5/5 Donald N. 7 months ago on Google • 128 reviews
Karakol
grew
in
the
19th
century
after
explorers
came
to
map
the
peaks
and
valleys
separating
Kyrgyzstan
from
China.
In
the
1880s
Karakol's
population
surged
with
an
influx
of
Dungans,
Chinese
Muslims
fleeing
warfare
in
China.The
town
itself
boasts
a
number
of
places
that
would
be
of
interest
to
tourists,
such
as
a
very
pretty
wooden
mosque
built
by
Chinese
artisans
for
the
local
Dungans
between
1907
and
1910.
Completed
in
1910,
the
mosque
was
built
to
serve
Karakol's
community
of
Dungans
(Chinese
Muslims
who
fled
persecution
in
the
1880s).
Designed
by
a
Chinese
architect,
the
building
is
constructed
entirely
without
nails
and
much
of
its
imagery,
including
a
wheel
of
fire,
reflects
the
Dungans'
pre-Islamic,
Buddhist
past.
Instead
of
a
minaret
the
mosque
has
a
wooden
pagoda.
Despite
being
closed
by
the
government
from
1933-43,
the
mosque
continues
to
be
used
as
a
place
of
worship.
These
days
worshippers
are
not
exclusively
Dungan
and
include
a
large
Kyrgyz
contingent.
The
'Dungan
Mosque'
has
therefore
become
simply
'The
Mosque'
in
local
parlance.
Women
are
not
always
allowed
to
enter,
but
the
friendly
caretaker,
who
lives
in
the
grounds,
will
open
its
doors
and
allow
you
to
peer
inside.
All
colors
represent
different
Dungan
cultural
concepts,
red
-
protects
from
evil
spirits,
yellow
-
contributes
to
the
accumulation
of
wealth
and
brings
prosperity
and
green
-
symbolizes
happiness.
The
History
of
Dungan
Mosque
in
Karakol
begins
in
the
end
of
19th
and
early
20th
century.
Due
to
the
rebellion
in
1877
about
300,000
Dungan,
passing
through
the
dangerous
Torugart
Passover
fled
from
Chinese
punitive
squads.
Many
Dungan
died
of
cold,
died
of
starvation,
but
many
of
them
have
reached
the
Karakol
town,
where
they
were
warmly
received
by
representatives
of
Russian
and
Kyrgyz
peoples.
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