Jama Masjid (Delhi)

Masjid-i Jahan-Numa, more commonly Jama Masjid, was Shah Jahan's last major architectural commission, built between 1650 and 1656 at the cost of around one million rupees. It sits on a three-metre plinth above the streets of Old Delhi, accessed by three sets of red-sandstone steps from the north, south, and east. The courtyard holds 25,000 worshippers — the largest active-mosque capacity in India. The prayer hall has three white-marble domes inlaid with black-marble striping, flanked by two 40-metre minarets. The minar climb gives one of the best views of Old Delhi, looking across the rooftops of Chandni Chowk to the Red Fort half a kilometre east. Inside the prayer hall, a small box-relic chamber displays a hair from the Prophet Muhammad's beard, a stone slab said to bear his footprint, and a chapter of the Quran written on deer-skin — pilgrims line up to view these on Fridays and during Ramadan. Non-Muslim visitors are welcome outside prayer times (typically a half-hour buffer around each daily prayer). Modest dress is required and is rented for a small fee at the gate; shoes are removed and stored at the entrance, not carried. The visit pairs naturally with a walking tour of Chandni Chowk and a paratha lunch at Paranthe Wali Gali.