Jama Masjid Ahmedabad
The mosque Jama Masjid (meaning Friday Mosque) is the most splendid mosque
of Ahmedabad, built in 1424 during the reign of Ahmed Shah. Lying in the old
party of city, the mosque is situated opposite to Mahatma Gandhi Road, on
the eastern side of Teen Darwaza.
Location
The Jama Masjid of Ahmedabad was probably the largest mosque in the Indian
subcontinent built in this period. Designed as part of a major plan desired
by the Emperor Sultan Ahmed Shah, the mosque is located south of the
processional axis that runs from the Maidan-i Shah at the door with three
arches, Teen Darwaza.
To the west of the mosque are the tombs of Ahmed Shah, his son and his
grandson (Ahmad Shah Rauza). Nearby are the graves of the queen and the
other wives of the Sultan (Rani ka Hazira).
Architecture
Built with yellow sandstone, the mosque complex is centered on a large
rectangular courtyard 75 m long and 66 m wide. One enters the court by three
entrances, one at the center of each side. The courtyard is lined with a
colonnade on three sides, the prayer hall occupies the fourth (east) side.
In the center of the courtyard is a rectangular basin for ablutions.
The prayer room is also rectangular and covered by four domes. In its Indo-Saracenic
architecture, the mosque also contains many syncretic elements not
necessarily obvious to the viewer: some of the central domes are carved like
lotus flowers, closely related to the typical domes of Jain temples; and
some of the pillars are carved with the form of a bell hanging on a chain,
in reference to the bells that often hang in Hindu temples.
The wide open courtyard, floored with white marble, is ringed by a colonade
painted with giant Arabic calligraphy, and has a tank for ritual ablutions
in the center. The mosque and arcades are built of beautiful yellow
sandstone and carved with the intricate detail that mosques of this period
are known for. While the two principal minarets flanking the main arched
entranceway collapsed in the 1819 earthquake, their lower portions still
stand. The main prayer hall has over 260 columns supporting the roof, with
its 15 domes, making a walk through the hall a beautiful maze of light and
shadows. The Wall of Prayer, the qibla is decorated. Pierced stone screens
(the 'Jalis') are placed between the two pillars of the central openings.
The main entrance is framed by two columns, the remains of two minarets (the
'shaking minarets') which were destroyed by the earthquakes of 1819 and
1957.
History
The inscription on the mihrab commemorates the inauguration of the mosque on
January 4, 1424 by Sultan Ahmad Shah I. The mosque was originally intended
only for private use of the sultans.
Sources: Wikipedia
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