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Perhaps the grandest of Old Delhi's sights is the Jamal Masjid. This is India's largest mosque -- the third largest in the world, I think. It was built in the 17th century by Shah Jahan, the same emperor who built the Taj Mahal.
Arts and Culture Shock in Old Delhi January 9, 2001
Ttrealtravels2005-12-26 16:34:31
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Infinite Mosque
Perhaps the grandest of Old Delhi's sights is the Jamal Masjid. This is India's largest mosque -- the third largest in the world, I think. It was built in the 17th century by Shah Jahan, the same emperor who built the Taj Mahal.
What an impressive building! So huge, it could hold 30,000 in the courtyard for prayers. It was a cool, foggy/smoggy/smoky morning, and the mosque was uncrowded. The inlaid marble floors were cold through our socks.
The minarets towered overhead, waiting to call faithful Muslims to prayer on Friday. Fluted, crennilated arches were mirrored on both sides of the sanctuary -- elegant triumphs of stone, so grand and impressive that I imagine if I'd seen such a thing as a child, I'd worship Allah now.
Fortified for Real
One thing India has that we don't have in the U.S. is history. Really, that's a huge part of why I love travel. America is rich in many things, but not a sense of history.
The Red Fort -- another gigantic edifice built by Shah Jahan -- is no mere historic relic. It's a living, breathing part of Delhi life, much like the mosque.
Thousands of soldiers are quartered here, amongst elaborately carved marble halls that once housed the bejewelled Peacock Throne and the Emperor's harem girls.
Old Delhi vs. New
The mosque is at the heart of Old Delhi and the fort is nearby. This area is what I'd imagined Delhi would look like: mazes of tiny, dark, bustling alleyways and narrow roads choked with cars, rickshaws, cows, dogs, and more people than you can imagine.
New Delhi, where our hotel is, looks positively proper and suburban in comparison. Of course, all of Delhi shares the same evil, brown layer of pollution.
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See photographs from:
India Gallery
