The shaking minarets
Among Ahmedabad’s most intriguing monuments are the Jhulta Minar — the ‘shaking’ or ‘swinging’ minarets — the most famous pair of which belongs to the Sidi Bashir Mosque near the railway station. Built in the 15th century during the Gujarat Sultanate, these tall, finely carved sandstone minarets have a remarkable and still not fully explained property: when one minaret is shaken, the vibration travels across the connecting structure and sets the other minaret gently swaying a few seconds later.
The engineering has never been fully explained: shaking one minaret sets the other swaying while the connecting passage stays still, an effect investigated repeatedly since colonial times without a settled answer. The surviving Sidi Bashir pair stands beside the railway station; a second pair at Raj Bibi’s mosque was famously damaged when a nineteenth-century visitor took one apart to learn the secret and could not rebuild it.
Find them near the Sarangpur gate on the old city’s eastern edge — an easy auto ride from the central monuments — and fold them into a walled-city morning with the Jama Masjid, the Sidi Saiyyed jali and the pols. The name to ask for locally is Jhulta Minara; everyone knows it.
The minarets’ fame rests on a demonstrated oddity: shake one, and the other sways in sympathy while the passage between them stays still — a coupling the British tested, engineers have modelled, and no one has conclusively explained. The favoured theory points to the flexible sandstone joints and a resonant foundation raft, but the pair keep their secret; a sister pair near the railway station was partly dismantled in the colonial era in a failed attempt to learn it.
Access to the balconies has long been closed, so today’s visit is a ground-level one: the carved shafts beside Sarangpur gate, the surviving mosque fragments, and the story itself. Ten minutes suffices — but few Ahmedabad monuments earn their ten minutes better.
The engineering behind this sympathetic movement — whether deliberate earthquake-damping design or a happy accident of construction — has fascinated visitors and engineers for centuries. Carved with the delicate stonework typical of Ahmedabad’s Indo-Islamic architecture, the Jhulta Minar are a quirky, memorable highlight of the old city’s UNESCO-listed heritage. (Viewed from outside; the minarets are no longer shaken, to protect them.)
The carved Jhulta Minar.
Shake one minaret and the other answers
The Sidi Bashir minarets.
Built in the Gujarat Sultanate era.
The famous pair stands by the mosque.
Shaking one sets the other moving.
The engineering still puzzles experts.
Reasons to make the time
Shaking minarets
The shaking pair is a marvel with no equal elsewhere.
15th-c carving
The sandstone carving is late-Sultanate work at its finest.
Engineering mystery
The coupling mechanism still resists full explanation.
Sidi Bashir
The famous pair survived where their mosque largely fell.
UNESCO old city
They belong to Ahmedabad's World Heritage fabric.
A city curiosity
Quirky, memorable and genuinely mysterious.
What to look for inside
THE PAIRSidi Bashir
The famous minarets.
THE CARVINGStonework
Delicate detail.
15TH-CThe minarets
Tall carved sandstone towers.
SYMPATHETICThe sway
Shaking one sets the other moving.
OLD CITYUNESCO heritage
Part of Ahmedabad's walled city.
MYSTERYThe engineering
A feat that still puzzles experts.
How to spend an hour or two
See the minarets
The famous pair.
Learn the mystery
The sympathetic sway.
Admire the carving
Sandstone detail.
Photograph the pair
Against the sky.
Explore the old city
UNESCO heritage.
Ponder the engineering
How does it work?
Jhulta Minar stonework.
Carved swaying towers
The Jhulta Minar are tall, carved sandstone minarets of the 15th-century Gujarat Sultanate, the famous pair attached to the Sidi Bashir Mosque. Their fame rests on a curious property — shaking one minaret transmits a gentle sway to the other — a feat of construction whose mechanism still intrigues engineers, set within the delicate Indo-Islamic stone-carving of old Ahmedabad. (Viewed from outside.)
More places to visit across the district are gathered in our Ahmedabad travel guide.
15th-century minarets
Carved sandstone
Sympathetic swaying
At Sidi Bashir Mosque
When to go
Cool and pleasant — the ideal season.
Green and atmospheric after rain.
Hot and dry — start early.
⏰ See the minarets on an old-city walk; they're no longer shaken — enjoy the carving and the curious story.
Timings & entry
- Viewed from outside
- On an old-city walk
- Mornings are pleasant
- A short visit
- No entry fee
- Minarets are not shaken now
- Respect the mosque
- Combine with old-city sights
Getting there
By Air
Ahmedabad airport.
By Rail
By Ahmedabad railway station.
By Road
In the old city.
At Jhulta Minar
STONE & MYSTERY
Ahmedabad's swaying minarets
What to shoot
The minaret pair.
Detail
Carved sandstone.
Best light
Morning light.
Composition
Against the sky.
Know before you go
More to see close by
HERITAGEKavi Dalpatram Chowk
A perfectly preserved pol square
STEPWELLAdalaj Stepwell
A breathtaking five-storey 1499 vav
ICONICSidi Saiyyed Mosque
The famous ‘tree of life’ stone lattice
SPIRITUALHutheesing Temple
Exquisite 1848 white-marble Jain temple
Sidi Saiyyed Jali
◐ Morning · backlit
Rani no Hajiro
The royal ladies’ tombs of the sultans — ornate marble cenotaphs hidden inside a bustling old-city…
Where to eat near Jhulta Minar
THALIGujarati Thali
Sweet-savoury full meals.
FARSANDhokla & fafda
Steamed and fried snacks.
STREETManek Chowk
Night street-food bazaar.
Foodie city
Famous for thali, farsan & street food.
Jhulta Minar FAQ
What is the Jhulta Minar?
Ahmedabad's 'shaking minarets' — 15th-century minarets where shaking one sways the other.
Where are they?
The famous pair is at the Sidi Bashir Mosque, near the railway station.
How does the sway work?
The vibration transmits between the minarets — the exact mechanism still puzzles experts.
Can I shake them?
No — they're no longer shaken, to protect the monument.
Is there an entry fee?
No, it's free to view.
When were they built?
In the 15th century, in the Gujarat Sultanate era.
Is it part of the UNESCO city?
Yes — Ahmedabad's old city is a World Heritage Site.
When should I visit?
October to March, in the morning.
Related places across Gujarat
SPIRITUALHutheesing Temple
Exquisite 1848 white-marble Jain temple
STEPWELLNavlakhi Vav
A grand stepwell within the palace grounds
Road to Heaven
Hilltop shrine famed for feeding jackals
4Kapadvanj Torans
Ancient ornamental gateways of a faded town
Pavagadh Summit
The Pavagadh summit is topped by a much-revered temple that draws a steady stream of pilgrims,…
LAKERanmal Lake
A scenic lake below Idar’s rocks
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Published 24 June 2026 · Updated 24 August 2026