The saint's tomb
Gujarat's largest of its kind.
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Sarkhej Roza is a Sufi complex of a mosque and tombs at Makarba, 7 km southwest of Ahmedabad. A national monument and one of Gujarat's loveliest Islamic ensembles, it has calm stone arcades, carved lattice windows and a stepped lake. The Sufi saint Shaikh Ahmed Khattu Ganj Bakhsh of the Maghribi order lived here. A friend and adviser of Sultan Ahmed Shah, he suggested setting up the capital nearby on the Sabarmati. He died in 1445, and Muhammad Shah II began his tomb, finished in 1451 by Qutbuddin Ahmad Shah II. Sultan Mahmud Begada then expanded the site, digging Sarkhej Lake, building a palace and raising a mausoleum for his family. You enter by a covered gateway into a large court with the saint's tomb, the largest of its kind in Gujarat, its sides filled with stone lattice. Across the court are the royal tombs, and a wide mosque whose courtyard, ringed by cloisters, covers more than an acre. Stone pavilions look over the stepped lake, whose level rises and falls with the season. It offers a quiet break from the city centre, about 7 km away. Morning or late afternoon is best. Dress modestly, remove your shoes, and women should cover their hair. Parts of the tombs may be restricted, so ask those present. Avoid prayer times and Friday.
Gujarat's largest of its kind.
Around the mosque court.
Dug by Mahmud Begada.
Makarba, southwest of Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Ahmed Khattu Ganj Bakhsh, a Sufi and adviser to Sultan Ahmed Shah.
Usually yes, dressed modestly with shoes off, outside prayer times.