Id Kah Mosque

Kashgar, Xinjiang, China

The largest mosque in China, located in the historic Silk Road city of Kashgar. It has been the spiritual center of the Uyghur Muslim community for nearly six centuries.

Historical Context

The Id Kah Mosque was founded in 1442 by the ruler Saqsiz Mirza and has been expanded numerous times over the centuries. The current structure, which can hold 20,000 worshippers, reflects Central Asian Islamic architectural traditions — with a colonnaded prayer hall, a large courtyard shaded by poplar and plane trees, and a modest yellow-tiled gateway. Kashgar, located at the junction of the northern and southern branches of the Silk Road, has been a Muslim-majority city since at least the 10th century, when the Karakhanid rulers converted to Islam. The mosque has served as the center of Uyghur religious and communal life for nearly six centuries. During the 20th century, the mosque witness…