Badshah No Haziro

Brief History

Ahmed Shah, the Emperor of Ahmedabad took up the task of commissioning his mausoleum before his death, outside the Jama Masjid’s east gate, but the structure was finally built in 1451 by Muhammed Shah. His cenotaph is the central one under the main dome but the mausoleum also houses the tombs of his son Muhammed Shah II and grandson Ahmed Shah II. The four corners of the central hall are occupied by smaller domed chambers with stone screens set in arches, making it a stunning structure. At 11pm, a drumming session (naubat) at the mausoleum’s eastern gateway used to signal the closing of the city gates and still happens nightly. Through an arch a little further east is Ahmed Shah’s queen’s tomb known as Rani-na-Hazira. It stands on a raised platform engulfed by market stalls, and the jali (carved lattice) screens are an artistic feature to note.

Though commissioned by Ahmad Shah, it was his son who took the onus of constructing this mausoleum in the year 1451, with the infusion of jali work, tombs and arches.