Languages

Jama of Delhi Mosque


History


It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan between 1650 and 1656, and inaugurated by its first Imam, Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari. Situated in the Mughal capital of Shahjahanabad (today Old Delhi), it served as the imperial mosque of the Mughal emperors until the demise of the empire in 1857. The Jama Masjid was regarded as a symbolic node of Islamic power across India, well into the colonial era. It was also a site of political significance during several key periods of British rule. It remains in active use, and is one of Delhi's most iconic sites, closely identified with the ethos of Old Delhi.

Urban and Architectural


The mosque predominantly uses red sandstone, and is set apart from its predecessors by a more extensive usage of white marble. Black marble also features as a decorative element. Arabic and Persian calligraphic pieces are found on various surfaces of the structure, whose content ranges from religious to panegyric.

Having been built on a hill, the mosque is situated on a plinth elevated 10 metres above the surrounding city. The complex is oriented to the west, towards Mecca.An imperial college, imperial dispensary, and madrasa used to lie adjacent to the structure, but were destroyed in the uprisings of 1857

The mosque's domes are flanked by two sandstone minarets, at the northeast and southeast corners.hey are 40 metres high and longitudinally striped with white marble. Each minaret consists of 130 steps, along which viewing galleries occur at three places. Both minarets are topped with a marble chhatri.

Description


Jama Masjid of Delhi, is one of the largest mosques in India. The mosque has two names. The older one, bestowed by Shah Jahan, is 'Masjid-i-Jehān-Numā', roughly translating to "mosque commanding the view of the world" in Persian and Urdu. The other more common one is 'Jāmā Masjid', which emerged among the common populace.  Its literal translation in Arabic is "congregational mosque". It is used in the sense of 'Friday mosque' (Juma Masjid), since this is when the congregational prayer is held. The term 'Jama Masjid' is not unique to Delhi's mosque; since the 7th century, it has been used in the Islamic world to denote the community mosque, and hence many around the world bear this name and its variants.

References


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jama_Masjid,_Delhi

http://islamicarchitectureinindia.weebly.com/jami-masjid-at-fatehpur-sikri.html


Details

Location

Jama Masjid Rd, Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi, Delhi 110006, India

Worshippers

25,000

Owners

Government of India, Delhi Waqf Board

Architect Name

Ustad Khalil

Year of Build

between 1650 and 1656

Area

Length 40 metres (130 ft) Width 27 metres (89 ft)

Drawings

Map

History

It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan between 1650 and 1656, and inaugurated by its first Imam, Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari. Situated in the Mughal capital of Shahjahanabad (today Old Delhi), it served as the imperial mosque of the Mughal emperors until the demise of the empire in 1857. The Jama Masjid was regarded as a symbolic node of Islamic power across India, well into the colonial era. It was also a site of political significance during several key periods of British rule. It remains in active use, and is one of Delhi's most iconic sites, closely identified with the ethos of Old Delhi.

Urban and Architectural

The mosque predominantly uses red sandstone, and is set apart from its predecessors by a more extensive usage of white marble. Black marble also features as a decorative element. Arabic and Persian calligraphic pieces are found on various surfaces of the structure, whose content ranges from religious to panegyric.

Having been built on a hill, the mosque is situated on a plinth elevated 10 metres above the surrounding city. The complex is oriented to the west, towards Mecca.An imperial college, imperial dispensary, and madrasa used to lie adjacent to the structure, but were destroyed in the uprisings of 1857

The mosque's domes are flanked by two sandstone minarets, at the northeast and southeast corners.hey are 40 metres high and longitudinally striped with white marble. Each minaret consists of 130 steps, along which viewing galleries occur at three places. Both minarets are topped with a marble chhatri.

Description

Jama Masjid of Delhi, is one of the largest mosques in India. The mosque has two names. The older one, bestowed by Shah Jahan, is 'Masjid-i-Jehān-Numā', roughly translating to "mosque commanding the view of the world" in Persian and Urdu. The other more common one is 'Jāmā Masjid', which emerged among the common populace.  Its literal translation in Arabic is "congregational mosque". It is used in the sense of 'Friday mosque' (Juma Masjid), since this is when the congregational prayer is held. The term 'Jama Masjid' is not unique to Delhi's mosque; since the 7th century, it has been used in the Islamic world to denote the community mosque, and hence many around the world bear this name and its variants.