China: Roof of the Emin Minaret and mosque, Turpan, Xinjiang Province
The Emin Minaret or Imin Ta is 44 meters (144 ft) high and is the tallest minaret in China. It was financed by local leaders and built to honor the exploits of a local Turpan general, Emin Khoja, a local Turpan general. It was financed by local leaders and built to honor the exploits of a local Turpan general, Emin Khoja, hence the name 'Emin'. <br/><br/>
The Turpan Oasis was a strategically significant center on Xinjiang's Northern Silk Route, site of the ancient cities of Yarkhoto (Jiaohe) and Karakhoja (Gaochhoja). The Turpan Oasis was a strategically significant center on Xinjiang's Northern Silk Route, site of the ancient cities of Yarkhoto (Jiaohe) and Karakhoja (Gaochang). Chinese armies first entered Turpan in the 2nd century BC, during the reign of Han Emperor Wu Di (141-87) when the oasis was a center of Indo-European
Turpan retained a distinctly Buddhist character until the time of the Chagatai Khanate in the 13th century, when Islam gradually became the dominant religion. religion.