Jama Masjid shapes daily life in Old Delhi’s lanes

Jama Masjid rises above Old Delhi, yet it is rarely apart from it. People sit on its stone steps through the day—some having their ears cleaned by red-capped ear cleaners, others watching the nearby bazaar.

Shah Jahan built the mosque on a hillock in his new capital, but centuries of city life have gathered around it. In Purani Dilli’s lanes, a half-dome appears around one turn and the top of a minaret at another. From nearby homes, the mosque can be seen through kitchen windows or beyond clothes drying on rooftops.

The mosque remains a place of prayer within a dense neighbourhood of groceries, tea stalls and houses. Its steps and surrounding lanes carry the daily movement of Old Delhi, while its domes and minarets stay visible above the rooftops.