A visit to the Niujie Mosque

e.mcnabb — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:27:22 +0000

On July 6, 2009 I ventured with a friend to the Muslim Quarter of Beijing, China. The Muslim Quarter looks in many ways like other areas of the city. The streets are lined with small shops selling everything from ice cream to cell phones, sneakers to Tsing Tao. The neon signs and brightly colored storefronts all look vaguely similar as you ride along the streets in a taxi. However, as our taxi slowed we realized we were in a decidedly different part of town. As we got out of our cab we were faced by a massive, mint green-colored, middle-eastern styled building. The building and its impressive compound walls stood out against the monotone, modernist apartment buildings that surrounded it. The building was under construction and we never did discover what it was used for, but it served as an elegant introduction to the evening that lay ahead. After a short walk through the neighborhood we arrived at the Niujie Mosque. We had trouble identifying it as such initially due to it’s asian-style appearance. We both thought that a mosque should have a very high tower and feature what I, through various art history classes, had come to consider traditional Islamic architecture. The Niujie Mosque however was a compound of buildings that were more reminiscent of the Forbidden City than anything else, and equally as beautiful. The mosque was built in 996 AD during the Liao Dynasty by an Arabian Scholar. It faces west, towards Mecca and the buildings are arranged along a central axis. When we arrived, dusk was setting in. This lent a surreal light to the compound as we bought our tickets and as I, being a woman in shorts and a short-sleeved t-shirt, put on the ankle length skirt and shawl they had available. As we entered the compound, the light faded. This combined with the smog that is ever present in Beijing and had settled closer to the ground in the humidity and created a haunted atmosphere. As we neared the actual prayer space, in the middle of the compound, we heard men singing prayers. Perhaps the most beautiful prayer that we witnessed was sung by a man who walked back and forth along a wall that stretched from where we were standing to the end of the compound. The man walked slowly, singing softly, but with conviction, what we assumed was a series of prayers. His voice was beautiful as he moved along the stone-wall amidst the deepening darkness and subtle fog.

This is one of the many amazing experiences I have had here in Beijing. This city is intimidating in its immensity but rewards a sense of adventure and curiosity quite well.

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A visit to the Niujie Mosque