XINJIANG

Hantengri Mosque, Urumqi
 
This wood-brick structure was first built in 1864 and expanded in 1882. Its original name was South-Pass Mosque. The building is located at the north end of the Southern Jiefang St., Urumqi. Because of its deteriorated condition, the mosque was relocated to the South Gate of the city and rebuilt beginning in 1984. Completed in 1988, the rebuilt mosque was renamed after the well-known Hantengri Peak of the Tianshan Mountains.

The new building serves as a shopping center as well as a center of worship, with the two sections separated by two spiral staircases. The spiritual and material worlds coexisting under one roof form an interesting scene.

Apak Hoja Tomb, Kashi 
 
The tomb, sometimes known as the "Tomb of the Saint," is located five km northeast of Kashi. It was originally built in the early 17th century and Yusuf Hoja, a celebrated Muslim missionary, was the first to be buried there. After his death, his eldest son, Apak Hoja, led the famous Baishan faction of Islam. He was also buried in the tomb after his death in 1693, and because his reputation was greater than his father's it was named after him.

Local legend says that 72 members in five generations of the family are buried there.

The tomb complex comprises a number of magnificent buildings, including the Tomb Hall, the Doctrine-Teaching Hall, the Great Hall of Prayer, the gate tower, a pond and an orchard. The solid, 39-meter-long Tomb Hall is topped by a dome and pillars in true Islamic style.

In 1956, the complex was restored to its 1874 appearance. That year, it was put under protection as a state cultural heritage site. 

Tomb of Hami Muslim Princes, Hami 

The tomb is situated in the Muslim Town in the southwestern suburbs of Hami City. In the 35th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi (r. 1662-1723), the Uygur ruler of Hami, Darhan Hanbok Abeydulla, submitted to the authority of the Qing court. The emperor made him the local Muslim prince, whose family ruled through nine generations for the next 231 years. In 1868, the court posthumously honored the seventh Muslim Prince Boxir as "Prince of Peace and Prosperity" and granted 20,000 taels (one tael equals about 38 grams) of silver to build him a tomb. The project was completed in 20 years. The structure was completely renovated with government funding in the 1980s. Today, the site houses the largest mosque and assembly center for Muslims in the Hami area.

The styles of the two main buildings differ yet complement each other. The mausoleum itself is in genuine Islamic style, with walls covered with glazed tiles, an imposing entrance arch and a magnificent dome. The mosque is built primarily of wood in the central plains pavilion style. Its octagonal roof bears a central ornament shaped like a Mongolian helmet and has upturning eaves decked with animal figures. 
 
Bughrahan Mausoleum, Atux  

This is the mazar, or mausoleum, of Sutuk Bughrahan, the first ruler of the Kala Kingdom, who converted to Islam. Located in what is now Suntaq Village, Atux City, it is the oldest structure of its kind in Xinjiang, originally built in 955-956. Local legend says that a nine-gabled mansion was once built on the foundation when the original building collapsed, but history records a renovation and expansion in 1872, during the period of the Yarkent Kingdom.