The bell Tower	The Drum Tower	The Great Mosque
City Wall	Famen Temple	Huaqing Hot Springs

THE BELL TOWER

Originally from the 14th century, this huge tower was relocated in 1739. It is possible to climb to the top. The Bell and Drum towers were used to keep time for the town and sound alarms. Tuned bells date back to the sixth century B.C. They can be made of stone, brass, or bronze. Different shapes of bells were used over the centuries.

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THE DRUM TOWER

Built during the Ming dynasty (1380 A.D.), the Drum Tower is located to the north of West Street. It is a very solemn and magnificent classical building within Xian city. Its blue brick foundation covers an area of 1804,3 square meters. The wooden tower itself has two stories with three layers of eaves, each story having seven rooms and a green glazed tile roof. Originally, above the southern eave there was a plaque with the inscription, Splendid Civil and Military Place” in big letters, and above the northern eave there was a plaque inscribed Sound Can Be Heard in the Sky in gold letters.

The Drum Tower is smaller than the Bell Tower. However, it is just southeast of the Great Mosque and marks the entrance to the Moslem quarter of Xian.

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THE GREAT MOSQUE

The mosque is located in a district inhabited mainly by the Moslem Hui minority. There is said to have been a mosque here as early as the Tang period (618 A.D.-907 A.D.). There are five courtyards in traditional Chinese style, but with Islamic decorative patterns. Built during the Ming period, the mosque still has a number of its original stelae. It continues to be used regularly, with several prayer services each day. The Moslem community here is a reminder of Xian's former importance as a center of commerce with many trading partners as far west as Persia (modern-day Iran) and the Arabian world.

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THE CITY WALL

Many dynasties have built city walls for their capitals. The present city wall is the renovation of the Tang's Forbidden City during the Ming dynasty. There are watch towers and gate towers on top of the city wall. At the bottom of the wall, there is a city moat and round park of unique styles and features.

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THE FAMEN TEMPLE

This temple was first built during the East Han dynasty, but it suffered much destruction over the years. The 1987 renovation opened the underground palace beneath the tower; this had been sealed for 1000 years. The renovation uncovered finger relics of Sakyamuni and a large volume of precious cultural relics. The Famen Temple and Famen Temple Museum combine a Tang-style pavilion with a Ming-style tower.

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