Id Kah Mosque
Quick Facts
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The Id Kah Mosque (Uyghur: Héytgah Meschit, Chinese: 艾提尕尔; pinyin: àitígǎěr) is a mosque located in Kashgar, Xinjiang, in the western People's Republic of China. It is the largest mosque in China. Every Friday, it houses nearly 10,000 worshippers and may accommodate up to 20,000.
History Of Mosque
The mosque was built by Saqsiz Mirza in 1442 although it incorporated older structures dating back to 996, the Id Kah Mosque was later rebuilt and expanded several times and gradually developed into what we see today, a mosque of massive scale 16,800 square meters (4.5 acres).
Architecture and Design
The Id Kah Mosque mainly consists of the Main Entrance, the Lecture Hall, the Worship Hall, and the courtyard. The Gate Tower at the entrance is stunning, the most brilliant and attractive structure in the complex because of its artistic value and unique shape. The gate is 4.3 meters (14 feet) wide and 4.7 meters (15.4 feet) high. A plaque hangs above the gate while on each side there is a standing 12.5 meter (41 feet) high column minaret built of yellow bricks, which is called "Xuanli Tower". On top of the column minaret stands a "Calling tower". The entrance hall has a multi-angled arched roof and on top there is also a small column tower. Seen from a distance, the mosque gate tower is solemn and magnificent, yet simple.