Perfect morning to visit Jama Masjid but first I had to make it through the thieves market

I love wandering around back alleys exploring so I was really happy to discover Delhi Heritage Walks, a group that organizes walks through Delhi's historic neighborhoods. I signed up for one of their tours through Jama Masjid and Old Delhi and yesterday was the perfect day for a walk, sunny and clear (for Delhi) springtime warm but not too hot yet.

Getting to the entrance where we were to meet was a spectacle in itself. It was smooth sailing on the ring road, but as soon as we branched off traffic slowed down to a crawl. The sidewalks were filled with vendors mostly selling books, it got more and more crowded the closer we got to Jama Masjid. As it turns out Sunday is when Chor Bazaar is held. Imagine an enormous street market, I mean thousands of vendors with their goods spread out on the ground with even more thousands of people buying everything from first editions of books to dubious electronics and pants to pet birds. Chor Bazaar means thieves bazaar. I didn't know about this market but I'll have to come back one day and check it out.

 
I finally made it to gate 3 and up the steps to the entrance. Tourists were swarming all around busily removing their shoes looking around skeptically as if they were wondering if they would still be there when they came out. We had to make it past the gatekeepers before entering the mosque itself. These were a couple guys thrusting robes into womens' hands seemingly randomly. I got stuck with one even though I was wearing long pants, a long sleeved shirt and a scarf around my shoulders. Maybe they just get a kick of seeing tourists in these silly looking robes.

Then I was inside! Built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (of Taj Mahal fame), the mosque was commissioned in 1644 AD and completed in 1656. It's basically a huge rectangular enclosure with the main domed structure on the western side. It's the largest mosque in India and one of the largest in Asia. 25,000 people can fit inside for services (which aren't open to tourists). Like the Red Fort across the road, Jama Masjid is also built of red sandstone with some marble accents. I found this picture of the place when it's full to give you an idea. 

We took the paid option to climb the stairs to the top of one of the minarets for a knee-knocking view of Delhi. After we descended back to earth we lucked out because the guy with the key to the little room holding the holy relics was there. These include a Koran written on deer skin, a slipper worn by Muhammad, a strand of red hair from Muhammad's beard and an impression of Muhammad's foot in marble. After seeing some relics swaddled and caged in cathedrals in Europe, I found these holy relics shared with the public in a very casual manner.

There's not really much to see in the mosque, there's a big square fountain in the center and, in a touch I thought was nice, a marked off area on the ground covered with grain and bowls of water for the birds. After everyone was re-shod and de-robed we descended into the lanes of Old Delhi...