Living Shrines Of Uyghur China
Book Description
Through the lens of photographer Lisa Ross, readers encounter a profound meditation on faith, devotion, and the enduring power of sacred spaces. This remarkable collection captures Islamic holy sites across China's remote Xinjiang region, where pilgrims have journeyed for centuries to honor saints and seek spiritual healing.
Ross spent a decade documenting these living shrines, photographing monuments that have weathered sand, heat, and wind while maintaining their sacred purpose. Each image reveals devotional offerings left by visitors seeking intercession for physical, mental, and spiritual concerns. These simple yet powerful structures stand as testaments to collective memory and peaceful faith, their austere beauty evoking themes of transcendence and eternity.
The photographs offer more than artistic documentation. They preserve a vanishing world where pilgrimage remains central to daily spiritual practice. As modernization transforms this culturally rich crossroads region, many of these sacred sites face unprecedented pressures from development and political change.
Accompanied by scholarly essays from experts in Central Asian Islam, Uyghur folklore, and museum curation, this volume provides essential context for understanding these spiritual traditions. For readers drawn to contemplative photography and cross-cultural spirituality, Ross presents an intimate glimpse into how communities maintain connection with the divine through pilgrimage, prayer, and reverence for sacred places that bridge earth and heaven.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Short (< 200 pages) (~4 hours)
📄 Length: 127 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Islam, china
- ✓ Explore Muslim pilgrims and pilgrimages
- ✓ Explore Picture books for children
- ✓ Explore Cousins
- ✓ Explore Uighur (Turkic people)
- ✓ Explore Islamic shrines
- ✓ Explore Turkic peoples
- ✓ Explore Islam
