Nanguan Mosque of Linxia City

The Nanguan Mosque is one of the most famous mosques in China, as well as one of the Holy Lands of Islam in Northwest China. It is located at Jiefang Road in Linxia City, Gansu Province, and near the Hongshui River.

It was established at the end of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), and was destroyed and rebuilt many times. The existing buildings were rebuilt in 1979 and cover an area of 2,180 square meters.

The main buildings include the worship hall, the entrance hall, the minarets, the Wangyue Pavilion, and the sermon room. The worship hall faces the east and is a mixed construction. The ambulatory around the worship hall is supported by 30 huge columns. There are elegant and ancient concrete embossments on the entrance wall. On the top of the front part of the worship hall, there are three green domed minarets of 22 meters high. The Wangyue Pavilion is decorated with Aquarius and colorful patterns of the moon. Ancient Arabic lections are carved on the walls of the sermon room, which is the place for professional religious personnel to learn the Alcoran and the followers to perform religious rites.

This mosque combines traditional Chinese architectural art and the Arabic style. It is the result of the blending of eastern and western cultures.