Huaisheng Mosque, located at No. 56, Guangta Road, is the earliest surviving mosque
and has the earliest freestanding minaret in China.
Huaisheng
Mosque, was first built in 627, during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It
is established for remember the ancestor of Islam, Mohammed, so the name
of Huaisheng (remembering the sage) Mosque. It is one of the four most
well-known mosques in China, the other three being Yangzhou Crane Mosque,
Quanzhou Kylin Mosque and Hangzhou Phoenix Mosque.
Huaisheng
Mosque, covering an area of more than 2,966 square meters, features six
important buildings, the Imam Hall, the Wangyue Attic, the Covered Corridor,
the Storehouse of Islamic Scripture, the Stone Steles Pavilion and the
Light Tower.
The Light
Tower has no precedent in China with its thick cylindrical masonry shaft
and internal stairway. The
mosque is also named Light Tower Mosque. The Light Tower used to serve
as a beacon for boats on the Zhujiang River.
Today, Huaisheng
Mosque still plays a very important role in Muslim life in Guangzhou.
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