Sidi Bashir mosque

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The Sidi Bashir mosque is located in the city of Ahmedabad in western India. Due to its unique construction, the mosque is also called Jhulta Minar or Shaking Minarets.

Contents 1 History 2 Minarets 3 Other shaking minarets 4 Present condition 5 References

[edit] History

It is believed that the mosque was constructed by Sidi Bashir, a slave of Sultan Ahmed Shah. A conflicting story is that the mosque was built by Malik Sarang, a noble in the court of Muhammed Begada, another Sultan of Gujarat. The mosque was completed in 1452.^[1]

[edit] Minarets

There are two minarets in the mosque, each of which is 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 actual cause of this is unknown as of yet. This phenomenon was first observed in the 19th century by Monier M. Williams, an English Sanskrit scholar. ^[2]

[edit] Other shaking minarets

Another mosque in Ahmedabad called the Raj Bibi mosque also had shaking minarets similar to the ones at the Sidi Bashir mosque. But the British dismantled one of the minarets in order to study the construction. The minaret could not be put back together.

There is also one in Isfahan, Iran called Monar Jonban (shaking minarets) with almost the same properties.

[edit] Present condition

The mosque is located opposite the Ahmedabad Railway station and is one of the most popular tourist destinations of Ahmedabad. Entry to the shaking minaret was prohibited following an incident at Qutb Minar in Delhi, where a stampede resulted in many children being crushed.

[edit] References

^ (2002) "Sultanate Architecture", The Ahmedabad Chronicle: Imprints of a millennium. Vastu-Shilpa Foundation for Studies and Research in Environmental Design, 134.  ^ Siddi bashir mosque (shaking minarets). All India Tour Travel Guide. Retrieved on 2006-09-07.