The Great Mosque of Xi’an, founded in 742 (the Tang Dynasty), was built and renovated in later periods (especially during the reign of Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty). Unlike other mosques in the world, the Great Mosque of Xi'an is a design of mixed architecture - traditional Muslim and Chinese styles. With another mosque in Xi’an (Daxuexixiang Mosque), they are named the oldest and the largest Islamic mosques in China. It remains a popular tourist site of Xi'an, and is still used by Chinese Muslims (mainly the Hui people) today as a place of worship. The temple houses treasures from several big names, including the script of a famous calligrapher named Mi Fu of the Song Dynasty and the works of Dong Qichang, a calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty. The steles in Arabic are not only reflecting the history of the temple, but also becoming the rare materials for us to study the development of Islam in China. Four Courtyards Covering an area of 13,000 square meters, the Great Mosque is divided into four courtyards. The first courtyard contains a 9-meter-high elaborate wooden arch which is covered with glazed tiles. In the center of the second courtyard, there is an erect stone archway on which the Chinese name of the mosque is written. At the entrance to the third courtyard is a hall that contains many steles from ancient times. Visitors will see the Shengxin Tower, a place where Muslims come to attend prayer services. And the tourists will also find “The Ko