A Research Study On Spatial Distribution Within A Mosque

Religious geography is a cross interdisciplinary subject from the disciplines of Geography and Religious Studies. It deals primarily with the issues of religious origins, religious distribution and propagation, religion and its cultural landscape, the impact of religion on the natural environment, political map, regional economy and the city. The cultural landscaping of religion also considers how beliefs, rituals and customs often lead to the shaping of various distinctive environmental perception and cultural backdrop. Not only does the former have an effect on the forming and evolution of culture in different localities, it also has an impact on population distribution in the various geographic localities concerned. Through various means of sights and sounds, these cultural landscapes often carries certain religious symbolism that reinforces the religious psychology and sentiments of believers concerned, thereby providing one with both a sense of visual fascination and emotional appeal. Hence, geographic localities which bear certain distinctive religious character is also a key research focus in the study of Religious Geography.In Islam, the mosque is a key religious entity and cultural marker. It is closely associated with the daily life of a Muslim. It is also inevitable that in areas where there is a significant concentration of Muslims, a mosque will be built. And most often, the mosque is sited in the core locality of Muslim activities known as the’Fang’. Located along the upper streams of the Yellow River, Linxia Prefecture is historically known first as Fuhan, and then later Hezhou. Occupying about81.69km2of land area, Linxia is inhabited by various Islamic minority groups-Hui, Dongxia, Baoan, Salar, of which the Hui stands at a majority of51.4%. As these ethnic minorities embrace Islam as their main religion, the Muslim concentration is significant enough for Linxia prefecture to be termed as the’Crescent belt’when one considers the geographic distribution of the Muslim population in the Northwest of China. In Linxia, mosques are a common sights and the call to prayer resonates from one mosque to another at dawn. With the mosque as Linxia’s key geographical landmark feature, it is not surprising therefore for Linxia to be acclaimed as the Little Mecca of China".This research primarily focuses on the distinctive features of mosques in the various geographical localities in Linxia. Using the approaches of Religious Geography and with Linxia Mosque as an illustration, it analyses the subject of spatial use and distribution in a mosque. Firstly, it deals with spread of mosques and their distinctiveness in various localities, taking into account the unique feature and characteristics of certain mosques and providing a case by case analysis. A summary on the subject of how space is use and distributed because of religious, economic, demographic and environmental factors will be presented. Using these findings as a basis, this paper aims to explore on the subject of spatial use and distribution within a mosque and its unique characteristics according to various geographic localities, thereby constructing a model of spatial distribution for mosques in Linxia Prefecture. This paper reflects an initial attempt to break new ground where the subject of religious geography and Islamic religious study is concerned. The author aspires for this paper to be a valuable point of reference for issues such as community planning for Muslim minorities, social security within Linxia prefecture, social and ethnic unity, urban and rural economic as well development of third industries within Linxia.This paper is divided into5chapters. The first chapter essentially deals with significance, definition and academic review of the topic concerned. The second gives a basic preview on the mosques in Linxia, describing also the natural and human milieu, as well presenting the ethnic character of the region. The third chapter provides a macro perspective on the spread of mosques within the various locations in the county, a research on the spatial use of mosque within the various religious sects of Islam is also discussed. The fourth analyses the factors that influence spatial distribution, the relationship between geographical locality of mosques and demographic concentration, geographical locality of mosques and economic factors, geographical locality of mosques and its cultural/religious factors, geographical locality of mosques and its natural environment, geographical locality of mosques and political factors. The fifth chapter provides a consideration towards the optimizing of spatial distribution in a mosque and also gives the final conclusion and aspiration the research.