On the next day, I got up early to explore Ahmedabad. I ordered a hot cup of tea to my room for three of us, as Neela and Shreya joined me after dinner last night. Meanwhile, the staff who attended the room service came to deliver our steaming tea with some cookies. We had the nice aromatic tea with the yummy cookies. I always follow my routine of yoga to keep me fit and calm. I didn’t want to disturb that routine, so I spread my yoga mat and practiced my usual ‘Asanas’ for the next half an hour. That filled me with positive energy and also enhanced stamina to go on for the entire day. Taking a break of around 20 minutes, I had my breakfast with my friends in the room. We were now all set to visit our first destination of the day, which was Ahmed Shah mosque.
We hired a cab, and headed towards the famous Mosque. Sultan Ahmed Shah mosque in Ahmedabad is a well-known religious centre for Muslims and is very famous for its beautiful architectural designing. It was built in the year 1414 A.D. by the founder of Ahmedabad city -Sultan Ahmed Shah and is named after him.
We reached the mosque shortly and were spellbound with its appealing architecture. The mosque is one of the oldest mosques of Ahmedabad, but is a masterpiece in itself. We entered the premises and came across the prayer halls of the mosque. The Mehrabs (as the prayer halls are called) of the Mosque are designed using marble stone of black and white color. This gives an intricate appearance to the hall. Interestingly, there are separate praying halls for men and women. “Zenana”, as the prayer hall of women is popularly called, is located in the north east corner. We were moving around and were imagining how the halls would have appeared with the then devotees offering their prayers, so many years ago.
We reached the mosque shortly and were spellbound with its appealing architecture. The mosque is one of the oldest mosques of Ahmedabad, but is a masterpiece in itself. We entered the premises and came across the prayer halls of the mosque. The Mehrabs (as the prayer halls are called) of the Mosque are designed using marble stone of black and white color. This gives an intricate appearance to the hall. Interestingly, there are separate praying halls for men and women. “Zenana”, as the prayer hall of women is popularly called, is located in the north east corner. We were moving around and were imagining how the halls would have appeared with the then devotees offering their prayers, so many years ago.
The mosque, during the reign of Ahmed Shah, was a holy place that could be visited only by people of royal class. Only nobles were allowed to worship here at that time. However, now, this is a most sought-after holy place for tourists.