shah e Alam

shah e Alam was a prominent Muslim saint residing in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India during the Mughal era.

The Dargah

The following is the description on the existing dargah^[1]

The main part of this Dargah surrounded by large enclosure walls, consists of two mausoleums and a majestic mosque. The entrance to the site is a trophy construction with an arch-shaped gate and a line of arch-shaped windows on the second tire. In this large site with a pond, there are various buildings in different sizes surrounding the mausoleum. There is a group of tomb stones, suggesting the religious authority of this saint and the strong influence he had on people. From the historical Persian inscription hung at the entrance to the tomb, it can be assumed that the saint died in 880AH (1475). This inscription also mentions that his tomb was constructed in 888AH (1483), and the name of a noble who constructed the tomb is written. As Dr. Rajan stated, there remain various buildings built between 1475 and 1575 in the Dargah of Shah Alam. Among all, two mausoleums and Jama'at Khana, which will be introduced below, are the main buildings.

The tomb of the Sayyid Shah Alam is situated roughly in the center of the east end of this dargah. It is a majestic building on a square plan with a 12-pillared mausoleum with a high dome in the centre of the roof, surrounded by double corridors with 24 small domes on top. It has arch-shaped entrance on all sides. The main entrance on the west having a small dome projects out from the wall. On each wall of the mausoleum, there is an entrance in the center. On either side of the entrance, there are three arch-shaped windows, over which an arch-shaped part covered by Jali Screen is formed. It helps giving dignity to this mausoleum. When I visited the site, all domes on the roof was painted in white, suggesting that this dargah is still venerated.

　To the west-southwest facing the tomb of Shah Alam, there remains the tomb of Saiyid Makhdum 'Alam. The size, form and structure of the tomb is roughly same as the above tomb. Saiyid Makhdum 'Alam is said to have been the 6th grand son of Shah Alam. This mausoleum also has the entrance projecting out to the east. 24 small domes on the roof are very prominent in this building. Unlike the tomb of Shah Alam, the domes were not painted in white, which conversely gave me strong impression. Inside of this mausoleum is filled with tomb stones. What struck me most was the Jali screen employed on the walls of this square building. Every pattern was different. I was surprised by the variety of the patterns.

　To the north of this mausoleum, there is a mosque built in the west-northwest of the tomb of Shah Alam. It was constructed later in history. Having an open space with a pond in front of the main building, the noble structure of this construction is quite distinctive. Inside of the prayer room, having a transition with unique sculptures and patterns and mihrab forming simple circular arches, creates unique atmosphere. According to Dr. Rajan, this mosque was constructed by a person called Najabat Khan in the early 17th century and the construction was completed by a person called Saif Khan in 1620. The sculptured patterns on the surface of high and slender minarets on either side of the mosque seemed to me prominently unique. (Matsuo Ara)