The tree window
Branches interlaced in stone.
Snehrashmi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Amarjitchaudhary — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Qureshijabirh — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Snehrashmi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hardik Trivedi — CC BY-SA 3.0
The Sidi Saiyyed Mosque, known locally as Sidi Saiyyed ni Jali, is a small mosque in central Ahmedabad and one of the city's most famous sights. It is known for delicate carved stone windows showing intertwined trees, foliage and a palm motif, a masterpiece of the jali lattice and a well known symbol of the city. Sidi Sa'id Al-Habshi built it in 980 AH, or 1572 to 1573, as a marble tablet on the wall records. He was once a slave of Rumi Khan, a Turkish general who came to Gujarat from Yemen. He later served Sultan Mahmud III and became a prominent nobleman, gathering a library, performing the Hajj and founding a public kitchen. He died in 1576 and was buried near the mosque, built in the last year of the Gujarat Sultanate. A row of stone arches fronts the hall, with a small water basin in the court and towers at either end. On the side walls stand the famous lattice windows, with branches interlacing in fine detail. From outside and across the court you can see the beauty of the stone as light passes through, especially in the morning. It stands at a busy junction in the city centre, and half an hour is plenty, so pair it with a walk in the old city. Remove your shoes, dress modestly and respect worshippers and prayer times. Ask where you may go, as the prayer hall may be restricted for some visitors, and the windows show well from outside.
Branches interlaced in stone.
A stone row before the hall.
A small pool before the mosque.
Lal Darwaja, central Ahmedabad, Gujarat
A nobleman of Abyssinian origin who served Gujarat's sultans, performed the Hajj and founded a public kitchen.
It may be restricted for some visitors, so ask on arrival. The windows show well from outside.