Kuqa Temple - China Travel

introduce

Kuqa Grand Mosque is the second largest temple in Xinjiang after Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar, 4 kilometers away from Kuqa New City. Among the many earthen buildings in the old city of Kuqa, the green glazed dome of the Great Temple of Kuqa is particularly eye-catching in the sun. The gate tower of the great temple is 18.3 meters high, all made of blue bricks. The towering gate tower and minarets are solemn and straight. The pillars of the pagoda are carved with Islamic style patterns, and the dome-shaped roof resembles the sky. The worship hall in the temple is 1,500 square meters and can accommodate 3,000 people to worship. There are 64 hexagonal pillars in 8 vertical and horizontal rows, decorated with colored carving paintings, supporting the ceiling composed of 102 grid paintings, which is magnificent and magnificent. It is said that the Great Kuqa Temple was built by Isha Gewuli, the leader of the Black Mountain Sect of Islam in Xinjiang in the 16th century, when he lived and preached in Kuqa from Kashgar. It was originally a civil temple, but it was changed to a wooden structure in the 17th century. It was burned down in a fire in 1923, and the existing temple was built in 1931. It is worth mentioning that there is a prestigious "religious court" north of the small mosque. It is a product of the integration of politics and religion, and it is also one of the few Islamic judiciary sites preserved in Xinjiang.