Muslim Quarter 回民街Huímín Jiē

Why go to Muslim Quarter

North of the Drum Tower, the streets and lanes of the Muslim Quarter are home to Xi'an's Hui (Chinese-speaking Muslim) community and are lined with halal food stalls and restaurants. Walk up Beiyuanmen and into the side lanes for yangrou paomo (flatbread torn into small pieces and simmered in mutton broth), roujiamo (a flatbread stuffed with chopped, spiced beef), soup dumplings and jingao (mirror cake), a small round rice-flour cake named for its mirror-like look. Finish in the quiet courtyards of the Great Mosque on Huajue Lane.

The story

Tradition dates the Great Mosque's founding to 742, under the Tang dynasty, but most of its present halls and courtyards are Ming and Qing. It is laid out like a Chinese temple, with tiled roofs, painted wooden brackets, no dome and a three-storey octagonal tower instead of a minaret, and its Arabic inscriptions are written with a Chinese brush.

What to see at Muslim Quarter

• Beiyuanmen Street 北院门: The main street of the quarter, reached through the arch of the Drum Tower, lined with food stalls and souvenir shops. It is the busiest part, especially in the evening.
• Huajue Lane and the Great Mosque 化觉巷与清真大寺: The lane leading to the Great Mosque, whose courtyards, tiled roofs and octagonal tower are laid out like a Chinese temple rather than with a dome.
• Beiguangji Street and Xiyangshi 北广济街与西羊市: Two quieter food streets in the heart of the old Hui district, where locals eat, and their lanes keep older shops.
• Dapiyuan 大皮院: One of the Hui district's food streets, listed with Beiyuanmen, Beiguangji and Xiyangshi among its best-known places to eat.

How to visit Muslim Quarter

Enter through the arch of the Drum Tower into Beiyuanmen, walk to Huajue Lane for the Great Mosque, then turn into the side lanes of Beiguangji Street, Xiyangshi and Dapiyuan, where stalls are less touristy. Two to three hours is enough; go in the evening for the busiest atmosphere or earlier in the day for the quieter lanes and the mosque.

How to get to Muslim Quarter

Take Metro Line 2 or 6 to Zhonglou (Bell Tower) and walk about 5 minutes west across Bell and Drum Tower Square to the Drum Tower, whose arch leads into Beiyuanmen, or take Line 6 to Guangjijie for the quieter western lanes.

Where to stay

Stay inside the city wall near the Bell and Drum Towers, from where the quarter is a few minutes' walk and the evening food streets are close; the Bell Tower area also has Metro Lines 2 and 6.

What to eat

• Yangrou paomo 羊肉泡馍: Torn flatbread simmered in mutton broth, a dish served in the quarter's old restaurants.
• Sour-soup dumplings 酸汤水饺: Small dumplings served in a sour, spicy broth, listed among the quarter's popular dishes.
• Oil tea with mahua 油茶麻花: A thick, savoury toasted-flour porridge eaten with a twisted fried dough.

Tips for visiting Muslim Quarter

• Beiyuanmen, the main street, is the most crowded and the most geared to tourists; for a calmer walk, try Beiguangji Street and Xiyangshi, with its older shops.
• At paomo restaurants you are often handed the flatbread to tear into small pieces yourself before the kitchen cooks it in the broth.
• The Great Mosque, a few minutes' walk west of Beiyuanmen, is an active place of worship: visitors buy a ticket to walk its courtyards, and non-Muslims may not enter the prayer hall.

Nearby

• Bell Tower and Drum Tower 钟楼·鼓楼 under 10 km
  Two Ming towers at the heart of the walled city, where bell and drum once marked the day
• Forest of Stone Steles Museum 西安碑林博物馆 under 10 km
  Inscribed stone tablets of classics, calligraphy and Silk Road history by the south wall
• Xi'an City Wall 西安城墙 under 10 km
  Cycle all 14 km of a Ming city wall, high above Xi'an's rooftops
• Small Wild Goose Pagoda 小雁塔 under 10 km
  A slender Tang brick pagoda, cracked by earthquakes, in the grounds of the Xi'an Museum
• Daming Palace National Heritage Park 大明宫国家遗址公园 under 10 km
  Earthen terraces and a rebuilt gatehouse marking out the lost palace of the Tang emperors
• Shaanxi History Museum 陕西历史博物馆 under 10 km
  Tang gold and silver, original tomb murals and finds from Shaanxi's Zhou, Qin and Han past

Also within 30 km: Yisushe Theatre 易俗社剧场 (under 10 km), Xi'an City God Temple 西安都城隍庙 (under 10 km), Eighth Route Army Xi'an Office Memorial Hall 八路军西安办事处纪念馆 (under 10 km), Revolution Park 革命公园 (under 10 km), Guangren Temple 广仁寺 (under 10 km), Xi'an Incident Memorial Hall 西安事变纪念馆 (under 10 km).

Trips with Muslim Quarter

• China in 10 days on a first visit: Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai and Suzhou 10 days · Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai and Suzhou
• Two weeks in China: Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Guilin and Shanghai 14 days · Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Leshan, Guilin and Shanghai
• North China’s heritage line: Beijing, Datong, Pingyao and Xi’an 9 days · Beijing, Datong, Pingyao and Xi'an
• The Silk Road by train: Xi’an to Dunhuang, Turpan and Ürümqi 11 days · Xi'an, Zhangye, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Turpan and Ürümqi

On the map

Open Muslim Quarter on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• Wikipedia (Chinese)