The Great Mosque - Gu Lou, Xi'an

We started off the day with another good breakfast and met our guide Holly at 10am.
It wasn't a long drive but just as mad as always with people cutting each other up and hooters sounding their warnings to pedestrians who seem to like walking out in front of cars at every opportunity.
Our driver 'Mr T' dropped us off in in what felt like a bit of a caul de sac. I wasn't really sure where we were going next from here but it was soon revealed that we needed to walk down a narrow alley way to get to the mosque.
It transpired that this was a 'muslim street' which has very small stalls from which traders sell their wears.
They sell mostly tourist tat and street food. Our guide walked really quickly through there, like she was on a mission! Personally, I'd have liked to have moved much slower, in order to take in more of the atmosphere and to be able to have viewed the things being sold a little. In truth, I think that Holly was probably thinking of us when she was route marching through the street, but all the same, a little less rushing would have been nicer.
As soon as we arrived we could tell it was old but still a special place to many because of the colour of the roof's and the people that were buzzing around.
It was built around 742 AD (in the Tang Dynasty), but is still being used by local Muslims who go their to pray 5 times a day. The Chinese regard the mosque as one of the most important historical and cultural sites in the whole of the country.
The mosque has been popular for centuries and has been extended and improved in the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.
Displayed in the various gate house and buildings were ornaments and pieces of furniture from various dynasties including the Ming Dynasty which we here so much about in the west.
There are also 2 very large stone tablets in 'The Court of Heaven' that are decorated with Dragons and inscribed by 2 famous calligraphers. They are regarded as some of the best works of art in China today. Like at the Pagoda, these stone tablets are open to the elements and not even glass covered.
The main hall, which has room for up to 1000 dedicated Muslims to pray, is right at the far end of the 13000 square meter site. It has 5 clocks on the wall to let everyone know what time they must be at the mosque to pray. The floor is covered in prayer mats and on the walls, all 600 pages of the holy Koran are carved on to wooden boards.
As we walked back the way we came to the exit, we noticed even more stunning pieces of architecture, hand carved stone tablets and pieces of furniture that look as though they really should be on the antiques road show.