Sometimes there's a lot of material that doesn't find its way into a single blog post, but is too good to just not share. I've been meaning to fill in some of the gaps in my coverage of Yinchuan that were created by my laptop crashing. One of the posts that I've been intending to make for some time now, is one regarding the absolutely stunning mosque at Najiahu, a suburban Hui community just to the south of Yinchuan's Old City. The mosque, which is almost 500 years old (but has been restored several times, most recently in the 1990s), is justifiably famous, as it is a fine example of how Chinese traditional temple architecture blends with Islamic mosque architecture. The mosque's tall minarets and formidable astronomy tower for observation of the moon are lovely and ornate, while the main prayer hall and the surrounding attendant buildings offer all kinds of lovely embellishments: gilded Chinese-Arabic calligraphy, ornate wood carving, landscape painting, etc. It's a truly wonderful space to have a wander in. So, here, without further delay, are some highlights from Najiahu.
