The Great Mosque of Daxuexi Lane, hidden in Xi'an's Muslim Quarter, has been a part of Chang'an's ancient temples for 600 years

🕌 The Great Mosque of Daxuexi Lane in Xi'an is one of the two major mosques among the 'Seven Mosques and Thirteen Districts' in the Muslim Quarter, also known as the West Great Mosque. It is an ancient building with many years of history and is a national key cultural relic. It was established in the year 705 during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty. It is one of the oldest mosques in Xi'an and has been expanded six times by imperial order! The Xinxin Pavilion in the mosque is said to have been renovated by Zheng He after his voyages to the Western Seas during the Ming Dynasty.
The Great Mosque of Daxuexi Lane is not large and can be visited in half an hour. The mosque is a courtyard-style building. Despite 600 years, its halls, pavilions, towers, and terraces remain magnificent. In the square mosque, there is a large screen wall at the front and four courtyards inside. After passing through a three-room hall, the first courtyard is the Xinxin Pavilion, and the second courtyard has south and north wing rooms. The south wing room is where the imam lives, and the north wing room is the scripture hall.
The 'Zheng He Stele' under the stele pavilion in the south of the central courtyard of the Xinxin Pavilion records the origin of the mosque. The inscription is the only and most complete record of Zheng He's voyages to the Western Seas in China and is an extremely precious historical relic. The innermost part is the main prayer hall, with three plaques above it. The two on the sides, 'Tao Crown Ancient and Modern' and 'Promote Religion and Build the Nation', were inscribed by Zhang Yunshan, the military governor of the Shaanxi Restoration Army, and Bai Chongxi, a warlord of the Kuomintang Gui clique, respectively.
Admission fee: Free
Location: No. 94, Daxuexi Lane Mosque, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province

Post by ELLE GRANT | Apr 10, 2024