Sidi Saiyyed

Narendra Modi

Shinzo Abe

Irina Bokova

UNESCO

Chimanbhai Patel

Delhi Chakla

The famedni Jaali is all set for a global recognition like never before. Prime Minister, who is hosting Japanese Premieron his Ahmedabad visit this week, will personally explain to him the history and significance of the 16th century mosque that is a symbolic icon of Ahmedabad. According to sources, the Prime Minister’s Office had sent a message to the Sunni Waqf Committee, stating that the PM would like to explain to Abe the significance of the mosque. For this, the PMO requested reading material as well as salient points pertaining to the mosque’s architecture from the committee.Municipal Commissioner Mukesh Kumar said, “The PM will be visiting the Sidi Saiyyed mosque for the first time. There have been no high-level officials visiting the site in the recent past except by, the director general of, who was in the city recently to hand over the World Heritage City certificate to the CM.” Rizwan Kadri, chairman of the Sunni Waqf Committee, said, “Prime Minister Modi wishes to explain the ancient history and the importance of the Sidi Saiyed mosque to PM Shinzo Abe himself.” “Modi wants to emphasise on what this monument means to the city and our country.The mosque is testimony to beauty that mixing of cultures can create. And this is the essence of Ahmedabad,” he added. In 2013, a three-member delegation from the Sultanate of Oman comprising minister Mohammed Bin Qasim had visited the mosque, but it was an unofficial one, said sources. After a slew of visits by officials such as the AMC Commissioner, Head of Archaeological Survey of India Sajjansinh Parmar and SPG officials, the pending restoration work at the mosque is on in full swing. After many years now, the chemical cleaning of the monument, architectural lighting and plaque detailing have finally been taken up.Heritage style lamp posts have been put up around the resplendent monument which will form the backdrop of the evening meeting between the two PMs. They are expected to pose for a photo opportunity around 6.45 pm when the sunset filters in through the famous ‘tree of life’ stone latticework. The mosque was built in 1572 by Sidi Saeed, an Abyssinian from Ethiopia, during the reign of Sultan Shamsud- Din Muzaffar Shah III, the last sultan of the Gujarat Sultanate.It was built in the last year of the Gujarat Sultanate as Emperor Akbar annexed Gujarat into the Mughal Empire the very next year – 1573. Political analyst Achyut Yagnik said, “The mosque was built during the end of the Gujarat Sultanate and it is probably the last monument of that year before the Mughals arrived. This is why it even feels like the structure is incomplete because of the dire circumstances. This too adds to its importance for the city.”He added, “The mosque has been the most prominent feature of Ahmedabad since the beginning of the 20thcentury and that is why perhaps the PM wants to show this to Mr Abe.” The founding fathers of the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, too were so impressed by the elegant and intricate design of the ‘tree of life’ lattice window that they adopted it as the institute’s logo. About the mosque’s cultural relevance, P K Ghosh, head of the Heritage Cell of the AMC said, “The intricate jali that is now instantly recognisable is a fusion of Hindu and Muslim cultures. While the Kalpavruksh depicts the Hindu culture, the date palm is symbolic of Muslim heritage. When both of these merge in the ‘tree of life’, it shows, even to this day, the living heritage of this city.”CLOSEDFrom Shahibaug to Airport Circle via Dufnala will be closed.ALTERNATE ROUTE• Those coming from West Zone can use the SG Highway- Tapovan Circle- SP Ring Road-Indira bridge- Airport route.• Those coming from East Zone can use the Delhi Darwaza-Meghaninagar-indira bridge-Airport route.• Those coming from Nana Chiloda can use the route from Noblenagar to Indira Brige and then the Airport.• Those coming from Kalupur Circle can use the route from Naroda Patia to Indira Bridge and then to the Airport.CLOSEDDafnala Riverfront Road, Riverfront Picnic House, Shilalekh Crossroads, Subhash bridge, Gandhi Ashram to Chandrabhaga bridge will be closed.ALTERNATE ROUTETo go from Delhi Darwaja to Sabarmati, the road from DadhichiBridge to Vadaj andoverbridge can be used.CLOSEDThe road fromto Mirzapur road and Vijdigharcrossroad will be closed.ALTERNATE ROUTE• Delhi Chakla to Ghee Kanta road can be used.• Road from Delhi Chakla to Prem Darwaja and Kalupur station road can also be taken.CLOSEDFrom Zilla Panchayat to Roopali Cinema will be closed.ALTERNATE ROUTE• Can use the road from Victoria Garden to Teen Darwaza.• Can use the Riverfront road at Victoria Garden.CLOSEDNehru Bridge to Rupali cinema will be closed.ALTERNATE ROUTECan use the road from Nehru Crossroad to Town hall Crossroad, can cross Ellisbridge and go towards Raikhad.