Iman Chairman visits the Dongda Mosque in Kaifeng, China

Chairman of the Iman Foundation, Ribal Al-Assad, visitedthe Dongda Mosque during a recent visit to the region.

At the mosque he met Mr. Hamza Zhao, the Imam of the mosque who gave him a personal tour.

The Dongda Mosque is one of the most famous mosques in China. It is located at Kaifeng City, Henan Province.

The current mosque was rebuilt in 1846. It faces the east and covers an area of 6,600 square meters. It is composed of three major parts, and is a good example of traditional Chinese construction. The main buildings include two gates, a pavilion, a sermon room, a water room alongside the grand hall itself.

There are lots of cultural relics preserved in the mosque, most of which are epigraphs. It is the largest mosque in Kaifeng City, and one of four major temples in Kaifeng City.

Commenting after the visits, Ribal said:

“It was a great pleasure to visit Kaifeng and meet with members of the Muslim communitity; it was wonderful to see people from different faiths living harmoniously together as they have done for centuries.

Kaifeng is a beautiful city and is a perfect example of where people exist in amity. It was also a great privilege to meet so many kind people who were all so proud of their unique heritage. I have every faith that these communities will continue to coexist together in peace.”