Delhi, Jama Masjid
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory of Delhi, is the capital territory of India. It has a population of about 11 million and a metropolitan population of about 16.3 million, making it the second most populous city and second most populous urban agglomeration in India. Such is the nature of urban expansion in Delhi that its growth has expanded beyond the NCT to incorporate towns in neighbouring states and at its largest extent can count a population of about 25 million residents as of 2014.
The NCT and its urban region have been given the special status of National Capital Region (NCR). The NCR includes the several neighbouring cities. A union territory, the political administration of the NCT of Delhi today more closely resembles that of a state of India, with its own legislature, high court and an executive council of ministers headed by a Chief Minister. New Delhi is jointly administered by the federal government of India and the local government of Delhi, and is the capital of the NCT of Delhi.
Delhi has been continuously inhabited since the 6th century BC. Through most of its history, Delhi has served as a capital of various kingdoms and empires. It has been captured, ransacked and rebuilt several times, particularly during the medieval period, and modern Delhi is a cluster of a number of cities spread across the metropolitan region.
The Masjid-i Jahān-Numā (the ‘World-reflecting Mosque’), commonly known as the Jama Masjid of Delhi, is the principal mosque of Old Delhi in India. Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, it is the best-known mosque in India. Construction began in 1650 and was completed in 1656. It lies at the beginning of the Chawri Bazar Road, a very busy central street of Old Delhi. The later name, Jama Masjid, refers to the weekly Friday noon congregation prayers of Muslims, Jummah, which are usually done in a mosque, the "congregational mosque" or "jāma masjid". The courtyard of the mosque can hold up to twenty-five thousand worshippers. The mosque also houses several relics in a closet in the north gate, including an antique copy of the Qur’an written on deer skin.
(source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delhi and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jama_Masjid,_Delhi)
Image published by Arian Zwegers on 2012-12-07 13:34:35 and used under Creative Commons license.
Tagged: , Delhi , Jama Masjid , India , masjid , mosque , Masjid-i Jahān-Numā , National Capital Territory , capital , NCT , National Capital Region , NCR , World-reflecting Mosque , Shah Jahan , congregational mosque , jāma masjid , 2012
Some local news is curated - Original might have been posted at a different date/ time! Click the source link for details.