Ahmed Shah's Mosque

Mosque in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

23°01′21″N 72°34′45″E / 23.0226366°N 72.5791077°E / 23.0226366; 72.5791077ArchitectureTypeMosqueStyleIslamicFounderAhmad Shah ICompleted1414Designated as NHLMonument of National Importance
ASI Monument No. N-GJ-4

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

History and architecture

The mosque was erected by the founder of Ahmedabad, Ahmad Shah I, 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, 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.^[1]^[2]

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.^[2] 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 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).^[1]^[3]^[4]^[5]

Reused Pillars
Hindoo Pillars
Pillar containing Vaghela-era inscription
Pillars bearing figures and motifs

The mosque was restored in 2011 by the Archaeological Survey of India at cost of ₹22 lakh (US$28,000).^[2]

Gallery

Carved Piller
Lattice work
Inside Lattice work
Outer View of Doms
Lattice work in windows of tomb
Lattice work
Lattice work

References

^ ^a ^b Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Ahmedabad. Government Central Press. 1879. p. 276. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Ahmed Shah mosque to get Rs22 lakh facelift". DNA. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
^ Hope, Theodore C. (1866). "Description of the Buildings at Ahmedabad". Architecture at Ahmadabad: The Capital of Goozerat. John Murray. p. 40.
^ Commissariat, M. S. (1938). A History of Gujarat: Including a Survey of its Chief Architectural Monuments and Inscriptions. Vol. I. Longmans, Greene, and Co. Ltd. pp. 106–107.
^ Sankalia, Hasmukh D. (1949). Studies in the Historical and Cultural Geography and Ethnography of Gujarat. Deccan College. p. 194.