Niujie Mosque

The Niujie Mosque () is the oldest mosque in Beijing, China. It was built in 996 and reconstructed as well as enlarged under the Kangxi Emperor (1622-1722).

The Mosque in located in Beijing's Xuanwu District, the spiritual centre for the 10, 000 Muslims living in the vicinity and it is the biggest and oldest one in Beijing. Beijing has about 250,000 Muslims. The Niujie Street in Xuanwu District, where the mosque is located, is the largest area inhabited by Muslims in Beijing.

The Niujie Mosque is a famous Islamic temple covering an area of approximately 6000 square meters. The mosque is a mixture of Islamic and Chinese cultures. The outside shows the Chinese influence while the inside decoration is rich in Islamic flavor. The Mosque, built of timber, protects some important cultural relics and tablets, such as the upright tablet of an emperor's decree proclaimed in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty.

Niujie Mosque consists of an observation tower, prayer hall, and minaret with a pavilion on each side. The observation tower is just behind the entrance. It was built and originally used for astronomical observations needed for drawing up the Islamic calendar.

The prayer hall, with its courtyard to the east, consists of five major areas. Altogether there are 42 rooms, of which the main part is The Prayer Hall taking up more than 600 square meters. The Hall can permit more than 1000 persons to pray at the same time and consists of three spacious enclosing corridors. There are also 18 posts forming 21 arches that support the Hall. Parts of Alcoran are carved on two of the arches. In the middle of the Hall is a tablet of scriptures written in letters of gold. The Prayer Hall goes by the name of Kiln Hall. At the back of the Hall is a hexagonal pavilion with a vault, which makes the Hall like a kiln, explaining the origin of this name. The kiln roof is a form of Chinese traditional architecture called Zaojing, which is also often found in the roofs of buildings in China. Usually, Zaojing is square or round. The Zaojing in the Prayer Hall is ornated with colorful engravings and drawings.

The minaret (calling tower), a two-storey obelisk in the centre of the courtyard, was originally built as a script depository. Later imams used it as a calling tower. When prayer time came, they ascended the tower and recited the Koran, and Muslims living in the vicinity came to listen. On the ground floor is a large copper cauldron, which was used to prepare communal meals.

To the southeast of the tower lie the tombs of two Muslims who came from the Middle East and preached in the Mosque. The tomb for Ahmad Burdani was built in 1320, and the one for Ali in 1283. Both came from ancient Persia. The tombstones bear Arabic inscriptions and have been set into a nearby wall.

In the imam' s library, there are Koran manuscripts and old wooden printing blocks. The mosque used to be a printing house as well.

At the south of the courtyard are the men's and women's prayer preparation bathrooms.There are long-beaked kettles for the devout Muslims to use to wash their nostrils, ears, and mouths. It is considered sacrilegious to enter the mosque without cleaning oneself.

HISTORY

The Niujie mosque, the largest among the 68 mosques in the Chinese capital, was built in 996 AD during the Liao Dynasty (916-1125), the mosque was rebuilt in 1442 in the Ming Dynasty and expanded in 1696 under the Qing Dynasty. It is now one of the major mosques in north China.

The Niujie mosque has undergone three renovations since the founding of New China in 1949, respectively in 1955, 1979 and 1996.

The Beijing Municipal Government has started rebuilding a residential area mainly inhabited by Muslims. The work on the 35.9-hectare area around Niujie Street will involve moving 7, 500 families, 58 per cent of whom are Muslims. The project will turn Niujie Street into a Muslim-style commercial street. The area will be home to multi-storey buildings, schools, kindergartens and public facilities. Niujie is presently a narrow street where most people live in old houses with a per capita floor space of 5. 1 square metres. In recent years, the Beijing government has completed a number of infrastructure projects to improve water, electricity, heat and gas supplies there. Beijing municipal government launched a project to improve local people's living conditions through demolishing old and shabby houses and building new multi-story buildings in the area in 1997.
*Video walk through of the Niujie mosqueImage:Niujie Mosques02.jpg|Main GateImage:Niujie Mosque01.jpg|Main HallImage:Niujie Mosques03.jpg|Tombs in the Niujie Mosque