Mosque Gateway, Mazar Imam Jafar Sadiq, Niya / Minfeng County, Xinjiang, China

This is the gateway to the mosque at the shrine (mazar) of Imam Jafar Sadiq, called the "Mecca of Turkestan." The shrine is in the middle of the Taklamakan Desert, 90 km north of the town of Niya / Minfeng. See all 14 images of the shrine and nearby village in my Mazar Imam Jafar Sadiq and Kapakaskan Village set.

This 7 meter entry gate has interesting brickwork ornamentation, typical of Xinjiang Islamic gateways, and the green iron-worked door is also typically Uyghur. The gate leads from the front courtyard, with low walls, to the mosque courtyard.

The actual tomb, on the hill west of the mosque complex, has been dated by archaeologists to the 16th or 17th century, so it is certainly not that of one of the legendary Imams / Generals, the ""Four Imams, who were famed as martyrs in bringing Islam to the kingdoms of Kashgar and Hotan in the late 900s. It is is also certainly not of the original Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, the 6th Imam, in Shi'a tradition, in succession from the Prophet, peace be upon him, since Sadiq is known to be buried in Medina, though the Four Imams may have take the names of famous saints..

Archaeologist M. Aurel Stein believed this site, with its unusual geology as a salt hill, a valuable resource is a desert, may have been sacred even in pre-Buddhist times. He thought the site may have been co-opted by early Islamic leaders to move the people toward Islam.

See photos of the distinctive Uyghur Sufi votive offerings on the pilgrim path and the tomb at lisarossphotographs.com/Sufi.html. These include colorful pieces of cloth, horse tails, sheep skins and feathers tied to branches or symbolic wooden gateways on the path or to the tomb complex itself.

You can also climb the sand dunes around the shrine and see the vast Taklamakan Desert.

Y50 fee to enter the mosque / shrine area. Visitors can find lodging to the east of the front courtyard in the small, basic rooms built for pilgrims, 20Y, or back in the village of Kapakaskan, 5km, Y10. The Mazar is 90 km north of the town of Niya / Minfeng, from which this could be a day trip by minibus (several daily) or taxi.

See all 132 images related to the town of Niya / Minfeng and this nearby shrine at my Niya / Minfeng Collection.

See all Central Asia Traveler's Flickr collections.

To read much more about the shrine, the nearby village, the Taklamakan Desert, and Niya / Minfeng, head for: Central Asia Traveler on Niya / Minfeng: Oasis, Desert, and Ancient Shrine. This web page has detailed travel information including sightseeing, maps, lodging, dining and transportation.

The Chinese government seems in the process of renaming this site as Mazar Padishaim. This certainly easier to fit on a sign, especially since the Chinese for the existing name is 大玛扎瘗犘嚜垞沷闟地勀 Damaza Yimame Chafa Sadike (dàmǎzā yìmáme cháfā sàdìkè). Padishaim is a Uyghur / Turkic word, borrowed from Farsi (Persian/Iranian), meaning "My Sovereign." But 帕地厦依木 pa di sha yi mu is only three Chinese characters shorter...

Taken in: 中國 / 新疆维吾尔自治区 / 和田市 (show map)

Taken on: November 19, 2006

Tags:

mosque

brickwork

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niya

minfeng

xinjiang

china

taklamakan

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Sets appears in: • Mazar Imam Jafar Sadiq and Kapakaskan Village

Groups appears in: • Developing world • Muslim Cultures more » • China • China Images • World Culture • visit the world - the travel guide • Travel Photography • ★China Run★起跑.中国 • traveling in Asia ( Only people in the image !) ) • Xinjiang • All About Asia • Beautiful China • China's Western Regions • Lonely Planet Photo Challenges • Lonely Planet Publications: Photobook • Türk / Turki / Turkic « less

Camera: Fujifilm FinePix F10, f/5.0, 1/550 sec, 8mm, ISO 80 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Fujifilm FinePix F10
Aperture:	f/5.0
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/550)
Focal Length:	8mm
ISO:	80
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS2 Windows
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