Dongguan Mosque

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Dongguan Mosque, the largest mosque in Qinghai, China, is in Xining. It was built in 1380 and has been repaired and remodeled many times. The site covers about 11,940 square metres. It used to have a green and white dome and two tall minarets, but around 2021 those features were removed during a remodel. Some say the changes were to reflect Chinese styles, while others say they restored a local look; the mosque’s management says the removed parts were not part of the original building. The modern mosque blends Chinese Islamic design with some Western influences. In Ming times it had a single courtyard with a worship hall and two minarets. The mosque has a history of political events, including protests in 1989 and 1993 over books about Islam. Generals Ma Qi and Ma Bufang once controlled the mosque when Qinghai’s leaders were military governors. Today it remains an active Sunni mosque.