Jama Masjid Delhi is Indian heritage.

Story: Jama Masjid all you need to know; Updated:22-06-2025;

A Jewel in the rich Islamic history and culture of India, Jama Masjid in Delhi is also a part of rich Indian heritage site.

Located in Old Delhi, near the Red Fort Jama Masjid is one of the largest and most famous mosques in India, attracting millions of visitors from around the world every year.

Commissioned in 1650ah, on 6th of October, as of 2024, the mosque is 368 years old. The fifth Mughal emperor to rule over India, Shahbuddin Mohammed Shah Jahan build the Jama Masjid (Jahan-Numa mosque) it was 10 Shawwal ul mukkrrarm 1060 Hijri according to Islamic lunar calendar.

The original name of Jama Masjid of Delhi is Masjid Jahan-Numa or Masjid-i-Jahan-Numa. The documentation related to it can be seen in the book “Waqiat-e-Darul Hukumat Delhi.”

The foundation stone of Jama Masjid was laid on solid rocky hill surface. The rocky terrain provided a stable foundation for the massive structure. The site was chosen for its elevated position, strong base, among other reasons.

The emperor Shah Jahan is said to have laid the foundation stone himself.

According to the book, Shah Jahan put a condition before the foundation stone could be laid for the Jama Masjid Delhi.

The condition he put forward was that, the foundation stone should be only be laid by a person who has never missed Tahajjud Salah and who has never missed takbir-e ula.

But no one could complete the conditions, after waiting for a while, Shah Jahan said الحمدللہ I possess both of these conditions, but regretfully my secret has been out today, he then himself laid the foundation of the Jahan-Numa mosque.

Construction of the mosque:

The construction took six years to complete. It was completed in 1656 ah. and 1066 Hijri according to Hijri calendar.

The simplicity of the construction of the mosque only enhances its appeal.

The estimate cost of the construction of the Jama Masjid is said to be around 1 million rupees (10,00,000 rupees) in the 17th century could be equivalent to anywhere between ₹50 billion to ₹100 billion (₹5,000 crores to ₹10,000 crores) or more in today's money.

Shah Jahan received other construction related materials from Nawabs, and other noblemen, and other influential people, during the construction of Jama Masjid.

Architecture:

The mosque was designed by architect Ustad Khalil, and constructed by approximately 5000 workers.

The workforce was diverse, consisting of Indians, Arabs, Persians, Turks, and Europeans.

The construction was supervised primarily by Sadullah Khan, the wazir (or prime minister) during Shah Jahan's reign, and Fazil Khan, the comptroller of Shah Jahan's household. According to an article bytheislamicheritage.

The mosque's construction involved the use of high-quality materials like red sandstone (Lal Patthar) and white marble (Sang Marmar).

There are three large beautiful doors in the mosque, one facing Mashriq (مشرق) means East, another facing, Shimal (شمال) which means North and another in Janoob (جنوب) which means South.

• Each door has a large staircase leading to the doors, the stairs are made of the red stone.

• The Northern (Shimal) side staircase has approx 39 stairs. The Southern (Junoob) side staircase has approx 33 stairs.

The Eastern (Mashriq) door has approx 35 stairs this door's entrance was only for Shah Jahan's use and only emperor used to visit the mosque from this door. Now anyone can visit the mosque from any door, entrance.

Domes:

The Jama Masjid has three large and beautiful domes, which are the centre of attraction.

The domes are adorned with two different types of stones, namely Sang-e Musa and Sang-e Surkh (Red Stone), the top of the dome is finished with ornamental finial.

• The height of the dome is 90 feet (27 meters), and width (arj) or diameter, of the dome is 30ft (9 meters).

Minarets:

Each minaret is 130ft (39.62 m) high. The minaret has round stairs (Chakkar-Dar Jeena), which goes to the very top of the minaret. One can take the staircase inside the minaret to reach the top of the minaret and have a good glance at the entire Delhi from atop.

Inside the minarets, one can see ventilation providing small windows just above the stairs, that ensure no suffocation to the visitor.

• This is another marvellous engineering milestone of its time.

At the top of the minaret there are 'Bara-Dari' which is a large space with beautiful designed protective windows. Standing here, one can see the entire mosque itself, as well as the Delhi city.

• One can also spot the Lal Qila (Red Fort) from top.

Inside the Mosque:

The main mosque (inner part) is around 5ft high from the courtyard of the mosque, to enter the inner part of the mosque one need to take stairs.

There are staircase from three directions just like main entrence, going to the main inner part of the mosque.

Entrence of which are located in Sharq (East), shimal (North) and Junub (South.)

The floor inside the mosque is made out of Sang-e Marmar stone, with each stone adorned with Sang-e Musa, replicating the border that typically found on a prayer mat.

This makes each stone look like a prayer mat itself, this makes the floor very beautiful looking. This design is a thoughtful piece of art, and resembles the Islamic culture.

• Every stone is 3ft (91.44 cm) long and 1.5ft (45.72 cm) in width, there are approximately 899 of these stones laid in the inner part of the Jama Masjid.

• The entire mosque is made out of red stone, with slight use of Sang-e Marmar.

The sidewalls of the inner part of the mosque are adorned with the use of Sang-e Marmar and designed strip borders of Sang-e Musa.

Inside the mosque there is a beautiful-designed Minbar, from which Khuthba is given before Friday prayer.

The Minbar is said to be made out of a single large sang-e Marmar stone. Which makes it very special. The height of the Minbar was kept more than the height of the emperor's sitting throne in Lal Qila (Red Fort).

This shows the humbleness and devotion of Shah Jahan towards Islam, and Ulama-e deen.

Jama Masjid Courtyard:

• Outside the mosque there is a large courtyard (dalan.)

The courtyard is vast and can accommodate up to 25,000 people during prayer times.

It covers an area of approximately 75,000 square feet (7,000 square meters).

• The courtyard is paved with large slabs of red sandstone.

There is a large water reservoir the courtyard, for ablution (wudu), a ritual washing before prayers.

Surrounding it there are lamp-posts for lantern or light.

The water reservoir also adds to the serene and contemplative atmosphere of the mosque.

What else in Courtyard:

In the courtyard one can see two shades (Baldachin or Chhajja) built within some distance of the inner part of the mosque, these shades used to serve as place for the person (mukabbir) who recites the takbir behind the imam when praying namaz.

These two shades serves the purpose till this day, as thousands of muslims gather in the Jama Masjid on each Friday for Friday Salah.

• The voice of Mukabbir reciting Takbeer behind Imam, creates a pleasant atmosphere in the entire space of the courtyard.

There is a sun watch installed in the courtyard of the Jama Masjid Delhi, this shows time to this day, Muslim scientists did great work designing the watch, the sun watch is used to know the prayer time.

The experience of praying Namaz (Salah) in the Jama Masjid cannot be described in words, and if one has not yet performed Salah in Jama Masjid, then he should do it as soon as possible, in order to have a blessed and true peaceful feeling.

Shah Jahan devotion towards Islam:

It is said that it was made sure that the Minbar of Jama Masjid was kept higher than the “takht-e Shahi” sitting place of emperor Shah Jahan in Lal Quila (Red Fort.)

First Salah in Jama Masjid:

• The first Salah in the Jama Masjid was done on the occasion of Eid ul-Fitr.

• This way the first prayer in the grand mosque of Delhi was prayed on 24 July 1656 ah, which is 1st Shawwal 1066 Hijri, on Monday.

• After the Eid prayer the obligatory five times a day prayer, started in the mosque every day.

The blessed mosque Jahan-Numa or Jama Masjid Delhi is a testimony of the glorified history of Muslims in India, and stands as one of the top monuments around the world, it proudly represent India.

• Millions of visitors from around the world visit the mosque each year, despite not being a UNESCO world heritage site.

Jama Masjid holds the status of a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is responsible for safeguarding the country's cultural and historical heritage.

It is a popular tourist attraction, drawing visitors from all over the world for its historical significance and stunning architecture. Attracts millions of visitors each year. While exact numbers can vary, it is estimated that the mosque receives between 4 to 5 million visitors annually.

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