Sidi Saiyyed Mosque

Today was a day of wandering and exploring the city. Taking in the architecture, Looking for craft workshops and observing the way people live and work.

I had seen images of a small mosque, with wonderfully intricate carving, The Sidi Saiyyed Mosque. I went off t explore and try to find it. 

The Mosque was built  in the last year of the Sultanate of Gujarat  shortly before the invasion of the Mughals. It was built by Sidi Saeed (Saiyyed) an Abyssinian in the service of Rumi Khan, The second son of Khuda Vand Khan Khwaja Safar Salmani, The governor of Surat during the tenth Gujurat Sultan Mahmud Shah III ( 1537-1553).

Sidi Saeed was apparently a learned man with a vast library, later in his life he joined the personal retinue of Bilal Jha Jhar Khan a famous general in the army of the last Sultan of Gujurat. Sidi Saeed died in 1576 and his tomb lies near the north wall of the mosque compound. 

The mosque is famous for its intricate lattice work windows, known as Jali's, which depict intertwined plant, foliage and palm tree imagery, as well as squares of geometric patterns. like much of the architecture in the region the building combines the skills of Jain carvers with both Hindu and Islamic imagery.

When walking around the city your eye is continually drawn upward to take in the multilayers of the buildings which sit right up to the cramped roadways.

Your eye is drawn to the incredible detail of carving, much like the mosques, but this time in wood.
intricate details and panels cover the facades.

Ornate buttresses. 

The detail of the buildings reflect the wealth and status of the merchants and owners who lived here when the buildings were constructed.

Sarkhej Rosa

At sunset, after listening to an introduction to Indian classical music, we briefly visited Sarkhej Rosa, some 10km distance to the SW of Ahmedabad on the outskirts of city. 

The complex of buildings, built around an artificial lake, include; the mausoleum of Shaikh Ahmed Khattu Ganj Baksh, a Sufi saint and a friend/advisor to Sultan Ahmed Shah (founder of Ahmedabad), a mosque, pavilions and gardens.
The stunning architecture includes intericately carved screens, a grid of pillars which hold up a series of huge domes and a large courtyard. The stone work incorporates both the skills and style of the indigenous Hindu and Jain carvers combined with the influence of the Islamic traditions from Persia.

The space and the cool of the evening gave a beautiful calm. In the 15th century, the complex  had been a retreat for the Royal Families and today it is continues to be used by visitors as a place to relax and picnic. Many, like ourselves, come to visit in the evening light.  

A place to revisit later during my stay.