Shaanxi Grand Mosque in Urumqi

Shaanxi Grand Mosque in Urumqi

Attractions Overview

It was built during the reign of Longjiaqing in the Qing Dynasty and has a history of 200 years. In the 32nd year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty (1906), Hui people from Guanzhong, Shaanxi Province donated money to build and expand it.

Chinese Name: 乌鲁木齐陕西大寺
English Name: Shaanxi Grand Mosque in Urumqi
Type: Urumqi Scenic Area, Urumqi famous spots & Urumqi attractions
Best Time: All Year Around
Recommended Visiting Hours: 2-3 hours
Location: The Shaanxi Temple in Urumqi is located in Yonghe Main Lane, Heping Road, Tianshan District.

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Why is Shaanxi Grand Mosque So Special?

The temple’s greatest feature is the clever combination of Islamic architecture and Chinese classical architecture, which is quite representative in Xinjiang. Influenced by the traditional Chinese architectural culture, the temple adopts a palatial architectural style, maintains the architectural format of ancient traditional wooden structures, has a distinctive style of ancient traditional palace buildings in the central plains, integrates the architectural essence of national culture, and has high historical, architectural and ornamental values. In 1962, it was listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Where is Shaanxi Grand Mosque

Located at Yonghezheng lane of Hepin Road, South Gate of Urumqi, the mosque was built with the donation of the Muslims from Shaanxi Province in 32rd year of the Emperor Guangxu reign of Qing Dynasty (1906).

History of Shaanxi Grand Mosque

During the Anti-Japanese War, Shaanxi Grand Temple was the center of patriotic education and support activities for Hui Muslims in the city. After liberation, it carried out many activities to support the war to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea.

The mosque was built during the reign of Qing Ganlong (1736-1795) and has a history of more than 200 years. After many vicissitudes, in the 32nd year of Guangxu (1906) in the late Qing dynasty, Muslim Hui people from all sides in the Weihe river basin in Shaanxi province donated money for reconstruction. The temple was dilapidated before liberation and was listed as a key cultural relic protection unit in the autonomous region after liberation. During the “Cultural Revolution”, Shaanxi’s Great Temple was severely damaged. After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee, Shaanxi’s Great Temple resumed its proper religious activities due to the implementation of the Party’s ethnic and religious policies to put things right. The government has also set aside special funds to help rebuild Shaanxi Temple.

After the renovation of Shaanxi’s Great Temple, this ancient building has regained its youthful luster and has a new face. Many Muslims come to carry out religious activities every day, thus meeting the needs of the Muslim religious life in Urumqi. Every religious festival, people gather together in Shaanxi grand temple to attend the ceremony.
International friends who come to Urumqi often come here for religious life or visits. The Islamic Association of Urumqi is also located here.

Main Attraction of Shaanxi Grand Mosque

The front of the temple is the main hall, which is more than 10 meters high. It is an ancient brick and wood structure with a style similar to that of an ancient Chinese palace. The front of the temple is of a single-eaved Xie Shan style with green glazed tiles embedded in the roof. There are 36 red round wooden pillars in the corridor around the hall. The scale is magnificent and spectacular. At the back of the hall is a double-eaved “octagonal building” with eight or four eaves, which is a full moon building. The decoration of the four walls and doors and windows in the temple is exquisitely carved, and brick and wood carvings are all made of various patterns such as flowers, melons and fruits, which not only strictly follow the Islamic doctrine of not using icons and animal figures, but also maintain the architectural style of traditional wood structures in ancient China. The hall is paved with blankets for Muslim worship.

In front of the hall is a spacious compound, with halls on all sides except the west. The north hall is a lecture hall, the south hall is a bathroom, and the east hall is a place for imams to study.

Recommended Xinjiang Tour Packages

Best Time to Travel Shaanxi Grand Mosque

The best time to come to Urumqi is every autumn, that is, August and September.

At this time, the weather has begun to become cool and melons and fruits have begun to mature. It is a very suitable time to travel. At this time, most scenic spots begin to hang attractive golden colors. Let’s tour in the golden ocean. The natural scenery in various parts of Urumqi is very beautiful. In our spare time, we bring our family to Urumqi to play, eat delicious melons and fruits, and enjoy the different local conditions and customs here. I believe this is a very beautiful moment and a very happy memory.

How to Get There

  • By bus
    Take bus no.3, no.17, no.36, no.44, no.61, no.104, no.308, no.903, no.907, no.908, no.911, no.920, andno. brt-3 to get off at nanmen station.

Useful Travel Tips

  • Dresses must be dignified, never be too revealing or dressed in strange clothes, nor should slippers and hats be worn into temples. These are basic respects to the gods.
  • Avoid loud noises. Although each temple worships different gods, they all hope to purify people’s hearts, so their speech and behavior must be gentle.
  • Prepare 3-5 kinds of offerings such as seasonal fruits and biscuits, but it must be singular (because singular is yang number); In addition, incense and gold paper can also be prepared, depending on the regulations of each temple.

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Edited by Doreen/张洋