[www.keralites.net] Old Photos - Ahmedabad A.D 1880

Kootub Shah's Mosque, Ahmedabad - 1880 Source: British Library Photographer: Charles Lickfold Photograph of the mosque of Qutub Shah at Ahmadabad in Gujarat, taken by Charles Lickfold in the 1880s, part of the Bellew Collection of Architectural Views. The architecture of Ahmadabad reveals a fine synthesis of Hindu and Muslim elements. Qutub Shah (ruled 1451-1459) was the fifth ruler of the Ahmad Shah Dynasty. Despite its name, this mosque was founded in the reign of his father Muhammad Shah. Huttising's Jain Temple, Camp Road, Ahmedabad - 1880 Photographer: Charles Lickfold Photograph of the Jaina temple of Seth Hathisingh at Ahmadabad in Gujarat, taken by Charles Lickfold in the 1880s, part of the Bellew Collection of Architectural Views. The city contains a mix of Islamic, Jaina and Hindu architecture as well as Indo-Islamic blending of elements. This Jaina temple was built in 1848 in a revivalist style of medieaval Gujarati architecture.

Dhera Khan's Tomb Ahmedabad - 1880 Photographer: Charles Lickfold This signed photograph was taken by Charles Lickfold in 1880s. The image shows the tomb of Darya Khan, which now lies in the northern suburbs of modern-day Ahmadabad. It was built in 1453 whilst the city was the capital of the thriving sultanate of Gujarat. The majority of tombs of the period in Gujarat are built using local post and lintel or trabeate methods of construction in yellow sandstone. This tomb differs in two ways: first, it is built using baked brick; and secondly, its architects chose to use true arches and domes according to arcuate methods to create a cavernous interior in which the cenotaph is housed with a surrounded arcaded verandah with five entrances on each of the four sides. The use of the arch and dome was imported to South Asia from Islamic lands to the west. It is likely that Darya Khan was himself an immigrant from Persia, where such methods of construction were more familiar, who required that his own tomb be built in a style in keeping with those of his homeland. He is also attributed with the construction of a mosque using similar arcuate methods.

Moohafiz Khan's Mosque Ahmedabad - 1880 Source: British Library Photographer: Charles Lickfold This signed print shows the mosque of Muhafiz Khan in the old city of Ahmadabad in Gujarat. Ahmadabad was founded as the capital of the Gujarati sultanate in 1411 by sultan Ahmad Shah I. This mosque is located in the northern sector of the city. It was built by Jamail-u'd-din, minister to the sultan Mahmud Shah Begarha and governor of the city from 1471. The mosque was constructed before this appointment in 1465. The view shows the two minars of the mosque, elaborately carved in typical regional style, and the adjoined prayer sanctuary from the south-east. The mosque has three arched openings in the sanctuary facade. The interior is divided into five bays and three aisles by carved pillars. There are five prayer niches indicating the direction of Mecca which create corresponding projections in the external back wall.

Group of Fakeers - Jumalpore Ahmedabad - 1880 Source: British Library Photographer: Charles Lickfold Photograph of a scene at Ahmadabad in Gujarat, taken by Charles Lickfold in the 1880s, part of the Bellew Collection of Architectural Views. Ahmadabad spreads along the river Sabarmati and is Gujarat's capital city. It was built on the site of Ashawal village, which had a history of settlement for thousands of years. The Sultan of Gujarat, Ahmad Shah I (ruled 1411-42), built a capital at Ashaval, naming it Ahmadabad. The city flourished and was a centre of art and literature. It was annexed in 1572 by the Mughal emperor Akbar (ruled 1556-1605), and prospered as a major textile centre. With the decline of Mughal power it was taken by the Marathas in 1758, and finally went to the British in 1817. Textile mills established in 1861 led to it being referred to as the Manchester of the East and Ahmadabad remains an industrial powerhouse of modern India. This image shows a group of fakirs or wandering ascetics or mendicants.

Jumma Mosque Ahmedabad - 1880 Photographer: Charles Lickfold Photograph of the Jami Masjid at Ahmadabad in Gujarat, taken by Charles Lickfold in the 1880s, part of the Bellew Collection of Architectural Views. Ahmadabad spreads along the river Sabarmati and is Gujarat's capital city. It was built on the site of Ashawal village, which had a history of settlement for thousands of years. The Sultan of Gujarat, Ahmad Shah I (ruled 1411-42), built a capital at Ashaval, naming it Ahmadabad. The city flourished and was a centre of art and literature. It was annexed in 1572 by the Mughal emperor Akbar (ruled 1556-1605), and prospered as a major textile centre. With the decline of Mughal power it was taken by the Marathas in 1758, and finally went to the British in 1817. Textile mills established in 1861 led to it being referred to as the Manchester of the East and Ahmadabad remains an industrial powerhouse of modern India. The architecture of Ahmadabad reveals a fine synthesis of Hindu and Muslim elements. The Jami Masjid, completed in 1424, has massive piers flanking its central entrance which were once tall minarets; the upper parts collapsed in an earthquake in 1819. The mosque has an immense pillared prayer hall set in a large courtyard. The building features domes and pierced stone screens or jalis carved with geometric and floral patterns. Rgds Smitha

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