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Prophet, as well as a
chapter of the Holy Quran written by him.
This mosque was built by Sultan Ahmed
Shah in 1423 and later by Shah Jahan. This mosque is
built in yellow sandstone and combines the best of Hindu
and Muslim styles of architecture. The work on this tomb
was started in 1650 by Shah Jahan and was completed in
six years. The mosque is the final architectural piece
built by him. The mosque was built by more than 5000
artisans, with red sandstone and marble. This mosque
stands on 260 pillars supporting 15 domes at varying
elevations. The main courtyard of the mosque is about
408 square feet and is paved with red stone that can
hold thousands of the people. In the centre, a large
marble tank is located in which the devout wash before
attending prayers. The main mosque is crowned by three
onion-shaped domes made of white marble and inlaid with
stripes of black slates. The courtyard is in the
rectangular shape and about seventy-five by sixty-six
metres. The central courtyard is accessible from the
East, though there are three ways on the other side too.
The Eastern side entrance leads to another enclosure
which contains the tomb of Sultan Ahmed Shah. On the
east, this monument faces the Red Fort and has three
gateways, four towers and two minarets. On the north and
south of the complex are the two 130 feet high minarets
which offer a spectacular bird’s eye view of the city.
The main eastern entrance remains closed on most of the
days of the week and was perhaps used by the Emperors.
Tombs
Near the Eastern entrance stands the tomb of the Sultan
Ahmed Shah, which was homage to the Sultan by his son
Mohammed Shah II. The tomb houses the graves of three
great rulers of Gujarat - Ahmed Shah I, his son,
Mohammed Shah and his grandson, Qutub-Ud-Din Ahmed Shah
II. After 100 years, a nobleman, Farhatul Maluk repaired
the tomb, who also got the walls of the mosque engraved.
Today after centuries of heat and rough weather, the
Masjid stands unchallenged serving as a prayer place for
numerous Muslims residing in the city. |
