Tongxin Great Mosque

The Tongxin Great Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in China. It is located in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in Northwest China. Ningxia is the largest residential place of the Hui ethnic minority group in China. There are more that 2,000 mosques with Arabic and traditional Chinese architectural styles. The Tongxin Great Mosque is one of them. Originally built in the early Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) and repaired three separate times in the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911), the Great Mosque is an imposing structure mingling traditional Chinese wooden architectural style with Arabian wood and brick carving art.

Covering an area of 3,432 square yards, all the buildings are built on a cyan platform of seven meters high. In front of the gate there is an imitated-timber work entrance wall decorated with brick carvings. Visitors can climb to the pedestal of several meters high via an arch and a hidden passageway. On the pedestal, the first building you see is a two-storeyed minbar. Passing through the door beside the minaret, visitors can enter the courtyard that is composed of the main worship hall and the southern and northern sermon halls. The main worship hall consists of two connected halls, and can seat more than 1,000 worshipers.

The mosque complex is divided into inner and outer courtyards. During key Islamic festivals, Muslims will gather here for religious activities. The main building is the prayer hall which faces east and can hold about 800 worshippers. Inside, there are more than twenty columns supporting the roof. The walls are decorated with calligraphic works extracted from the Koran. The hall’s exterior is marked by elegant convex eaves and tiers of elaborate brackets and crossbeams giving the structure a solemn and ethereal character.

Tongxin Great Mosque symbolizes peace and harmony. Its unique design blends Arabian and Chinese culture and exemplifies mutual friendship.

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