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Explore the region
About Great Mosque of Xi'an
Its main surviving layout is Ming and Qing, using timber halls, gateways and pavilions while orienting worship towards the west. Chinese and Arabic inscriptions make the meeting of architectural traditions particularly visible. The Phoenix Pavilion and successive courtyards reward a slower visit than the surrounding market lanes. This remains an active mosque, and the main prayer hall is reserved for worshippers.
According to local tradition, the mosque was founded in 742, in the Tang dynasty, when Emperor Xuanzong ordered that a place of worship be built for Chang'an's Muslim community. An imperial plaque issued by the Song government indicates the early mosque remained in use into the Song dynasty. Its present layout and main buildings were formed in the Ming dynasty, with construction in 1392, during the Hongwu era (洪武), and it was repaired several times under the Qing.
The mosque covers about 1.23 hectares and houses more than twenty buildings across its five courtyards. Its architecture combines Chinese timber halls, archways and pavilions on the outside with an interior plan, prayer orientation and Arabic and Chinese inscriptions that follow Islamic religious requirements, its decorative carvings composed of interlaced Arabic script. Among its buildings are the front and rear halls and the Xingxin Lou (省心楼).
The mosque preserves a Qing dynasty handwritten Quran (古兰经), a painting depicting Mecca, and more than twenty Arabic and Chinese inscribed steles. It was designated a Shaanxi provincial cultural relics protection unit in 1956 and upgraded to a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (全国重点文物保护单位) in 1988.
What to look for
- The sequence of traditional courtyards, gateways and the Phoenix Pavilion.
- Arabic and Chinese inscriptions within the Chinese-style architectural setting.
- The western prayer-hall frontage, viewed from the permitted visitor area.
Location & getting there
Getting to Great Mosque of Xi'an
Go to 30 Huajue Alley, reached through the lanes near the Drum Tower and Beiyuanmen.
- Follow the mosque’s signs through the market streets and respect prayer-time access; the main prayer hall is for Muslim worshippers.
Combine your visit
Suggested order within this visit:
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Eastern entrance courtyards
Observe how the mosque’s axis begins within the surrounding lanes.
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Pavilion and inscription courts
Compare the timber forms with the written decoration.
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Prayer-hall forecourt
Finish at the permitted boundary of the worship space.
This sequence is an editorial suggestion based on the features described in the sources. Access to individual buildings or areas should be checked locally; no travel time or shared admission is implied.
Find Great Mosque of Xi'an
西安清真大寺 · 莲湖区
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
Muslim Quarter 回民街
Less than 1 km awayXi’an’s Hui neighbourhood is a network of residential and commercial lanes northwest of the Bell Tower, rather than a single food street. Beiyuanmen is its best-known visitor approach, with other streets such as Xiyangshi and…
View guide →Drum Tower of Xi'an 西安鼓楼
Less than 1 km awayXi’an’s Drum Tower stands west of the Bell Tower at the edge of the Beiyuanmen quarter. Built in the Ming period, it combines a massive brick platform with a timber upper structure and layered roofs. The modern set of solar-term…
View guide →Xi’an City God Temple 西安都城隍庙
Less than 1 km awayXi’an’s City God Temple opens from West Avenue into a sequence of gates, a theater and a substantial main hall. Much of the surviving architecture reflects Qing rebuilding, including the main hall reconstructed with materials…
View guide →Sources & visit information
The sources below support the place-specific description and arrival information. Suggested combinations are editorial planning ideas; confirm current opening, entry arrangements and transport services for your date.
- Wikipedia: 西安清真大寺 ↗
- Wikivoyage: Datong ↗
- English Wikipedia: Great Mosque of Xi'an (revision 1374008617, 2026-09-09) ↗
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 94116085.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 5297122.
Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "西安清真大寺", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 94116085.
Background paragraphs condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "Great Mosque of Xi'an", English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1374008617.