The Sidi Saiyyed Mosque in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, is an extraordinary example of the intricate stone architecture in the Indo-Islamic style. The mosque happens to be the architectural legacy of the African diaspora in India. The relations of East Africa and India stretch to antiquity through the maritime routes which facilitated the exchange of trading goods as well as cultural values and intermingling of people. Originally settling in India as merchants, mercenaries, slaves and maritime laborers, the descendants of these Africans rose to positions of power as military commanders and founded the Habshi dynasty.
The word Siddi or Sidi is perhaps derived from the title borne by the captains of the Arab vessels that first brought Siddi settlers to India; these captains were known as Sayyid. Also known as Habshis, the term is perhaps derived from the common name for the captains of the Northeast African Abyssinian ships that initially delivered Siddi slaves to the subcontinent. Today, the diaspora is spread around regions of Gujarat, Karnataka and Hyderabad in India. In the rich architectural traditions of Gujarat, the Sidis left their own legacy as great patrons of art and architecture.
A Sidi commander in the army of the last Sultan Shams-ud-Din Muzaffar Shah III of the Gujarat Sultanate, Shaykh Sayyid al-Habshi Sultani, or Sidi Saiyyed, commissioned the construction of the mosque in 1573. Today is known as the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque, the monument is considered to be one of the finest specimens of the architectural legacy of the Sidis of India.
Situated in the heart of the 600-year-old walled city of Ahmedabad, the design of the mosque is entirely in the arcuate system of construction, involving arches, domes, squinches and vaults. The mosque is set up like a theatre without a fourth wall, celebrated for the intricately carved filigree work on its “jalis” (screen windows). The 20th century Indologist and art historian Vincent Arthur Smith described the screen windows as the “most artistic stone latticework to be found anywhere in the world”.
The ornamental latticework adorns the 10 nearly semicircular windows of the mosque, with some displaying complex geometrical designs and others carved in the manner of intertwined trees and foliage. The most impressive of them all is the “Sidi Saiyyed Jali”, located to the right of the central walled arch. Sixteen feet in size, the carvings on this “jali” represent the Tree of Life motif, which is an artistic representation of a mythical tree of paradise according to Islamic cosmology. This finely wrought motif has become an unofficial symbol of Ahmedabad, India’s first UNESCO World Heritage city.
Image Credits: Ahmedabad Tourism
With its intricate “jalis” and stunning architecture, the mosque beckons the viewer towards the little-known history of the African diaspora in India. Descended from the Bantu and Habesha people from large swathes of southeast Africa, the Sidis have been integral in shaping its medieval history. Serving as military commanders, state officials, soldiers, laborers and slaves, the Sidis played an important role in the complex politics of medieval India. Today, magnificent structures such as the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque remind the viewers of the spectacular contributions of the community to the architectural legacy of India.
