Sarkhej Roza Complex

Sarkhej Roza is an architectural complex in Makarba, about eight kilometres southwest of Ahmedabad’s old centre. It is dedicated to the Sufi teacher Ahmed Khattu Ganj Baksh, an adviser to Sultan Ahmad Shah I. After the sheikh’s death in 1445, a tomb was commissioned and completed in 1451; a mosque, palace buildings, pavilions and rulers’ tombs grew around it in subsequent years. The complex unfolds around a large artificial tank built under Sultan Mahmud Begada in the middle of the fifteenth century. Covered galleries, open courtyards and long façades with carved stone screens form a connected plan. Islamic geometric patterns meet local stone-carving traditions throughout the site. The ensemble includes the tombs of Ganj Baksh and Mahmud Begada, a mosque and a pavilion in front of the main shrine. To understand how the place is arranged, walk from the tank through the galleries and inner courtyards, noticing how light filters through the carved jali screens. Sarkhej Roza remains a religious and historic space, so visitors should be respectful during prayer and follow local clothing rules. Allow several hours for a visit and check which buildings are open before setting out. The monument represents early Gujarat Sultanate architecture and shows how a religious centre also became an important public space for the city.

Address

Makarba, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

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