As-salâm ‘aleïkoum – Ordos // Kangbashi
Drenched in sunlight, the mosque of Ordos is at the image of the city that surrounds it , waiting .
A mosque, brand new, cubist and minimalist design , built in the heart of the most famous Chinese « ghost town »: the district of Kangbashi , a disproportionate architectural project born from the arid soil of Inner Mongolia , the far west of China filled with coal mines and rare earths.
After pushing a few doors, it is the Imam himself who will welcome you around a universal cup of tea. From the Hui minority, he is the spiritual leader of a worship place where none crowd wear the prayer rugs.
Bet on the future the new town Kangbashi don’t hide its ambitions and expects the spark that would make it to a new “Shanghai”.
Located in the heart of the ancient empire of Genghis Khan , buildings , stadiums , museums, hospitals and new highways , since the project started in 2003, expect to receive the 1 million souls intended for them . Yet only 20 000 people inhabit the places and prices of the square meter never ceases to fall.
At the end, t he dashing mirage of Ordos could disappear as suddenly as it appeared, windswept by the winds of the Mongolian steppe.
