Xianxian Mosque

An eye-opening trip in Guangzhou. We have never expected to find a ‘real’ mosque in China. We have visited different mosques in Chapter 1 of our journey. Visiting Xianxian mosque brought us back to the time in Central Asia. It is the largest mosque in Guangzhou. It was built during the Tang dynasty, it was also called the Hui-Hui cemetery as it was a cemetery honoring 40 famous Arabic Muslim missionaries who were buried there.

The highlight was that Saad bin Abi Waqqas’s tomb is in the area. He played a leading role in the Muslim conquest of Persia and was a close companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was the 7th free adult man to embrace Islam, which he did at the age of 17. He participated in all battles under Muhammad during their stay in Medina. We were surprised that many Muslims came here with their suitcases as they were passing through Guangzhou to visit the tomb. There are Muslims saying Quran in the tomb. At that point, we realized the importance of his tombs to all Muslims.Read more