Sultan Satuk Mausoleum

　　The Sultan Satuk Mausoleum in Kizilsu, Xinjiang, is situated in Mexit Village, Songtak Township, two kilometers southwest of Artux City. It is the ancient tomb complex of the "Tangut Karakhanid Dynasty," a local regime in China's Western Regions from the 10th to the 13th century. The mosque in front of the mausoleum marks the site where Sultan Satuk Bughra Khan converted to Islam. This structure predates the Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar by over 880 years and the Xiangfei Tomb in Kashgar by more than 680 years. The mosque before the Sultan Satuk Mausoleum was built by Oghulchak for Prince Nasr and is also the place where Satuk embraced Islam and mobilized followers to attack Oghulchak’s palace. Though the prayer hall has collapsed and been repaired multiple times, it still retains its original character. The mosque is a flat-roofed building supported by rows of exquisitely carved wooden pillars, holding up a white, intricately ribbed wooden ceiling. Though lacking painted beams, flying eaves, winding corridors, or zigzagging paths, the white octagonal wooden pillars are adorned with finely engraved Uyghur ethnic patterns, while the light yellow brickwork of the flat eaves features symmetrical rows of decorative motifs, along with snow-white brick piers—creating an impression of solemnity, dignity, grandeur, and simplicity. The spacious rectangular hall is clean, bright, and well-lit, surrounded by low brick-and-wood fences that are modest and graceful. The patterns on the piers are clear, attractive, and harmonious, making the space captivating. As the oldest mosque in Xinjiang, it has endured for a thousand years and remains bustling with Muslims coming to pray during Islamic religious festivals.