Jama Masjid

Shah Jahan commissioned Jama Masjid as the principal congregational mosque of his new capital, Shahjahanabad, in the same building campaign that produced the Red Fort. Construction ran from 1650 to 1656, reportedly costing one million rupees at the time and employing several thousand workers, with the emperor's supervision extending to the choice of red sandstone and white marble to match the fort's material palette a short distance north. The mosque's original name, Masjid-i Jahan-Numa, translates roughly as 'mosque commanding a view of the world,' a reference to its elevated plinth above the surrounding Old Delhi rooftops.

The mosque functioned as the Mughal court's principal site of Friday prayer through the remainder of the dynasty, and it played a direct role in the events of 1857: Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor, was among those who took refuge in the wider Old Delhi area during the Indian Rebellion, and British forces briefly considered demolishing the mosque afterward as collective punishment before ultimately restoring it to worship under negotiated terms.

The mosque remains an active place of worship today, administered by the Shahi Imam — a hereditary religious office held by the same family lineage for multiple generations — under the broader oversight of the Delhi Waqf Board, the statutory body managing Islamic charitable endowments in the capital.

Dress code is enforced at the entrance, not merely suggested: shoulders and legs must be covered for both men and women, and visitors in shorts, sleeveless tops, or short skirts are handed a robe — often a brightly patterned wrap-around gown — to wear over their clothing before being allowed in. The robes are free but attendants commonly expect a small tip, and the patterns are not subtle; be prepared for it as a normal part of the visit rather than a surprise.

Shoes must be removed at the entrance and left at a supervised rack for a small fee, typically a few rupees; sock feet on the marble courtyard get uncomfortably hot by midday in summer, so an early visit or carrying a pair of socks helps. Non-Muslims are asked to remain in designated areas of the courtyard and are not permitted inside the prayer hall itself during active worship.

The relic chamber's caretaker will present items for viewing in exchange for a donation that is not fixed and can escalate through informal negotiation — decide on an amount in advance if interested, or decline politely if not, since the presentation is framed as a favour rather than a ticketed exhibit. Photography of the courtyard and exterior is permitted with the camera fee paid at entry; photography inside the prayer hall itself is generally discouraged and should be avoided without explicit permission.

Visit early morning to avoid both the heat on the marble courtyard and the midday prayer closure, which excludes non-worshippers for roughly two hours around noon and considerably longer on Fridays. Ramadan adds further restrictions on non-Muslim visiting hours and is worth checking specifically if travelling during that month.

Climbing the southern minaret, when open, delivers one of the more genuinely useful rooftop views over Old Delhi's dense rooftop sprawl toward the Red Fort — the staircase is narrow and steep, and the platform at the top has only a low parapet, so it is not well suited to those uncomfortable with heights or exposed edges.

The mosque sits at the centre of the Meena Bazaar and Matia Mahal lanes, which run some of Old Delhi's most reliable Mughlai food stalls — Karim's, a short walk from the southern gate, and the kebab stalls of Matia Mahal are worth the ten-minute detour after visiting, though the lanes themselves are as congested and pickpocket-prone as the rest of Chandni Chowk and deserve the same basic vigilance with bags and phones.