Id Kah Mosque

The Id Kah Mosque is the largest mosque in China. The mosque was built by Saqsiz Mirza in 1442 (although it incorporated older structures dating back to 996) and covers 16,800 square meters. At midday on Fridays around 10,000 people will gather to pray and study the Koran, and prayer 5 times/day on other days. You'll be asked to remove your shoes before entering the Main Hall of the Id Kah Mosque, which has traditional Islamic pillars, carvings and rugs strewn over the floors. Women are advised to cover upper arms and legs. A scarf is not compulsory, but is seen as a mark of respect

 

It is a special building in Chinese architectural culture. The gate of the mosque, built of yellow bricks with the joints of the brick work, has distinct lines. On both side of the gate are eighteen-meter high round brick columns half embedded in the wall. On the top of the columns stands a tower where the imam would call out loudly at dawn every day to wake up the Muslims and summon them to attend service in the mosque.

 

As the center of religious activity in Kashgar, the area is typically full of pilgrims who have come to worship at the mosque. Sometimes, these pilgrims have religious activities right outside the temple, where they whip themselves into a frenzied dance accompanied by musicians playing from balconies of the Id Kah Mosque.