So after the Red Fort, we decided to visit the Jama Masjid (meaning ‘Friday Mosque’, since this is the most important day for Muslim prayer). The religious place counts as the biggest mosque of India, with 65 by 35 meters and a courtyard that can fit up to 25.000 people.
Emperor Shah Jahan, the initiator behind the Red Fort, also commissioned the construction of this mosque. The costs where tremendous at that time: around one million rupees (around 11.000 Euros).
Both muslims and non-muslims are welcome at the complex, appropriately covered up (that explains the new, brown dress 😉) and not wearing shoes. In summer the floor gets so hot, you can hardly walk around and the courtyard has to be covered with carpets.
The mosque has three big gates and two 40 metres high minarets built from strips of red sandstone and white marble (like the Red Fort). You can climb the 130 steps of these minarets, but the ladies only ‘under the escord of their responsible, male family members’. We skipped that part.
Another interesting aspect: the current imams of the mosque are direct descendents from the first imam appointed by Shah Jahan.
Jama Masjid Rd, Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi, Delhi 110006, India
Breuhuys 
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