The prayer hall
Under its ornate Chinese roof.
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The largest mosque in Qinghai, built in 1380 under the Ming dynasty in the eastern quarter of Xining, home to many of the city's Hui Muslims; its courtyard fills with worshippers for Friday prayers and at Eid. The mosque covers about 11,940 square metres around a broad tree-shaded courtyard, at the head of which stands the great prayer hall of about 1,100 square metres, with its ornate Chinese roof and timber columns, in the Chinese Islamic style that brings together palace architecture and mosque traditions. A 2021 renovation replaced the green dome and two minarets added to the front building in 2000 with Chinese-style roofs and towers. The mosque was listed as a provincial protected monument in 1986 and as a national one in 2013. Entry is free from 8 am to 6 pm, with no visits on Friday before 3 pm, per visitor guides. Modest dress is expected, women are advised to cover their hair, and visits are best kept outside prayer times.
Under its ornate Chinese roof.
Shaded by trees.
And its halal restaurants.
Dongguan Street, Chengdong District, Xining, Qinghai
Yes, the mosque welcomes visitors free of charge from 8 am to 6 pm outside prayer times, with no visits on Friday before 3 pm, per visitor guides, in modest dress.
Dongguan Street and the lanes around the mosque are lined with restaurants run by Hui Muslims under the halal sign, serving hand-pulled beef noodles and lamb dishes.