The religious monuments
Religious conflicts in the long history of the world may be over, but the religious architecture and monuments embodying the wisdom and creativity of mankind still remain in all their glory. The structures and monuments of various religions are an invaluable part of our cultural heritage. There are many of varying styles and forms dotted like pearls along the ancient Silk Road and desert oases; they reflect the light of Chinese civilization in the western regions of China.
The religious buildings and monuments in Xinjiang belong to different religions but there are two are main types: Buddhist caves and temples and Islamic mosques and maza, or shrines. Buddhism is the oldest religion in Xinjiang.
Buddhist temples and prayer houses were built throughout the whole region, many of them large and splendidly decorated.
There were over ten large Buddhisttemples in Xinjiang at one time; unfortunately all of them were almost completely destroyed during the religious war between the local Muslims and Buddhists.
Xinjiang caves are famous for their unique design and murals. A cave structure consists of the main cave, the cave of Buddha, and square rooms. The content of the murals are mainly scenes from Buddhist legends about the origin of the religion and Buddha himself; some murals deal with everyday life. The cave art of Xinjiang incorporates the painting and sculptural styles of India, China, Greece and Persia, and yet they have a unique local national character.
KYZYL CAVES The Kyzyl Caves are the oldest in China, the largest remaining in Xinjiang and the best preserved of all the large cave temples. The caves are located in the mountains on the north bank of the Mudjat River in the Kyzyl district of the territorial division Baichen. They are over three kilometers long. They were the first to be built into the rock in the late 3rd to the mid-4th centuries. In the 8th century the caves fell into decay, and in the 14th century, when Islam replaced Buddhism in the region, they were destroyed. The destructive forces of man and nature have meant that only 236 caves remain; almost nothing is left of the sculptures. However, despite the serious deterioration, over 80 caves still have about 10,000 m2 ol murals. They mainly depict legends aboul Buddha, and incorporate the artistic style; peculiar to Ancient Greece, Rome, Persia India and the central lowlands of China The murals of the caves provide valuabli illustrative aids to research on the culture exchange between the west and China.
BEZEKLIK CAVES The Bezeklik Cave are located in the Mutougou Valley about 50 km northeast of Turfan, i eastern Xinjiang. Of all caves in th region, these are in the best conditior The Bezeklik Caves have some distinctiv features, including the way in which the are built. The walls of some of the cav« are coated with adobe bricks. The shaf of the bricks is not typical of Chine cave temples. Secondly, the murals the caves depict a number of Uigh sacrifice makers. Thirdly, there are lot of Manichaean caves and murals the Bezeklik Caves. Of all the Chine temple caves they are the only ones show the co-existence of two religioi The Bezeklik Caves offer valuable insigl into the religion and culture of Xinjiai in particular Uighur history, culture г religion.
Two types of Islamic religious architectural monuments
MOSQUES AND MAZAS A mosque i place of Islamic religious activity, a cer where Islamic culture and knowledge taught. The oldest in the region is Atush mosque. It was built in the late and early 10th century in Atush. The early mosques were wooden, and very few have survived being exposed to the elements.
THE SHANGSING MOSQUE IN URUMCHI The Shangsing Mosque is located in the Tienshang district of the city of Urumchi and is the largest Uighur mosque in Xinjiang. It was built during the rule of the Tsing emperor Tsiang Lyung
(1736 - 1795). In the 32nd year of the rule of the emperor Gyang Syu (1906) a native of the Shangsing Province donated money to rebuild the mosque, hence its name. Today the mosque is on view in its restored form.
A maza is considered to be the most sacred and mysterious place in Xingiang.
The word maza suggests a tomb belonging to a rich Muslim. But the tombs of many emperors, scholars and other famous personalities also became maza while some are even named after animals and plants. There are several dozen maza in Xinjiang. Here we look at two of most typical ones.
Pilgrims consider a maza to be a place of great sanctity; it is in their hearts. It protects their happy lives, helps them get to heaven and makes all their wishes come true. People come to a maza shrine to pray for a good spouse and e happy marriage, an obedient child anc a comfortable old age, rich harvests, good business, and prosperity; they may even come with complaints anc requests to punish evil people... A maze is considered to have healing properties. Pilgrims believe that earth and insects from a maza can cure all illnesses. This "omnipotence" attracts large numbers of pilgrims. Some are visited by tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands pilgrims a year.
One such is the Pigeon Maza in the district of Pishangsiang. According to a local Muslim legend, a haji from Arabia once came to this place. After he was killed in the battle of Pishang, two pigeons f lew out of his heart and began to live and procreate in the area. People came here to feed the pigeons and build a dovecot for them. In Tsing times the local pigeons twice savec the Tsing army, which was sent to suppress an uprising but was lost in the desert.
The second maza is the Grave of the Mouse, which was described in "Reports on the West of Tsian Epoch". Locals have a legend about the flock of mice that lived around the Grave of the Mouse. Their leaders, the golden and silver mice, were thought to be magical. Once the Huns invaded Xijiang and pitched their camp near the Grave of the Mouse. The ruler of Xinjiang knew that his little kingdom with its small army would not be able to resist the horde of Huns, so he lit smoking sticks and prayed to the mouse saint for help. Next night he had a dream of the saint ordering him to make a surprise attack on the enemy's camp. When the Xinjiang army fell on the Huns s wiftly and unexpectedly like a sudden hailstorm, they panicked and tried to flee but discovered that their clothes and bridles had been gnawed through by mice. Thus the Huns were defeated. Since then everyone in Xinjiang, from rulers and ministers to ordinary people, have worshipped the mouse.
The maza also provide an unrecorded history of Islam in Xinjiang. The famous maza are mainly tombs of famous personalities who had a great influence on Xinjiang history.
Xinjiang maza can be seen throughout the whole Tienshang. Each has its own known history and fascinating legends. The maza are both shrines and interesting tourist attractions.