Ahmad Shah's Mosque, also known as Shahi Jam-e-Masjid or Juni Juma Masjid is the oldest mosque of

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...

, India.

History and architecture

The mosque was erected by the founder of Ahmedabad,

Ahmad Shah I Ahmad Shah I, born Ahmad Khan, was a ruler of the Muzaffarid dynasty, who reigned over the Gujarat Sultanate from 1411 until his death in 1442. He was the grandson of Sultan Muzaffar Shah who has been variously described as a Tank Rajput or a ...

, in 1414. It said to have been used as the royal household's private mosque. According to the inscription at the upper part of the central

mihrab Mihrab ( ar, محراب, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "qibla w ...

, the foundation date seems to be the 4th day of Shawwal month in 817 AH, which is 17 December 1414. The pavement is of white marble, the canopy covered pulpit has a yellow marble balustrade carved in a leafy pattern, and white marble steps. In the courtyard is a mound called ''Ganj Shahid'' or the martyrs' mound, the tomb of warriors who perished in Sultan Ahmed's early fights. The mosque covers area of 700 square metres and have two rows of ten large domes surrounded by several smaller domes. The mosque is supported by 152 pillars and have four arched gateways. There are eight perforated stone windows and 25 fine carved pillars. The pillars inside the mosque were taken from Hindu/Jain temples, and some still possess Hindu figures. One pillar retains an inscription in

Old Gujarati Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

dated to 1252 from the reign of Vīsaladeva Vāghelā, identifying its origin from a temple to Uttareśvara in Mahiṁsaka (an unidentified locality in North Gujarat). Ahmed Shah Mosque (11071398385).jpg, Hindoo Pillars Ahmad Shah's Mosque pillar inscription.png, Pillar containing Vaghela-era inscription Ahmad Shah's Mosque pillars.png, Pillars bearing figures and motifs The mosque was restored in 2011 by the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexande ...

at cost of .

References

Mosques in Ahmedabad Monuments of National Importance in Gujarat Mosques completed in 1414 {{India-mosque-stub