5/5 Sanchita S. 2 years ago on Google
🌼
ABOUT
SIDI
BASHIR
MASJID
Close
to
Ahmedabad’s
textile
centre,
Sarangpur,
stands
the
15th-16th-century
Sidi
Bashir
mosque,
or
what
is
left
of
it
after
the
battle
between
the
Marathas
and
the
Khans
of
the
Gujarat
Sultanate
in
1753.
The
surviving
ruins
mainly
comprise
two
minarets
and
a
connecting
arched
central
gateway,
which
are
in
dire
need
of
professional
restoration
and
preservation.
But,
more
than
the
history,
the
minarets
have
a
particular
architectural
characteristic
that
continues
to
mystify
tourists,
architects
and
design
engineers
alike.
These
are
the
Jhulta
Minars
or
Shaking
Minarets;
when
the
upper
arch
of
one
minaret
is
shaken
with
a
bit
of
force,
the
other
begins
to
vibrate
after
a
few
seconds,
and
the
connecting
corridor
between
the
two
registers
a
faint
shudder.
The
reason
for
this
vibration
is
unknown.
Visitors
were
once
allowed
to
climb
all
the
way
up
through
a
narrow
spiral
staircase
inside,
but
public
entry
was
closed
in
1981
for
the
preservation
of
this
architectural
wonder.
🌼
ARCHITECTURE
OF
SIDI
BASHIR
MASJID
The
three-storeyed
minarets,
constructed
in
the
Indo-Saracenic
style
with
Rajputana
influence,
are
narrow
and
not
very
tall.
At
around
70
feet,
they
have
delicately
carved
balconies
around
each
level.
There
is
also
beautiful
stonework
along
the
base.
Curiously,
despite
their
proximity
to
the
railway
station,
they
do
not
shake
when
trains
pass
by.
It
is
believed
the
minarets
were
constructed
on
a
cushioning
foundation
of
naturally
porous
flexible
sandstone
called
itacolumite
(found
in
the
Haryana
region)
to
avoid
any
damage
from
earthquakes.
Historian
Rana
Safvi
once
wrote
that
it
was
the
“earthquake-resistant
construction
that
gave
them
their
‘shaking’
character”.
Indeed,
according
to
architect
James
Fergusson,
an
expert
on
ancient
Indian
architecture,
these
minars
are
the
best
surviving
examples
of
shaking
minarets
dotting
Ahmedabad’s
skyline.
Another
pair
of
shaking
minarets
at
the
Raj
Bibi
mosque
was
apparently
dismantled
by
the
British,
who
wanted
to
understand
the
cause
of
the
vibrations,
but
later
could
not
put
them
back
together.
🌼
HISTORY
OF
SIDI
BASHIR
MASJID
Sidi
Bashir’s
mosque
dates
back
to
1452
AD.
The
story
goes
that
it
was
built
by
an
Abyssinian
slave
named
Sidi
Bashir
during
the
reign
of
Sultan
Ahmed
Shah
I
(who
founded
the
city
of
Ahmedabad
in
1411).
Some
others
feel
that
the
mosque’s
construction
and
style
indicate
its
construction
during
the
reign
of
Sultan
Mahmud
Begada,
so
it
could
have
been
built
after
1511
by
his
courtier
Malik
Sarang,
a
Rajput
nobleman,
who
had
converted
to
Islam.
Of
the
various
forms
which
the
Saracenic
architecture
assumed
in
India,
that
of
Ahmedabad
may
probably
be
considered
the
most
elegant,
as
it
certainly
is
the
most
characteristic
of
all.
No
other
form
is
so
essentially
Indian,
and
no
one
tells
its
tale
with
the
same
unmistakable
distinctness.
I
highly
recommend
visiting
Sidi
Bashir
Masjid
and
marvel
at
the
astonishing
technology
and
architecture
of
the
time.
🌸
Address
|
Kalupur
Road
Sarangpur,
Laxmi
Bazar,
Ahmedabad
🌸
Timings
|
5:30
am
to
9:00
pm
on
all
days
of
the
week
🌸
Entry
Fee
|
Free
🌸
Photography
|
Allowed
🌸
Parking
|
Parking
in
this
area
is
a
bit
tricky
as
it's
in
the
main
city
with
heavy
traffic
and
also
the
mosque
is
in
bylanes.
I
suggest
you
park
at
a
distance
to
walk
towards
the
place.
🌸
What
Could
Be
Improved
|
-
The
ASI
has
been
criticised
for
being
negligent
with
the
preservation
of
many
of
these
monuments.
-
In
2018
though,
they
started
clearing
the
space
around
the
Sidi
Bashir
mosque
for
better
visibility,
still
stopping
encroachments
by
locals
that
need
to
be
looked
into.
#SanchitaSairangKshatriya
#jhultaminar
#gujarat
#incredibleindia
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