History: The Uyghur-language journal “China’s Muslims” stated in 2011 that the “size, design, beauty, majesty and quality of the Aksu Reste Mosque makes it one of the most important religious buildings within the city of Aksu.”27 The mosque has been rebuilt and moved over the centuries, with the site of the original mosque now occupied by the regional education department. The history of the mosque is closely linked to the foundation of the city, originally a rest stop for travelers between Kashgar and Hotan, to other cities. Beginning in 1747 farmers and herdsmen started to settle there, and a local by the name of Zakirahunning proposed that a mosque should be built. It was already being expanded by 1781, led by local elders such as such as Muhammad Sabit Hajim and Ubeydullah Qari. The city continued to expand and was fortified, and in 1888 Molla Nasir Damollam opened a Madrasah in the “old city,” which would send graduates to work for the mosque. By 1895 it was a 1,300 square meter building with an accompanying education center, dormitories, study rooms, ablution area, and madrasah.

The mosque and surrounding neighborhood were damaged in 1945 when Chinese nationalist troops entered the area but was restored by contributions from local elites in 1947. The mosque was moved in 1964 and once again in 1978, when it was moved to the Reste neighborhood, where locals were given only 340 square meters on which to build. The congregation continued to expand, however, and guest houses, showers and other facilities were built. The mosque was once more moved in 2002 due to its standing in the path of a construction project. Under the leadership of the mosque’s Imam, Hatipi Roshen Qari Hajim and the local authorities, a modern style 3,000 square meter mosque was constructed in 2003 in the West General’s Neighborhood with two stories and an unusual six minaret design.