The Altyn Mosque is the oldest and most important mosque in Yarkand, predating the current Amanisahan complex and serving as the main place of worship for the old city's Uyghur population. The building has been repaired and modified over the centuries but retains the character of a traditional Central Asian mosque: a large courtyard shaded by old trees, a flat-roofed prayer hall with carved wooden columns, and the overall atmosphere of a building whose function has not changed in five hundred years.
The mosque sits in the heart of the old city, within easy walking distance of the Amanisahan mausoleum and the bazaar. The surrounding lanes contain the densest concentration of traditional architecture in Yarkand: mud-brick buildings, arched doorways, the occasional glimpse of a courtyard through an open gate. Walking these streets is the best way to understand the old city's character.
Dress modestly when visiting. The mosque is active and the community that uses it has not been remade for tourism.