Gongbei (; from fa, گنبد ''

gonbad In traditional Persian architecture, a dome is referred to as a gonbad ( fa, گنبد). A gonbad is often double layered, and can have many shapes, such as semi-spherical, partial spherical, onion shaped, paraboloid, polygonal conical, and ...

'', meaning "dome", "cupola"), is a term used by the Hui and Uyghur Muslim populations of China in the Northwestern region to indicate an Islamic shrine complex centered on the

grave A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...

(''qabr'') of a Ṣūfī Muslim '' murs̲h̲id'' ("master") or ''

walī A wali (''wali'' ar, وَلِيّ, '; plural , '), the Arabic word which has been variously translated "master", "authority", "custodian", "protector", is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by the ...

'' ("saint"), typically the founder of a '' menhuan'' (a Chinese Ṣūfī '' ṭarīḳa'', or "saintly lineage"). The grave itself usually is topped with a

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a ...

Joseph Fletcher Joseph Francis Fletcher (April 10, 1905 in Newark, New Jersey - October 28, 1991 in Charlottesville, Virginia) was an American professor who founded the theory of situational ethics in the 1960s, and was a pioneer in the field of bioethics. Flet ...

, The Sufi Paths (turuq) in China”, Etudes Orientales 13/14 (1994). Quoted in: Similar Islamic facilities with the same purpose, known as '' dargāh'' or ''

türbe ''Türbe'' is the Turkish word for " tomb". In Istanbul it is often used to refer to the mausolea of the Ottoman sultans and other nobles and notables. The word is derived from the Arabic ''turbah'' (meaning ''"soil/ground/earth"''), whic ...

'', can be found in several other regions of the

Muslim world The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. In ...

. Between 1958 and 1966, many Ṣūfī shrines and tombs in

Ningxia Ningxia (,; , ; alternately romanized as Ninghsia), officially the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR), is an autonomous region in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. Formerly a province, Ningxia was incorporated into Gansu in ...

and throughout Northwestern China in general were destroyed, viewed by the Chinese Communist government and authorities as relics of the old "feudal" order and symbols which the

Chinese Communist Revolution The Chinese Communist Revolution, officially known as the Chinese People's War of Liberation in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and also known as the National Protection War against the Communist Rebellion in the Republic of China (RO ...

(1946−1950) had attempted to eradicate through a series of atheistic and anti-religious campaigns, as well as for practical reasons ("wasting valuable farmland"). Once the right to

freedom of religion Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedo ...

became recognized once again in the 1980s, and much of the land reverted to the control of individual farmers, destroyed ''gongbei'' were often rebuilt once again.

Characteristics

In Ningxia, the nearly 70 existing ''gongbei'' are divided into three groups. # As part of a ''daotang'' (instructional hall) # As part of an instructional hall on the same site as a prayer hall that may be with other structures # In combination with a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a Place of worship, place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers (sujud) ...

When a site has as mosque, instructional hall, and a ''gongbei'', the ''gongbei'' is set apart from the other two.

References

{{Authority control Dargahs Islam in China Islamic architecture Religious buildings and structures in China Sufi shrines

Characteristics

See also

References