Courtyard, Id Kah Mosque

Kashgar, Xinjiang Province (map)

The structure in the middle of the courtyard is labeled in English as "The Attic" (sic; something must have been lost in translation). It seems to be a kind of platform where mosque attendants could exhort and organize the faithful. "Idkah" means "festival," and during religious festivals the mosque, with its extensive courtyards, could hold up to 80,000 worshipers.