Mosques refurbished to cater for Ramadan prayers

Local government improvements to mosques have made this year's Ramadan - the month of fasting and prayer - more comfortable for Muslims in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

"The condition of the road to the mosque has been improved, and the room for the cleansing session before each prayer has become more hygienic after its plumbing system was renovated," Yeziz Rejip, a religious leader at Liudaowan Mosque in the regional capital of Urumqi, said on Wednesday. "The air-conditioned prayer hall has also made it much more comfortable for the followers to carry out prayers during this Ramadan."

Muslims from many ethnic groups around the region, including Uygur, Kazak, Uzbek and Hui, on Wednesday celebrated Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan.