The Jama Masjid of Delhi is the largest mosque in India, located in Old Delhi. Built between 1644-1658 on the orders of Emperor Shah Jahan, it has the capacity to hold over 20,000 worshippers. The red sandstone mosque has three gateways, four towers, and two minarets. It is considered one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture, with its intricate carvings and verses from the Quran.

1. JAMA
MASJID Of DELHI

2. Jama Masjid of Delhi is the largest mosque in India. The Jama Masjid stands across the road in
front of the Red Fort. Built between 1644 and 1658, Jama Masjid is one of the last architectural
works of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The spacious courtyard of the Jama Masjid holds
thousands of faithful. Jama Masjid is located on a mound in the heart of the old city and
projects beautifully into the Old-Delhi skyline. Jama Masjid Mosque was built in red sandstone
and marble by more than 5000 artisans. Originally called the Masjid-i-Jahan-Numa, or "mosque
commanding view of the world", the Jama Masjid stands at the center of the erstwhile capital
city of the Mughals, Shahjahanbad.
The Jama Masjid was completed under the supervision of Saadullah Khan, the Prime Minister
of Shah Jahan. A sum of Rs 10 lakhs was spent on the construction of the Jama Masjid. The
Jama Masjid is built on a red sandstone porch, about 30 feet (10 m) from the level of the
ground and is about 1400 square yards (1200 m²) in extent. The Jama Masjid has three
gateways, four towers and two minarets. The gateways in the north and south are led by a fleet
of steps. The main entrance is on the eastern side facing the red fort. It was probably used by
the emperors. The tower of the Jama Masjid is made up of five distinctive storeys. Each one of
the storeys has a projecting balcony. The adjoining edifices are beautifully done with
calligraphy.
The first three storeys of the Jama Masjid tower are made of red sandstone and the fourth one
is made of marble, while the fifth is made of sandstone. The Jama Masjid is covered with
intricate carvings and has verses inscribed from the holy Koran. The grand Red fort (Lal Qila)
stands on the eastern side of the Jama Masjid. The main prayer hall of the Jama Masjid is
made up of high cusped arches and marble domes. The cabinet in the north gate of the Jama
Masjid contains a collection of Muhammad's relics - the Koran written on deerskin, a red beard-
hair of the prophet, his sandals and his footprints, implanted in a marble block.

3. The aesthetic architectural pattern of the Jama Masjid will
surely amaze you. This Islamic architectural wonder has the
capacity to accommodate around 85,000 visitors. When you
arrive at the holy shrine, you will see that there is a sprawling
rectangular shaped square and the area of the square is 75
meters by 66 meters. There are three big domes and two
minarets in the shrine. The western portion of the shrine
constitutes a huge hall which features 260 columns. You can
get to the main courtyard of the mosque from three directions;
north, east and south. The gateway to the east takes you to one
more tourist attraction which is the burial chamber of Sultan
Ahmed Shah.
You can get to the main square of the mosque from three
directions as mentioned above by three flights of stairs which
were constructed with red sandstone. There are 389 staircases
in the northern entrance of the shrine. The eastern entrance of
the shrine was used by the village people and there are 774
staircases. Historically, these staircases were used for food
stalls, stores, and road performances. The eastern portion of
the shrine was switched to a marketplace for selling birds and
poultry in the morning. When you visit the mosque, you will see
that the shrine is south facing. The length of the mosque is
approximately 8058 meters or 22561 feet and its breadth is 549
meters or 258258 feet. There are eight domes at the top of the
shrine with recurring streaks of white marble and purple. The
open areas of the shrine are enclosed with walls and every one
of them features a tall entrance in the middle.
Dome
Courtyard
Main Prayer Area

4. There are two towering minarets in the shrine that are approximately 41
meters tall and have 130 stairs, lengthwise streaked with red sandstone
and white marble. These two minarets are placed on both sides of the
domes.
There is a hall beneath the attics of the shrine which feature seven
vaulted gateways that face the west. All the boundaries of the shrine are
waist-high and coated with marble. If you walk to the far side of this, you
will come across a hall for offering prayers, and the area of the hall is
approximately 61 meters by 27.5 meters. There are 11 vaulted gateways
to this prayer hall. White and black marble has been used to coat the
floor of the shrine.
The must see attractive features of the mosque include the principal
gateway, the iron door of the principal gateway, the central dome, the
minarets and their designs, pointed arches, the interiors, and design of
the gateways. The view of the principal gateway from within the shrine,
adornments of the interior areas, the arcs, the design of the arcs inside,
the principal arch, the prayer hall within the shrine, views of the Red Fort
from the mosque and views from the southern gateway are also
interesting features.
People making Wuzu
in central Hauz
Inscriptions of Holy Quran
Iron Gate
Entrance

5. The first Imam of Jama Masjid was Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari,
from Bukhara (Uzbekistan). Bukhara was the centre of great
learning and arts of that time. Experts from all fields got
concentrated there, so naturally that’s where Shah Jahan
searched for an imam. He sent a letter to the king of Bukhara, who
highly suggested Syed Abdul Ghafoor. The imam led his first
congregational prayers in 1656, an Eid prayer attended by
Emperor Shahjahan with all his ministers, retinue, courtiers, and
the inhabitants of Delhi.
Thereafter the Emperor bestowed Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari
with the robe and the accolades, then announced his appointment
to the high office of Imamat-e-Uzma, and conferred upon him
the title of Shahi Imam.
Shahi Imams of Jama Masjid include
Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari,Syed Abdul Shakoor Shah
Bukhari ,Syed Abdul Raheem Shah Bukhari,Syed Abdul Ghafoor
Shah Bukhari Thani,Syed Abdul Rehman Shah Bukhari,Syed
Abdul Kareem Shah Bukhari ,Syed Mir Jeewan Shah
Bukhari,Syed Mir Ahmed Ali Shah Bukhari (till 16 October
1892),Syed Mohammed Shah Bukhari (from 16 October
1892),Syed Ahmed Bukhari (till 20 February 1942),
Syed Hameed Bukhari (20 February 1942 - 8 July 1973),
Syed Abdullah Bukhari (8 July 1973 - 14 October 2000),
Syed Ahmed Bukhari (14 October 2000 till date)
Syed Ahmed Bukhari
Syed Abdullah Bukhari

6. The mosque is at its best during Muslim
festivals of Id-ul-Fitr and Id-ul-Zoha when
thousands of devotees at a time offer their
prayers in the courtyard. There is a festival
and carnival like atmosphere in the area and
Islam looks at its most impressive in this great
urban mosque, on a special occasion like
Id.Also Celebrated many Muslim festivals are
celebrated by the mosque. The 350-year-old
heritage site becomes the capital's
centrepiece during this time of the year.
Nearby places like chandni chawk get filled
with huge crowd shopping and enjoying the
atmosphere with jalebis,kababs,sewainyas,etc
Eid-Turkman Gate to
Jama Masjid
Eid Prayers

7. The mosque is at its best during Muslim
festivals of Id-ul-Fitr and Id-ul-Zoha when
thousands of devotees at a time offer their
prayers in the courtyard. There is a festival
and carnival like atmosphere in the area and
Islam looks at its most impressive in this great
urban mosque, on a special occasion like
Id.Also Celebrated many Muslim festivals are
celebrated by the mosque. The 350-year-old
heritage site becomes the capital's
centrepiece during this time of the year.
Nearby places like chandni chawk get filled
with huge crowd shopping and enjoying the
atmosphere with jalebis,kababs,sewainyas,etc
Eid-Turkman Gate to
Jama Masjid
Eid Prayers