Sidi Bashir Mosque
The Sidi Bashir Mosque is located in the city of Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Due to
its unique construction, the mosque is also called Jhulta Minar or Shaking
Minarets.
History
It is believed that the mosque was constructed by Sidi Bashir, a slave of
Sultan Ahmed Shah. A conflicting story is that the mosque was built by Malik
Sarang, a noble in the court of Muhammed Begada, another Sultan of Gujarat.
The mosque was completed in 1452.
Minarets
There are two minarets in the mosque, each of which is three stories tall
with carved balconies. A gentle shaking of either minaret results in the
other minaret vibrating after a few seconds, though the connecting passage
between them remains free of vibration. The actual cause of this is not yet
known. This phenomenon was first observed in the 19th century by Monsier M.
Williams, an English Sanskrit scholar.
Other Shaking Minarets
Another mosque in Ahmedabad called the Raj Bibi mosque also had shaking
minarets similar to the ones at the Sidi Bashir mosque. But the British
dismantled one of the minarets in order to study the construction. The
minaret could not be put back together.
There is also one in Isfahan, Iran called Monar Jonban (shaking minarets)
with almost the same properties.
Present Condition
The mosque is located opposite the Ahmedabad Railway station and is one of
the most popular tourist destinations of Ahmedabad. Entry to the shaking
minaret was prohibited following an incident at Qutb Minar in Delhi, where a
stampede resulted in many children being crushed.
Sources: Wikipedia
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