Bukui Mosque 卜奎清真寺

About Bukui Mosque

The eastern mosque dates to the seventeenth century, while the western compound was established in the nineteenth century by a community connected with Gansu. Their later administrative union did not erase the distinction between the two prayer spaces. The visit is therefore best understood as a comparison of adjoining religious compounds and their building forms, while recognising that the mosque remains a place of worship.

The mosque's two sections were administratively merged in 1958 under the name Qiqihar Mosque. It was listed as a Qiqihar city-level protected cultural relic in 1980, when its buildings were renovated, and as a Heilongjiang provincial-level protected cultural relic in 1981, when it was renamed Bukui Mosque; an assessment that year found the East Mosque in relatively good condition but serious structural damage to the West Mosque, and reconstruction work followed from 1989 to 1990. In 2006, the mosque was listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (全国重点文物保护单位).

The mosque is located in Qiqihar's Jianhua District and is the largest and oldest mosque in Heilongjiang province. Its built area covers approximately 2,000 square meters within a compound of about 6,400 square meters, and its two prayer spaces together can hold approximately 450 worshippers.

What to look for

• The eastern compound, associated with the mosque's seventeenth-century foundation.
• The western compound and its separate prayer-building history.

The surrounding area

Western city base for shared barbecue and a separate Zhalong wetland excursion.

Location & getting there

Getting to Bukui Mosque

Go to Qingzhensi Hutong (Mosque Lane), off Bukui Street in Qiqihar's Jianhua District.

• Ask which courtyards are open to visitors and respect prayer arrangements; entry to the prayer halls should not be assumed.