Sarkhej Roza
Sarkhej, India
Sarkhej Roza is a royal complex of mosques, tombs, and palaces located in Sarkhej, a suburb of Ahmedabad approximately six miles southwest of the old city. Construction on the complex occurred during the reigns of Muhammad Shah II (1442-1451/846-855 AH) and Mahmud Shah I (r. 1458-1511/862-917 AH). 

The complex consists of a large man-made water tank with several tombs and a congregational mosque clustered on its northeastern corner, and two palaces on the south and western sides. 

The tomb and mosque complex on the northeastern side of the tank is the oldest part of the assemblage. Its central feature is the Tomb of Shaykh Ahmad Khattu, known as Ganj Bakhsh, which was constructed during the reign of Muhammad Shah II. The tomb is a domed cubical chamber surrounded on four sides by hypostyle halls four bays deep. The hypostyle halls open onto a paved terrace surrounding the structure. On the south terrace, a hypostyle pavilion serves to communicate between the terrace immediately around the tomb and a lower paved area, accessed by broad stairs on three sides of the pavilion. South of this pavilion is a second covered hypostyle area containing two other, later tombs: those of Bibi Rajbai and Mahmud Shah.

To the west of Ganj Bakhsh's Tomb is the congregational mosque of Muhammad Shah II. It comprises a large rectangular enclosure surrounded on its north, west, and east sides by a large retaining wall. Its southern side is a facade that faces the large man-made tank to the south. Access to the enclosure is provided by gates on the north side and a porch on the east side that opens close to the southwestern corner of Ganj Bakhsh's tomb. These gates lead onto a covered portico, which gives onto a large central courtyard. The western side of the courtyard is the facade of the prayer hall, which is a large hypostyle space with nine small domes supported by rows of columns. On the south side of the courtyard, a pavilion opens onto the tank.

The mosque's pavilion affords views across the tank to its southern and western shores, where Mahmud Shah constructed two palaces. The palace on the western shore is also known as the Queens' Palace or Harem, and has multiple stories of colonnades.

Sources:

Michell, George, and Snehal Shah, eds. Ahmadabad, 46-55. Mumbai: Marg Publications, 1988.


Location
Sarkhej, India
Images & Videos
Associated Names
Events
Variant Names
સરખેજ રોઝા
Original
Sarkhej Rawza
Alternate transliteration
Building Usages
funerary
religious