The Niujie Mosque is located on Niujie Street inside
Guang'anmen in Beijing. It is the largest and oldest mosque in the city.
Built in 996 during the Liao Dynasty (916-1125), Niujie Mosque comprises a
hall, the Bangge Building, the Wangyue Building and the stele pavilion. The
hall's wall is adorned with Arabic character carvings and various flower
patterns. Color drawings on the fascia and the ceiling give the hall its unique
splendor.
Shaped like a square pavilion, the Bangge Building, which stands in front of
the hall, has a double-eaved gable and hip roof. From the building, a priest
reminds churchgoers of the time.
The Wangyue Building is hexagonal in shape and has a double-eaved, pyramidal
roof with decorations rich in Islamic colors. Two stone tablets with Arabic
inscriptions and a bronze censer weighing 900 kilograms are kept in the mosque.
Such cultural relics date back to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911)
Dynasties.
The Niujie Mosque is the site of the China Islamic
Association.