Haji Ali Mosque

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Honoring the Muslim saint Haji Ali this mosque was built in the center of the sea with only a slim path leading to it giving it an ethereal look. As per the Muslim traditions separate praying rooms for ladies and gents are provided here to pay their respects. It is set 500 yards into the sea and can be reached only in low tide. The Haji Ali mausoleum has an offshore position, opposite the Mahalakshmi racecourse.

During high tide, the connecting causeway is submerged in water giving the impression that the mosque and tomb are floating out at sea in splendid isolation. This is The Haji Ali Dargah, the floating tomb of a wealthy Mohammedan merchant who renounced his worldly ways before embarking on a pilgrimage to Mecca.

The Structure
The structure is a slim solitary minaret. It is linked to the mainland by a tenuouscauseway, which is practally

nonnegotiable during rough monsoon, tides. Behind the sculpted entrance, a marble courtyard contains the central shrine. Hundreds of worshippers stoop to press their forehead against the richly brocaded red and green chaddar covering the tomb, lying in an exquisite silver frame supported by marble pillars and is decorated with artful mirror work: blue, green, yellow chips of glass arranged in kaleidoscopic patterns interspersed with Arabic patterns which spell the ninety-nine names of Allah. Women sit behind carved partitions, their heads bent over the Koran. Every year, the tomb is washed with rose water, which is then distributed among the ailing for its healing properties and the faithful continue to tie red threads on wooden lattices to honor the soul of Haji Ali. It is a handsome example of Indian Islamic architecture, associated with legends about doomed lovers; the dargah contains the tomb of Haji Ali.

Special Attraction
The mosque can be reached only during low tide. The whitewashed mosque also has a cool courtyard generally full of people and refreshment stalls. The rocks exposed during low tide at the rare end of the mosque are a favourable spot to catch some cool sea breeze. There's nothing somber about the building's cool courtyard, which is generally full of chattering families and refreshment stalls.

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