It transpired that we could not visit the historical museum as we had expected as it is not open on a Monday. (It was bad organization on the part of the tour organizer that we could book that!) Instead of the museum the guide took us to a ‘silk factory’. This turned out really to be a carpet factory where we were offered great discount and a suitcase if we bought and took away a carpet for €10.000,00. We decided against.
Then we had some lunch and went to the Great Mosque which is near to the Drum Tower in the centre of town. It was very nice and peaceful inside the mosque most of which was a pleasant garden. We were not allowed into the actual prayer room.
Immediately outside the mosque is a market with the usual tourist wares but also the Muslim quarter of the city. There are about 500,000 Muslims in the city.
This post is an extract of my mother’s travel journal written during a tour of China in 2013.
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