Great Tongxin Mosque

From Wiki China org cn
Tongxin Mosque in Ningxia

Sitting in the old county seat of Tangxin, the Great Tongxin Mosque (同心清真大寺) is the most famous one in the southern mountainous areas of Ningxia. It was built in the reign period of Emperor Wanli (1572-1620) of the Ming Dynasty, rebuilt in 1791 during the Qing Dynasty, and expanded in 1907 during the reign period of last Qing Emperor Guangxu. In 1982-83, it was again renovated with funds specially allocated by the local government.

Sitting on a 10-m-high irregularly shaped brick platform, the structures of the mosque were built along an east-west axis. In front of the main gate stands an imitation wood-brick screen wall measuring nine meters long and six meters high. On it are exquisitely carved a design of moon hidden among pine and cypress trees. Facing the screen wall are three brick arched doors, engraved with Arabic script and floral designs. On the platform is a two-story quadrangular minaret covered with carved bricks and decorated with carved hardwood, while the dominant structure on the platform is the the prayer hall, 35 m long and 20 m wide.

The mosque was listed as key cultural site under state protection in 1958.