Jama Masjid, located in Old Delhi, near Red Fort, is one of the biggest, grandest, and most well - known mosques in India. It was originally named “Masjid-i Jahān-Numā”, which literally means 'World-reflecting Mosque'. The mosque is another remnant of the golden period of architecture in India, the period when the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal, had overseen construction of some of the most beautiful masterpieces of the Mughal Architecture. The construction of the mosque started in 1650 on the orders of Shah Jahan, and was completed in the year 1656 AD.
This huge mosque, which was a very important part of the mughal capital Shahjahanabad, can accommodate upto twenty-five thousand worshippers at a time. It took more than 5000 workers to complete the construction of this mosque. The construction plan of Jama Masjid is very similar to the Jama Masjid at Fatehpur Sikri, near Agra, but the Jama Masjid at Delhi is bigger and is structurally more prominent because of the high ground on which it was built.
The courtyard of the mosque can be reached from the east, north and south by three flights of steps, all built of red sandstone. The roof of the mosque has three domes whose topmost parts are covered with gold. The domes are flanked on either side by two lofty minarets, which rise to a height of 130 feet (41 m) high, and contain 130 steps. These minarets are longitudinally striped with white marble and red sandstone. There are four small minarets located at the back of the mosque, which are crowned exactly like the minarets in the front portion.
The mosque also houses several relics in a closet in the north gate, including an antique copy of the Qur'an written on deer skin.
