China: Three mullahs in Yunnan, photographed in 1890.

Islam was introduced to Yunnan in 1253 when Kublai Khan, the fifth emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, pacified Dali. In 1273, Sayyid All Omer Shams al-Din was appointed Prime Minister (now called governor) of Yunnan. During his reign, he established 12 mosques in Kunming. Islam has since spread all over Yunnan Province, mainly in Kunming, Yuxi, Honghe, Wenshan, Dali, Baoshan, Zhaotong, Chuxiong, Simao, and Qujing prefectures and municipalities. Many ethnic Hui, some Dais, Bais, Tibetans and Zhuangs have converted to Islam. There were an estimated 500,000 Muslims in Yunnan in May 1996, and some 717 mosques in service.