If you are interested in the historic monuments in Ahmedabad then no doubt you would love to explore one of the most popular mosques of Ahmedabad that is the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque. As the city is founded by a Muslim Sultan, there are good numbers of Islamic religious places here that too with impressive architecture with indo- saracenic style. This mosque is located near the Teen Darwaja in Ahmedabad. The period in which this mosque was built is said to be in sixteenth century around 1573 by a slave named Sidi Saiyyed of Sultan Ahmed Shah. There is another version of the story of Sidi Saiyyed. It said that he was the slave of Bilal Jhajar Khan who was the general in last Sultan’s army. The last sultan of Gujarat Sultanate was Shams-ud-Din Muzaffer Shah III. The second version seems to be much closer to the truth because this mosque is the last mosque built in Gujarat by the Sultanate. There is a marble stone fixed in the wall of the mosque with the date of inception of Mosque and the name of Sidi Saiyed who built it.This monument is the last creation of the sultanate in Gujarat. The beautiful intricate carving all over makes the mosque unique in the city. The stone lattice work on windows on the sides and rear arches is another distinction of this monument. These jalis are exceptionally attractive piece of art and when you will explore it you will come to know its splendour. There are two inlets which are beside the central walkway are decorated with stone slabs that have magnificent carvings showing tangled trees and plants designed beautifully. You can imagine the significance of this mosque by the fact that the stone window jali with intricate stone work is the unofficial symbol of Ahmedabad city. Apart from this one of the finest management institute of country the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad also got the inspiration from this monument’s jali work to design the logo of the institute.The Sidi Saiyed mosque is built completely by stone and that is why it is still standing so firm even after more than five centuries and the harsh weather conditions throughout this time. Two screens in a semicircular shape can be seen on the western walls. These screens display splendid floral motifs carved on yellow stone. It is quite unfortunate to know that this mosque is not once but twice sacked by British in order to obtain the spectacular Jalis but they were not fully successful in doing that but central part of the jali they had extracted. It is said that that part is displayed in a museum in London. It was actually very difficult to remove the Jalis from the structure as they are made in such a way. By exploring the entire monument you see that in these jali works at the central window arch a stone wall without any carvings is visible. It might be pointing to the fact that the work of mosque was not completed as per the plan by Gujarat sultanate and before it could finish Mughal might have invaded the place. The central hall is divided into two parts by exquisite row of pillars. The mosque is surrounded by green gardens that give the monument a panoramic view.The superb carvings on the walls, pillars, windows and walk ways make this mosque unique in the world and no doubt it is world recognized historical monument today. I do not know why but women are not allowed to enter the mosque. Many people used to come here to offer prayers to god before British control. Today it is one of the most prominent holy places of Muslims in the city. Many Indian and foreign tourists explore this classy structure of sixteenth century. You can buy a souvenir of this splendid monument in the form of miniature mosque from the shops here.Ruchi Mahajan