Suri Tang Mazar-Ancient Tombs of Kara-Khanid Khanate
2 min readThe Suri Tang Mazar, located in Maixiti village about 2km southwest of today’s Artux city and with the full name of “Suri Tang Satuk Bughra Khan Mazar”, was the ancient tombs of “Tangas Kara-Khanid Khanate”-a Uyghur Islamic kingdom in southern Xinjiang and Central Asia from the 1oth century to the early 13th century.
The tomb owner Suri Tang Satuk Bughra Khan was the third Khan of the Kara-Khanid Khanate and the first Khan accepting Islam in the dynasty. Suri Tang Satuk Bughra Khan died in 955 AD(mohammedian calendar 344). And after his death, his successor Musa Abudale Krym built the mausoleum in Artux-the place Suri Tang Satuk accepted Islam.
The mausoleum dating back to 955 AD has a history of over 1,000 years.The mosque in front of the mausoleum, where Suri Tang Satuk accepted Islam, was built by Suri Tang Satuk’s uncle Oghulcak Khan, over 50 years earlier than the mosque. The two buildings are the oldest Islamic buildings discovered so far in Xinjiang, over 800 years earlier than the famous Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar of Xinjiang and over 680 years earlier than the Abakh Hoja Tomb in Kashgar. Because of its long history and important research value, the Suri Tang Mazar has been written into the China Attractions Dictionary.
The mosque in front of the mausoleum still remains features of that time.The oldest mosque in Xinjiang is unfailing after millenniums, and the Muslims come here in an endless stream to worship on every Islamic religious holiday.
