Ahmed Shah's Mosque

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Ahmad Shah's Mosque
Ahmed Shah's Mosque.JPG
Religion
Affiliation Islam
StatusActive
Location
Location Ahmedabad
Municipality Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation
State Gujarat
Ahmedabad locator map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
India Gujarat location map.svg
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Ahmed Shah's Mosque (Gujarat)
Geographic coordinates 23°01′21″N72°34′45″E / 23.0226366°N 72.5791077°E / 23.0226366; 72.5791077
Architecture
TypeMosque
Style Islamic
Founder Ahmad Shah I
Completed1414
Designated as NHL Monument 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.

Contents

History and architecture

Ahmad Shah's Mosque in 1860s Ahmed Shah's Mosque Ahmedabad 1866.jpg
Ahmad Shah's Mosque in 1860s
AHMEDSHAH MOSQUE AHMEDSHAH MOSQUE.jpg
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]

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

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References

  1. 1 2 Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Ahmedabad. Government Central Press. 1879. p. 276.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  2. 1 2 3 "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.