The Niujie Mosque
Attraction No.18 Niujie Street, Xicheng District, Beijing 100053, China Published on: 09-08-2016
1 hour | |
08:00 AM - 05:00 PM | |
09:00 AM | |
10:00 AM | |
Second-time visit | |
Attraction
Cultural
Kids
Architecture
Temple & Monument
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1.47 USD |
The Niujie Mosque is good for





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Why The Niujie Mosque is special ?
The Niujie Mosque is the Beijing's most historical and majestic mosque, it is situated on the Ox Street (Niujie in Chinese) in the city's Xuanwu District. First built back in 996, it has a history that stretches back over a thousand years, in which time it has undergone numerous refits and extensions, and has greeted Muslims from all over the world to worship. It covers an area of over 6000 square meters (7176 square yards), and is structurally based on traditional Chinese wooden palaces, yet adopts a typical Arabic-style of decoration. There are no human or animal figures among these decorations as these are considered taboo in Islam.
Source: http://www.chinahighlights.com/
What to explore at The Niujie Mosque?
Niu Jie (Ox Street) is a cramped road running north-south in the Muslim Quarter, about a mile directly west of the Temple of Heaven. It is lined with offal stalls and vendors selling fried dough rings, rice cakes and shaobang (muffins), and populated by men wearing white hats and beards.
The Niu Jie Mosque occupies a site of over 6000 m² and includes several buildings: the prayer hall, the Bangge Lou (minaret), a six-cornered moon observatory tower, and two pavilions with stone steles.
The exteriors are designed in classic Chinese style, looking very much like Buddhist temples, but the interiors are more traditionally Arab. And of course, there are no idols to be seen. Both Chinese and Arabic inscriptions adorn the buildings.
Non-Muslim visitors cannot enter the prayer hall (which is usually fairly empty except on Fridays), but can admire the architecture of the exteriors and look around the courtyards. A small courtyard on the south side contains the graves of two Persian imams who preached here in the 13th century. Nearby is a copper cauldron, used to prepare food for devotees.
Source: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/
How to get to The Niujie Mosque?
Address: Cow Street Mosque (Qingzhensi), 18 Cow Street, Xuanwu District, Beijing. 牛街清真寺--北京市宣武区牛街18号区牛街. You can show the above address to a taxi driver.
Bus:Bus No. 10, 109, 61, or 6. Get off at Cow Street.
Metro:Take Subway Line 2 to Changchun Jie Station. Take Exit C1 and walk about 1.5km south to the mosque. Or exit from Exit A and take Bus No. 10 for 4 stops to the Niujie Mosque.
Source: http://www.chinahighlights.com/
Selling points
- The oldest and most important mosque in China
- The mix of Arabic and Chinese architecture and traditions
- Chinese architecture outside, more Arabic inside
- Unique the architectural style and mix of colors
- The gorgeous and unusual contrasting colors
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Location
No.18 Niujie Street, Xicheng District, Beijing 100053, China
Tips for you
Reviews
If you decide to explore religious diversity in Beijing, this is a must! Largest mosque in Beijing & most prominent in China! Check out the Emperor's tablets from the 1600's! Super cool!
It gives interesting insight into the history of Islam in China. Though far less prominent than Buddhism, Daoism, or Confucianism, Islam has played an integral part in China’s cultural history.
Cow street mosque , prayers for Friday starts at 1:30 in December #lots of Halal food out side
The location is a bit hard to get with subway. Need a bit of walking from the nearest station. Inside and outside the mosque are unique with heavy Chinese influence.
This more than 1000 years old mosque in the heart of Beijing is well preserved and still functional. The mosque is unique as it architecturally resembles any old Chinese Building and does not have traditional architecture that most of the mosques the world over have.
The mosque is quite far from subway, need to walk a bit from the nearest station. If not you can go by taxi. Great architecture and history. Friendly people and very calm place, I love it very much. Nearby got so many choices of halal food for Muslim
If you decide to explore religious diversity in Beijing, this is a must! Largest mosque in Beijing & most prominent in China! Check out the Emperor's tablets from the 1600's! Super cool!