Ahmed Shah's Mosque

This article is about the mosque erected by Ahmad Shah. For the tomb of Ahmad Shah I, see Ahmed Shah's Tomb.

Ahmad Shah's Mosque
Religion
AffiliationIslam
StatusActive
Location
LocationAhmedabad
MunicipalityAhmedabad Municipal Corporation
StateGujarat
Ahmed Shah's Mosque is located in Ahmedabad
Ahmed Shah's Mosque
Location in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Ahmed Shah's Mosque is located in Gujarat
Ahmed Shah's Mosque
Ahmed Shah's Mosque (Gujarat)
Geographic coordinates23°01′21″N 72°34′45″E / 23.0226366°N 72.5791077°E / 23.0226366; 72.5791077
Architecture
TypeMosque
StyleIslamic
FounderAhmad Shah I
Completed1414
Designated 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

Ahmad Shah's Mosque in 1860s
AHMEDSHAH MOSQUE

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

The mosque was restored in 2011 by the Archaeological Survey of India at cost of ₹22 lakh (US$26,000).[2]

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

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ahmed Shah Mosque.

References

  1. ^ a b Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Ahmedabad. Government Central Press. 1879. p. 276. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ a b c "Ahmed Shah mosque to get Rs22 lakh facelift". DNA. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  3. ^ Hope, Theodore C. (1866). "Description of the Buildings at Ahmedabad". Architecture at Ahmadabad: The Capital of Goozerat. John Murray. p. 40.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Sankalia, Hasmukh D. (1949). Studies in the Historical and Cultural Geography and Ethnography of Gujarat. Deccan College. p. 194.