Shaikh ki Didwana Masjid located in Rajasthan is one of the oldest Islamic monuments of Didwana built during the Muslim period. The mosque is situated in Silawatiyon ka Mahalla and had been built during the reign of Firuz Shah Tughluq in 779/1377-8.
Architecture of Shaikh ki Didwana Masjid
Shaikh ki Didwana Masjid is an ancient building constructed by a backer (khabbaz). An inscription has been engraved in the mosque that states about the date of the construction of the building. The mosque has a colonnaded prayer hall located on the western side of a courtyard. On the southern side it has an underground reservoir. The prayer hall measures 8.35 x 5.35 metres and has five wide bays and three deep aisles. These have been constructed using old materials from ancient monuments. The central bay is 1.90 metres wide and is more spacious that others which are almost 1.25 m. The central aisle measures 1.73 metres and the other aisles measure 1.35 metres. The mosque is adorned with two outer rows of columns that have been well decorated with shafts. The mirab has a row in its front that has been decorated with several types of columns. It has slimmer shafts carved in three parts. The centre portion is octagonal while it is square at the end. Flat slabs have been used for the construction of the roof. The aisle has been embellished with rosettes of different shapes and sizes. The lintels beautifully carved are also worth noticing. The walls have been constructed of stone blocks. The surface level has been divided into two parts by a string course in the inner side. The string course is an essential characteristic of the Sultanate mosques of Nabi Qadi Hamid al-din and Makhdum Husain Naguari in Nagaur. The single mihrab in the Shaikh ki masjid is semi octagonal in shape, a form famous in Iran and Central Asia but an exceptional feature of the Mughal mosques. This feature can be seen in the Jami of Bidar. The arch of the mihrab has been carved from a single stone and is semi circular in appearance. The slab built in front of the mirab has been decorated with rosettes with borders. Most of the eave stones used on the eastern side of the building have been replaced and few of them are original.
Shaikh ki Didwana Masjid is thus, a structure of great historical significance that epitomises the architectural designs of the Muslim period.
