_Xi’an Daxuexi Alley Mosque: Historical and Architectural Study‏

As a part of ongoing research on representative Muslim architecture, including Chinese Mosques, this paper seeks to shed light on the cultural development and artistic features of ancient architec-ture of Chinese Muslims. The objective of this paper is to explore the characteristics of design and architecture of Chinese mosques. This article first depicts mosque history and architectural charac-teristics (planning, direction, internal structure, material, art performance and construction subsi-diary, etc.). The mosque under consideration has a long history since its earliest construction during the Tang dynasty. It consists of a group of buildings forming introverted courtyard enclosed by halls and external walls which are known as Siheyuan. Chinese mosques are characterized by architectural forms different from the Islamic world architecture. Chinese Islamic architecture blends Islamic culture and content with traditional local Chinese heritage. This particular mosque is considered a typical ancient mosque, not only in Xi’an but also in China in general.