The Huaisheng Mosque (simplified Chinese: 广州怀圣寺; traditional Chinese: 廣州懷聖寺; also known as the Lighthouse Mosque and the Great Mosque of Canton) is the main mosque of Guangzhou. Rebuilt many times over its history, some historical texts claim that it was first built in the 7th century, but modern scholarship places its foundation at a later period during the Tang or Song dynasties.
In China, the most unusual feature of the mosque is its pointed 36 metre minaret, the Guangta or Kwangtah. Although this meant the "Plain Pagoda" in reference to its unadorned surface, it is also sometimes taken to mean "lighthouse" and gave the mosque its alternate name. Somewhat similar "minimalist" minarets can be seen outside China, e.g. at the Khan's Mosque in Kasimov, Russia.
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