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The Moti Masjid () is a 17th-century
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The Agra Fort's modern appearance is largely owed to Shah Jahan, who dismantled several structures within the Agra Fort to add his own in marble. The Moti Masjid was one such structure. The mosque was constructed in the period 1646-1653, which was notably later than all of his other Agra Fort contributions (these were commenced in 1627, his first regnal year, and completed in 1638). The mosque's completion in 1653 was five years after the Mughal residence had shifted to
File:Moti Masjid Agra Fort India plan.jpg, Architectural plan.
File:Моти Масджид.jpg, 19th-century painting of the Moti Masjid by
Ols Drawings of Moti Masjid
{{Agra Division topics Agra Fort Mosques in Agra Grand mosques Marble buildings Mosques completed in 1653 Mughal mosques
congregational mosque
A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.*
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located within the Agra Fort UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan
Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...
, the mosque is made entirely of white marble.
History
]
The Agra Fort's modern appearance is largely owed to Shah Jahan, who dismantled several structures within the Agra Fort to add his own in marble. The Moti Masjid was one such structure. The mosque was constructed in the period 1646-1653, which was notably later than all of his other Agra Fort contributions (these were commenced in 1627, his first regnal year, and completed in 1638). The mosque's completion in 1653 was five years after the Mughal residence had shifted to Shahjahanabad
Old Delhi or Purani Dilli is an area in the Central Delhi district of Delhi, India. It was founded as a walled city named Shahjahanabad in 1648, when Shah Jahan (the Mughal Empire, Mughal Mughal emperors, emperor at the time) decided to shift t ...
. When Shah Jahan visited the mosque upon its completion, he was so impressed with the structure that he returned two years later to show two of his sons.
Architecture
The mosque complex, built on a high plinth, is a walled enclosure situated to the north of the fort's courtyard. It lies on an east-west axis, and faces the Yamuna river. The outside of the walls is clad in red sandstone, while the inside bears marble. A high entryway is situated in the centre of each wall; the eastern one serves as the main entrance. Inside the enclosure walls is a nearly-square courtyard, lined by arcades on the north, south, and eastern edges. An ablution pool lies in the centre of the courtyard. On the western edge lies the main prayer hall itself, a multi-bayed aisle structure supported by twelve-sided piers. The façade of the hall bears seven entryways, while the roof features three domes and several '' chhatri.'' The front of the hall is shaded by a deep ''chhajja
A ''chhajja'' is an overhanging eave or roof covering found in Indian architecture. It is characterised with large support brackets with different artistic designs. Variation is also seen in its size depending on the importance of the building on ...
'' (eave), under which are Persian inscriptions in black marble. The inscriptions employ complex imagery to glorify Shah Jahan and the Moti Masjid. The interior of the prayer hall does not bear much decoration; Asher notes that the use of undecorated marble is typical of Shah Jahan's private religious architecture.
The Moti Masjid displays much influence from an earlier marble congregational mosque, constructed by Shah Jahan at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah.
Gallery
Vasily Vereshchagin
Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin (russian: Васи́лий Васи́льевич Вереща́гин, October 26, 1842April 13, 1904), was one of the most famous Russian war artists and one of the first Russian artists to be widely recognis ...
.
File:Agra-26-Rotes Fort-Perlenmoschee-1976-gje.jpg, Facade of the Moti Masjid.
See also
*Mina Masjid
The Mina Mosque or the Heavenly Mosque was built by Shah Jahan between 1631 and 1640 near Diwan-i-Khas in Agra Fort. This small mosque was built, entirely of white marble, by the Mughal king Shah Jahan for his personal use.
Architecture
It ...
*Nagina Masjid
The Nagina Masjid is a masjid in Agra Fort built by Shah Jahan. It is also known as the Gem Mosque or the Jewel Mosque (See Negin).
Architecture
Nagina Masjid is an architectural beauty in Agra Fort. It is located nearby another eye catchin ...
References
External links
Ols Drawings of Moti Masjid
{{Agra Division topics Agra Fort Mosques in Agra Grand mosques Marble buildings Mosques completed in 1653 Mughal mosques