The undisputed heart of Xining's Islamic community is the Dongguan Grand Mosque (东关清真大寺). Located on the south side of Dongguan Avenue which runs east to west through the center of Xining's Muslim Quarter, the mosque was built over 500 years ago. During the revolutionary period, it was patronized by the infamous local warlord Ma Bufang, who made it a focal point of the community. It's a beautiful building, built in the Chinese style, with a large domed front entrance gate, and a spacious courtyard on the inside. On a typical Friday afternoon, anywhere between 40,000 and 60,000 people gather here to pray. The overflow crowd spills out onto the street and is really something to behold. On an average afternoon, like the one I was around for, between 6,000 and 8,000 people show up for daily prayer. It's still a massive number. In a certain sense, you really do have to see it for yourself to fully comprehend the scale, but I think this video, which I took on a recent Sunday afternoon gives you a pretty good sense of what it's like. More updates from Xining coming soon, but for now, enjoy!