Southern Mosque

Located in the downtown of Urumqi in Xinjiang Province, the Southern Mosque is an important historic heritage site. This center of Moslem worship was built in 1919 and subsequently renovated on three different occasions. Covering an area of about one acre, the mosque accommodates 1,100 Moslems.

The most eye-catching architectural features on the property are found in the minaret; the bathing pool; the guest reception hall and most impressive and exquisite of all, the prayer hall. The roof the prayer hall is covered with a variety of glazed tiles and the ceiling is decorated with colorful patterns of flowers and plants. There are also 22 flying dragons carved on the ridge that add to the building's magnificence. The prayer hall has an inside section that can accommodate about 300 worshippers and the outside section with a capacity of 500. The corridor walls separating the two sections are festooned with vividly painted screens of orchids, bamboos and water lilies.