120 KM west of Mountain Huashan (among China's five famous mountains) the Great Mosque of Xian (Sian) is located in the "Huajue Xiang" district, inhabited mainly by the Muslim Hui minority. The 60,000 strong Muslim community that lives and works today in Xian traces its history to Arab & Persian merchants who, after traveling the Silk Road, became permanent residents of such cities as Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Hangzhou, Yangzhou, and Chang'an (Today's Xian - was the imperial capital of China for 11 dynasties).

Then, as now, the Muslim community, maintained their culture by operating mosques and schools and according to the historical records carved in the stone tablets which are still preserved in it, the Mosque was setup in 742 AD during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) in the 1st year in the reign of (Emperor Tian Bao) and was repaired in 1384 AD, the 17th year of the reign of emperor (Hong Wu in the Ming Dynasty). The Mosque was the religious center for Arab & Persian merchants operating in China. Today the Muslim community, which supports several mosques, runs its own primary school, foods shops and restaurants - for over 1250 years, they have been an integral part of Xian's vibrant daily life.

The Mosque occupies an area between 12,000 to 13,000 square meters and the buildings cover more than 6,000 square meters, the Great Mosque was built in the shape of a rectangle from the east to the west, and is subdivided into four courtyards.

The first courtyards houses an old wooden archway standing opposite a huge screen wall decorated with clay brick carvings. It has special inverted eaves - several layers of brackets, and glazed roof tiles rendering it magnificent. The archway, built at the commencement of the 17th century, dating back to over 360 years. On both sides of the archway, there is some old furniture on display made in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Through the Five-room Hall, in the middle of the second courtyard, there stand three connected stone memorial gateways supported with the four pillars. On the top of the main gate, there is a title inscribed in Chinese calligraphy reading "The Court of The Heaven". There are stone carved fences around the gateways with the two passages on both sides - the stone complex was built in the Ming Dynasty. Behind it, two stone tables are erected with the decorations of carved dragons. Both of them are carved with the inscriptions of the repairing of the mosque at the imperial orders in the Ming and Qing dynasties. At the backs of them are also inscribed with some big Chinese characters written respectively by the two famous calligraphers, Mi Fu of the Song Dynasty; the other is from Dong Qichang, a calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty - these writings are regarded today as some of the best works in China.

The Imperial Hall in the third courtyard is the oldest building within the Mosque complex, featuring "The Moon Tablet". A stone with "Arabian inscription" written by a late-celebrated imam. The inscription is a study on the methods of "calculation for Lunar Year - Muslim Calendar"; considered very valuable. In the middle of the courtyard stands the tallest structure, the "Introspection Tower" (Shengxin), serving as the Mosque's Minaret, traditionally used in calling Muslims for prayers. The tower is two stories high, surrounded with three layers of eaves forming an octagonal roof. Adjacent to the the minaret are the Official Reception Halls, housing hand-written copies of the Quran from the Ming Dynasty and a Qing Dynasty Map of Mecca. There are five wooden houses, called “Water Houses” in the southwest section of the Mosque, are the place where the Muslims perform "Ablution" (Wudu') before they attend prayer.

Through the three connected doorways decorated with the fine brick carvings, that is the final passage to the Prayer Hall - a very special building called "The One God Pavilion" features a combination of the Chinese traditional archway and pavilion. The pavilion as the main body in the middle is shaped in a hexagon with its eaves upturned and its top protruded. While, both of its side parts are shaped in triangles and are upturned like archways. Under the eave, a small board with the decoration of carved dragons is hung over. Its inscriptions, "One God", were once written by a high ranking official in the Ming Dynasty. There are some side houses on both sides of the pavilion too. The southern ones were build specially for receiving those officials and generals who came to announce the edicts from the emperors in the successive dynasties.

Today in these houses, there are many historical and cultural relics of the Miming and Qing dynasties on display, such as a beautiful fishbone-inlaid screen made of the 12 pieces of boxwood, some old tables, chairs, porcelains and paintings. In the northern houses, stands a preserved old-stone sundial and several stone tablets featuring important inscriptions pertaining to the Mosque restorations from the Tang and other dynasties.

The large magnificent "Prayer Hall" (eight bays-wide) with a capacity for 1000 worshipers, features a triple roof of turquoise tiles on a wide platform dating from the Ming dynasty. It's carved with over 600 classical scriptures - in which all the letters are shaped in a colorful decorative patterns of "grass & flowers". The interior of the Prayer Hall is spectacular - the complete Quran is carved in the 600 pieces of vast wooden boards in Chinese and Arabic characters.

The remarkable detailed art work seen here, characterize this Great Mosque, as one of the most unique Mosque-architecture in the world. In 1956, the Great Mosque was decreed to be an important historical and cultural site under the protection of the Shaanxi Provincial Government and in 1988 it was promoted to be one of the most important sites in China - Xian City is an Architectural treasure-house. Since the late 70's the Great Mosque has received over a million visitors from around the world.

Hui The name Hui is an abbreviation for "Huihui," first appearing  in the literature of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). Originally  referring to the Huihe people (the Ouigurs) who lived in Anxi in the present-day Xinjiang and its vicinity since the Tang Dynasty (618-907). They were actually forerunners of the present-day Uygurs, who are totally different from today's Huis or Huihuis.

Earlier, about the middle of the 7th century, Arabs and Persians came to China to trade and later some became permanent residents of such cities as Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Hangzhou, Yangzhou and Chang'an (today's Xian). These people, referred to as "fanke" (guests from distant regions), built mosques and public cemeteries for their community. Intermarrying with the Han majority, their children  came to be known as "tusheng fanke," meaning "native-born guests from outlying regions." 

During the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), these people became part of the Huihuis, referring to a second wave of Muslim migrants  who were coming in great numbers to China from Middle Asia. As artisans, tradesmen, scholars, officials and religious leaders, they spread to many parts of the country and settled down mainly to livestock breeding. These people, who were also called Huis or Huihuis because their religious beliefs were identical with people in Anxi, became part of the ancestors to today's Huis.

Xian is the capital of Shaanxi (Shen'hsi) Province - It was known as "Chang'an" in the Han dynasty, denotation "eternal peace". During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) Chang'an was known as the most thriving metropolis in the world. The city got its present name of "Xian" in 1369 A.D. Xi'an served intermittently as the capital of eleven dynasties in China, last for 1068 years, which had no parallel in Chinese history.

Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty with its capital at Chang'an, is regarded by historians as a high point in Chinese civilization equal, or even superior, to the Han period. Its territory, acquired through the military exploits of its early rulers, was greater than that of the Han.

Silk Road, Two thousand years ago, the threads of commerce were established and the Silk Road connected Xian to the Middle East and Europe, opening China for the first time to the Western world. It was in 138 BC that the Han emperor Wudi sent an emissary westward, not for trade, but to seek allies to defend China against the Huns. From that time until the 14th century, caravans carrying spices, fruits, and all manner of goods from the West routinely crossed the deserts in search of silk, transforming forever China's frontier towns into cosmopolitan trading centers.

Quran - is the sacred writings of God's words revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) during his life in Mecca and Madina.