Sidi Saiyyed jali at the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque
Ahmedabad, the world heritage city is filled with heritage sites. One such heritage site is the Sidi Saiyyed mosque. It is located in the old part of the city right in front of the famous House of MG. The Sidi Saiyyed mosque is famous for the unique art engraved on the window mesh of the mosque. In gujarati is called as sidi saiyad ni jali. These window mesh have become a symbol of the city of Ahmedabad. The sidi saiyad ni jali is famous for the amazing art engraved on the stones. The most famous window mesh is called the tree of life, a tree structure is carved on it. It’s the same jali which forms the part of the logo of The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, the best B-school of India.
History of sidi saiyad ni jali
The construction of the Sidi Saiyyed mosque was done in the last year of the Sultanate rule in Gujarat. It was established in 1573 by Sidi Sayed who was a slave of Sultan Ahmed Shah. Sidi Saiyyed mosque has ten semi-circular windows and the sidi saiyad ni jali screen windows represent the Indo-Saracenic styling, which is admired by people all over the world. The Mesh covering these windows looks captivating due to the art carved onto these meshes. This historical monument has gained worldwide recognition especially after Ahmedabad was declared as a world heritage city.
It used to be a government office in the British era and the present Government of India is also trying to bring traction to this monument, in 2017 our Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited here with Japan PM Shinzo Abe when he was on a state visit to India.
When to Visit sidi saiyyed mosque
These window mesh can be seen closely from inside the sidi saiyyed mosque, but its real beauty is observed from outside the mosque. The backside of the mosque is accessible via a park which is just beside this sidi saiyyed mosque, the park closes at 4 PM, so if you want to see the window mesh(‘Jali’ ) up close from outside then try visiting before 4 pm.
Also Read :- Adalaj Ni Vav – An architectural beauty
3 Comments
Ankit Chow
really good pictures and good writing. thanks for sharing man.
Bhavnish
The mosque was built by an Abyssinian, Sidi Saiyyed who was from Yemen and it is said that about 45 craftsmen aided him in the process. Sidi Sayeed mosque on Monday night. Javed Raja While the mosque is at present under the care of the Archaeological Survey of India ASI , under the British it served the purpose of a government office.
Vivek
mesmerizing carvings on the stone.