Id Kah mosque was built by Saqsiz Mirza, the elder of two sons of Amir Sayyid Ali, in 1442 (although it incorporated older structures dating back to 996) to commemorate his ancestors. The mosque covers an area of around 16,000 square meters. The mosque’s modern golden-brick structure was built in 1798, replacing the older building, and was further expanded in 1838 to its current size. On 9 August 1933, Chinese Muslim General Ma Zhancang killed and beheaded the Uyghur leader Timur Beg, displaying his head on a spike at Id Kah mosque. In March 1934, it was reported that the Uyghur emir Abdullah Bughra was also beheaded, the head being displayed at Id Kah mosque.
In April 1934, the Chinese Muslim general Ma Zhongying gave a speech at Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar, telling the Uyghurs to be loyal to the Republic of China Kuomintang government of Nanjing.
