CHINESE MOSQUE

A wooden mosque built without a single nail! It was designed between 1907 and 1910 by a Chinese architect, Ejoï Si, and erected by Dungan workers in a confusing style that would make one believe it was a Buddhist temple. Its foundations are "floating", i.e. resistant to earthquakes. Because of this building, the architect was condemned for having given construction secrets to the Muslims. The building became a mosque in 1910 and never stopped being a place of worship except when it was closed by the Soviets between 1933 and 1943. Five years after independence, in 1996, a controversy arose between the city's two communities, Buddhist and Muslim, over an inscription painted on the main beam saying "this is a Buddhist temple". The interpretations went well and caused much anger, and finally the inscription was removed and the spirits calmed down. The beams and panels are decorated with painted motifs representing plants as well as the stars of the mythical Chinese bestiary: dragons and phoenixes. It is not always possible to get inside the mosque, but be sure to go around the mosque to see how the different elements are intertwined. On the right side, the light blue wooden minaret is surmounted by a golden dome where the crescent of Islam rises. No guided tours on site. Free access, proper attire required and scarf for women.