Jama Masjid or Masjid-i-Jahan Numa as in Urdu is one of the largest and oldest mosques in India. This mosque was specially built in 1656 AD on the order of Shah Jahan, the Mughal Emperor who has the famous
Taj Mahal to his fame.
A grand and remarkable example of the Mughal architecture, the Jama Masjid has a huge spacious courtyard which can house about twenty five thousand individuals at a time. The mosque outlooks the
Red Fort at the east and is situated at the beginning of the busy streets of Chandni Chowk or Old Delhi.
The Masjid-i-Jahan Numa refers to the mosque that commands a view of the entire world. It took a period of six years and about 5000 odd workers to complete this magnificent structure, which includes three gateways, two minarets, and four towers. A wonderful piece of architecture, this mosque is built on a 10-m platform from the ground level and extends along 1200 sq m in area. Open arched arcades cover the west-facing mosque on three sides. Three domes alternately striped in white and black marble form the roof of the 80-m long and 27-m wide mosque. The domes are lined on either side by two huge 41-m tall minarets containing 130 steps. Red sandstone and white marble stripes are present on these minarets. Four similar minarets also adorn the backside of the mosque.
