Sarkhej Roza

The Sarkhej Roza is a Sufi mosque and tomb complex located in the village of Makarba, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) south-west of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, India.

Entering the covered eastern gateway on the north bank of the Sarkhej lake, the building to the right with a handsome stone pavilion in front of it, is the mausoleum of Shaikh Ahmed Khattu Ganj Bakhsh.

This, the largest of its kind in Gujarat, has along its whole length its sides filled with stone trellis work, and inside, round the tomb, has a beautifully cut open metal screen.

The Sarkhej lake covers 6.9 hectares (17 acres); is oblong in shape, is surrounded by flights of stone steps, and has a richly decorated supply sluice.

A little to the south of the lake is a small whitewashed tomb, the burial place of Baba Ali Sher, a saint held in higher respect even than Ganj Bakhsh.

Close by are the remains of Fatehwadi or Victory Garden, laid out in 1584 by Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana (1583-1590) to mark his defeat of Muzaffar Shah III, the last of the Gujarat Sultanate.

[7] The mosque, with its courtyard, creates a religious milieu; the royal connection is made through the tombs and palaces; the great tank, platforms and pavilions were used by the common man.

Plan of Sarkhej Roza
"The gallery that opens into the Tombs of the Queens" (15th century)
Tank outlet, 1855