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    | Jama Masjid - Jama Masjid, Delhi |  
  
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                | Jama Masjid, Delhi |  
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                  Jama Masjid 
                  is the largest mosque in India, and stands across the road 
                  from the Red Fort. This mosque is located in the centre of the old city on the top of a large hill. This mosque was built between 1644 and 1658 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The mosque stands on Bho Jhala, which is one of the old Mughal capital cities of
                            Shahjahanbad. Jama Masjid is not 
                  only architecturally beautiful, but it is also a place of 
                  great religious significance as it house a hair from the beard 
                  of the Prophet, as well as a chapter of the Holy Quran written 
                  by him.   |  
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                This mosque was built by Sultan Ahmed Shah in 1423 and later by Shah Jahan. This mosque is built in yellow sandstone and combines the best of Hindu and Muslim styles of architecture. 
                The work on this tomb was started in 1650 by Shah Jahan and was 
                completed in six years. The mosque is the 
                final architectural piece built by him. The mosque was built by 
                more than 5000 artisans, with red sandstone and marble. This 
                mosque stands on 260 pillars supporting 15 domes at varying 
                elevations. The main courtyard of the mosque is about 408 square 
                feet and is paved with red stone that can hold thousands of the 
                people. In the centre, a large marble tank is located in which 
                the devout wash before attending prayers. The main mosque is 
                crowned by three onion-shaped domes made of white marble and 
                inlaid with stripes of black slates. The courtyard is in the rectangular shape 
                and about seventy-five by sixty-six metres. The central 
                courtyard is accessible from the East, though there are three 
                ways on the other side too. The Eastern side entrance leads to 
                another enclosure which contains the tomb of Sultan Ahmed Shah. 
                On the east, this monument faces the Red Fort and has three 
                gateways, four towers and two minarets. On the north and south 
                of the complex are the two 130 feet high minarets which offer a 
                spectacular bird’s eye view of the city. The main eastern 
                entrance remains closed on most of the days of the week and was 
                perhaps used by the Emperors. |  |  
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                      | Tombs |  
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                      Near the Eastern entrance stands the tomb of the Sultan Ahmed Shah, which was homage to the Sultan by his son Mohammed Shah II. The tomb houses the graves of three great rulers of Gujarat - Ahmed Shah I, his son, Mohammed Shah and his grandson, Qutub-Ud-Din Ahmed Shah II. After 100 years, a nobleman, Farhatul Maluk repaired the tomb, who also got the walls of the mosque engraved. Today after centuries of heat and rough weather, the Masjid stands unchallenged serving as a prayer place for numerous Muslims residing in the city.  |  |  |  
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