Id Kah, the biggest mosque in China becomes tourism hotspot in Kashgar

“Id Kah' the biggest mosque in China, stands at the heart of the Kashgar city.

Built in 1442, the mosque covers an area of 4 acres.

‘Id Kah’ means 'a place of praying and celebrating in festivals.’

The Imam of the mosque told this correspondent that a substantial number of Muslims say their jumma prayer here but on other days the number is much smaller.

He also said that there is no Shia or Sunni influence here as all sect are treated equally.

Responding to a question he said that the Muslims face no resistance from the authorities in practicing their religion here.

“We are free to perform our religious duties”, he added.

The mosque with classic religious elements and distinctive ethnic features is considered an outstanding example of Uygur’s ancient building and a spiritual symbol of Kashgar.

In Kashgar, it’s the best place to experience strong Islamic culture and exotic architectural style.

According to the China Discovery website, the mosque was originally the cemetery of the Islamic preacher of Ibn Qutaybah, an Arab general.

It is said to be built by Saqsiz Mirza, King of the ancient Kashgar Kingdom in 1442. In 1538, the supreme ruler reconstructed a small mosque to commemorate his uncle.

That is the earliest appearance of Id Kah Mosque. During ancient times, the mosque served as an important academy for spreading Islamic culture and cultivating religious talents.

In the first half of the 16th century, the mosque expanded and became a huge mosque which could host Friday Juma for prayers.

In 1798, a female Muslim Gulirena died on her way to Pakistan.

People used her milage to extend the mosque again and named it Id Kah.

A Uygur female millionaire afterwards donated and purchased 600 acres of land as part of the mosque.

In 1809, an official reconstructed the mosque and added a gate, excavated a lake and canal inside.

The mosque had another expansion together with Kashgar City during the Daoguang Emperor of the Qing Dynasty (in the early 19th century). The latest renovation happened in 1872 with a completely new layout.

Id Kah Mosque covers an area of 16,800 square meters, and has a south-north length of 140 meters and an east-west-width of 120 meters.

The entire building complex is composed of 7 parts - gate, minaret, worship arch, courtyard, lecture hall, external prayer hall and main prayer hall.

The architecture was built in fresh colors and plain decorations instead of magnificent styles, which perfectly present typical Arab building features and devout, humble, simple and stable of Muslims, the website said.

The main entrance of Id Kah Mosque is its east gate.

The gate is on the west of Id Kah Square, a huge public square where the locals like to sit down, enjoy the sunshine and spend leisure time.

A beautiful bright yellow brick front gate and two minarets standing at the sides.

“The door is 4.7-meter high and 4.3-meter wide with many elegant archway decorations. The two minarets, nearly 18 meters tall, are both delicately carved with flower patterns and typical Islamic symbols and the heads are two crescents”.

At dawn, the towers use loudspeakers to call the Muslims to pray. Sometimes, there are white pigeons flying by and resting on it. Behind the gate is a dome topped with a similar minaret. Lots of tourists take photos of the pretty gate.

Under the 16-meter high dome is an octagonal hall with two aisles to the interior courtyard. Walk through the stone-paved north aisle, you will enter a huge 20-acre courtyard, where many towering trees, luxuriant plants and clear ponds can be seen. It looks like a green garden, offering a wonderful summer coolness and mind-peaceful atmosphere in the midst of a downtown bustle.

The south and north areas line up 24 scripture halls in total. Imams preach Sutras and students learn in gorgeous-coloured rooms daily.

The main Pray Hall is the centre and most sacred place of Id Kah Mosque. Unlike Buddhist temples worshipping golden giant Buddha statues, the Main Pray Hall is vast and empty, except for different prayer carpets donated by the Muslims, a few simple ceiling lamps, an old pendule clock, a complicated woolen tapestry, some green columns, the same rooftops as the outside corridor. The hanging blanket is said to be made by two local women for 18 months. 56 pomegranate flowers implies the 56 ethnic groups in China.

The prayer hall can house 2 to 3 thousand prayers daily.

On Friday (the Day of Jummah), the number of prayers can rise up to 6 to 7 thousands and strikingly go to 20 to 30 thousands during holy Islamic festivals like the Eid ul-Fitr (End of Ramadan), Eid ul-Adha, etc, the China Discovery mentions.

mirmostafiz@yahoo.com