I got to visit Ahmedabad in April this year.
I had a list of places to visit in the old city.
Fortunately, I got to stay with an influential Gujarati family who took me all around the city.
The first and foremost thing you should do is to register yourself for
Heritage Walk
Morning heritage walk starts from Swaminarayan Temple in the old city of Ahmedabad
at 8:00 am,
the walk ends on Jami Masjid
by 11 am.
Just follow the link mentioned above to register.
If you are interested in the handicrafts,
other place where you should visit is
Calico Museum of Textiles
The details are given in the link.
I bring to you today the beautiful
Jami Masjid
The mosque was built in 1424 and located in the old part of the city.
The mosque houses the entombment of Sultan Ahmed Shah,
Ahmed Shah 1, his son Mohammed Shah & his grandson Qutub-Ud-Din Ahmed Shah II.
These entombments can be seen closer to the gate that is
on the eastern side of the mosque.
The material used for the construction of the mosque
has been of excellent quality since the mosque has survived the drastic changes in the environmental condition.
The color of the stone used for building the mosque was yellow in color.
There is a large rectangle shaped quad that is located in the middle of the mosque and the size of this quad is 75 meters in length and 66 meters in its width.
The mosque has the arcade in three different directions while
the fourth remaining side of the mosque has a hall where the prayers are offered.
The prayer hall that is part of mosque is constructed in rectangular shape
and is roofed by four vaults.
The architectural type of the mosque is Indo-Saracenic.
The domes in the mosque are given various shaped like one of the domes is in the shape
of lotus flower while
the other seems like a hanging bell on the chain
like the structure very similar
to the bells in any of the temple of Hindu community.
The domes also reflect the architecture similar to the domes of the Jain temples.
The quad is very spacious and the use of white marble in its construction
gives it a magnificent look.
The walkaways in the mosque are ornate with the calligraphy of the Arabic styles.
A sacred tank in the middle of the mosque is filled with the holy water
and it is considered to purify the sins.
During the earthquake in the year 1819 the top of the two chief spires got destroyed
while the lower parts of these spires are still intact.
The roof of the main prayer hall stands on 260 stakes and has a total of 15 cupolas.
Thus moving inside this prayer halls is a very different experience and
speaks about the rich heritage of the era in which it was built.
The prayer wall known as qibla is richly ornate.
The middle openings have the carved stones that are located in the two pillars.
The other two pillars got destroyed in the earthquake of 1957.
There are various engravings that were inscribed on the pillars of the mosque
while the construction of the mosque on the date 4th January in the year 1424
by Sultan Ahmad Shah 1.
The above architecture facts are from DiscoveredIndia.
I’m not an architecture student but what fascinated me about this mosque
is its carving, style of calligraphy(though I cant read Urdu)
and the gumbhaj right in the middle of the mosque.
The sunlight coming inside the mosque through the pillars
is just another view to cherish.
There are similar kind of forts around Jami Masjid
like Ahmed Shah mosque, Rani Sipri mosque, Rani Roompati mosque,
Badshah-no-Hajiro, Rani-no-Hajiro, Sarkhej-no-Rojo,
Sidi Saiyed-ni-Jali.
