Id Kah Mosque

» Kashgar, Xin Jiang

Id Kah Mosque Overview & Map Weather Transportation Information

"Id Kah" means "a place of praying and celebrating in festivals." The Id Kah Mosque is situated on the square of the same name in the center of Kashgar City, Xinjiang. It covers an area of 16,800 square meters and can accommodate up to 100,000 worshippers. The call to Prayer booming from the mosque can be heard throughout the city center. This is a rare thing in Socialist China.

As the biggest mosque in China, it is a group of old Islamic constructions with strong ethnic style and religious features. The roof, which is lavishly decorated with floral motifs, is supported by 140 green pillars with sculptured ornamentation.

The history

Kashgar's majestic yellow-tiled Id Kah Mosque (Aitigaer Qingzhensi) has been the heart of the region's traditional Muslim culture since its completion in 1442. Shakesimirzha, a ruler of Kashgar, had the typical Islamic mosque built here and it was extended to its present shape and style through several renovation works.

What to visit

The Id Kah Mosque comprises a gate tower, a courtyard, the Hall of Prayer, the Hall of Scripture and other attached structures. Altogether there are 36 Halls of Scripture on both the south and north sides of Id Kah Mosque.

The gate tower

At the entrance to the mosque, the gate tower is built of yellow bricks that make the whole tower splendid, solemn and lofty. This tower can be considered the best amongst the whole group of buildings in terms of design. The tower is where the imam will give a call (azan/adhan) summoning the Muslims to attend to prayers. This tower is full of elaborate flower-pattern carvings, mainly in green.

Courtyard

Just inside the gate is a big courtyard. In it, the poplar trees reach the sky and the pines grow vigorously like boys and girls in their adolescence. The whole yard is heavily shaded, making you as cool and comfortable as if you were in an air-conditioned environment. A pond with limpid water is a bright mirror enclosed by the green trees. On its bank many pottery pots are placed, which are to be used by the worshipers to clean themselves. It endows the mosque with a quiet elegance.

The Hall of Prayer

The Hall of Prayer is on a high dais in the west end of the mosque. The roof is held by light blue pillars and all the pillars form a rectangular shape. The framework of the main hall is made of timber with decorative wooden ceiling. The exquisite wooden carvings and colored paintings reveal the essence of craftsmanship. The hall is supported by 140 carved wooden pillars. A stepped throne is enshrined into the central wall. During service, the First Mullah leads the prayer in the shrine.

The importance

The importance of Id Kah Mosque is not only because of its long life and exquisite construction, but also because of it is a sacred place for all the Xinjiang Moslems. Every Friday afternoon (the most important day of the week in their religion), Moslems from nearby come here to worship.

What to enjoy

Every day thousands of worshippers come here to pray. Every Friday afternoon, Muslims gather here to worship. During religious festivals all the Muslims in Xinjiang come to this sacred place to celebrate. At prayer time, the mosque, the square, the streets and the roads all around are full of piously kneeling Muslims. Afterwards, all the people get together on the square in front of the Id Kah Mosque and dance to show their happiness, with no sign of exhaustion. This scene provides a real feast for your eyes and ears as traditional musicians accompany vigorous songs and dances of Xinjiang.

The surrounding bazaars

Nearby there is a traditional and very characteristic bazaar which can be found by walking in a southwesterly direction from Id Kah Square. Other markets are also in the surrounding streets, such as a carpet market and a hat market.

Something to remind you

As long as it is not prayer time or religious holidays, tourists are allowed into the mosque. When you visit mosques, you should always remember that both men and women should always have their arms and legs fully covered.

How to get there

The Id Kah Mosque is located on the western side of Id Kah Square right in the center of Kashgar, north of Renmin Square and the giant Mao Zedong statue. You may choose No.77 and No.13 to get there.

When to visit

The best time to visit is probably early to mid-morning when there are few worshippers here.

• Opening Hours: 08:50a.m. - 10:00p.m.
• Recommended Time for a Visit: One hour

Attractions around » Kashgar, Xin Jiang

Natural Scene

• Lake Karakuli
• Dawakun Desert

Historical Site

• Id Kah Mosque
• Tomb of Abakh Khoja
• Kashgar Old Town

Shopping & Leisure

• Kashgar Bazaar

Id Kah Mosque Highlights

Islam attraction highlights

• Id Kah Mosque
• Great Mosque
• Grand Kuqa Mosque
• Qingjing Mosque
• Dongguan Mosque

city highlights

• Xi'an
• Turpan
• Kashgar
• Lanzhou
• Quanzhou

Temple & Monastery in Great China

• Shaolin Temple
• Temple of Heaven
• Jokhang Temple
• Confucius Temple
• A-Ma Temple
• Palkhor Monastery
• Sera Temple
• Drepung Temple
• Rongbuk Temple
• Songzanlin Temple
• Id Kah Mosque
• Lingyin Temple
• Labrang Temple
• Great Buddha at Lingshan
• Golden Temple
• Yuantong Temple
• Tashilhunpo Temple
• Sakya Temple
• Temple of Universal Peace
• Putuo Zongcheng Temple
• Eight Outer Temples
• Famen Temple
• Great Mosque
• Nanputuo Temple
• Jade Buddha Temple
• Town God Temple
• Confucius Temple
• Lama Temple
• White Cloud Temple
• Tar Temple
• Santa Sophia Church
• 108 Dagobas
• Memorial Temple of Lord Bao
• White Horse Temple
• Qiongzhu Temple
• Hanging Temple
• Hanshan Temple
• Gaomiao Temple at Zhongwei
• Giant Buddha Temple
• Xiangguo Temple
• Yufeng Lamastery
• Chongshansi Temple
• Dule Temple
• Anyuan Temple
• White Horse Pagoda
• Trandruk Temple
• Dai Temple
• Pagoda of Songyue Temple
• Ramoche Temple
• Guanlin Temple
• Huayan Temple
• Kaiyuan Temple
• Samye Temple
• Jinci Temple
• Confucius Temple
• Ganden Temple
• Dabeiyuan Temple
• Wuhou Memorial Temple
• Shanhua Temple
• Ruins of St. Paul's
• Temple of Universal Happiness
• Great Bell Temple
• Qingjing Mosque
• Hongfu Temple
• Dazhao Temple
• Five Pagoda Temple
• Baoguo Temple
• Wudangzhao Temple
• Shalu Temple
• Bailin Temple, Great Zen Buddhist Center
• Longhua Temple
• Jile Temple
• Chengtiansi Pagoda
• Nanguan Muslim Mosque
• Qingyanggong Temple
• Ba Xian An Temple
• Tianhou Palace
• Guiyuan Temple
• Linggu Temple
• Najiahu Mosque at Yongning
• Haibao Pagoda
• Xilitu Zhao
• Dongguan Mosque
• Jiegu Temple

Id Kah Mosque FAQ & Travelers's Tips

  Weather

1. When is the best time to go?

  Transportation

1. What is the best transportation for cruising around in Kashgar?

  Shopping

1. Where can I exchange money?

  Other Hints

1. How is post communication in Kashgar?
2. Emergency Services
3. Telephone Service

• When is the best time to go?

  The best time to travel is between August and September, when the sky is blue and there is blossom and fruit on the trees.

  The four seasons in Kashgar are very clear. The average temperature for the year is 11.8 degree C, the average temperature of the coolest month of January is -6 degree C, and in the hottest month, July, the average temperature is 27 degree C. Kashgar is a large periods of sunshine and little rainfall, the average rainfall here is only 121mm, but the evaporation capacity amounts to 2162mm, and on average there are 224 days a year without frost here.

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• What is the best transportation for cruising around in Kashgar?

  Hiring a car before arriving to Kashgar will make your trip easy and securely .Book your cheap Kahgar Car Hire and Car Rental securely online with Lonelychina.
  With price discounts of over 15%, you will find that we are amongst the cheapest carhire sites on the Internet. We compare prices from Hertz, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Thrifty and Europcar and quote you the cheapest.

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• Where can I exchange money?

  Money can be changed at Qinibakh Hotel , Wenzhou Hotel (limited to US$, Euro, British Pound, Japanese Yen and HK$) Kashgar Hotel and Seman Hotel. For those who stay in Renmin Hotel and Jindu Mansion , you may change your money at the Bank of China on the North of the Kashgar Peoples Square , it is 5-10 minutes distance on foot (business hours 9:00-16:00, 10:00 - 14:00 Sunday and Saturday). Do not change any money in the street with strangers. If you carry traveler check, you can change it to RMB at the Bank of China , which is not far from all hotels in Kashgar.

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• How is post communication in Kashgar?

  The main post office is located on Renmin Road the center of Kashgar (Ostangboyi end of Handcrafts street), you can send card, letters from the Post Office and your hotels as well. Post cards ,stamps and tourist books can be found in Kashgar Post Office.

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• Emergency Services

  • Police 110
  • Fire 119
  • Ambulance 120
  • Foreigners Section of the Kashgar Security Bureau 2822044
  • Tourist Hotline 2833111
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• Telephone Service

  • Local Telephone Information 114
  • Time Check 117
  • Weather Information 121
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