As we approached the city of Karakol, brutalist architecture replaced lush fields, disused rail carriages lay on the roadside, and old shipping containers upcycled into convenience stores came into view. Hidden behind trees, among all this architectural uniqueness, is Dungan Mosque. The blue wooden building, shaped like a pagoda instead of a minaret, was built as a place of worship for the Chinese Muslims who fled persecution in the 1880s. The structure is made entirely without nails, and the imagery, including a wheel of fire, reflects the Buddhist past of the Dungans.
