Rani Sipri's Mosque

Mosque in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

23°01′02″N 72°35′25″E / 23.017222°N 72.590278°E / 23.017222; 72.590278ArchitectureTypeMosqueStyleIslamic and Māru-GurjaraCompleted1514SpecificationsLength54 ft (16 m)Height (max)50 ft (15 m)

Rani Sipri's Mosque (Gujarati: રાણી સિપ્રીની મસ્જીદ) also known as Rani Sipri ni Masjid or Masjid-e-nagina, formerly known as Rani Asni's Mosque, is a medieval mosque in the walled city of Ahmedabad, Gujarat in India. This mosque was commissioned in 1514 by Queen Sipri, the Hindu wife of Mahmud Begada, a sultan who ruled Gujarat. It is also known as Masjid-e-Nagina (Jewel of a Mosque) because of the intricate jali carvings on its walls. In 2006–7, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation proposed demolishing part of the monument in order to expand a road.^[1]

Construction

The mosque is named after the Hindu queen of Sultan Mahmud Begada, Rani Sabrāi or Sipri. She was also the mother of Abā Khān. The queen commissioned this mosque in 1514.^[2] After her death, the queen was buried in this mosque. Inside, there is also a jenana, a separate area for women to worship.^[3]^[4]

Architecture

The jali screen work that includes flowing plants and trees is the prime attraction of this monument. Similar intricate jali work can be seen in other Islamic architectural monuments in the city like Siddi Sayyed Jali and Sarkhej Roza.

Gallery

Rani Sipri's Mosque
Tomb drawing, 1890
Details of carving on base of the tomb
Mosque and tomb
Southern end of mosque, 1866

References

^ "BJP Once Tried to Destroy the Ahmedabad Heritage It Is Now Celebrating". The Wire. Retrieved 24 November 2019. In 2006-07, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) under the BJP wanted to demolish sections of two Islamic monuments, both of which were over 400 years old – for road expansion. One of the mosques, the Rani Sipri mosque built in 1514, was already an Architectural Survey of India (ASI) protected monument, while the other, the Siraji Saiyed Mosque and the adjoined Dargah at Khajurivali Masjid did not figure on that list.
^ "Yreach article".
^ "Web India article".
^ Misra, S. C.; Rahman, M. L. (1961). The Mirat-i-Sikandiri: A History of Gujarat from the Inception of the Dynasty of the Sultans of Gujarat to the Conquest of Gujarat by Akbar of Shaikh Sikandar ibn Muhammad urf Manjhu ibn Akbar. The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. p. 188.