Why should every Muslim travel to Taipei?
Photo by Hasan Almasi on Unsplash
Taipei City is the capital city of Taiwan, a state in East Asia bounded by China, Japan and the Philippines. It is the political, economic, educational and cultural centre of Taiwan (or more correctly The Republic of China), a modern metropolis with a thriving economy and a vibrant tourism industry. People who flock to Taipei are there for the street food, night markets, historical artifacts, hot springs and its many upscale shops. In order to be approved for visa-free entry, make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months (3 months for Japanese). Also, you should have proof of onward travel from Taiwan, such a flight ticket back. They simply want to know that you are not planning to stay.
Anyone who travels is sure to face challenging circumstances during their trip. But as Muslims, we have to understand the dual nature of challenges, for it is seldom that a challenge does not also present an opportunity!
Islamic tourism has grown from Muslim countries issues to a global concept due to the increased potentials of Muslim tourists traveling around the world. Review of literature demonstrates that Islamic tourism has received much attention as a distinct type of travel that has engaged an important religion. Islamic tourism is principally a different ‘touristic’ version of pilgrimage that unifies religious and leisure tourism, which proposed as an alternative to the hedonic conceptualization of mass tourism. Muslims are encouraged to practice such type of tourism activities for historical, social and cultural encounters, to gain knowledge, to associate with others, to spread God’s word and to enjoy and appreciate God’s creation (Intan Shafina Suid, Nor Ashikin Mohd Nor and Hamimi Omar, 2017). Given the increasing trend of Muslim traveling worldwide, many non-Muslim countries such as Taiwan embarks to provide a comfortable tourist experience for Muslim. Taiwan is becoming an attractive popular destination for a large number of Muslim travelers.
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And to our dear Muslim travelers, the big question is: Is Taipei Muslim friendly to travel?
Well of course Taipei is Muslim friendly to travel! There is even a Facebook page all about it.
Muslim Travel in Taipei is a facebook page completely dedicated to sharing all about Muslim friendly travel in Taipei. There are some things that often become a problem for Muslim travelers. The first is finding halal food. The second is the difficulty in finding the direction of Qibla, and also the facilities for water ablution (in the countries that the majority of citizens are not Muslims). For countries with majority Muslim citizens, sometimes the problem is cleanliness. Furthermore, for both Muslim countries and Muslim-minority countries, the problem of information is also an obstacle if they do not use the international language commonly spoken in the area, so that to ask about their needs as a Muslim is quite difficult. This is why the Muslim Travel in Taipei Facebook page is promoting all sorts of Taipei traveling information for Muslims- trying their best to make this beautiful city a Muslim friendly travel destination.
Muslim friendly food (Halal-certified restaurants) in Taipei
The most fun part about traveling is food. Food tastes different all over the world. You could literally dedicate you whole trip to just trying out one culture’s food. And here are a few restaurants in Taipei that are Muslim friendly when traveling as they provide Halal food in Taipei Taiwan:
1. Chang’s Beef Noodles Shop
The price range is pretty reasonable and there are plenty of options to choose from. If you’re not craving noodles, there is also some other Halal food down the road. It is right next to a cheap hostel for our dear travelers on a budget. This is also one of the Taiwan halal diced beef noodle restaurants.
2. Yunus Halal Restaurant
As it is an ala carte meal, it will be slightly pricey if you were to eat a lot. It is better to go with a small group. It is more like a Thai food place for those who are craving some Thai flavor. They are one of the best Halal food in Taipei Taiwan. Steamed lemon fish is a must!
3. Kunming Islamic Restaurant
This is more of a rice and dishes type of restaurant. They have dishes like curry chicken. Sumpah sedap giler. A very nice spot for some Halal food in Taipei Taiwan.
4. Ice Monster
If you ever visit Taipei in the summer, you are bound to feel what it is like to be melted. Ice monster is a famous Halal food in Taipei Taiwan spot for our travelers to try out Taiwan’s well-known Mango shaved ice. Ice Monster is basically Taiwan’s famous kakigori or shaved ice dessert chain. Apart from Mango shaved Ice, there are also a whole lot more to choose from. They’ve recently launched a Unicorn colored shaved ice which just looks (and tastes) magical as can be. Might just be “ the coolest place” to get some Halal food in Taipei Taiwan.
5. Dingxian 101
If the first eatery got you hooked with Taiwanese seafood, Dingxian 101 also presents a selection of not one, but six Muslim-friendly set meals with different price points. No matter where your wallet takes you, every set meal comes with immaculate presentation and rich flavors. Definitely a nice and fancy place to get some Halal food in Taipei Taiwan.
Muslim friendly accommodations in Taipei
Nowadays, in Taiwan there are so many Muslim friendly hotels, not only in Taipei but everywhere. What can we say about Muslim friendly hotels? They must include Halal Breakfast (some of it have separate dining area), must have a prayer room, must have prayer mat inside your room, and Qibla direction must also be available. But if you are traveling on your own, for the breakfast, we can’t guarantee that the hotel management will provide halal food because usually, hotels only cater special requests for big groups. But you always can inquire with the hotel management before you arrive in Taiwan. As a traveling in Taipei Muslim, here are some places for you to check out (or in?).
1. U Hotel
For our dear friends, traveling in Taipei Muslims, U Hotel is located in the middle of Taipei City, and you can walk to there from the MRT station. We love the classy look of the interior and their comfortable beds. For welcoming you, they provide local fruits and a face mask for every guest. For the breakfast, there will be no separate breakfast as the menu is Halal. Make sure you order the Beef Noodle from the ala carte menu to start your day as the main dish. The side dishes are served buffet style.
2. Atami Hotel
Located at Beitou Hotspring area, Atami Hotel’s rooms consist of onsen, supplied with hot spring water. Because of the hotspring, when filling up your tub, there will be a lot of sulphur smell. The room space is a little bit restricted. For those who are traveling in Taipei Muslims, they provide prayer mats and Qibla direction. So during the booking, make sure to inform them. For the breakfast, there will be a separate area for dining. But the food is served together. They will inform you which food area you can eat and which you cannot, and which is the non-meat section.
3. Toucheng Farm House
Nothing much about the room, as the special here is the nature and the surroundings, plus the activities at the farm. The room is occupied with 2 Queen Beds and a balcony with a lake view. For breakfast, just make sure you ask the staff which is the halal section. Taipei traveling Muslims are always welcome. Halal-only set meals can be requested when there is a big group.
4. Amba Hotel Ximending
As for a Taipei traveling Muslim, this hotel is located in the middle of Ximen Street and is really convenient. This hotel offers spacious rooms, although toilet and shower areas are separate. Halal buffet spread is good. However, they only cater when there is big group of Muslims but you can ask in advance.
Photo by Masjid Pogung Dalangan on Unsplash
Nowadays, with the expansion of social networks and media, Muslims are more and more exposed than ever. There are a lot of differences in the news and the dealings with them.
Conflict of thought and culture, especially in European and American societies with Muslims, has created different and almost negative opinions and impressions about them all around the world. The issue that has been tackled today, are Muslim tourists. Like any other tourists, Muslims are also interested in traveling, in experiencing new things and in communicating with different tribes and cultures. Despite the current stressful covid situation, traveling is the right of all human beings. But Muslims face more problems than other tourists.
Anxiety and stress are the main concerns of every Muslim tourist. There have been many reports of mistreatment of Muslims in different countries. Many people express their hatred towards Islam in their dealings with Muslims. Nonetheless, there are people who are well and completely affectionate with Muslim tourists.
This is why we encourage Muslims to visit Taipei! We are a very Muslim friendly traveling destination, with loads of Halal food in Taipei Taiwan. We try to make all our Taipei traveling Muslims feel at ease when exploring a new place.
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Make sure to follow Muslim Travel in Taipei for more exciting information about traveling in Taiwan!
To promote Taipei City as a Muslim-friendly travel destination, check out this video made in partnership with the Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government: https://youtu.be/ofqO2srQiLM
To join MyProGuide’s Muslim friendly one-day tour in Taipei, click here: https://tour.myproguide.com/en/tours/659#
To join MyProGuide’s Muslim friendly two-day tour in Taipei, click here: https://tour.myproguide.com/en/tours/658#
To join MyProGuide’s Muslim friendly live online tour in Taipei (with real-time tour guide interactions), click here: https://tour.myproguide.com/en/tours/657#
