Now located in the middle of a roundabout in the city of Ahmedabad, Sidi Saiyyed Mosque is well worth a quick visit to see one of India’s most famous and beautiful pieces of Islamic art.
The mosque was built in the year 1572-73 by an Abyssinian known as Sidi Saeed or Sidi Saiyyed. He came to Gujarat from Yemen and later served Sultan Nasir-ud-Din Madmud III. He was known as the nobleman who helped the poor and had a large collection of books. He built the mosque during the reign of Sultan Muzaffar Shah III, the last ruler of Gujarat.
The mosque contains ten windows with a series of perforated sandstone carvings, or jali-work, which are quite staggering. Eight of the windows are geometric, the remaining two have representations of trees and other flora. They are widely described as the ‘Tree of Life’ carvings.
Sidi Saiyyed Mosque is open sunrise to sunset, access will of course be limited during prayer times.
If you’re interested in using any of my photography or articles please get in touch. I’m also available for any freelance work worldwide, my duffel bag is always packed ready to go…
KevinStandage1@googlemail.com
Categories: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, Sidi Saiyyed Mosque
Kevin Standage 