Great Mosque of Xi'an

At the end of the Silk Road sits the Chinese city of Xi'an, and hidden in its narrow Muslim Quarter is a mosque that surprises everyone who visits.

There is no dome and no tall minaret. Instead there are wooden pavilions with curved tiled roofs, stone gateways, and courtyards full of trees — it looks exactly like a traditional Chinese temple garden.

But look closer: every carved panel and painted beam is decorated with Arabic calligraphy instead of pictures, and the whole complex points west towards Makkah.

Muslim traders and travellers came here along the Silk Road more than 1,200 years ago, and their descendants, the Hui Muslims, still live in the streets around the mosque, selling noodles, lamb skewers and sweet walnut cakes.

Instead of a minaret there is a wooden 'Introspection Tower' from which the adhan is called. The mosque shows something beautiful: Islam keeps its message everywhere, while the buildings can wear local clothes.