Great Mosque of Xi'an

The Great Mosque of Xi'an ( _zh. 西安大清真寺), located near the Drum Tower (Gu Lou) on Huajue Lane of Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China, is one of the oldest and most renowned mosques in the country.

It was first built in the Tang Dynasty (reign of Emperor Xuanzong, 685-762), and renovated in later periods (especially during the reign of Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty). It remains a popular tourist site of Xi'an, and is still used by Chinese Muslims (mainly the Hui people) today as a place of worship. Unlike most mosques in Middle Eastern or Arab countries, the Great Mosque of Xi'an is completely Chinese in its construction and architectural style, except for some Arabic lettering and decorations, for the mosque has neither domes nor traditional-style minarets. [ [http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/xian/greatmosqueindex.htm Asian Historical Architecture ] at www.orientalarchitecture.com]

Notes

ee also

*Islam in China
*Timeline of Islamic history
*Islamic architecture
*Islamic art
*List of mosques

External links

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* [http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.tcl?site_id=9146 Description of the Great Mosque of Xi'an]
* [http://www.islamicarchitecture.org/architecture/xianmosque.html Xian Great Mosque]
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