The Great Mosque

Here Alice and Kalila are in front of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Xi'an. It was established in 742, just over 100 years after the death of the prophet Muhammad. Chinese buildings traditionally face south to increase solar gain, but the mosque faces west toward the Ka'ba in Mecca. Muhammad was quoted in a Hadith as saying, 'Seek knowledge even unto China.' Many muslim merchants and scholars made their way to China by way of the Silk Road. Today Xi'an has an estimated 50,000 muslims.