The Great Mosques

Located at the Huajue Lane of Xi'an, the Great Mosques is the largest mosques in Xi'an, established in the early Ming Dynasty. It is also one of the earliest buildings, with a comparatively large scale and well preserved mosques in China. It has been listed by UNESCO as one of the world's Islamic heritage in 1985.

Main structures
The whole mosques can be divided into four courtyards from the east to the west. All halls and pavilions appear to orderly layout. In the first courtyard, there is a wooden arch. The arch, 9 meters high, with glaze-covered tiles, can be traced back to the 17th century. On the e second yard, there are famous calligraphies written by prominent ancient calligraphers in the Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, earning the fame as the masterpiece of calligraphy in China. The third yard keeps the translation of "Koran" in Arabic and Chinese along with some furnishings such as rare calligraphy, painting and valuable porcelain vase. The Fourth Courtyard contains a big prayer hall, with an area of 1300 square meters, which can accommodate over thousands of people at a time. The hall is decorated by over 600 pictures with various Arabic designs.

Art achievement
The mosque is a perfect combination of traditional Chinese architecture and Islamic art. It constructed as a series of pavilions and buildings with four courtyards in Chinese style.  The wall, however, is decorated with Islamic art. Various beautiful decorations are sculpted with Arabic in the hall. All of these make the Great Mosques an admirable wonder in the world.

Tips:
1. Non-Muslim visitors are not allowed to enter to the main prayer hall.
2. The city's famous Drum Tower is not far away.
3. You can take buses including No.1, 43, 201, 205, 611 to get there.
4. It opens from 8：00 to 19：30