Tongxin Great Mosque Explained

Tongxin Great Mosque
Native Name:同心清真大寺
Native Name Lang:zh
Map Type:China Ningxia
Map Size:220px
Coordinates:36.965°N 105.9112°W
Religious Affiliation:Islam
Location:Tongxin, Wuzhong, Ningxia, China
Tradition:Sunni
Festivals:-->
Organizational Status:-->
Architecture Type:mosque
Date Destroyed:-->
Capacity:1,000 worshipers
Elevation Ft:-->

The Tongxin Great Mosque is a mosque in Tongxin County, Wuzhong City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. The mosque is the oldest and largest mosque in Ningxia.[1]

History

The mosque was likely built in the fourteenth century during the Yuan dynasty.[2] It was originally a Mongolian Buddhist temple that was eventually abandoned after the fall of the Yuan dynasty in 1368. It was reconsecrated as a mosque during the early Ming dynasty.[3] The mosque underwent major renovations in the sixteenth century, in 1791 and in 1907. The mosque was further expanded in 1936. When the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army went on a westward campaign in 1936 liberating areas in Ningxia, they held a meeting with the local people at the mosque. They also set up the Yuhai County People's Government in Shanganning. In 1983, it was recognized as the National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council.[4] Today, the mosque is affiliated with the Yihewani sect.[5]

Architecture

The mosque was built in Han style and decorated in Islamic style, which showcase the combination of Han and Hui culture. All of the buildings were built on a cyan platform, seven meters high. There is an imitation-timber work entrance wall, decorated with brick carvings, at the front gate. The main building, consisting of the main prayer hall and two connecting halls, accommodates 1,000 worshipers.[6] Behind the mosque lies a cemetery which also contains the shrines of two Sufi saints (or Shaykhs).

Transportation

The mosque is accessible by bus from the Yinchuan Railway Station.[7]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tongxin Great Mosque _ China.org.cn. china.org.cn. 22 January 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20131231100319/http://china.org.cn/travel/Ningxia/2011-01/06/content_21685977.htm. 31 December 2013. live.
  2. Book: Dillon, Michael. China's Muslims. Oxford University Press. 1996. 0195875044. Hong Kong. 41.
  3. Book: Steinhardt, Nancy Shatzman. China's Early Mosques. Edinburgh University Press. 2015. 978-1-4744-3721-9. Edinburgh. 219.
  4. Web site: Tongxin Mosque. chinaculture.org. 7 November 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161107202812/http://en.chinaculture.org/library/2003-09/24/content_33174.htm. 7 November 2016. live.
  5. Book: Dillon, Michael. China's Muslims. Oxford University Press. 1996. 0195875044. Hong Kong. 42.
  6. Web site: Tongxin Great Mosque. chinaculture.org. 7 November 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161107203318/http://en.chinaculture.org/library/2008-02/04/content_25289.htm. 7 November 2016. live.
  7. Web site: Tongxin Mosque. at0086.com. 22 January 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150122101741/http://www.at0086.com/Tongxinqingzhensi//. 22 January 2015. live.