A masterpiece of stone filigree: One of the most iconic architectural structures in Ahmedabad is the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque. Founded in 1572 by Sidi Saiyyed, an Abyssinian in the service of a Sultan of Ahmedabad, the mosque is known for its remarkable jalis (stone lattices) and marvelous carving.
The most striking, in my opinion, is the “Tree of Life,” where intertwined branches, leaves, and tendrils create a lattice with the greatest finesse possible. They say that every leaf and line has meaning—unity, continuity, having a binding force in creation. With sunlight passing through the jali, the shadows cast by it on the floor look like a ‘calligraphy of light’. It is so beloved throughout its city that the symbol of a Tree of Life was replicated by several organizations in Ahmedabad and is used as an unofficial emblem for the city.
