When Xian was the Chinese capital city in the Tang Dynasty (907-618), Islam was first introduced to China due to the trade on the Silk Road. Xian was one of the first cities in China where Arabian traders settled down and formed their community with mosques and Halal restaurants established. Since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Muslim Community had been formed at the present location which is to the Northwest of Drum Tower.
The Muslim Quarter surrounds the Xian Great Mosque and is undoubtedly one of the significant and vibrant areas to be found in the city. Within this area, travelers will find that most of the inhabitants have lived in this area for all of their lives. In most cases members of most of the families will live and see out their days here without ever having ventured out to any other parts of Xian at all.
The Muslim Street, is a fantastic place worth recommending. All shops and restaurants in the street are operated by Muslims. The stalls lines the narrow alleys sell almost everything you can expect. There are a number of stalls selling small items of aircrafts.
The Islamic restaurants in the streets are all selling halal foods, and variety of Muslim food and snacks available here, including the locals' favorite ones, roasted beef, roasted fish, and pancakes. Food served is diverse, complex but are very low.