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The Dongsi Mosque () is a
mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
in Dongsi Subdistrict, Dongcheng District,
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
.


History

According to local legends, the mosque was built during the
Liao dynasty The Liao dynasty (; Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 916 and 1125, ruled by the Yelü ...
when Beijing was one of the secondary capitals of the Liao. However, records suggest that the mosque was constructed in 1346 during the
Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fif ...
. The mosque underwent expansion and renovation in 1447 and again in 1486. The earlier repairs were financed by Chen Yuyuan, a prominent officer during the Ming dynasty. The mosque survived a fire in the late 19th century but suffered damage. Comprehensive repairs were done to the mosque throughout the 20th century.


Architecture

The mosque consists of two gates, a minaret, a prayer hall and a library. The prayer hall has Koran carved on the arches of the hall and can accommodate up to 500 worshipers. On the southern part of the courtyard there are five wing halls and on the northern part there are three wing halls. The architectural style of the mosque has features of
Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
. Located on the southern part of the courtyard, the library has various version of the Koran.


Transportation

The mosque is accessible within walking distance south of Dongsi Station of
Beijing Subway The Beijing Subway is the rapid transit system of Beijing Municipality that consists of 25 lines including 20 rapid transit lines, two airport rail links, one maglev line and 2 light rail lines, and 463 stations. The rail network extends ...
.


See also

*
Islam in China Islam has been practiced in China since the 7th century CE.. Muslims are a minority group in China, representing 1.6-2 percent of the total population (21,667,000- 28,210,795) according to various estimates. Though Hui Muslims are the most num ...
*
List of mosques in China This is a list of notable mosques in China. A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the religion of Islam. The first mosque in China was the Huaisheng Mosque in Guangzhou, built during the Tang dynasty in 627 CE. In of 2014 there were 39 ...


References

{{Mosques in China Mosques in Beijing