Dozens of mosques in the Muslim-dominant region of Xinjiang in western China have been demolished or partially destroyed since 2017, satellite images have revealed.

Worshippers are subject to extra security checks and monitored by high-tech surveillance cameras while Muslim students must scan their faces upon entering the razor-wired gates of their primary schools.

Muslim residents of heavily policed Xinjiang are facing the increasing pressure from Beijing as the ruling Communist Party tightens its control over religious activities. 

The corner where Heyitkah Mosque in China's restive Xinjiang region once hummed with life is now a concrete parking lot where all traces of the tall, domed building have been erased.

While Muslims around the world celebrated the end of Ramadan with prayers and festivities this week, the recent destruction of dozens of mosques in Xinjiang highlights the increasing pressure Uighurs and other ethnic minorities face in the heavily policed region.