Picture of the Week: Turpan's Emin Minaret

Turpan’s Emin Minaret (Sugong Ta 苏公塔)

This beautiful structure, completed in 1778 (see note below), was built by Suleiman in honor of his father Emin Khoja, the ruler of Turpan during that time. This is hardly the only mosque in Xinjiang (check out Kashgar's Id Kah mosque), but what sets this one apart from all the others is the intricate minaret that stands attached to the building. A closer look reveals a layered design of artistic brickwork borrowed from early middle-eastern architecture. The tower stands 37 meters high but sadly the spiral staircase leading to its top has been inaccessible for more than two decades.

Surrounding the mud-brick mosque and minaret is a wonderful contrast of lush trees and tasty grapes hanging from adjacent grape vines. During a short walk around the building I discovered a small but picturesque Uyghur cemetery that blends in with the color and design of the mosque, not unlike the cemetery near Kashgar’s Abak Hoja Mausoleum.

Every Friday the Muslim faithful still come here to pray en masse. I can only guess that Turpan’s summer heat combined with the fact that there is no air conditioning inside make Emin the hottest place in the world to worship. I have yet to confirm this as fact.

Note: Some sources (i.e. Lonely Planet) cite 1777 as the date. This, however, was the year in which construction was started, not finished.