Turpan Emin Minaret mosque is one of the most famous mosques in China. The exquisitely formed minaret with its helmet-shaped top is one of the most famous examples of Muslim architecture in Xijiang. The Emin (or Imin) Minaret (or Su Gong Ta) is located a short distance east of Turpan. Built in 1777 in Emperor Qinglong’s reign of the Qing Dynasty in honor of the heroic Turpan general Emin Khoja (or Goja), the Emin Minaret was built by Emin Khoja’s son Sulaiman and it was completed the next year, hence the name Su Gong Ta (Prince Su Pagoda). The Emin Minaret was designed by the Uygur architect Ibrahim in a pre-Safavid Iranian, some suggest Afghani, style. There are two steles at the entrance of the Minaret, one is in Chinese and the other is in Uyghur language. Inscriptions in Chinese explain the purpose of the minaret was to show gratitude to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) while the Uyghur inscription on the other side gave thanks to Allah. The circular tower is 44 meters (144 ft) high, and is made of sun-dried bricks that are decorated with delicate geometric and floral patterns with an epitaph inscribed in both Uyghur and Chinese. Set against the azure sky, silvery Tianshan Mountain, and the scarlet Flaming Mountain, Emin Minaret is one of the most impressive examples of Muslim architecture in Xinjiang.