The Jinan Great Southern Mosque () is the oldest mosque in the city of Jinan, Shandong Province, China. It was established 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 fift ...

(in 1295). Most of the present structures were erected during the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

(in 1436 and 1492). The basic layout of the mosque is that of a Chinese temple into which the elements needed for its function as a mosque have been integrated.

History

According to legend, the Great Southern Mosque was founded during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

, but there are no known records to confirm this. The written record dates the establishment of the mosque at its present site to the year 1295, during the first year of the reign of

Temür Khan Öljeytü Khan ( Mongolian: Өлзийт; Mongolian script: '; ), born Temür ( mn, Төмөр ; ; October 15, 1265 – February 10, 1307), also known as Emperor Chengzong of Yuan () by his temple name ''Chengzong'', was the second emperor of th ...

(Emperor Chengzong of Yuan). Construction of the present day structures started in the 1420s and 1430s. Significant expansions were undertaken in the year 1492, the fifth year in the reign of the

Hongzhi Emperor The Hongzhi Emperor () (30 July 1470 – 9 June 1505) was the tenth Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1487 to 1505. Born Zhu Youcheng, he was the eldest surviving son of the Chenghua Emperor and his reign as emperor of China is called ...

. Other recorded renovations followed during the reigns of the Jiajing (1521–1567) and

Wanli Wanli was the era name of the Chinese Ming dynasty. Wanli may also refer to: *Wanli Emperor (1563–1620), the 14th emperor of the Chinese Ming dynasty *Wanli District, Nanchang, district of Nanchang, Jiangxi, China *Wanli District, New Taipei, a ...

(1572–1620) Emperors of the Ming dynasty, the

Jiaqing The Jiaqing Emperor (13 November 1760 – 2 September 1820), also known by his temple name Emperor Renzong of Qing, born Yongyan, was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, from ...

(1796–1820), Daoguang (1820–1850), and Tongzhi (1861–1875) Emperors of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

, as well as during the early

Republican era Republican Era can refer to: * Minguo calendar, the official era of the Republic of China It may also refer to any era in a country's history when it was governed as a republic or by a Republican Party. In particular, it may refer to: * Roman Rep ...

. The mosque was damaged severely during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...

with many of the historical artifacts it housed being destroyed and the building converted into a factory. Since 1992, it has been protected as a provincial-level key cultural heritage site.Great Southern Mosque, online article at www.jinan.gov.cn

Architecture

The basic layout of the mosque follows the courtyard style of a traditional Chinese temple with major buildings arranged along a main axis of symmetry. However, whereas in a Chinese temple, this main axis is typically oriented in the north-south direction, the main axis of the Great Southern Mosque is oriented in the east-west direction so that upon entering the main prayer hall one faces west (towards

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...

). In keeping with Chinese tradition, the main entrance of the mosque is protected by a spirit wall. In total, the mosque covers an area of 6,630 square meters of which 2,830 square meters are covered by buildings.

Location

The mosque is located in

Lixia District Lixia District () is one of 10 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province, East China, forming part of the city's urban core. It borders the districts of Licheng to the north and east, Shizhong to th ...

of Jinan, to the west of the historical city center and the Baotu Spring Park. Its location is at the southern entrance to Jinan's Muslim quarter (Huimin Xiaoqu).

References

{{Authority control 1295 establishments in Asia 13th-century establishments in China 13th-century mosques Buildings and structures in Jinan Mosques in China Religious buildings and structures completed in 1492 Tourist attractions in Jinan Religion in Shandong Yuan dynasty architecture

History

Architecture

Location

See also

References