The Sidi Bashir Mosque is a former

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

, now in partial ruins, in

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

, in the state of

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Only the central gateway and two

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

s survive; they are known as the Jhulta Minar or Shaking Minarets. The structure is a

Monument of National Importance A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

. The ''Jhulta Minar'', a part of the Siddi Bashir Mosque, is an engineering marvel of Indo-Islamic architecture built in 1461 CE. The three-storey tall structure, with intricate designs on each minaret, is famous for its built-in quality of swaying to the minimum force applied to its uppermost arc. A gentle shaking of either minaret results in the vibration of the other minaret after a few seconds, though the connecting passage remains free of any vibration. This unconventional structure is a mystery, unsolved by engineers. According to popular belief, the Jhulta Minar was built to receive early signals of earthquakes.

History

The mosque is believed to have been constructed either by Sidi Bashir, a slave of Sultan Ahmed Shah, or by Malik Sarang, a noble in the court of

Mahmud Begada Abu'l Fath Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah I ( Gujarati: અબુલ ફત નાસીર ઉદ દિન મહમુદ શાહ), more famously known as Mahmud Begada, was a Sultan of the Gujarat Sultanate. Raised to the throne at a young age ...

, another Sultan of Gujarat. Construction was dated from 1452, although the style and material of the minarets point to the close of Mahmud Begada's reign in 1511, or later. The body of the building was destroyed in 1753 during the war between the

Marathas The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

and Jawān Mard Khān, Mughal governor of

; only two minarets and the arched central gateway connecting them remain.

Minarets

The minarets are the tallest in Ahmedabad and are located to the north of Ahmedabad Junction railway station. Though much damaged, especially near their footings, the stairs inside the minarets may be used. The minarets are 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 mechanism of this is not known, although the layered construction is thought to be a factor. The phenomenon was first observed in the 19th century by Monier M. Williams, an English

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

scholar. The minarets are able to withstand fast-moving trains passing close by. Entry to the shaking minaret was prohibited following an incident in 1981 at

Qutb Minar The Qutb Minar, also spelled Qutub Minar and Qutab Minar, is a minaret and victory tower comprising the Qutb complex, which lies at the site of Delhi's oldest fortified city, Lal Kot, founded by the Tomar Rajputs. It is a UNESCO World Heritage ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, when a stampede resulted in the deaths of many children. There is also damage to the upper sections.

Other shaking minarets

The Raj Bibi Mosque, also in Ahmedabad, also had shaking minarets similar to those at the Sidi Bashir Mosque. Under the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

, one was dismantled in order to study the construction, but could not be reassembled. The Monar Jonban (shaking minarets), in

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, has almost the same properties. A further example is a large mosque built by Makhdu-Ma-I-Jahan, mother of Sultan Qutubuddin Ahmad Shah II in 1454 CE, who is buried in the

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

situated to the east of the Sidi Bashir Mosque.

Gallery

Sidi Bashir Mosque Ahmedabad 1866.jpg, Ruins of the former mosque, in 1866 Two Minarates Kalupur Railway Station Ahmedabad 1866.jpg, Minarets of the former mosque, in 1866

References

Attributions

* This article includes public domain text from

External links

{{Ahmedabad topics, status=collapsed 15th-century mosques in India Buildings and structures completed in 1452 Gujarat Sultanate mosques Indo-Islamic mosques Monuments of National Importance in Gujarat Mosque buildings with minarets in India Mosques completed in the 1450s Mosques in Ahmedabad Mosque ruins in India Sufi mosques in India