (Dongdasi) in Jining.



Funeral procession team (taimaidui).





Namaz (namazi).





Some cultural relics.



A large Ming Dynasty blue and white incense burner that the East Great Mosque has kept for generations.







I knew about Jining before, mostly because of Chang Zhimei, the founder of the Shandong School.

Chang Zhimei, whose courtesy name was Yunhua, was known as Chang Xianxue or Chang Baba. He was born in Jining in 1610. In 1634 (the seventh year of the Chongzhen reign), 24-year-old Chang Baba returned to Jining after completing his studies elsewhere and began teaching in a courtyard next to the East Great Mosque. Because his views on religious doctrine differed from those of the East Great Mosque, Chang Baba led the construction of the West Great Mosque (Xidasi) two years later, where he continued to teach and eventually founded the Shandong School.

The Shandong School values Persian-language religious law and Sufi philosophy. It uses the 13 classic texts popular in the north as its basic curriculum, with a large portion being Persian classics.

The Chang Zhimei Memorial Hall at the East Great Mosque in Jining holds many relics from the Jining West Great Mosque that Chang Baba established. It is a great pity that the Jining West Great Mosque, which had a massive 30-meter-high ridge-style main hall, was completely demolished in 1968. Otherwise, having both the eastern and western mosques standing would have been spectacular.







Handwritten by Chang Baba: The mosque is the House of Allah, and the Muslims who come to the mosque can receive the love of Allah.

The stone tablet was originally embedded above the archway of the gate of the Jining West Great Mosque and was destroyed along with the mosque in 1968. It was rediscovered a few years ago, and the missing middle section was rewritten by Imam Chen Yudong.











Liuhang East Mosque.

Besides the East Great Mosque, Jining also has an ancient Ming Dynasty mosque called the Liuhang East Mosque. The Liuhang East Mosque was built during the Wanli reign, expanded during the Kangxi reign, and reopened in 1989. When we visited, it was completely empty. Only a cat led us around to see everything, which felt like a strange and wonderful encounter. After taking us for a tour, the cat returned to the courtyard gate and watched us leave. It felt like being in a Hayao Miyazaki animation.





The stone tablet inscribed with 'Jiao Ze Kong Chang' was erected in 1940. After the Japanese army occupied Jining in January 1938, Imam Liu Hanguang risked his life to set up a refugee shelter inside the mosque. He took in many Hui and Han people, and this stone tablet was erected by the Hui and Han community to thank Imam Liu.







Exquisite Shandong-style calligraphy.









Other ancient mosques in Jining that no longer exist are recorded here to remember history:

Liuhang West Mosque was built during the Wanli period. The mosque was destroyed in 1960, the main hall was torn down in 1979, and the only remaining 400-year-old Chinese honey locust tree (zaojia) was cut down at the end of 2002.

Yuehe Nanya North Mosque was built before 1749 (the 14th year of the Qianlong reign). It underwent its last major expansion and renovation in March 1939. Activities stopped in January 1958 after the anti-rightist rectification movement, and the site was occupied by the Xinhua Leather Factory. The Xinhua Leather Factory returned the site in 1984. It was converted into a women's mosque in 1989, and the main hall, scripture hall, and water room were renovated in 1995. It was demolished in late January 2001 due to urban renewal and rebuilt as an Arabic-style women's mosque in October 2002.

Laiheguan North Street South Mosque was built during the Yongzheng period (1730) and was destroyed in 1960.

Fangjia Courtyard Women's Mosque was built in 1944 and destroyed in 1960.

Yuehe Nanya Women's Mosque was built in 1944 and destroyed in 1958 during the '58 Religious Reform'.

I had grass carp with pan-wiped flatbread (moguobing) at Xiaonanmen on Saturday night. Jining has plenty of freshwater fish because it is near Weishan Lake. A pot of fish costs 50 yuan, and the portion is huge! You can compare it to the bowl and chopsticks on the right. The fish is very fresh, and the glass noodles (fensi) taste especially good! I especially recommend the braised gluten (huimianjin), which is perfect with rice.







I had mixed offal soup (zagetang) at Xiaonanmen on Sunday morning. It is a bowl of lamb and tripe soup. I slurped down a big bowl and finished by spreading chopped chili peppers inside a flatbread. It was so comfortable, and I didn't feel hungry until the afternoon.











On Sunday afternoon, I had Zhan Family chicken soup wontons on Nanchayuan Street. The auntie wrapped the wontons very quickly, and she even added an egg on top. It was warm and very nourishing. Then I went to the famous Xiaoquan Roasted Chicken shop on Xidasi Street to buy roasted chicken and chicken liver. The roasted chicken is wrapped in lotus leaves. It falls off the bone with a slight tug and is very fragrant.













The Jining section of the Grand Canal.

Jining has both a new and an old canal. The Old Canal is also called the South Canal, the Grain Transport River, or the Cao River. It was once the ancient Jizhou River and Huitong River. Today, it is just a waterway inside Jining city and is no longer used for shipping. The New Canal, also known as the Liangji Canal or the Grand Canal, is a waterway dug in the 1950s to handle canal shipping.

Before the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was officially connected in the Yuan Dynasty, the Old Canal was split into two sections, north and south. North of Jining is the Jizhou River, which was built in 1283 (the 20th year of the Zhiyuan reign) by order of Kublai Khan, the Emperor Shizu of Yuan. South of Jining is the old path of the Si River. In 1289 (the 26th year of the Zhiyuan reign), the Huitong River north of the Jizhou River was finished. This completed the entire Shandong section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal during the Yuan Dynasty.

In 1855 (the 5th year of the Xianfeng reign), the Yellow River burst its banks at Tongwaxiang in Lankao, Henan. This cut off the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and the Old Canal began to decline. Finally, in 1901 (the 27th year of the Guangxu reign), the grain tribute system was replaced by silver payments, and official canal transport ended completely. The Old Canal changed from an official shipping route to a local transport route.

The Old Canal flows through Jining city. The entrance to the Shunhe East Mosque (Shunhe Dong Dasi) in Jining sits right by the Old Canal waterway.



From the late 1950s to the early 1960s, the Liangji Canal was built. The North Four Lakes of Jining and the low-lying land on both sides of the Old Canal were drained and turned into farmland. Most of the Old Canal was abandoned, and the Liangji Canal became the new navigable section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which it remains today.

Jining Port on the Liangji Canal in winter









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Summary: This Muslim friendly China travel article keeps the original 2016 Dezhou notes intact while improving the English flow. It is useful for readers researching halal food in China, Chinese Muslim food, Muslim tourist in China experience, and old mosque heritage in Shandong.

On December 17, 2016, I left Beijing South Railway Station on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed train. I arrived in Dezhou in one hour and twenty minutes and started my one-day trip there.

The first thing I wanted to see in Dezhou was the Tomb of the Sultan of Sulu. The information in this article about the Tomb of the Sultan of Sulu and Beiying Village comes partly from the books The Sultan of Sulu and His Descendants and The Sultan of Sulu in China.



Sulu Kingdom

The Sulu Archipelago is in the far southwest of the Philippines, right next to the easternmost part of Malaysia.

The Moro people live on the Sulu Archipelago. The term Moro has been used by Spaniards to describe Muslims since the 15th century. Before the 15th century, when Spain reconquered Andalusia, they called the Muslims there Moros.

In the Middle Ages, as maritime trade grew in the Indian Ocean, the faith spread along the Maritime Silk Road into Southeast Asia. Between the 14th and 16th centuries, the faith centered in Malacca, passed through Sumatra and Java, went north through Borneo, and reached the Sulu Archipelago in the southwest Philippines.

Around 1380, the famous Arab judge and religious scholar Makhdum Karim arrived at Simunul Island in the far southwest of the Sulu Archipelago with an Arab caravan and built the first mosque in the Philippines there. On November 7, 1407, Sharif ul-Hashim, a descendant of the Prophet born in Johor, Malaysia, led an army to occupy the Sulu Archipelago. He married a local princess and established the Sulu Kingdom.

Between 1405 (the third year of the Yongle reign) and 1417 (the fifteenth year of the Yongle reign), the Ming Emperor Chengzu, Zhu Di, sent Zheng He to visit the countries of the Philippine archipelago three times. In 1417, the chiefs of the Eastern and Western Sulu Kingdoms and the wife of the chief of the Dong Kingdom led a delegation of over 340 people to visit the Ming Dynasty. In July, they arrived at Quanzhou Port. They then traveled north along the coastline, entered the Yangtze River at Wusongkou, and reached Longjiang Station in Yingtian Prefecture (Nanjing). After resting at Longjiang Station, the Sulu delegation traveled north along the Grand Canal and reached Beijing in mid-August. Ming Emperor Chengzu, Zhu Di, held a grand meeting in the Fengtian Hall (later renamed the Hall of Supreme Harmony). He named the two chiefs the Eastern King and the Western King, and the wife of the Dong Kingdom chief the Dong Queen, with the Eastern King Paduka Batara as the most honored.

In September, the three rulers started their journey home, and Emperor Chengzu sent a special envoy to escort them. The delegation traveled south along the canal. When they passed Anling, north of Dezhou, the Eastern King suddenly fell ill and sadly passed away on September 13. When the news reached Beijing, Emperor Chengzu sent a minister from the Ministry of Rites to bury the Eastern King of Sulu with royal honors. The Tomb of the Eastern King of Sulu was built north of Dezhou city and finished in October 1418 (the sixteenth year of the Yongle reign).

The completed tomb faces south. From south to north, it includes a memorial archway (paifang), an imperial stele pavilion, ornamental columns (huabiao), stone statues, a ceremonial gate, the Ling'en Gate (hall gate), the Ling'en Hall (main hall), and the burial mound.



Today, the tomb still has its ornamental columns and five pairs of stone statues. In the autumn of 1917, the canal burst, causing great damage to the tomb. The stone statues were knocked over, and some were washed into the fields. The statues were not straightened and aligned until 1965, but they were pushed over again by the Red Guards in 1966. Luckily, Ma Jingui, a militia leader who had just retired from the army, led the village's young people to stand their ground in front of the tomb and the mosque. He made the Red Guards go to the Dezhou Municipal Committee to get a permit to destroy the Four Olds, which saved the tomb and the mosque.

The Tomb of the Sultan of Sulu in the early 1980s, from Selected Cultural Relics of Zheng He's Voyages.





The Tomb of the Sultan of Sulu in the early 1980s, from Selected Cultural Relics of Zheng He's Voyages.

















The inscription of the imperial decree issued by the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty in 1418 to build a shrine in front of the Tomb of the Eastern King.







The main burial mound of the Eastern King's tomb.



The Tomb of the Sultan of Sulu in the early 1980s, from Selected Cultural Relics of Zheng He's Voyages.



The original tombstone is now kept in the exhibition hall of the west side hall.



Descendants of the Sultan of Sulu settle in Dezhou.

After the Eastern King of Sulu passed away, the Ming Dynasty arranged for his eldest son, Dumahan, to return home to inherit the throne. His second son Andulu, third son Wenhala, his wife Gemuning, and ten servants stayed behind to guard the tomb. This began the life of the Eastern King's descendants as residents in China.

The Ming Dynasty granted the descendants 238 mu of sacrificial land, exempting them from all land taxes. Each person received a monthly stipend of one shi of grain. The government also assigned three Hui Muslim families—the Xia, Ma, and Chen families from Licheng, Shandong—to farm the land and manage the annual memorial services, exempting them from all labor duties.

Later, the descendants of Andulu and Wenhala married into the Xia, Ma, and Chen families. Their descendants took the surnames An and Wen, gradually forming Beiying Village in Dezhou, which consists of the five families of An, Wen, Xia, Ma, and Chen next to the Sultan of Sulu's tomb.

After Andulu, Wenhala, and the wife Gemuning passed away, they were buried to the southeast of the Eastern King.



The Tomb of the Sultan of Sulu in the early 1980s, from Selected Cultural Relics of Zheng He's Voyages.



Andulu was actually the second son, but because the Wen family later produced a prefect named Wen Xianyu, oral tradition gradually shifted the Wen family to be the second son and the An family to be the third.



Division Commander An Shude.

Among the descendants of the An family, the most famous in modern times is Division Commander An Shude. An Shude was the 15th-generation grandson of the Sultan of Sulu. He began following Feng Yuxiang in 1913 and led his troops into the Forbidden City to help expel Puyi during the 1924 Beijing Coup.

In 1928, An Shude was promoted to commander of the 18th Division and served as the garrison commander of Longdong. After the uprising of the young commander Ma Zhongying, An Shude served as the commander-in-chief for the suppression of Ma Zhongying in Qinghai and captured Xining.

After moving into Xining, An Shude placed great importance on Hui Muslim education. He served as the president of the Qinghai Hui Muslim Education Promotion Association and opened the first primary school for Hui Muslim girls in Qinghai.

After the Central Plains War in 1930, An Shude retired from military life to start businesses and renovate the Sultan of Sulu's tomb and the mosque. He passed away in 1950.







On December 3, 1995, the descendant of the eldest son Dumahan and heir to the Sultanate of Sulu, Ismael Kiram, visited the tomb. This was the first meeting between the descendants of the eldest son and the descendants of the second and third sons in hundreds of years.





Beiying Village.

During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the descendants of the Sultan of Sulu built a mosque southwest of the tomb. The Ming Dynasty issued an imperial decree to select one religious leader from the Wen and An families to inherit the lineage and manage the Hui Muslim community. In 1917, the canal burst, and the mosque and the entire Beiying Village were washed away. It was not rebuilt until 1940, which is the building we see today. According to the old imam, the pavilions at the four corners of the mosque were actually used as watchtowers.

After the 1960s, a factory took over the mosque. It was not until June 1980, when the Philippine ambassador to China visited the Tomb of the Sultan of Sulu, that the factory was moved out and the main hall was repaired.













The descendants of the Sultan of Sulu were still considered foreign residents during the Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty, as they lived under the protection of the Sultan and received imperial favors throughout both dynasties. In 1730, the eighth year of the Yongzheng reign, the Sultan of Sulu, Sultan Badaruddin, who was a descendant of the Sultan of Sulu's eldest son, Dumatuh, paid a visit. He first went to the Tomb of the Sultan of Sulu in Dezhou to pay his respects and met the Sultan's descendants, An Ruqi and Wen Chongkai, who asked him to help them become Chinese citizens. Sultan Badaruddin also felt that since they were separated by vast oceans, it would be difficult for them to return, so he petitioned the imperial court to allow them to join China.

In 1731, the ninth year of the Yongzheng reign, the Qing government agreed to let the descendants of the Sultan of Sulu become citizens of Dezhou and officially assigned them the surnames Wen and An. As a result, 193 people, including An Ruqi and Wen Chongkai, were registered as commoners and finally became Chinese citizens.

After becoming citizens, the descendants of the Sultan of Sulu began opening halal snack shops in busy areas of Dezhou like Beichang Street, Shuncheng Street, Xiguan, Qiaokou Street, Xuanhuajiao, and the Rice Market. They usually rented a whole or half storefront, built a stove, and the husband and wife or father and son would make pan-fried flatbread (guobing), sesame flatbread (shaobing), roasted beef, and roasted lamb. They hung a wooden sign with a soup pot symbol in front of the shop, with Arabic script written horizontally and the Chinese characters for Western Regions Hui Muslims and Halal Faith written on it. Today, in the southwest of Beiying Village, there is a braised chicken (paji) shop run by descendants of the An family. We bought braised chicken, chicken gizzards, and chicken livers, and they were especially delicious.









Before the Republic of China era, the life of the villagers in Beiying Village was quite simple: they received regular imperial grants, farmed the sacrificial land, and visited the tomb. Because they were exempt from taxes and labor service, the villagers of Beiying Village lived a peaceful and quiet life like a paradise.

In the first year of the Republic of China, the Tomb of the Sultan of Sulu held its last official memorial ceremony. According to the elders, the magistrate of De County arrived that year in a large sedan chair carried by four men, accompanied by flags, umbrellas, fans, gongs, and long horns. The procession walked in order to the Tomb of the Sultan of Sulu, where they set up a temporary shed and an altar table, with dozens of soldiers guarding the area.

After this, the government took back the 2 qing and 38 mu of sacrificial land and stopped the regular grants, ending the paradise-like life of Beiying Village.

Soon after, Dezhou suffered from the 1917 canal flood. The entire Beiying Village was severely damaged, leaving only nine houses standing. Many villagers survived only because they climbed onto the dome of the Tomb of the Sultan of Sulu to avoid being swept away by the water. After that, the villagers of Beiying Village began to move away one after another, and many girls married Hui Muslims from neighboring counties.

In 1955, the De County government bought the houses of the Beiying villagers at a set price under the name of ethnic minorities returning to their ancestral homes and forced them to move to the rural areas in the suburbs of Xining, Qinghai. The villagers of Beiying packed their bags and left their homes with their families. At that time, the train only went as far as Lanzhou, so they traveled in batches by car, horse-drawn carriage, and on foot to meet in Xining, where they were assigned to work in a commune in the eastern suburbs of Xining.

After the Beiying villagers arrived in Qinghai, some elders passed away because they could not adapt to the local environment. Most people were not used to life in the Northwest and returned to Dezhou one after another within two or three years.

Lamb soup (yangtang) of Beiying Village

Next to the Tomb of the Sultan of Sulu, a new North Camp Ethnic Style Street (Beiying Minzu Fengqing Jie) has been built. It features beef and lamb shops run by the descendants of the Wen family, as well as a whole lamb soup (quanyangtang) shop owned by the Li family. Their lamb soup tastes amazing, though it comes with a lot of green onions and onions. It wasn't until we visited the farmers' market on the site of the old Dezhou Canal cargo yard that we understood why the soup had so many green onions and onions (piyazi). Shandong really has a lot of green onions!





The shop introduction says the owner's uncle, Li Qingyun, was once the manager of the Dezhou Third Restaurant and studied the preparation of whole lamb soup in depth.





Qiaokou Street

Qiaokou Street was the busiest canal market in Dezhou during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Next to it is Xiaoguoshi, another village for Hui Muslims in Dezhou besides Beiying Village. Xiaoguoshi was where pots were unloaded at the canal docks back in the day. From the charity (nietie) notices at the mosque entrance, you can see that descendants of the Sultan of Sulu with the surname An live here, along with the Man and Wan surnames common among Dezhou Hui Muslims.















Nanying Street

Besides the North Camp Hui Muslim village in the north of Dezhou, there is also a South Camp Hui Muslim street in the south. We visited the Dezhou Nanying Mosque before dark. The Nanying Street Mosque was built in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, but unfortunately, it was rebuilt as a concrete structure in 2006.













In the evening, we ate braised goose and fish-flavored eggplant at Guixianglou in Dezhou. Shandong food portions are huge! The goose was really big! The outside of the eggplant was crispy, with a texture a bit like french fries covered in sauce.









Dezhou Section of the Grand Canal

The Dezhou section of the Grand Canal began in 608 (the fourth year of the Daye era of the Sui Dynasty) when Emperor Yang of Sui opened the Yongji Canal. During the Jin Dynasty, the Lingcang granaries were built in Dezhou, making the city an important hub for grain transport storage. In the Yuan Dynasty, the Shandong section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was fully opened, and the volume of grain transport through Dezhou increased year by year. The Dezhou section of the canal in the Qing Dynasty followed the Ming Dynasty model, with comprehensive renovations carried out during the reigns of Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong. Finally, in 1901 (the 27th year of the Guangxu era), the official grain transport system was completely abolished as taxes were converted to silver payments. The imperial court dissolved all canal management agencies and divided the canal's jurisdiction among the provinces.

After the Republic of China was established, the Dezhou section of the canal fell into disrepair. The riverbed gradually silted up and frequently breached its banks until navigation was restored following a project to manage the northern section of the Shandong Canal in 1934. In 1940, the Dezhou-Shijiazhuang Railway opened. Coal from Shanxi was transported east by rail directly to the Dezhou docks for unloading, and the Dezhou section of the canal became busy again.

The Dezhou Power Plant engine room by the canal was built in 1938. It was originally the De County Electric Light Plant, which began operations in July 1938. It shut down during the day and generated power at night, mainly providing electricity for the Japanese barracks and some shops in front of the train station.

In early 1949, the Dezhou City Power Company built a power plant based on the De County Electric Light Plant, which officially began generating power in January 1950. This was also the first thermal power generator in Dezhou. Later, the Dezhou Power Plant renovated and expanded its facilities in 1953 and 1956. After a new thermal power plant was built in 1959, the old power plant gradually stopped operating, but it has kept its 1950s appearance to this day.



After 1949, the Dezhou Port built tracks connecting the Jinpu and Deshi railways, and the canal entered its peak period. The Dezhou Shipping Bureau was established in 1958, and it reached its peak in 1960 with 5,409 employees.

After 1962, several reservoirs were built on the upper reaches of the Zhanghe and Weihe rivers, which were the main water sources for the Dezhou section of the canal. After the Yuecheng Reservoir was completed in 1965, the Zhanghe water was completely blocked, causing the water level in the Shandong section of the canal to drop significantly. This became a turning point for the Dezhou canal port. By 1979, the Dezhou section of the canal finally stopped shipping due to a lack of water. The Dezhou Shipping Bureau was dissolved, and canal shipping in Dezhou became history.

In 1956, the Dezhou canal port began to replace its traditional slope-style docks with wall-style docks. Seven permanent docks were built in 1958, followed by five more loading and unloading docks. These included three reinforced concrete frame docks and two wooden trestle docks, providing 16 berths. By 1960, there were 43 pieces of loading and unloading machinery, creating a mechanized port.

Today, the old canal docks are still preserved and serve as waterfront platforms.



Before 1956, the companies at Dezhou Port from south to north were the Grain Company, the Coal Construction Company, the Shipping Company, and the Cotton and Textile Company, with the Coal Construction Company at the northernmost end. A bit further from the port were the Oil and Fat Company, the Timber Company, the Commercial Storage and Transport Company, and the Department Store. These companies formed a storage cluster at Dezhou Port, and many guard towers were built to protect the warehouses. After the Dezhou Port Management Station was set up in 1956, the area to the south containing the Grain and Coal Construction companies was incorporated into the Dezhou port area. The Cotton and Textile Company remained because it had an advanced cotton baling plant.

Dezhou storage in the 1950s:







The guard tower built by the Cotton and Textile Company in the 1950s not only served as a security post but also marked the boundary between the company and Dezhou Port.



The Dezhou Port of that time connected directly to the Jinpu Railway, allowing canal cargo to be transferred straight to the trains. The building below is the former train station dedicated to Dezhou Port.



This is the remains of the Dezhou Port freight yard.



Around 1963, a dispatch tower was built on the canal bank, and loudspeakers were installed on top. The duty dispatcher would stand in a small glass room on the roof and direct ships through a microphone, while the chief dispatcher and planners coordinated from below. This was a symbol of how busy the Dezhou section of the Grand Canal used to be.



Dezhou's Jiulongwan Park is a rare industrial heritage park. It was originally the first water plant in Dezhou, built in the 1920s. Between 1925 and 1928, while Zhang Zongchang was governor of Shandong, tens of thousands of Fengtian Army troops were stationed in Dezhou to prepare for the Zhili-Fengtian War. To provide drinking water for the troops, Zhang Zongchang built the earliest water supply facility at Jiulongwan by the canal, using the Grand Canal as the water source. Due to military security needs, the water plant was heavily guarded by troops and was known at the time as the Water Camp.

In 1953, the Dezhou State-Owned Water Company opened its first water plant on the site of the old Water Camp (Shuiying). It continued to draw water from the Grand Canal, finally bringing the tap water that many local factories and residents had long dreamed of. After the Dezhou section of the Grand Canal dried up in 1966, the water plant gradually shut down. It is now an industrial heritage park where you can see exactly how tap water was produced 60 years ago.





Raw water from the canal was first pre-settled before entering the water-jet clarifier. Workers added water treatment agents to create flocculated water, then used mechanical force to speed up the reaction.



The water then flowed into filter tanks. Granular materials like quartz sand trapped particles to remove suspended impurities, organic matter, bacteria, and germs before the filtered water was disinfected.





The finished water flowed into a clear water reservoir, where a pump station pressurized it into the supply network to serve the city.





The 1960 diesel engine stands as the final witness to the Dezhou section of the canal.

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Summary: This China Mosque Travel Guide keeps the original 2016 Cangzhou travel notes intact while making the route clear for Muslim readers. It is useful for China Muslim travel tips, halal food in China, Chinese Muslim food, and old mosque heritage in Hebei.

I visited the Hui Muslim community in Cangzhou twice, on November 26, 2016, and March 25, 2017. I will share my experiences here. Some information in this article comes from the book Cangzhou Hui Muslims by Wu Piqing.

The high-speed train from Beijing South Station to Cangzhou West Station takes only 50 minutes. At Beijing South Station, there is a fast-track entrance for the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway right at the subway exit. You can swipe your card to leave the subway and head straight to the train, which is very convenient.

When you leave Cangzhou West Station, you can take a metered taxi. It costs about a dozen yuan and takes 20 minutes to reach the mosque. When Cangzhou locals talk about the mosque, they usually mean the North Great Mosque (Qingzhen Beidasi) on the main street. It is the most magnificent mosque in Cangzhou. Once at the mosque, I first went to eat the famous Wu's All-Beef Soup (Wu Ji Quan Niu Tang).

From Wu's All-Beef Soup to the Cangzhou Hui Muslim district.

Wu's All-Beef Soup has cost fifty yuan a bowl for years. Don't let the price scare you; once you see the amount of beef, you will know it is worth it. You take dried beef from the counter and dip it in the boiling soup. The beef soup is incredibly delicious, and the beef is very fragrant. It keeps you full for a long time. You can eat all the flatbreads you want there. I chose this long, multi-grain flatbread, which goes perfectly with the soup.













After finishing the beef soup, I have to talk a bit about the Wu family of Cangzhou. The Wu family is an important branch of the Hui Muslims in Cangzhou, and they are closely linked to the city's history.

Like many canal cities, Cangzhou has had Hui Muslim merchants settling down with their families since the Yuan Dynasty. However, the Cangzhou city of that time was not the one we see today. It was located at the Old Prefecture City ruins, 20 kilometers southeast of the current city, where the famous Cangzhou Iron Lion stands.

In 1399, during the Jingnan Campaign, the Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, captured the old Cangzhou city. He killed thousands of surrendered soldiers and tens of thousands of residents, destroying the entire city. The Prince of Yan's sweep to the north became a major turning point in Cangzhou's history.

In 1404, after the war, Cangzhou began to rebuild. Zhu Di, who had gone from Prince of Yan to the Yongle Emperor, ordered the city moved to Changlu by the Grand Canal. He brought in residents from Shanxi, Shandong, and Anhui to settle there, forming the new Cangzhou city.

Just one year before the city was rebuilt, in 1403, the Wu family ancestor, Zuoyong, was appointed as the Assistant Prefect of the Cangzhou Salt Transport Commission in Hejian Prefecture, Zhili. He moved to Cangzhou from Shexian, Anhui. Cangzhou borders the Bohai Sea to the east and has had a thriving salt industry since ancient times. The Cangzhou Salt Transport Commission, established in the early Ming Dynasty, managed the local salt trade. The salt fields were located by the Grand Canal west of Cangzhou city. Transport was very convenient and cost-effective, making the salt popular along the canal.

a descendant of the Wu family, Wu Zhong, founded the famous Wu-style Baji martial arts during the reigns of the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors, becoming the pride of Cangzhou's Hui Muslims.

Cangzhou North Great Mosque.

The area south of the city gate was an important passage to the canal. Most Hui Muslim artisans and small vendors chose to live there. In 1420, the Cangzhou North Great Mosque was built in the south of the city on land donated by the Wu family ancestor Yongzuo, marking the formal establishment of the Cangzhou Hui Muslim community.





The Fatimah Auntie Festival (Fatumei Gutai Hui), one of the two major festivals and two major gatherings in North China.





































The North Mosque (Beidasi) in Cangzhou is grand, but it was badly damaged in the 1908 earthquake, which caused the main hall to tilt toward the south. Local legend says a famous Cangzhou craftsman named Master Jiang Ba dismantled the four walls of the hall, straightened the structure, and restored it. During the Cultural Revolution, the Cangzhou Instrument Factory took over the North Mosque. They tore down the hall and the south lecture hall, burned historic plaques, smashed the roof of the main hall, and removed the front gate.

The North Mosque was only fully repaired after the factory moved out in 1989. Its layout changed quite a bit to reach its current form.





Halal food near the North Mosque

There are many small shops on both sides of the North Mosque gate. I bought some local specialty crispy candy (sutang) at the Wangji Crispy Candy and Pastry Shop. I only got to eat this during the Chinese New Year when I was a kid, so it brings back many memories.











Horseshoe-shaped crispy pastry (matisu) bought at the pastry department of the Cangzhou Halal Food Factory.













The halal red bean buns (doubao) next to the North Mosque are delicious. I bought a bunch both times I visited.















Women's Mosque (Qingzhen Nüsi)

Across from the North Mosque is the Women's Mosque, which was first built in 1666 (the fifth year of the Kangxi reign). The Women's Mosque used to be called the Inner City Mosque (Chengli Qingzhensi), and it was separated from the North Mosque by the south city wall of Cangzhou. The Inner City Mosque faced a similar fate to the North Mosque, suffering near-total destruction in the 1960s and 70s before being restored in the 1980s. In 1986, the Inner City Mosque became the Women's Mosque. It was rebuilt in 1993 to look the way it does today.









The Hui Muslim district in the south of Cangzhou city

South of the North Mosque is the Hui Muslim district. Although the houses have been rebuilt, the original street layout remains.













Halal food on Minzu Street

The heart of the southern Hui Muslim district is the Minzu Street food market, which is packed with all kinds of Hui Muslim snacks.

The East Mosque (Dongsi) is at the east end of the street.







Liuji pine nut chicken legs (songhuajitui) are chicken sausages stuffed with pine nut jelly. They go perfectly with flatbread (laobing) or steamed buns (mantou).

















This is the third place outside of Beijing and Tianjin where I have had tea soup (chatang). The version in Cangzhou came from Tianjin along the Grand Canal, but this shop uses more ingredients and has a stronger flavor.













I bought two bags of five-spice peanuts. The black ones are addictive when eaten with tea.







































I walked all the way to the west end of Minzu Street and had a pizza at Oumale.







Botou Yang family sesame flatbread (shaobing)

I bought sugar-filled triangular flatbreads (tang sanjiao shaobing) and black rice crispy flatbreads (heimi su shaobing) at the Cangzhou branch of Botou Yang Family Flatbreads (Yangjia shaobing).

Yang Yongchang, the founder of Yang Family Flatbreads, opened a roadside inn called Yongchang Store in the ancient canal town of Botou, south of Cangzhou, in the 1930s. He started making flatbreads then and continued until the business was closed during the public-private partnership transition in 1956. In 1979, Yang Family Flatbreads reopened. It became a Cangzhou municipal-level intangible cultural heritage site and developed many new varieties that taste as delicious as pastries.









The Grand Canal in Cangzhou.

The canal wharf is not far from the west side of the Hui Muslim district in the south of the city. In 1411 (the ninth year of the Yongle reign), the Ming Dynasty cleared the silted-up section of the Grand Canal known as the Huitong River. This reopened the north-south water transport route, and the new Cangzhou city, which had moved from the old state city, became a hub for water transport.

At that time, many Hui Muslims made their living directly from water transport. The wealthiest boat owners rented out their ships or hired people for transport. Ordinary small boat owners made a living by ferrying, while the poorest Hui Muslims survived by pulling boats along the riverbank or carrying cargo at the wharf.

The convenience of water transport naturally led to a boom in business. Before the July 7th Incident, there were over five hundred halal restaurants in Cangzhou city. These included large establishments like Qinghua Restaurant and Tianqing Hall, as well as large tea houses like Wancheng Tea House. There were also various banks and grocery stores run by Hui Muslims, marking the peak of commercial activity for Cangzhou's Hui Muslims. (The Influence of the Canal on the Formation and Development of Hui Muslim Settlements in Cangzhou)

Until the 1960s, cargo ships still traveled constantly along the South Canal, and water transport in Cangzhou remained prosperous. However, by the 1970s, the water source for the South Canal channel deteriorated sharply and could no longer provide the water volume needed for transport, so the Cangzhou water transport wharves were abandoned.









Cangzhou has many Hui Muslim martial artists and schools. Besides the previously mentioned Wu-style Kaimen Baji Quan, there is also the famous Cha-Hua Quan. Cha-Hua Quan was created by Hui Muslims Cha Shangyi, Hua Zongqi, and Wu Dianzhang. It is also called Huihui Quan and is very popular among Hui Muslims in Shandong and Hebei.

Wang Yuanxiang from Cangzhou is a fifth-generation successor of the Cha-Hua school and is skilled in using the long spear (daxing qiang). The longest spear in the picture below is the one he donated to the Cangzhou Museum.



Practicing Cha-Hua Quan often requires the use of stone weights (shidun). The stone weight below was also donated by Wang Yuanxiang.







The religious exhibition cabinet at the Cangzhou Museum.





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Summary: This Muslim travel guide China 2026 update keeps the original 2017 Jiayuanli travel notes intact and easy to read. It also helps readers looking for halal food in China, Chinese Muslim food, mosque visits, and Hui Muslim neighborhoods in Tianjin.

On January 7, 2017, I went to Jiayuanli in Tianjin to explore and eat.

After the 1990s, the Hui Muslim community in the Northwest Corner of Tianjin began to be demolished. Many Hui Muslims moved to Jiayuanli by the North Canal, forming a new Hui Muslim community there. In 1999, a halal night market opened in Jiayuanli, and more and more Hui Muslim snacks began to appear.

The easiest way to get to Jiayuanli from Beijing is to take the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway and get off at Tianjin West Station. Exit the station, transfer to Line 1 toward Liuyuan, and get off at Guojiuchang. The Jiayuanli community commercial street is right outside the subway station.

My food tour of Jiayuanli officially began. After walking inside for a while, I saw a stall selling seaweed rice rolls (gimbap). I bought a box of egg yolk and tuna seaweed rice rolls and a box of beef floss. When I was very young, I used to put a layer of meat floss on my porridge in the morning. I really miss that feeling.

















I kept walking and bought some fried dough twists (liaohuo) and jujube cake. The jujube cake was incredibly delicious and had a very traditional taste. It made me feel like all the jujube cake I had eaten over the years was a waste. Then I bought half a jin of vegetable meatballs, half carrot and half dried radish.

















I ate steamed dumplings at Shiji Jinling Steamed Bun Shop, served with corn grits and rice porridge. The steamed dumplings were amazing. I ate eight in one go and didn't want to stop. Every time I burped, I could taste the beef filling, which was very satisfying. The following are some casual photos of the street scene in Jiayuanli.















Jiayuanli Mosque





Snapshots of the South Canal in Tianjin during winter









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Summary: Muslim Travel Guide Indonesia Solo: Central Java Palaces, Mosques and Muslim Heritage is presented here as a clear Muslim travel account, beginning with this scene: In our last article, The Lost Ancient Capital of Java: Kotagede, we introduced how the Mataram Sultanate became the most powerful Islamic kingdom on Java in the first half of the 17th century. The account keeps its focus on Solo Mosques, Indonesia Muslim Travel, Central Java while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

In our last article, The Lost Ancient Capital of Java: Kotagede, we introduced how the Mataram Sultanate became the most powerful Islamic kingdom on Java in the first half of the 17th century. However, after the third ruler, Sultan Agung (reigned 1613-1645), passed away, the royal family fell into a power struggle. After the 1670s, the Dutch East India Company used power struggles within the Mataram Sultanate to slowly tighten its control over Central Java.

Moving the capital to Solo

In 1726, the last Mataram Sultan, Pakubuwana II, took the throne. In 1740, a massacre of Chinese people broke out in the Dutch East India Company headquarters of Batavia (Jakarta), and chaos quickly spread across the entire island of Java. In 1741, Chinese armed forces entered Central Java and began to besiege Semarang, the capital of the Dutch East India Company in the region. Sultan Pakubuwana II chose to help the Chinese fight the Dutch East India Company, so he sent his army to join the siege of Semarang. However, as Dutch reinforcements arrived, the Chinese-Javanese alliance was pushed back repeatedly. Sultan Pakubuwana II had to negotiate with the Dutch, hoping to trade the entire northern coast of Java for peace.

As the negotiations went on, both the Javanese and the Chinese began to turn against Sultan Pakubuwana II. On June 30, 1742, the Chinese-Javanese alliance captured Kartasura, the capital of the Mataram Sultanate, and Sultan Pakubuwono II was forced to flee. On December 14, 1742, Sultan Pakubuwono II returned to the capital with Dutch help, but the palace had been destroyed and the city was considered cursed. Because of this, Sultan Pakubuwono II decided to move the capital.

On February 17, 1745, Sultan Pakubuwono II officially moved the capital to Solo (Surakarta), which became the final capital of the Mataram Sultanate. By this time, most of the Mataram Sultanate's territory had been handed over to the Dutch East India Company, and all official appointments required Dutch approval. Sultan Pakubuwono II had become a Dutch puppet. At the same time, the Mataram Sultanate was constantly splitting apart from within.

Surakarta Sunanate

The first to rebel was Raden Mas Said, the grandson of Mataram Sultan Amangkurat III. In 1746, Prince Mangkubumi, the brother of Sultan Pakubuwono II, also joined the rebellion. The Sultan died in 1749, and before he passed away, he entrusted the Dutch East India Company to handle state affairs. In 1755, the Dutch East India Company represented the successor, Sultan Pakubuwono III, in negotiations with Prince Mangkubumi. A treaty was finally signed, splitting the Mataram Sultanate into two parts: the Yogyakarta Sultanate and the Surakarta Sunanate. Solo officially became the capital of the Surakarta Sunanate.

During the Dutch East Indies era, the Surakarta Sunanate and the Yogyakarta Sultanate both enjoyed autonomous status and were considered vassal states of the Dutch Empire. During the reign of Pakubuwono X (who ruled from 1893 to 1939), the prestige and power of the Surakarta Sunanate reached its peak. He understood the colonial economy much better than any of his predecessors. He raised funds by leasing land to European developers and buying shares in commercial real estate. He led the construction of many buildings and infrastructure projects in the city of Solo, and brought water and electricity to many parts of the Sunanate, earning him widespread respect.

The Republic of Indonesia was declared in 1945, and in 1946 an anti-monarchy movement broke out, stripping the Sunan of Solo of his ruling power and incorporating the Sunanate into Central Java Province. Although he has no real power, the Sunan of Solo still holds royal authority and a special status in maintaining traditional Javanese culture, and he remains highly prestigious.

1. Solo Palace: 1745

The Solo Palace (Kraton Surakarta Hadiningrat) is a massive complex with gardens and courtyards that served as the royal seat for the Mataram Sultanate and the Sunanate of Solo. The Solo court played an important role in developing and preserving traditional Javanese culture, and people call this place the center of Javanese culture.

In 1743, the last Sultan of the Mataram Sultanate, Pakubuwana II, began building a new capital in the village of Sala, 20 kilometers southeast of the old capital, Kartasura. The Sultan's palace was completed in 1744, and the village of Sala was renamed Solo (Surakarta, also known as Solo).

In 1745, the Mataram Sultanate officially moved its capital to Solo, and the Solo Palace became the final palace of this once-powerful Islamic kingdom on Java island. During the preparations for the move, the Sultan took all the wealth from the old capital of Kartasura, even including various flowers and trees.

After the Sunanate of Solo was established in 1755, the palace remained the seat of the Sunan's court. Today, most of the palace area is still occupied by the Sunan and is not open to the public; only a portion is open as a museum, displaying various gifts, weapons, and carriages collected by the Sunan.

The main architect of the Solo Palace was Pangeran Mangkubumi (who later ascended the throne as Sultan Hamengkubuwana I), who was also the main architect of the Yogyakarta Palace, so the basic spatial layout of the two palaces is very similar. The Solo Palace underwent large-scale renovations and expansions during the reign of Pakubuwana X (reigned 1893-1939). These buildings belong to a Javanese-European fusion style, with blue and white as the main color scheme. Some of the buildings were destroyed by a fire in 1985 and were later restored.

1. Pagelaran Pavilion

The northernmost building of the Solo Palace is a pavilion (pendapo) called Pagelaran, where the Sunan received courtiers during ceremonies and festivals. Many cannons are placed in front of the palace, the most famous of which was built by the Mataram Sultanate's most famous ruler, Sultan Agung (reigned 1613-1645), and moved here in 1744 by the last Sultan, Pakubuwana II.









2. Kori Brajanala Gate

Kori Brajanala is the gate connecting the north and south sections of the palace, built by Sunan Pakubuwana III. The gate roof uses the Semar Tinandu style, and there are guard rooms on both sides. A clock tower (Jam Panggung) was built on one side of the gate, which used to ring once every hour.





3. Kori Kamandungan Gate

Kori Kamandungan is the main palace gate. It is a three-door structure (Kori Kupu Tarung) built by Pakubuwana III in 1819 and later rebuilt by Pakubuwana X. The word Kamandungan comes from "mandong," which means "to stop." Anyone entering the palace must stop here for a moment to prepare their body and mind. Large mirrors are mounted on the gate walls so people can tidy their appearance before entering the palace.

Palace guards stand at the gate. The area behind the gate is still occupied by the Sunan and his family and is not open to the public.

From outside the gate, you can see the Panggung Songgo Buwono tower inside. It was built in 1782 and stands 30 meters tall with 5 levels. The tower caught fire in November 1954, was rebuilt at the end of September 1959, and was renovated again in May 1978. The top of the tower was once square, but it was later rebuilt into an octagon. The top is decorated with a Sengkala (Javanese clock Candra Sangkala). This tower serves as a place for the Sunan to meditate, a high point to observe the Dutch fort outside the city, and a spot to sight the moon during Ramadan.









There is a pair of guardian statues (Dvarapala) in front of the gate. Dvarapala originated as gate gods in Hinduism and Buddhism. In Javanese culture, they usually appear as giant, fierce-looking asuras holding a vajra.





4. Garden Museum

Part of the side garden has been turned into a museum, displaying a collection of artifacts including statues, weapons, royal treasures, and carriages. However, the exhibits have almost no descriptions and are not in good condition.



















5. Sasana Mulya Prince's Residence

A series of royal buildings are scattered around the palace. I visited a building called Sasana Mulya, built by Pakubuwana III as a residence for the Sunan's princes and their descendants. The royal family often gathers here, and the palace also hosts weddings at this location.

Today, it is also a practice space for traditional Solo song and dance, and related traditional cultural events are held here every week.













6. Around the Palace

Inside the walls of the Solo palace, there is a two-story watchtower.







A building next to the palace shows a typical blend of Dutch colonial and Javanese styles.



On the streets near the palace, there are horse-drawn carriage tours.







The outer walls and gates of the Solo palace.





2. Solo Grand Mosque (Masjid Agung Surakarta)

The Solo Grand Mosque is located north of the palace. It was built by Sunan Pakubuwana III in 1763 and finished in 1768. The Solo Grand Mosque serves as both a Friday mosque and a royal mosque. Many Islamic ceremonies for the Solo court take place here, the most important being the Prophet's Birthday (Sekaten). During Sekaten, two sets of large gamelan instruments (Gangsa Sekaten) are moved from the Solo palace storage to the mosque courtyard. One set was made in 1810. Traditional Javanese gamelan music is performed here except during prayer times.

The Solo Grand Mosque is a classic example of traditional Javanese mosque architecture. The main hall has a three-tiered pyramid-shaped roof called a Tajug. This structure comes from Indian and Chinese cultures and existed before Islam reached Java. It shows how Indonesian Islam blends with local culture. The decoration at the very top of the roof is called a Mustoko or Memolo. Traditional Mustoko are made of clay, but the ones at the Solo Grand Mosque have been replaced with Indian-style domes. During the reign of Pakubuwono X, the roof of the main hall was covered in gold, but other materials replaced it later.

The main hall does not use walls for support. Instead, it uses four pillars called Soko Guru that connect to the roof.

The front porch (Serambi) is located in front of the main hall and is connected to it. The front porch is mainly used for shade and shelter from rain. People also pray there during Friday congregational prayers.



















Early traditional Javanese mosques rarely had minarets. Instead, they used a large drum (Bedug) inside the front porch to call people to prayer. Today, the Solo Grand Mosque has an Indian Mughal-style minaret built in 1928 by Sunan Pakubuwono XI.





3. Mangkunegara Palace (Pura Mangkunegaran)

In 1757, Raden Mas Said, a rebel from the Mataram Sultanate, surrendered to the Solo Sunanate. He signed an agreement with the Dutch East India Company to establish the Mangkunegaran princely state near Solo and took the name Mangkunegara I. That same year, he built the Mangkunegara Palace (Pura Mangkunegaran) in Solo.

After Indonesia gained independence, Mangkunegara VIII announced in 1946 that he would join the Republic of Indonesia. Although he lost his ruling power in later movements, he and the Solo Sunan still hold cultural status and prestige.

The palace is now open to the public as a tourist site. Once inside, English-speaking guides are available to show you around.

The main building of the palace is a traditional Javanese pavilion called a Pendopo Ageng. It was built in 1815 by Mangkunegara II (reigned 1796-1835) and later expanded by Mangkunegara IV (reigned 1853-1881). It became the largest pavilion in Indonesia at the time and can hold 10,000 people.

The roof of the Pendopo Ageng is a trapezoidal pyramid shape called a Joglo, and the entrance features Dutch colonial-style decorations. Inside the pavilion, there are chandeliers installed in 1866, and the floor is covered in marble. Traditional Javanese song and dance performances are held here regularly.













Behind the main hall (Pendopo) is a rectangular area called Pringgitan. It was built during the reign of Mankunugoro II to welcome royal guests.







Further back is the Dalem Agen hall, which features a pyramid-shaped Jogro roof. This 1,000-square-meter building was once the royal inner court. It now serves as an exhibition hall for royal heirlooms, though photography is not allowed.

Behind the Dalem Agen hall is the royal residence. It is now the home of the Mank Nugoro family, the descendants of the royals, and part of it is open as a museum.

The palace backyard is filled with ornamental plants, European-style statues, fountains, and birdcages.

The octagonal building Pracimoyasa (Dalem Veranda) overlooks the garden. It has a traditional Javanese three-tiered roof and contains elegant European furniture and candelabra chandeliers. This area served as the royal dining room, dressing room, and bathroom.



















The palace collection includes headpieces worn for traditional Javanese dances, as well as stained glass windows painted with figures in traditional Javanese clothing.

















To the east in front of the palace is the headquarters for the Mangkunegaran infantry and cavalry. It is a fortress-style building constructed in 1874.

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Summary: Muslim Travel Guide Indonesia Yogyakarta: Sultanate Palaces, Mosques and Islamic Heritage is presented here as a clear Muslim travel account, beginning with this scene: In our last article, The Lost Ancient Capital of Java: Kotagede, we introduced how the Mataram Sultanate became the most powerful Islamic kingdom on Java in the first half of the 17th century. The account keeps its focus on Yogyakarta Mosques, Indonesia Muslim Travel, Sultanate Palaces while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

In our last article, The Lost Ancient Capital of Java: Kotagede, we introduced how the Mataram Sultanate became the most powerful Islamic kingdom on Java in the first half of the 17th century. However, after the third ruler, Sultan Agung (reigned 1613-1645), passed away, the royal family fell into a power struggle. After the 1670s, the Dutch East India Company used these power struggles to tighten their control, eventually splitting the Mataram Sultanate into the Yogyakarta Sultanate and the Surakarta Sunanate in 1755. After Indonesia declared independence in 1945, the Sultan of Yogyakarta pledged loyalty to the Indonesian government, and the sultanate became the Special Region of Yogyakarta, with the Sultan serving as governor. The governorship is hereditary, has no term limit, and is not appointed by the Indonesian government, making it the only region in Indonesia currently ruled by a sultan.

Table of Contents

1. Yogyakarta Palace: 1755

1. North Section

2. South Section

2. Yogyakarta Water Castle: 1758-1765

1. Segaran Lake Area

2. Bathing Area

3. Great Mosque of Yogyakarta: 1773

4. Royal Dining Hall: 1916

5. Sultan of Yogyakarta's Hat

1. Yogyakarta Palace: 1755

In 1755, the third war of succession for the Mataram Sultanate ended. The Dutch East India Company signed a treaty with two princes of the Mataram Sultanate, Mangkubumi and Pakubuwono III, to establish the Yogyakarta Sultanate and the Surakarta Sultanate. Prince Mangkubumi then became the founding Sultan of the Yogyakarta Sultanate, known as Hamengkubuwono I.

After becoming Sultan, Hamengkubuwono I chose a banyan forest between two rivers in Yogyakarta to build his palace. The Yogyakarta Palace (Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat) has since served as the residence for ten sultans over 264 years.

Most of the existing palace buildings were renovated during the reign of Sultan Hamengkubuwono VIII (reigned 1921-1939) in the first half of the 20th century, and some parts were repaired again after the 2006 earthquake.

1. North Section

The Yogyakarta Palace site is currently divided into north and south sections, and you need to buy separate tickets for each. The main gate between the two sections only opens during official events, so you have to use the side gate on normal days.

The northernmost building is called Bangsal Pagelaran, where official ceremonies are held. When I visited, there was a royal manuscript exhibition, but photography was forbidden.







The Siti Hinggil in the south is where grand court ceremonies take place, and every Sultan of Yogyakarta has been crowned here. In 1949, the Netherlands officially recognized Indonesia's independence, and Indonesia's founding father, Sukarno, was officially inaugurated as president here.







2. South Section

Further south is the Kamandhungan, commonly known as Keben, which was used by the Sultan to pass death sentences in the past. This is currently the main gate to the southern part of the palace, and the ticket office is located here. After buying a ticket to enter the southern section, you reach Sri Manganti. This was once used to receive VIP guests, and now it hosts performances of gamelan music, wayang shadow puppetry, Javanese poetry, and classical dance almost every morning.





The Traju Mas Ward to the east of Keben was once the place where the Sultan welcomed guests. It collapsed during the 2006 earthquake and was not fully restored until 2010.



South of Keben is the Donopratopo gate, which has a pair of guardian statues called Dvarapala in front of it. Dvarapala originated as gate gods in Hinduism and Buddhism. In Javanese culture, they usually appear as giant, fierce-looking asuras holding a vajra.





After passing through the Donopratopo gate, you enter the Kedhaton area, the heart of the palace. Only part of this area is open to the public, as the rest serves as the living quarters for the Sultan's family. The courtyard is covered in sand from the southern beach, where royal servants (Abdi-Dalem) stand barefoot.











There are currently 2,640 royal servants in the Yogyakarta palace, and they all wear traditional Yogyakarta attire. You can buy the Blangkon hats worn by these servants right inside the palace. A Blangkon is a traditional batik headpiece for men from central and eastern Java. Legend says that Java island was once ruled by a giant named Dewata Cengkar. Dewata Cengkar often demanded human sacrifices, and the people were terrified of him. A man named Aji Saka volunteered to be sacrificed. He said to the giant, 'Great King of Java, I have only one wish before I die.' 'I want a piece of land as big as my headcloth.' The giant agreed to the request, so Aji Saka asked the giant to hold one end of the headcloth. The headcloth kept growing larger, and the giant kept stepping back until he reached the sea, where Aji Saka kicked him into the water. After defeating the giant, the people elected Aji Saka as the new King of Java, and the Blangkon he wore became a symbol of the Javanese people.

A more credible view is that after the 8th century, as more Indian Muslim merchants came to Java to trade, the combination of their turbans and Javanese batik created the Javanese Iket headcloth. The Blangkon is actually a more practical version of the Iket headcloth. The earliest headcloths required a complex tying process. Over time, people fixed the cloth into a set shape, creating a hat that did not need to be tied, which is the Blangkon.

The most common types of Blangkon are the Yogyakarta style and the Solo style. The Yogyakarta Blangkon is known for the Mondholan, a bulge on the back. In ancient times, Javanese men tied their long hair at the back of their heads. When wearing a Blangkon, they would wrap their hair tightly, creating this bulge. Because Solo was deeply influenced by Dutch colonialism, the locals stopped growing their hair long, so the back of the Solo Blangkon is flat.







The east-facing Kencono Ward (Golden Pavilion) is the main hall of the palace and the site for various royal ceremonies.



The railings are carved with Batara Kala, the Javanese Hindu god of the underworld, who is also the god of time and destruction. In traditional Javanese mythology, Batara Kala eating the sun is the cause of solar eclipses. Legend says Batara Kala is the son of Batara Guru, the Javanese version of the god Shiva. In a moment of uncontrollable desire, Batara Guru had relations with his beautiful wife, Dewi Uma, on the back of a sacred cow. Uma felt very ashamed, and after being cursed, she took on the appearance of a monster. Therefore, the child she gave birth to, Batara Kala, also had a monster's appearance.



The railings are carved with the snake god Naga from Hindu and Buddhist culture. The Naga of Java and Bali is a crowned snake, representing a blend of the Hindu Shiva tradition and the native Javanese animist snake tradition. In the 9th century, the Javanese Naga looked like a cobra. After the 15th century, it was influenced by the Chinese dragon, though it lacks claws.



Batik





Some buildings





A palanquin used during Sultanate court processions







South of the Kedhaton is the Kamagangan Gate, which features statues of two Naga snake gods. Beyond the Kamagangan Gate is outside the palace grounds. This area was once used to train and test retainers, and the Magangan Ward in the middle of the courtyard is the site for the Bedhol Songsong puppet ceremony.



The palace walls of the Yogyakarta Palace



2. Yogyakarta Water Castle: 1758-1765

The Yogyakarta Water Palace (Taman Sari) is the garden harem of the Sultan of Yogyakarta. It was built in 1758 by order of the founding Sultan Hamengkubuwono I, and the architect was Tumenggung Mangundipura. Tumenggung Mangundipura traveled to the Dutch East India Company headquarters in Batavia (Old Jakarta) twice to study European architecture, so the buildings in the Water Palace blend Javanese and Dutch styles.

The Water Palace was finished in 1765, featuring a mosque, meditation rooms, bathing areas, 18 water gardens and pavilions, and a complex water system, but these designs were neglected after Sultan Hamengkubuwono I died in 1791. The Water Palace was damaged during the British invasion of Yogyakarta in 1812 and again during the Java War from 1825 to 1830.

After an earthquake in 1867, the palace complex was completely abandoned, local residents began building homes on the ruins, and the dried-up lake was gradually filled in. Parts of the Water Palace were restored after the 1970s, but only the bathing area was fully repaired.

1. Segaran Lake Area

The main buildings of the Water Palace sit around an artificial lake called Segaran (artificial sea).

In the middle of Segaran lake is an island called Kenongo (magnolia island), which used to be covered in magnolia flowers. A building called Gedhong Kenongo stood on the island and was once the largest structure in the Water Palace, but it was severely damaged in the 1867 earthquake.

















Before the 1859 earthquake



After the 1867 earthquake

There is an underwater tunnel on the south side of Kenongo island that connects to the land. The underwater tunnel built in 1761 still exists today, and it has a row of ventilation structures called Tajug on top.







The entrance to the underwater tunnel on Kenongo island.



On the west side of Kenongo island is an artificial island made of a single building, the Sumur Gumuling mosque, which can only be reached through the underwater tunnel.









The exit of the underwater tunnel at the Sumur Gumuling mosque.



2. Bathing Area

The bathing area is on the south side of Segaran lake; it was not the most important building back then, but it is the best-preserved part of the Water Palace today.

The bathing area has east and west gates decorated with detailed flower and bird patterns. The west gate is called Gedhong Gapura Hageng, built in 1765; it was once the main entrance to the bathing area but is now closed.



The east gate is called Gedhong Gapura Panggung, built in 1758; it is now the visitor entrance to the bathing area and features two Naga (serpent deity) statues on the gate.







Umbul Pasiraman is the central bathing area for the royal family, surrounded by lounges and changing rooms for the Sultan, his daughters, and his concubines, with the tallest tower serving as the spot where the Sultan watched his harem bathe. In the past, only women were allowed to enter the central bathing area, except for the Sultan himself.











3. Great Mosque of Yogyakarta: 1773

The Great Mosque of Yogyakarta (Masjid Gedhe Kauman) sits northwest of the Yogyakarta Palace. Built in 1773, it serves as the royal mosque for the Sultan of Yogyakarta.

The Great Mosque of Yogyakarta features a classic traditional Javanese mosque style. The mosque has no minaret. Its main structure consists of a prayer hall and a front porch called a serambi. The roof of the prayer hall features an ornament called a Mustaka.









The front porch of the prayer hall.





Inside the prayer hall, the mihrab and the pulpit (minbar) both show a strong Javanese style. There is also a cage-like structure called a Maxura, which is where the Sultan of Yogyakarta prays.





The pulpit (minbar).







The place where the Sultan prays.



The mihrab.



4. Royal Dining Hall: 1916

Located next to the Yogyakarta Sultan's Palace, nDalem Joyokusuman was the home of Prince Gusti Haryo Haji Joyokusumo. It is now open as a cultural center and restaurant. I ate Nasi Blawong and Telo ijo here. Nasi Blawong is a specialty dish of the Sultan of Yogyakarta. It was once only served at the Sultan's birthday banquets, and the reddish Blawong rice used in it is considered sacred. Telo ijo is a cassava pastry drizzled with pandan coconut milk.





nDalem Joyokusuman was built in 1916 during the reign of the eighth Sultan of Yogyakarta, Hamengkubuwono VIII, and has been occupied by members of the Sultan's family ever since. Peringgitan is the inner hall behind the main living room. It is where the prince's family held activities and displayed valuable gifts the prince received.



Sentong Kiwo in picture 4 was originally a guest room and now serves as an exhibition hall.



The area in the courtyard where gamelan music is performed.



A photo of the prince's family when they were young.







5. Sultan of Yogyakarta's Hat

I bought a hat at Beringharjo Market in Yogyakarta that locals wear for weddings. It is based on the crown from the Yogyakarta Sultan's court.







Sultan Hamengkubuwono VII of Yogyakarta, photographed in 1885.



Members of the Yogyakarta Sultan's royal family, photographed in 1885.



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Summary: Muslim Travel Guide Beijing Huairou: Mountain Courtyard Mosque, Hui Village and Halal Food is presented here as a clear Muslim travel account, beginning with this scene: Following a recommendation from a friend (dosti), I visited the halal Juzi Homestay inside the Xiangshui Lake Great Wall scenic area in Huairou. The account keeps its focus on Huairou Mosque, Beijing Muslim Travel, Hui Village while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

Following a recommendation from a friend (dosti), I visited the halal Juzi Homestay inside the Xiangshui Lake Great Wall scenic area in Huairou. The owner is a Hui Muslim from Dongzhimen and his wife is a Hui Muslim from Tongzhou. They originally rented the courtyard in the mountains just for fun, but they loved the environment so much they decided to stay and open this homestay, making it easy for other friends (dosti) to experience farm life in the mountains near Beijing.

Xiangshui Lake Great Wall is located behind the Mutianyu Great Wall, and you can reach it by road from both Changping and Huairou. We took the Changping route on our way there, stopping first at Qingcheng Restaurant, a Hohhot-style eatery on Changping West Ring Road, to have some Inner Mongolian food. The original Qingcheng Restaurant opened in 1994 and has been running for 28 years. We ordered oat noodle cones (youmian wowo) served with a hot lamb and mushroom soup, along with a cold cucumber and carrot soup; dipping the noodles in the soup was very flavorful. We also ordered stir-fried oat noodles (chao youmian), braised chicken chunks, and stir-fried lamb offal (baochao yangza). Their stir-fried lamb offal is really special! It is stir-fried until crispy with a slightly sweet taste, and it is so delicious you cannot stop eating it. Just a heads-up, there are quite a few people who smoke there, so be careful if you are bothered by cigarette smoke.



















After lunch, we drove into the mountains. The mountains in Changping are full of vendors selling horse-tooth dates (maya zao) and walnuts; the mountain dates are especially sweet! Behind me in the photo is Grandma's own date orchard.



After crossing mountains and ridges, we finally arrived at the Xiangshui Lake Great Wall. If you are staying at the homestay, you do not need to buy a ticket; just tell the security guard at the entrance and you can drive right in. After passing the main scenic area and going through a canyon, you reach Zhuanghu Village, where the homestay is located. It really feels like a hidden paradise.

The canyon between the scenic area and the homestay.



I put down my luggage and went for a walk. The mountains are very quiet in the evening, and the valley is filled with walnut trees.



















In the evening, we had grilled rainbow trout, stir-stir-fried meat with garlic sprouts, fried steamed bun slices (zha mantou pian), and dough drop soup (geda tang) at the homestay. Their rainbow trout is truly delicious, and the meat is so tender it flakes like garlic cloves.













At night, the owner grilled in the courtyard. This little courtyard is perfect for a barbecue and stargazing.







We had a simple breakfast at the homestay in the morning. The benefit of staying at a homestay is that you can easily arrange what you want to eat. Then we went for a walk in the mountains; the valley in the morning mist looked like a fairyland! The air is so fresh.















The Xiangshui Lake Great Wall was first built in 1404 (the second year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty). The entrance is called Moshikou Pass, named because the narrow mountain pass was worn down by flowing water over the years. The pass was destroyed in 1977 during the construction of a reservoir, which is why the current layout features the reservoir connected to the Great Wall.





The Mother-Son Waterfall (muzi pubu) is located between the homestay and the scenic area, and there is a rainbow trout breeding base right below the waterfall. The water flows rapidly, and the rainbow trout inside are full of energy, jumping out of the water from time to time. The owner said rainbow trout must be raised in stream water. They have to be caught and grilled on the spot, because if they lose their energy, the texture changes after grilling.







For lunch, we had stir-fried chicken cubes, deep-fried hairtail fish, and scrambled eggs with chives, all of which are home-style dishes.







We passed by Sanduhe Village in Huairou, where you can pick all kinds of produce like apples, peaches, plums, pears, walnuts, and chestnuts.

















In the afternoon, we went to Shalimar, a Bangladeshi restaurant near the New China International Exhibition Center in Shunyi. It is likely the only Bangladeshi restaurant in Beijing. Also, the owner of Saduli in Beiluoguxiang is from Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal.

Although the owner is Bangladeshi, the restaurant mainly serves classic South Asian Pakistani and Indian dishes. We ate lamb and mushroom curry puffs (samosa), beef curry (bhuna), lentil curry (tarka daal), flatbread (chapati), and layered flatbread (paratha). We also ordered two salty yogurt drinks (lassi).







First, I have to praise their freshly fried samosas; they were crispy and fragrant! Drizzling them with mint sauce makes the flavor very rich.





Bhuna means "fried" in Urdu. When making it, the curry is fried in hot oil until it becomes a thick paste, which makes the flavor more intense. I have eaten this dish at Saduli before, and it was also very delicious.



Tarka daal is a North Indian curry dish. Daal refers to lentils, and tarka refers to the process of quickly frying crispy garlic, onions, and chili peppers at the end of cooking, which adds a smoky flavor.



Chapati means "to slap" in Hindi, and it is a classic companion for curry.

Paratha is a bit like a homemade griddle cake and is also a classic South Asian staple. Because it is brushed with oil and folded repeatedly during preparation, it is much thicker than chapati.



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Summary: Muslim History Guide Indonesia Kotagede: Mataram Capital, Mosques and Java Muslim Heritage is presented here as a clear Muslim travel account, beginning with this scene: Kotagede is now a small town in the southeastern suburbs of the ancient Javanese city of Yogyakarta, famous for its silverwork, but the name Kotagede originally meant great city. The account keeps its focus on Kotagede Mosques, Indonesia Muslim Travel, Mataram Sultanate while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

Kotagede is now a small town in the southeastern suburbs of the ancient Javanese city of Yogyakarta, famous for its silverwork, but the name Kotagede originally meant great city. Between the 1570s and 1613, this place was the first capital of the Mataram Sultanate.

The Mataram Sultanate was the most powerful Islamic kingdom on Java in the 17th century, and it later split into the Yogyakarta and Surakarta sultanates in 1755, which both still exist today. Kotagede still houses the royal tombs of the Mataram Sultanate, and the tomb guards are employed by both the Yogyakarta and Surakarta sultanate families, making it a famous pilgrimage site for people from both places.

Founding the Mataram Sultanate

Reliable historical records only began after the Mataram Sultanate started working closely with the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century, as earlier historical materials are very limited and filled with myths.

In early historical records, Kotagede was originally a forest. In 1568, Hadiwijaya, a minister of the Demak Sultanate, sent Kyai Gedhe Pamanahan to kill the last sultan, Arya Penangsang, and establish the Pajang Kingdom. To reward Kyai Gedhe Pamanahan for his service, Sultan Hadiwijaya granted Kotagede to Ki Ageng Pemanahan. Pemanahan and his adopted son, Danang Sutawijaya, cleared the forest to build the first settlement, which they named Mataram, and Pemanahan became known as the King of Mataram (Ki Gedhe Mataram).

After Pemanahan died in 1575, Danang Sutawijaya declared himself the King of Mataram, but Mataram was still a vassal of the Pajang Kingdom at that time. A major power struggle occurred in the Pajang Kingdom in 1582, and Sutawijaya took the chance to break free from Pajang rule, officially establishing the Mataram Sultanate in 1587.

In 1601, Prince Mas Jolang became the second Sultan of Mataram. During his reign, he built many structures in Kotagede, the most important of which was the Prabayeksa built within the palace. In the Yogyakarta palace that survives today, the Prabayeksa is a massive wooden building that served as the sultan's private inner chamber, housing many magical treasures and weapons. Jolang also built several pleasure gardens (taman).

In 1613, Prince Mas Rangsang became the third Sultan of Mataram. Rangsang was known as the Great Sultan (Sultan Agung) and was the most powerful ruler in the history of the Mataram Sultanate. While expanding his territory, he moved the capital from Kotagede to Kerta, 5 kilometers to the south, ending Kotagede's history as the capital.



Territory of the Mataram Sultanate

Great Mosque of Mataram

The Great Mosque of Mataram (Masjid Gedhe Mataram) is the most important architectural relic of the Mataram Sultanate. The mosque was first built in 1575, and the original walls and gates are still preserved today.

This style of gate, known as Paduraksa, comes from the ancient Hindu gopuram gate, which was widely used in old Javanese Hindu and Buddhist temples from the 8th to 9th centuries and was adopted by Islamic sultanate mosques, palaces, and cemeteries after the 15th century. When used for non-Hindu buildings, this architectural style is generally called Kori Agung. The main gate of the Great Mosque of Mataram is known as one of the most classic Kori Agung gates on Java island.



Outside of the east gate



Inside of the east gate



Inside of the south gate









Fish balls (yüwan) eaten in the courtyard





The main hall of the mosque was rebuilt in the 17th century by Sultan Agung and later repaired several times by the sultans of Yogyakarta and Solo. The current building was rebuilt after a fire in 1926 and still keeps the traditional Javanese mosque style. The mosque consists of a main hall and a front porch called a serambi, surrounded by a pool of water. Traditionally, dipping your feet in the pool before entering the main hall symbolizes purification.















Mataram Sultan Tombs

The Mataram Sultan Tombs (Makam Kota Gede) are located on the west side of the mosque and hold the grave of Ki Gedhe Mataram, the founder of the Mataram Sultanate. The tomb guards, called Juru Kunci, are hired jointly by the two sultan families of Yogyakarta and Solo.

The stone carving on the gate comes from the Javanese Hindu god of the underworld, Batara Kala, who is also the god of time and destruction. In traditional Javanese mythology, Batara Kala is the son of the Javanese version of Shiva, Batara Guru, and his eating of the sun is the cause of solar eclipses.





















The tomb gate photographed by Kassian Cephas in 1890 Collapse Read »

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Summary: Muslim Travel Guide Indonesia Banten: Sultanate Mosques, Coastal City and Islamic Heritage is presented here as a clear Muslim travel account, beginning with this scene: Banten is located at the westernmost tip of Java Island, facing Sumatra across the Sunda Strait. The account keeps its focus on Banten Mosques, Indonesia Muslim Travel, Sultanate History while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

Banten is located at the westernmost tip of Java Island, facing Sumatra across the Sunda Strait. The local Bantenese people are a branch of the Sundanese. In the 16th century, the Banten Sultanate rose to become a powerful maritime trading nation in western Java, controlling the pepper trade in Southeast Asia. The Banten Sultanate reached its peak in the 17th century and had intense conflicts with the Dutch East India Company. After the 18th century, the Banten Sultanate gradually came under the control of the Dutch East India Company and was finally annexed into the Dutch East Indies in the 19th century.

Today, the ancient city of Banten still retains many ruins, and the Great Mosque of Banten (Masjid Agung Banten), built in the 16th century, remains a famous religious site. two palaces of the Banten Sultanate, a Dutch fortress, and several tombs of the Banten Sultans have been preserved. Due to time constraints, I could not visit all the historical sites this time, but I still hope to share the ruins of the Banten Sultanate that I saw with everyone.

Table of Contents

1. Traveling to the Ancient City of Banten

2. The Establishment of the Banten Sultanate

3. The Port City of Banten

4. Surosowan Palace—Sultan's Residence: 1552

5. Great Mosque of Banten: 1566

6. Banten Bazaar

7. Speelwijk Castle—Dutch Fortress: 1682

8. Kaibon Palace—Residence of the Last Queen Mother: Early 19th Century

1. Traveling to the Ancient City of Banten

The ancient city of Banten is located west of Jakarta, and it takes an hour and a half to drive there under normal traffic conditions. There are buses from Kalideres bus station in western Jakarta to the city of Serang, where Banten is located. Once you arrive at the station, just ask people for "Serang" and they will point you in the right direction. The bus I took picked up passengers along the way before getting on the highway, so it took three hours to reach Serang. Friends who want to go, please make sure to allow extra time. It was very interesting that before getting on the highway, vendors kept getting on the bus to sell various things, including fruits, snacks, ballpoint pens, electronic watches, and so on. There were also several groups of singers, making it feel like a moving bazaar.

After getting on the bus, be sure to tell the driver or conductor that you are going to the Great Mosque of Banten, which is Masjid Agung Banten. Note that the pronunciation of Banten is "Banden." Then the driver will drop you off at the intersection before entering Serang city. From there, you can take a minibus or call a Grab to the ancient city of Banten.













2. The Establishment of the Banten Sultanate

After the 15th century, the Hindu-Buddhist Majapahit empire declined and the Islamic Malacca Sultanate rose. Many Muslim merchants from Arabia and India settled on the north coast of Java, marking a new chapter in Javanese history.

Between the 15th and 16th centuries, many Sufi Muslims arrived in Java to spread the faith, with the Nine Saints (Wali Songo) being the most famous. Among the Nine Saints, Sunan Gunung Jati was the only one who used military force to spread Islam.

Sunan Gunung Jati was born Syarif Hidayatullah. His father came from the Hashim family in Egypt, the same family as the Prophet Muhammad, and his mother was a princess from the Hindu Sunda Kingdom in western Java. Although his grandfather was a Hindu king, Sunan Gunung Jati's mother and his uncle, Prince Walangsungsang, both converted to Islam.

In 1470, after spending years studying Islamic knowledge in places like Mecca and Baghdad in the Middle East, Sunan Gunung Jati returned to Java to help his uncle rule the port town of Cirebon in West Java. In 1479, Sunan Gunung Jati took over from his uncle to rule Cirebon, established the Cirebon Sultanate, and officially declared independence from the Sunda Kingdom in 1482.

Shortly before Sunan Gunung Jati established the Cirebon Sultanate, the Muslim port town of Demak in Central Java had already gained independence from the Majapahit Kingdom in 1475. These two Javanese Muslim states, which relied on maritime trade, joined forces and posed a major threat to the existing Hindu Sunda Kingdom. The Sunda Kingdom then went to Malacca to seek help from the Portuguese. In 1522, the Portuguese officially formed an alliance with the Sunda Kingdom to control the local pepper trade.

However, after the alliance was formed, the Portuguese failed to send troops to help in time. The joint Cirebon-Demak forces took the opportunity to capture Sunda Kalapa, an important port of the Sunda Kingdom, and renamed it Jakarta. After that, the Sunda Kingdom fought a five-year war alone against the Cirebon-Demak coalition. In 1527, the Sultan of Cirebon, Sunan Gunung Jati, sent his son Hasanudin to join the Demak Sultanate and capture Banten, another important port of the Sunda Kingdom. Sunan Gunung Jati then appointed his son as the Sultan of Banten. In 1552, the Banten Sultanate broke away from the Cirebon Sultanate and became an independent state.



The territory of the Banten Sultanate, drawn by Gunawan Kartapranata.

3. The Port City of Banten

Shortly after becoming the Sultan of Banten, Hasanudin began building a new port city at the mouth of the Banten River. By the mid-16th century, Banten had become an important port that could rival Malacca.

According to the Portuguese historian João de Barros, the city of Banten was located in the middle of the harbor, and a clear river ran through the city, allowing ships to sail into the town center. Inside the city, there was a brick fortress with a two-story wooden defensive structure. The city center had a square that served as a market in the morning and was used for military or artistic activities at noon. On the south side of the square was the Sultan's palace, known as the Surosowan Palace, with a tall building next to it used by the Sultan to receive his subjects. On the west side of the square was the Great Mosque, which is today's Great Mosque of Banten.

At that time, only local residents were allowed to live in the city. Foreigners lived near the harbor in the north, with foreign Muslims in the northeast and non-Muslim foreigners in the northwest.

In the late 16th century, the Banten Sultanate controlled the pepper trade in the Lampung region at the southern tip of Sumatra. It traded closely with Portugal, the Netherlands, Britain, France, and Denmark, becoming a major international trade hub in Southeast Asia. With help from the British, the Danes, and the Chinese, the Banten Sultanate traded with Persia, India, Siam, Vietnam, the Philippines, China, and Japan.



Banten City in 1724, drawn by François Valentijn.

4. Surosowan Palace—Sultan's Residence: 1552

Surosowan Palace was built in 1552 by the Banten Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin and later served as the residence for successive sultans. A Dutchman designed the palace, which is why it features the corner bastion structure of a Dutch fort.

In 1808, to defend against a British invasion of Java, the Dutch ordered the construction of the Great Post Road across the island. They also ordered the Banten Sultan to move his capital and provide labor to build a port for the Dutch fleet. The Sultan refused, so the Dutch destroyed Surosowan Palace and imprisoned the entire royal family. After the British invaded Java in 1813, they forced the last Sultan to abdicate, marking the end of the Banten Sultanate. After the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 was signed, Britain returned the Banten region to the Dutch, and Banten was officially incorporated into the Dutch East Indies.

Today, the ruins of Surosowan Palace include two-meter-high walls made of red stone and coral. The most prominent site inside is the princess's bathing pool, which looks similar to the existing pools at the Sultan's palace in Yogyakarta.



















5. Great Mosque of Banten: 1566

The Great Mosque of Banten (Masjid Agung Banten) is a famous Javanese-style mosque, built in 1566 by order of Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin. The women's hall (Pawestren) was added in the 1580s. In 1632, a Chinese man named Cek-ban-cut designed and built the minaret (bangker), and in the 17th century, a Dutch convert to Islam named Hendrik Lucaasz Cardeel designed and built the religious school (tiyamah).

As a typical Javanese-style mosque, the Great Mosque of Banten has a large porch-style shelter (serambi) in front of the main prayer hall. Inside the main hall, four main wooden pillars (saka guru) support a five-tiered roof. The top three tiers look more like a Chinese Buddhist pagoda than a traditional Javanese roof. Historical records suggest the original roof only had three tiers, and the top two were likely added between the 18th and 19th centuries. The mosque's minaret is 24 meters high with a base diameter of 10 meters, blending Mughal style with the local Javanese Hindu/Buddhist mosque (Candi) style.

















The Great Mosque of Banten, drawn by Josias Cornelis Rappard in the 1880s.

Right next to the mosque is the family cemetery of the Banten Sultanate. The first Sultan, Maulana Hasanuddin (reigned 1552–1570), the sixth Sultan, Ageng Tirtayasa (reigned 1651–1683), and the seventh Sultan, Abu Nashar Abdul Qahar (reigned 1683–1687), are all buried there.

The reign of the sixth Sultan, Ageng Tirtayasa, from 1651 to 1682, is known as the golden age of the Banten Sultanate. During this time, the Banten Sultanate built a powerful navy with the help of European shipyards and attracted many Europeans to work in Banten. To ensure safe travel, the Banten Sultanate sent a fleet in 1661 to conquer the Tanjungpura Kingdom in western Kalimantan, attempting to break the blockade by the Dutch East India Company (VOC).





6. Banten Bazaar

As a holy site, the Great Mosque of Banten attracts a constant stream of Muslims every day, and a very lively bazaar has formed around it. At the bazaar, I drank an iced beverage called Es Campur made with coconut milk, red sugar syrup, coconut meat, and fruit jelly, and I also had some simple street-style boiled noodles (Mie Rebus). The bazaar is full of people selling sapodilla (Manilkara zapota), which is sweet and delicious. Sapodilla is native to the Caribbean in Central America. It was brought to the Philippines by Spanish colonists and later widely planted across Southeast Asia, where it is called sawo in Indonesia.





















I bought two hats at the Banten bazaar. One of them is the black velvet cap (peci), which is the most common type in Indonesia. The peci is also called a songkok (Songkok). Indonesian and Malay Muslim men usually wear this hat for important ceremonies like weddings, funerals, or Eid al-Fitr. The word peci likely comes from the Dutch word petje, which means small hat.

The peci may have originated from the felt fez hat promoted by the Ottoman Empire starting in 1826. It soon spread to the Indonesian and Malay regions, gradually taking on the form of the modern songkok. Many Indonesian nationalist activists wore the songkok in the early 20th century, with Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, being the most famous among them. After Sukarno made the peci part of the official Indonesian presidential attire, black velvet became the most common style of peci in Indonesia.



The second hat is made of woven bamboo. Besides the round one I bought, there are also boat-shaped ones similar to the songkok, which feel perfect for summer.









Another hat shop.



7. Speelwijk Castle—Dutch Fortress: 1682

Speelwijk Castle is a fortress built by the Dutch East India Company on the northwest coast of Banten. It was first built in 1682 and expanded twice, in 1685 and 1731. This castle was mainly used to control the activities of the Banten Sultanate and to protect Dutch merchant ships from pirate attacks.

Starting in the 16th century, the Dutch began competing with Portugal and England for the pepper trade in Java. In 1602, the Dutch established the famous Dutch East India Company, and the following year they set up a permanent trading post in Banten. In 1619, the Dutch East India Company captured Jakarta, which was controlled by the Banten Sultanate, and renamed it Batavia to serve as their headquarters. By the late 17th century, the Dutch East India Company had become the world's wealthiest private company and had completely defeated the Portuguese on Java.

In 1680, the Dutch East India Company incited a civil war within the Banten Sultanate, took the opportunity to drive British merchants out of Banten, and gained a monopoly on the surrounding pepper trade. After 1682, the Banten Sultanate gradually came under the control of the Dutch East India Company, and even the succession of the Sultan required approval from the company. Speelwijk Castle is the best witness to this historical period. After 1752, the Banten Sultanate officially became a vassal state of the Dutch East India Company.















Speelwijk Castle was eventually abandoned due to a plague in 1811. Today, there are many Dutch graves in front of the castle, including those of castle officer Hugo Pieter Faure, who died in 1763, and the castle tax collector and purchaser Kopman en Fiscaal Deserbezeting, who died in 1769.







Old photo of the Dutch cemetery

8. Kaibon Palace—Residence of the Last Queen Mother: Early 19th Century

Kaibon Palace was the last building constructed by the Banten Sultanate. Built in the early 19th century, it served as the palace for Ratu Aisyah, the mother of the final sultan, Muhamad Syafiuddin.

After the British invaded Java in 1813, they ordered the final Banten sultan, Muhamad Syafiuddin, to abdicate, marking the end of the Banten Sultanate. After the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 was signed, Britain returned the Banten region to the Dutch, and Banten was officially incorporated into the Dutch East Indies. In 1832, the Dutch destroyed Kaibon Palace, leaving it in complete ruins.

The palace still preserves its traditional Javanese Paduraksa-style gate. The Paduraksa gate originated from the ancient Hindu Gopuram gate. It was widely used in ancient Javanese Hindu and Buddhist temples from the 8th to 9th centuries and was later adopted by Islamic sultanates for their mosques, palaces, and cemeteries after the 15th century.









Part of the palace still retains the Queen Mother's bedroom, which featured a cooling system powered by flowing water.













Photographed by Georg Friedrich Johannes between 1915 and 1926



Photographed in 1933

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