This was the first of the very few historic sites we saw in Kashgar. Construction began on the mosque in 1442, and it stands in the middle of the city. This is a shot of the exterior and the massive town square in front of the mosque.
On important holy days, worshipers on prayer rugs spill beyond the walls of the sanctuary (which can hold up to 20,000 people) and flow across the courtyard. This shot was taken within the walls of the mosque, where tree-lined paths surround trampled earth squares and thousands worship.
This is the heart of the mosque itself, the podium from which prayers are sung. According to our guide, worshipers try hard to sit in the first row in front of the podium, as the Koran states that praying from the first row is as valuable as making a large sacrifice to Allah, such as a camel. The second row is equivalent to a slightly smaller animal, and so on. Like so many other arenas, it's good to be up front.
Oh, and this mosque also houses the longest rug in China. Unfortunately, they keep it rolled up. Such is life.
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