Jhulta Minara (Sidi Bashir Mosque)

The Jhulta Minara, or Shaking Minarets, are the surviving remains of the Sidi Bashir Mosque in the Sarangpur area of Ahmedabad's Old City, beside the railway station. The mosque is generally attributed to the 16th century, in the late period of the Gujarat Sultanate, and is named for Sidi Bashir, an Abyssinian noble, though sources differ on the identity of the founder and on the exact date; some accounts link it to Sultan Ahmed Shah's household or to the Sidi Bashir who served under Mahmud Begada. What remains is the elaborately carved gateway arch, called the darwaza, and two three-storeyed minarets rising about 21 metres on either side. The rest of the mosque, including its prayer hall, collapsed in an earthquake, and the ruin is often dated to the 1957 collapse noted in the item record. The sandstone minarets are slender, with balconies at each level and fine carved brackets, and they are decorated with floral and geometric relief characteristic of Sultanate work. The fame of the monument lies in the belief that if one minaret is gently shaken from an upper balcony, the other will vibrate in sympathy. The effect is said to come from the flexible structure and the connecting arch, and it was reportedly demonstrated to visitors in the past. Experiments and engineering studies have been discussed, but the reason remains a matter of local and scholarly conjecture rather than settled fact, and shaking is not permitted now because of the risk to the fragile stonework. The Archaeological Survey of India protects the site. The condition is fair but exposed: the minarets stand beside a busy railway line and road, and vibration, pollution and neglect are ongoing concerns. Visitors typically view the arch and minarets from the outside in a short stop. The site is rarely crowded and is a curious footnote to the city's monumental architecture, often visited alongside Sarangpur's other Old City sights.