Lanzhou & Linxia Hui Heartland

A long, narrow city strung along the Yellow River, and the birthplace of Lanzhou lamian. Hui and Dongxiang Muslims are everywhere in the food culture here, and the riverfront park is where the city walks in the evening.

Often called the little Mecca of China. A prefecture where Hui, Dongxiang, Salar and Baoan Muslims make up well over half the population, with eight grand mosques inside one small city and a brick-carving tradition that has survived four centuries.

The river that made northern China runs right through the middle of town. Take the cable car up to White Pagoda Hill for the whole valley, then cross back on the old iron bridge at dusk.

Silk Road galleries, Buddhist sculpture from the Mogao cave system and the famous bronze galloping horse. Free entry, and a quiet indoor hour that fits neatly between Dhuhr and Asr.

A dense grid of Hui courtyard houses and workshop streets. This is where the traditional brick and wood carving Linxia is famous for was made, and where you still find it being made.

Different architectural schools sit within a few streets of each other: Chinese temple-style with curved eaves, and newer domed and minareted buildings. Walking between them is the whole point.

No pork on the premises, no alcohol on the premises, and the full list with addresses in your inbox before you fly.

Salah is placed first and sightseeing is built around it, not the other way round. Your guide carries a mat, a compass and a prayer-time sheet.

Lanzhou beef lamian for breakfast, hand-grabbed mutton, Dongxiang-style lamb, and sweet fermented barley drinks. The city has one of the densest concentrations of halal kitchens in China. Lanzhou Xiguan Mosque is nearby, so you can pray and eat on the same street.

Dongxiang hand-pulled noodles, whole roasted lamb, mutton and potato stew, and thick Hui flatbread from clay ovens. Every restaurant in the old quarter is halal. Linxia Old Town Grand Mosque is nearby, so you can pray and eat on the same street.

Central, active and easy to combine with the riverfront walk. Wudhu facilities on site.

Central mosques with full facilities, and prayer rooms at the main railway station. Your guide keeps a prayer mat and a compass in the vehicle for the corridor drives.

Active, welcoming, and the natural place to pray Jumuah if your dates put you here on a Friday.

Nothing to arrange. This is one of the most Muslim-dense places in China and your guide will simply walk you to the nearest mosque at the right time.

Lanzhou Zhongchuan (LHW), 70km north with a rail link. High-speed trains from Xian in three hours and from Xining in one.

Two hours by road from Lanzhou, three from Xining. No airport; we drive it as part of a corridor or heritage route.

April to October. Winters are dry and cold but the city works fine year-round.

May to October. Spring and autumn are mild; the loess hills are brown in winter and green from June.