Ahmedabad is a city of historic monuments. While visiting these beautiful monuments the history comes alive in front of our eyes. One such world famous monument is Jhulta Minar which means in English Swinging Minarets. As the name suggests this structure is actually swaying. It is a mysterious design and couldn’t be understood by any modern architect till today. Jhulta Minar is a part of famous mosque Siddi Bashir in Ahmedabad. The minarets are three storeys tall and connected at one point. The vibration from one minaret can be felt in the other minaret but the connecting portion doesn’t vibrate at all. The unusual construction of this structure is still a mystery for modern science. It is amazing to know that what kind of technology is used by creators almost five centuries back when there were no machines like we have today. This amazing fact of vibration caught notice during nineteenth century when an English Sanskrit scholar Mr. Monsier M. Williams explored the monument. Excellent craftsmanship and beautifully carved minarets are still standing strong in spite of harsh weather, surrounding activities and a very long period of around five hundred years. We may call us technologically advanced but I guess our ancestors were much ahead of us in thinking and technology and we have a lot to learn from the remains of such master pieces.The Siddi Bashir Mosque is built by a slave of Ahmed Shah who was the Sultan at that time. His name was Siddi Bashir. Some people believe that the mosque was built by Malik Sarang who was a courtier of another Sultan of Gujarat, Muhammed Begada. But there is no evidence to prove who the actual creator of these mysterious shaking minarets was. Just one thing is known and that is the monument construction completed in the year 1452. The most ancient and unique construction does attract explorers from around the world as these kind of monuments are quite rare in the world. These minarets are made using stone and intricately carved all around. They also have carved balconies. The middle portion that connects both the minarets has an arch which is also beautifully carved. A gentle force to that arch can vibrate the minarets. The important fact here is that when one minaret vibrates softly the vibrations reach to the other minaret after few seconds but the connecting structure doesn’t shake at all. This free air suspension mechanism is used amazingly. No doubt the scientific advancement at that time was much better than what we expected it to be.Those people were not only advanced but also artistic as the monuments are exceptionally attractive in design, architecture and grandness. It is their technical and mechanical ability that is behind the strength of the structure. Even today we cannot build a structure without using modern machinery to give a life more than five hundred years. Jhulta Minar is such a monument that is not affected by the nearby hazards like the vibration of passing by trains for years as it is situated just opposite to the Ahmedabad Railway Station. Currently the entry to the Jhulta Minar is prohibited by Government to avoid any unforeseen accident. It is a monument worth exploring not only for adults but for children and architects too. British tried to study the reason behind the vibration but couldn’t find. For getting the cause of vibration they destroyed one of the minarets in another such mosque in Ahmedabad and it is unfortunate that it couldn’t be built or repaired ever. This mosque was known as Raj Bibi Mosque.Ruchi Mahajan