More than 3,000 Muslims arrived at Baida Mosque on Friday carrying blankets to kneel on as they chanted passages from the Quran in a service led by an imam.

A further 330 who arrived late at the mosque in downtown Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, lined up in the street to pray.

Urumqi has more than 400 mosques, and as the prayers proceeded police patrolled nearby to ensure the safety of those taking part.