Ox Street Mosque, Beijing

Ox Street Mosque, Beijing

Ox Street Mosque is a spiritual center that caters to more than 200,000 Muslims in Beijing. This is the oldest and largest mosque in the city in existence since it was built in 995. Ox Street Mosque was constructed by two Arabs and underwent many renovations, additions and alterations between 13th and 19th centuries during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing and dynasties. It has been restored periodically since 1949.

A mile to the west of Temple of Heaven, you will find the Muslim Quarter. Ox Street or Niu Jie is located in this quarter. As you enter the street, you will find a variety of vendors and stalls selling shaobang or muffins, rice cakes and fried dough rings.

Ox Street Mosque is spread over a large area of 6000 square meters. The complex has many buildings such as the prayer hall, an observatory tower, the Bangge Lou minaret and two stone stele pavilions.

The mosque resembles a Buddhist temple due the classic Chinese style exteriors. However, as you enter the temple, there is no mistaking the traditional Arab style and ambience. The walls of the building are adorned with Arabic and Chinese inscriptions. If you are a non-Muslim, you can enjoy looking around the courtyards and exterior architecture. Only muslins are allowed to enter the main prayer hall.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Beijing. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Ox Street Mosque on Map

Sight Name: Ox Street Mosque
Sight Location: Beijing, China (See walking tours in Beijing)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Beijing, China

Create Your Own Walk in Beijing

Create Your Own Walk in Beijing

Creating your own self-guided walk in Beijing is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Beijing City Center Walking Tour

Beijing City Center Walking Tour

A political, cultural, and economic center of China for the past eight centuries, Beijing is the newest of the country's Four Ancient Capitals.

The city boasts the grandest and best preserved imperial palaces, gardens and temples, including seven UNESCO World Heritage sites, such as the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Ming Tombs, Zhoukoudian, and parts of the Great Wall...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.7 Km or 2.3 Miles
Olympic Park Walking Tour

Olympic Park Walking Tour

The Olympic Park in Beijing was built for the Olympic and Paralympic Games of 2008. This modern complex represents a contemporary architectural approach as compared to the more traditional buildings that dominate the city. Among its signature items are the iconic Bird's Nest, otherwise known as the main Olympic stadium, and the beautiful Water Cube – the Aquatics Center for water sports.
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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.6 Km or 3.5 Miles
Beijing's Historical Temples Tour I

Beijing's Historical Temples Tour I

Chinese temples are of unique beauty and have withstood many dynasties. However because the temples have always been connected to the imperial families, many of them were destroyed when the last dynasty ended in 1911. Nevertheless, a great number of beautiful temples with great history still stand in Beijing. Take this self-guided walking tour to discover a few famous temples in the northern part...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.9 Km or 0.6 Miles
Beijing's Historical Temples Tour II

Beijing's Historical Temples Tour II

The places of worship are some of the best links to the city's history. The unique churches, Buddhist and Taoist Temples, and beautiful Muslim Mosques all tell great tales of the history of Beijing. Despite that many of them have been partially or completely destroyed over the years either by wars or by the changes of political power, a good number of them still remain. You can visit a few...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.1 Km or 1.3 Miles

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