Is Jama Masjid Delhi A World Heritage Site

Jama Masjid, Delhi

Jama Masjid, Delhi

Known formally as ' Masjid - i - Jahan - Numa ', the Jama Masjid was bulit by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the mid - 17th century. The mosque is built in a majestic Indo - Islamic style mainly in Red Sandstone and marble. Jama Masjid has three gateways, 2 minarets and four towers that provide it with an imposing look.

The Masjid e Jahan Numa, commonly known as the Jama Masjid of Delhi, is one of the largest mosques in India. It was bulit by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan between 1650 and 1656 at a cost of one million rupees, and was inaugurated by Imam Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari from Bukhara, present day Uzbekistan. The mosque was completed in 1656 AD with three great gates and two 40 meters high minarets constructed with strips of red sandstone and white marble. The courtyard can accommodate more than 25000 people. There are three domes on the terrace which are surrounded by the two minarets. On the floor, a total of 899 black borders are marked for worshippers. The architectural plan of Badshahi Masjid, built by Shah Jahan's son Aurangzeb at Lahore, Pakistan, is similar to the Jama Masjid.

The great mosque of Old Delhi is the largest in India, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 Devotees. It was begun in 1644 and ended up being the final architectural extravagance of Shah Jahan, the Mughal Emperor who built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort. 

Jama Masjid, Delhi

The highly decorative mosque has three great gates, four towers and two 40 m high minarets constructed of strips of red sandstone and white marble. Travellers can hire robes at the northern gate. This may be the only time you get to dress like a local without feeling like an outsider so make the most of it.

In the 21st Century Jama Masjid was the scene of two violent incidents possibly connected with terrorism. In 2006 13 people were injured when two bombs went off in shopping bags left in the courtyard, and in 2010 two people were wounded in an attack by gunmen on w tourist bus parked outside the mosque.