Southern Mosque

Located in the downtown of Urumqi in Xinjiang Province, the Southern Mosque is an important historic heritage site. This center of Moslem worship was built in 1919 and subsequently renovated on three different occasions. Covering an area of about one acre, the mosque accommodates 1,100 Moslems.

The most eye-catching architectural features on the property are found in the minaret; the bathing pool; the guest reception hall and most impressive and exquisite of all, the prayer hall. The roof the prayer hall is covered with a variety of glazed tiles and the ceiling is decorated with colorful patterns of flowers and plants. There are also 22 flying dragons carved on the ridge that add to the building's magnificence. The prayer hall has an inside section that can accommodate about 300 worshippers and an outside with a capacity of 500. The corridor walls separating the two sections are festooned with vividly painted screens of orchids, bamboos and water lilies.

Shaanxi Great Mosque

Located in the northern end of Jianzhong Road in Urumqi, Shaanxi Great Mosque is the biggest Islamic mosque in the city. Unlike other Islamic mosque in Urumqi, Shaanxi Great Mosque was built in Chinese traditional brick and wooden architecture style. First built in the reign of Emperor Guangxu in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the mosque can hold a thousand people to pray. The main hall is supported by 40 red wooden pillars. On the archway, there are exquisitely carved the words excerpted from Quran. The architectural style and the delicate carvings in the mosque are rare and wonderful.

 Shaanxi Great Mosque Pictures