Jama Masjid literally means Friday Mosque, and figuratively it means God's Mosque, so there are several Jama Masjid's in India. This Jama Masjid in Delhi is one of the largest mosques in India and was built in 1656 by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan (who also built the Taj Mahal).
Lovely minaret pointing to heaven.
Many pigeons were taking a break on this pretty dome.
The mosque was on one side of the square with gates on the other three sides. These arched colonnades surrounded the square.
Each corner had another little dome.
A detailed shot of one of the gates.
Words from the Quran.
I was surprised that there were no "rooms" inside, just hallways for people to kneel in prayer and worship God. Now I know mosque actually means to prostrate oneself before Allah. Makes sense. If you look at the floor you can see inlaid rectangles under the carpets, I wonder if during their formal services each person gets one rectangle to pray in? A man took our camera from us and took a few pictures of us.
The top of one of the many alcoves that point towards Mecca.
With us standing inside, you can see how big they are.
Hiram was being a turkey and refused to look at the camera. Poor Ali, hard as I try always has her hair in her face (but I will not cut bangs, ha ha!). Notice my dress/robe. All of us Western women had to wear them to enter, but our hair didn't have to be covered. We gave the man some money when he returned our camera, and instead of saying thank you he asked for more. I've learned that's the way of beggars here. They never say thank you, they always ask for more instead. It gets exhausting, sigh.
Since this building is completely open to outside, I was also surprised to see chandeliers, but they were so pretty.
The central alcove or mihrab.
Out in the square was this reflecting pool. A woman beside us was scooping water up in her hand and wiping her face with it. I don't know if it is like a holy water?
The white thing in the front is an altar and I wonder if the Quran is read from there on Fridays?
EVERY place we went Ali was a celebrity and many people wanted to take their picture with her. There were 7 different groups here alone that did. Sometimes the other kids would be asked for their pictures too, but mainly Ali. This shot captures how she felt about it. She does NOT want to be famous when she grows up, she would rather do without the fans.
On the wall opposite the masjid you can see "little Pakistan" below. Our guide told us there are over 100 shops down there and you have to be Muslim to own one. He said there is now more Muslims in India than in Pakistan. India is a peaceful nation, but it has hard feelings with Pakistan and probably always will. Mumbai was attacked by terrorists from Pakistan in 2008 and we have met people that were at the Taj hotel when it was bombed and they shared horrific stories that happened. I believe religion is to teach us to be closer to God and man, I do not believe extremists to be true followers of religion, because it is about love not hate.
More of the street stalls, I feel like we're home in Mumbai.
Further out you can see the Red Fort in the distance.
Unfortunately for us, the Red Fort is closed on Mondays for renovations so we weren't able to tour it as planned. (That's okay our tour guide took us on his own tour instead of sticking to our itinerary. We also missed the Laxmi Narayan Temple, Humayun's Tomb, Qutub Minar Complex, and the Dances of India show.)
The Red Fort was built in 1648 also by Shah Jahan. It served as the Mughal capital until 1845 when they were defeated by the British. The Prime Minister gives his Independence Day speech from here now.
As we were leaving I had to take one last picture of this massive door. I love detail and this place was full of many lovely ones!
