Muslim Street

Address: North side of the Bell Tower, Xian
What to buy: antique, local snacks, artworks

Xian Muslim Street district can be taken as an attraction as well as a commercial center for the overseas tourists. The cultural connotation which infiltrates into the architecture and the living style makes this street become a treasure.

It is a street famous for its food, its local snacks and its Muslims restaurants. Mutton or beef Paomo, roast lamb leg, Rou jia mo, various snacks will enter into your eyes and wave hands to your appetite. Some one said that Xian Muslim Street is a place that absorbs all the essence of Xian catering culture.



 

Environment

Muslim Street is walkway consist of Beiyuanmen, Xiyangshi, Huajue Lane, total length of 1100 meters. Buildings in the Muslim Street are Ming and Qing architectural style, in the south is Drum Tower, the north is memorial arch, Great Mosque Xian, old house set in between the rows of shops and restaurants in the Muslim Street. Going there, bluestone path, old street and fragrance, which make the Muslim Street a historical and cultural tourism street characterized of ancient city and modern style in Xian.

Muslim Street at night have different picture from the daytime, the whole street was full of strong street life breath, booths on both sides of street hanging around the lights, selling pastries, dried fruit, candied fruit, snacks, etc. Behind the stall are many local snack restaurants, when those restaurants are filled to capacity, there are not only people crowded within the restaurant, outside of the shop will be filled with tables and chairs either. The smoke of kebab, instant-boiled meat under the bright light permeated the whole street, the bustling crowds are strolling, eating, and barging with vendor when he or she saw the fancy things. Also if you are tired you can go to take a break in the coach of Drum Tower square, and see kite vendor flying tens of meters long kites on the top of the tall building across the street. Everything here is full of real life atmosphere.

 

Snacks in the Muslim Street

Xian people are good at making snacks, they are completely retained the traditional Muslim food flavor, and with makings fastidious, well-produced, numerous varieties, the snacks here is the top for the national halal food. Beef and mutton Paomo, dried beef and mutton, steamed mutton stewed mutton, mutton dumplings, Hula soup, baozi, hand-pulled noodles with beef, drief persimmon, sesame buns, green onion pie and so on, in here you can taste hundreds of snacks.

Shopping in the Muslim Street

There are a lot of stores of arts and crafts business in the Muslim Street, such as leather-silhouette play, handmade cheongsam and silk bag, folk paper-cut, tea sets and jade products, stone crafts, etc, and you can bargain.

There is a small alley in the Muslim Street—Huajue Lane, passing around the Drum Tower into the back of Muslim Street, in the west side there is a crossing writing “Huajue Lane” three characters. Huajue Lane extended northward into Xiyangshi, there are a variety of characteristic souvenirs; interested friends could look inside.

 

Tips

Because this street belongs to the Hui nationality areas, there are some taboos eating in here. Such as do not eat meat, halal restaurants do not allow to drink alcoholic beverages. Because here is a Muslim area, so everyone must respect the local eating custom when you go here.

There is a street filled with Muslim snack, called Yangshi Street, located close to the west of the north sections of Muslim Street. It still remains the intact style and features of old Xian, if you are interested in it, you can go for a visit to there.