The Sidi Saiyyed Mosque, popularly known as Sidi Saiyyid ni Jali locally, built in 1572–73 AD (

Hijri year The Hijri year ( ar, سَنة هِجْريّة) or era ( ''at-taqwīm al-hijrī'') is the era used in the Islamic lunar calendar. It begins its count from the Islamic New Year in which Muhammad and his followers migrated from Mecca to Yathr ...

980), is one of the most famous mosques of Ahmedabad, a city in the state of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

, India. The mosque was built by Sidi Sayyad, a

Habshi The Siddi (), also known as the Sheedi, Sidi, or Siddhi, or Habshi are an ethnic group inhabiting India and Pakistan. They are primarily descended from the Bantu peoples of the Zanj coast in Southeast Africa and Ethiopia, most whom arrived to ...

nobleman, in 1572-73.

History

The Sidi Saiyyed Mosque, popularly known as Sidi Saiyyid ni Jali locally, built in 1572-73 AD (Hijri year 980), is one of the most famous mosques of Ahmedabad, a city in the state of Gujarat, India. As attested by the marble tablet fixed on the wall of the mosque, it was built by Shaikh Sa'id Al-Habshi Sultani. Sidi Sa'id was originally a slave of Rumi Khan, a Turkish general who had come to Gujarat from Yemen, bringing along with him his Habshi slaves. Sidi Sa'id later served Sultan Mahmud III, and upon his death, joined the Abyssinian general Jhujhar Khan. Upon Sidi Sa'id's retirement from military service, Jhujhar Khan granted him a jagir. Sidi Sa'id over his career became a prominent nobleman: he collected a library, owned over a hundred slaves, performed the Hajj pilgrimage, and instituted a langar (public kitchen). Previously at the site there was a smaller brick mosque, which was rebuilt by Sidi Sa'id, and he was buried near the mosque when he died in 1576.Nawrath, E. A. (1956). ''Immortal India; 12 colour and 106 photographic reproductions of natural beauty spots, monuments of India's past glory, beautiful temples, magnificent tombs and mosques, scenic grandeur and picturesque cities, ancient and modern''.

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

, Taraporevala's Treasure House of Books. The mosque was built in the last year of the existence of Gujarat Sultanate. During the rule of the

Marathas The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a ...

, the mosque fell into disuse and disrepair. During the British colonial period, it served as an office or ''kachery'' for the Mamlatdar of Dascrohi taluka. During its time as an office, doors were installed, the mihrabs were converted into presses, and the interior was whitewashed. During an official visit to Ahmadabad,

Lord Curzon George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), styled Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and then Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman ...

, Viceroy of India, ordered the Mamlatdar's office to vacate the premises, as part of his wider policies of preserving historic monuments.

Architecture

The mosque is entirely

arcuated An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vault ...

and is known for its ten intricately carved stone latticework windows (

jali A ''jali'' or jaali (''jālī'', meaning "net") is the term for a perforated stone or latticed screen, usually with an ornamental pattern constructed through the use of calligraphy, geometry or natural patterns. This form of architectural d ...

s) on the side and rear arches. The rear wall is filled with square stone pierced panels in geometrical designs. The two bays flanking the central aisle have reticulated stone slabs carved in designs of intertwined trees and foliage and a palm motif. This intricately carved lattice stone window is the Sidi Saiyyed Jali, the unofficial symbol of city of Ahmedabad and the inspiration for the design of the logo of the

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM Ahmedabad) is the world's number 1 business school, located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The school has been accorded the status of an Institute of National Importance by Ministry of Human Resourc ...

. The central window arch of the mosque, where one would expect to see another intricate jali, is instead walled with stone. This is possibly because the mosque was not completed according to plan before the Mughals invaded Gujarat.

Gallery

File:Mosque of Sidi Sayed Jaali.JPG, The marble screen from the outside. File:Sidi Saiyyed Ni Jali.JPG, Sidi Saiyyed Mosque File:NO-NB BLDSA GM2a247n.jpg

References

Mosques in Ahmedabad 1573 in India Religious buildings and structures completed in 1573 Monuments of National Importance in Gujarat Indo-Islamic architecture Sunni mosques in India Siddhi people {{India-mosque-stub

History

Architecture

Gallery

See also

References