Crane Mosque

The Crane Mosque, located in Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, is one of the four great mosques along the coastal area in Southeast China. For the layout of the buildings in the mosque resembles a crane, it is named the Crane Mosque.

Some literature works show that the mosque was built by Mohammed Puhadin, the 16th generation descendant of Mohammed. He missionized in Yangzhou City from 1265 to 1274, and established the mosque during the period. However, other records indicate that the exact year of the establishment was 1275. In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the emperor ordered to rebuild the mosque in 1390, and Ma Zongdao, a famous merchant, rebuilt the mosque together with an Imam again in 1532.

The worship hall of the mosque is a timberwork composed of the main hall and the rear hall, etc. The old hall inside the main hall is typical hall architecture in southern Jangsu Province, but the layout of the mosque and decorations in the main hall feature the Arabic style. The most famous cultural relic preserved in the mosque is the imperial order issued by Emperor Chengzu to protect Islam in 1407 during the Ming Dynasty and written in Chinese, Farsi and Mongolian. It reflects the development of Islam at that time in China.