Etigarth Muslim Mosque

The city of Kashgar was one of the important points on the Great Silk Road. The atmosphere of a typical Muslim city reigns here, and the main symbol of the city is the Etigart mosque. It is, if not the largest in China, then at least one of the largest. The beginning of the construction of the mosque on the central square refers to the end of the IX century - the beginning of the XIII. It was placed on the site of an ancient Muslim cemetery so that during prayer parishioners could address the souls of their loved ones.

Subsequently, the mosque building was rebuilt and expanded several times before gaining its final appearance and its present splendor. The area occupied by the mosque is 16,800 square meters, the layout and decoration are characteristic of traditional Arab religious architecture. Etigart is one of the few architectural structures in China, the appearance of which Chinese architecture had almost no influence.

After passing the central gate, you find yourself in a spacious courtyard, where it is cool and fresh thanks to the shade of high poplars and pines, flowers grow, and in the middle of the yard there is a swimming pool with water. There are 36 Quran reading rooms along the southern and northern walls. Located in the western part of the mosque on a certain elevation, the prayer pavilion is divided into external and internal rooms.

On normal days, the mosque is visited by up to 5-6 thousand believers, and during major Muslim holidays their number reaches 20-30 thousand, and those who did not get inside, offer prayers right in the square in front of the mosque.