Muslim Quarters, Xi'an

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Take your time in this area. The bazaar is a wide area of stalls selling… everything, but around it, China pulses with its best colours and events.

The streets and walkways are full of life, and if you can support some odd smells (Fernanda complained a little) it’s something you shouldn’t miss.

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Located behind the Drum Tower, one can find the Moslem Quarter. Inhabited by the Hui, Chinese Moslems who trace their ancestry to the Tang Dynasty when Islam first reached China via the Silk Road. The Great Mosque is situated here, amongst alleys full of shops and food stalls.
Admission is charged to enter the mosque. Non-moslems are not permitted in the main prayer hall.

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It's quite a surprise this building. Everything looks... Chinese, in Ming style.

Without a warning, no one could imagine this site as a Muslim temple. A good exercise is to walk around, searching for signs that confirm the nature of the religious practices in place. And, discreet, they are there: In a shadowed room, the carpets oriented to Mecca wait for the prayers, and in the garden, some decorations are a Chinese interpretation of Arab decoration.

Funny!

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The Great Mosque in Xian is one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved Islamic mosques in China. According to historical records engraved on a stone tablet inside, this mosque was built in 742 AD during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). This was a result of Islam being introduced into Northwest China by Arab merchants and travellers from Persia and Afghanistan during the mid-7th century when some of them settled down in China and married women of Han Nationality.

Unlike most mosques in Middle Eastern or Arab countries, the Great Mosque of Xian 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. Occupying an area of over 13,000 square meters, the Great Mosque is divided into four courtyards, 250 meters long and 47 meters wide with a well-arranged layout featuring landscaped gardens. The mosque is a must-see-thing whilst in Xian.

Admission: RMB12 (includes a small pocket-sized guidebook).

Tucked behind the Drum Tower (I think it was). The area is well worth a visit and we again did this in the evening with the Market offering everything chinese and muslim. Funny little streets with a hive of activity - carts being pulled, bicyles being ridden, people racing along, tourists shopping, kids playing - good place to visit. We bought a few souvenirs here and a few Cloisonne Xmas Decorations which I thoroughly enjoyed seeing on my tree this Christmas.

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It is very interesting to see how Chinese architecture blends with Muslim caligraphy and art in the Great Mosque of Xian.

The mosque is nested in a beautiful garden, where you pass gate after gate, courtyard after courtyard, everything looks very Chinese, even the minaret is replaced by a Chinese pavilion.
However, when you look closely there are Arabic inscriptions with verses from the Kuran on the gates and columns.
The atmosphere is serene and calls for contemplation, like in a Buddhist temple. Yet a glimpse into the praying hall itself (only Muslims are allowed inside), a modest one-storey structure at the far end of the park, reveals bearded men sitting on mats and praying to Allah: The mosque continues to serve as an active place of worship. The present building was constructed in the 18th century, but the history of the Great Mosque goes back to the Tang Dynasty period.

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Although first recorded in 742 there has been a muslim presence in Xi'an for many years before this. Since the beginning of the Silk Road there has been trade between China and the Persians and other middle eastern countries. Many muslim merchants stayed in China to establish their businesses. In the following 1200 years the community has gradually melded with the local but has kept many traditions. This is especially noticeable in the food stalls in the busy narrow lanes - meat is threaded onto skewers and barbecued and served with spicy sauces and flat bread. The traditional full dress for women is sometimes seen but most often just the headscarf.

As you travel through the narrow lanes full of stalls selling the same items as you will find in the rest of Xi'an you would be forgiven for not realising that you are in fact in the home of a minority people - the Hui community. Even the Great Mosque is heavily influenced by Chinese architectural style.

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In almost all the mosques that I visited, water for purification waits the believers at the entrance, and receive a treatment of some evidence. I didn't see it in Xi'an. A beautiful and refreshing garden, but no fountain. They really wanted to be original, or did I miss something?