Art of Pictures

Niujie Mosque main gate


Niujie Mosque main hall

The Niujie Mosque is the largest, oldest mosque in Beijing’s Xuanwu District, China, covering an area of about 6,500 square yards (6,000 sq. meters). First built in 996 during the Liao Dynasty, it was reconstructed in 1442 in the Ming Dynasty and expanded in 1696 under the Qing Dynasty, and now one of the major mosques in north China.

Constructed from timber, its architecture bears traditional Chinese influence on the exterior. The mosque is home to a number of important cultural relics and tablets such as the upright tablet of an emperor’s decree proclaimed in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty.