How do we imagine a traditional mosque? It is a building with classical Islamic architecture, with a towering dome, minarets decorated with Arabic calligraphy. Such mosques can be found in Turkey, Spain and Jordan. But as for Chinese mosques, scattered around the whole world, they are a bright and extraordinary fusion of the two cultures: Arabic and Chinese.
This is the top 4 of the mosques that cannot be ignored.
1. The Muhammadian Mosque, Malaysia
Photo: hiveminer.com
The Muhammadian Mosque is located in Ipoh, Malaysia. It is one of the places that attract tourists, especially those who are unaware of Islam. After a documentary about the Muhammadian Mosque was shown by Malaysian television, the administration of the Muslim temple began receiving numerous requests from non-Muslims to visit the mosque.
The mosque is open to the public on Chinese New Year, Chinese national holidays and a few days before Eid al-Adha.
2. The Huaisheng Mosque, China
Photo: muhammadanism.org
The Huaisheng Mosque is the main mosque of Guangzhou in China. It is also known as the “Lighthouse Mosque”, and the Great Mosque of Canton. The minaret of the Huaisheng Mosque is made in the Chinese style of the Tang dynasty. Its unique architecture and history make it extremely popular among tourists and locals.
Originally, the building was erected over 1300 years ago, making the Huaisheng Mosque one of the oldest mosques in China and in the world. It is said that Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, one of the companions of the Prophet, was the first Muslim to reach the Chinese lands in the 630-s. It was him to begin the construction of the mosque together with other Muslims in Guangzhou. However, modern historians cannot find the proof of that.
3. The Niujie Mosque, China
Photo: petersanders.com
The Niujie Mosque is literally translated as the “Oxen Street Mosque”, because it located in Ox Street in Beijing’s Xicheng District, China. The Niujie Mosque is the oldest and biggest mosque in Beijing. It is the center of Islam and place of social gathering for Beijing Muslims. This religious site of Muslim culture was built during the Liao Dynasty.
The government of China uses the Niujie Mosque as one of the obligatory visiting sites for delegations coming from Islamic countries.
4. The Cheng Ho Mosque, Indonesia
Photo: mvslim.com
Cheng Ho, also known as Cheng He, remains in History as a Muslim explorer. He was born as Ma He Ma (consonant with Muhammad) in the southwestern Chinese Province of Yunnan around 1371. He was once a servant of Prince Zhu Di, who gave him another name – Cheng Ho.
In early 1410, Cheng Ho and many Chinese people from Yunnan began to spread the Islamic faith in Indonesia, especially on the island of Java. As a sign of respect for Cheng Ho, the Indonesians named the mosque after him, which is located in Surabaya and is open to tourists.
Ilmira Gafiyatullina
Photo: hiveminer.com