Sidi Saiyyed Mosque

Famous stone lattice 'tree of life' window

The Sidi Saiyyed Mosque, built in 1573 as one of the last Gujarat Sultanate buildings before the Mughal conquest, is small but world-famous for its ten stone lattice windows. The northern and southern walls carry the most intricate carvings — palm trees, leaves, and curling tendrils cut from single slabs of yellow sandstone. The light filtered through the jalis at sunset is extraordinary.

The mosque was built by Sidi Saiyyed, an Abyssinian eunuch in the service of the last Sultan of Gujarat. Located right in the heart of the modern city traffic at Lal Darwaja, it makes a perfect short stop. Photography of the jali screen is permitted; ask before photographing worshippers.

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A story
The mosque's western window, the **Sidi Saiyyed Jali**, is the unofficial symbol of Ahmedabad — a single block of yellow sandstone carved into an intricate tree-of-life pattern of intertwined palms and tendrils. It is the logo of the **Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad** and was the centrepiece of state banquets for Bill Clinton and Barack Obama on their official visits.