|
The Great Mosque, located in the older southwestern part of Hohhot, was built during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD) after throngs of the Hui Muslim Minority migrated from Xinjiang to Mongolia. The mosque is a strange mix of Chinese and Arabic architecture, that is interesting not only for its insides, with its active worship, but also for the atmosphere that this whole area presents.
Of the buildings here, all constructed in black brick, the grandest is the aptly named Grand Prayer Hall, behind which lies both the Teaching Hall and the Muslim Baths. All of the buildings within bear Muslim characters, and especially noteworthy are the over 30 volumes of ancient Koran scriptures, all written in Arabic. It is also possible, with permission, to climb the 15 meter-tall hexagonal minaret, that is topped with a pagoda style roof, for a nice view of the city.
Around the mosque run a series of small alleys, that make up the Muslim area of town. It is fun to walk around this area of shops, restaurants and small houses, passing the skull capped majority that make up this end of town.
|
