Niu Jie Mosque, Beijing , China

Built in 995, the Niu Jie Mosque is Beijing's largest and oldest mosque and the spiritual center for the city's estimated 200,000 Muslims.
History

The mosque was constructed by two Arabs in 995. Throughout the Yuan, Ming and Qing periods (13th-19th C), it underwent several alterations and since 1949 it has been repeatedly restored.
What to See

Niu Jie (Ox Street) is a cramped road running north-south in the Muslim Quarter, about a mile directly west of the Temple of Heaven. It is lined with offal stalls and vendors selling fried dough rings, rice cakes and shaobang (muffins), and populated by men wearing white hats and beards.

The Niu Jie Mosque occupies a site of over 6000 m² and includes several buildings: the prayer hall, the Bangge Lou (minaret), a six-cornered moon observatory tower, and two pavilions with stone steles.

The exteriors are designed in classic Chinese style, looking very much like Buddhist temples, but the interiors are more traditionally Arab. And of course, there are no idols to be seen. Both Chinese and Arabic inscriptions adorn the buildings.

Non-Muslim visitors cannot enter the prayer hall (which is usually fairly empty except on Fridays), but can admire the architecture of the exteriors and look around the courtyards. A small courtyard on the south side contains the graves of two Persian imams who preached here in the 13th century. Nearby is a copper cauldron, used to prepare food for devotees.
Quick Facts
Names:     Niu Jie Libai Si; Niu Jie Mosque; Niujie Qingzhen Si Mosque; Ox Street Mosque
Type of site:     Mosque
Faith:     Islam
Status:     Active
Dates:     996 AD
Location:     On east side of Niu Jie (Ox Street), Xuanwu Qu
Address:     Niu Jie 88, Beijing, China
Phone:     010/6353-2564
Hours:     Daily 8am-7pm
Cost:     ¥10 for non-Muslims
Bus:     61 to Libai Si from Changchun Jie metro stop (205, exit D)

from: www.sacred-destinations.com