Haiyuan Mosque

Haiyuan Mosque

Haiyuan Mosque is a cultural tourism attraction.

Guide Haiyuan Mosque is the oldest Islamic temple in Haiyuan County. It was originally built during the Wanli era of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty and has a history of over 420 years. The mosque is located in the northwest part of Haiyuan County, inside Da Si Alley, and serves as the central place of religious activity for the local Muslim community. Introduction Haiyuan Mosque has undergone multiple renovations and expansions. It covers an area of 4,100 square meters, with a building area of 1,025 square meters, including a prayer hall and main worship space spanning 460 square meters. The architectural style combines traditional Chinese palace design with Arabic architectural art. The prayer hall consists of five bays, while the main worship space spans seven bays and is constructed from brick and wood. The main structure of the main worship space features a two-ridged, one-curved roof covering 300 square meters and can accommodate more than 600 people. The curved roof section spans 110 square meters. The prayer hall has three floors: the lower floor has five bays, the middle floor three bays, and the upper floor one bay, totaling 240 square meters with a height of 11.7 meters.

The moon-sighting platform, prayer hall, and main worship space are all floored with 3-centimeter-thick pine boards. The second courtyard includes three main rooms (with five rafters), six side rooms on the east and west, five passage study rooms, three bathhouses, five storage rooms, and one restroom, totaling 24 rooms covering 360 square meters. The total building area is approximately 1,470 square meters.

The eaves, corners, and front edges of the prayer hall and tower, as well as all windows and doors, are adorned with exquisitely carved patterns. The top edges of the windows and doors are decorated with gold-leaf Quranic inscriptions in bas-relief, adding to the solemn and sacred atmosphere. The grand arched doorways are made of brick, above which stands a three-story wooden minaret reaching 8 meters in height. The entire structure is majestic, solemn, and spectacular. Surrounding the mosque are 14 towering elm trees, as old as the mosque itself, with trunks about 4 meters in circumference, further enhancing the mosque's grandeur.

Ningxia Zhongwei