A delegation from Tatarstan visited the Tatar mosque in the city of Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, as part of participation in the China - Eurasia EXPO, on June 26, 2024. The group of representatives was headed by Rustam Minnikhanov the Rais of Tatarstan and Chairman of the Group of Strategic Vision «Russia - Islamic World». Also was in delegation Mufti of Tatarstan Kamil Hazrat Samigullin presented the local imam with updated "Kazan Basmasy" Quran mushafs on behalf of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan. The Tatar mosque is one of the most visited attractions in the city of Urumqi. Today, there are an impressive number of mosques throughout China - about 39,000 "places of worship".
The mosque in Urumqi was built in 1897 with funds from the local Tatar diaspora. Despite its status as one of the oldest religious buildings in the city, this mosque can be called young compared to some examples of Chinese Islamic architecture. Mosques founded during the Tang and Song dynasties in the cities and counties of Quanzhou, Guangzhou, Yangzhou and Hangzhou are the oldest in China. For example, the minaret of the main mosque of the city of Guangzhou - Huaisheng, reproducing the Central Asian form of a high round tower, is evidence of the antiquity of the building. The mosque was built more than 1,300 years ago by Muslims of Central Asia to honor the memory of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ .
The 36-metre minaret of Huaisheng Mosque, called Guanta (literally "tower of light"), may have served as a beacon for ships on the Pearl River. However, the name may also symbolically refer to the "light" of religion. In general, minarets are called "towers of awakening" in China. Another of the oldest mosques, Qingjing Mosque in Quanzhou City, was built of stone in the early 11th century. It is currently listed as a nationally protected cultural and historical site. These early mosques are based on Central Asian architecture in the Arabic style. This type is typical of Uyghur-majority areas in the Xinjiang region. This type also includes the Tatar Mosque in Urumqi. Another system of architecture is formed by Chinese-style mosques, which are located in areas with a predominance of the Han people.
Islam in the Celestial Empire began its existence in the context of already established religious and philosophical traditions. For this reason, the centers of life of the Islamic community, in addition to a place for common prayer, include rooms for study, libraries, a separate room for ablutions, the imam's personal chambers, and a hall for conversations. These structures are located on one site surrounded by walls. In this case, the Chinese principle of symmetrical arrangement with a main and single compositional axis is used. The idea of a "hidden treasure", characteristic of the classical Arab mosque, was also inherent in Chinese architecture as a "city within a city" system. Similar principles became the basis for the sinicization of architectural ensembles of mosques.
A similar system of spatial planning and decorative design had already been formed in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) was the heyday of Islamic architecture in China, and it was during this time that the unique architectural form of Chinese mosques emerged. An example of the evolution is the Great Mosque and the Daxia Mosque in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, which have similar architectural patterns and styles. But the scale of the latter, founded in 705, is smaller. From the Yuan Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, the mosque was rebuilt and expanded by Imam Zheng He (1371-1433), who was a famous navigator. The building was also renovated during the Qing Dynasty.
More than a thousand years after the arrival of Muslims in China, they gradually adopted the original Chinese architectural style, while preserving the principles of Islamic worship. Another feature of Islam in China is the mosques built specifically for women. The fact is that at the end of the 16th century, a movement of the revival of Islam and related religious sciences appeared in the Celestial Empire. Almost a hundred years later, when Islamic books were written in Chinese, men realized how important women were for passing on knowledge to their offspring. The construction of women's mosques was dictated by the need to preserve the Muslim community.
Women's mosques in China were the first places where girls could receive an education. The oldest religious building, built in 1820, is located in the city of Kaifeng, Henan Province. This small mosque can accommodate no more than fifty believers at a time. Until 1949, imams in such "places of worship" were exclusively men. They conducted namaz from behind a screen. However, since that date, the position of female imam has become widespread. Today, there are about 80 female imams in central and eastern China, who receive a salary from the state treasury.
The basis for the development of Islam in China is the economic income of mosques. Methods of obtaining income can be divided into religious (donations stipulated by Sharia) and non-religious. The latter involves land management, leasing real estate, running craft workshops or modern industrial processing enterprises, as well as trade, catering, services and finance. Income from this activity is an important component of the material income of mosques, which helps to strengthen Islamic culture and implement the social functions of "places of worship". Thus, a contribution is made to the construction of a harmonious socialist society in China.
Returning to the visit of the Tatarstan delegation to the mosque in Urumqi, it is important to note that the Rais RT Rustam Minnikhanov invited the local mufti to the annual festival "Izge Bolgar Zhyeny", dedicated to the adoption of Islam by the Volga Bulgaria. In the context of the positive development of relations between Russia and China, it is worth mentioning that in July 2024, the city of Kazan was visited by the Chairman of the Chinese Islamic Association Yang Fa Ming to participate in a meeting of Religious leaders of Muslims of the BRICS countries and International Academic and Theological conference “The Spiritual Silk Road”.
*The material uses research by Di Oulai "The Mosque as the Center of Social, Educational and Spiritual Life of Muslims in China: The Process of Sinicization of Islamic Architecture", Shu Yue "Women's Mosques in China" and Li Xin, Jiang Ying, Zhang Rui "Research on the Economic Development Status of Mosques in China"
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the Rais RT