Jama Masjid

Location

The Jama Masjid at Nowhatta, in the heart of the old city, is the other important mosque in Srinagar at which thousands of people congregate for the Friday prayers.

An ancient mosque, many times destroyed and restored over the centuries, Jama Masjid is a monument of the wonderful Islamic architecture. The present mosque, an impressive building without any topped dome, was built in 1674. The Jama Masjid has four spires tower which is visible above the rooflines. The mosque’s main attractions are the prayer halls, which are covered by numerous pillars, around 370 in number; each one is made of single piece of deodar trunk.

The compound is constructed in the style of a Mughal Garden, with by two wide paths. This is really an amusing place to visit, for those religious visitors the Jama Masjid offers solitude.

Originally built by Sultan Sikandar in 1400 AD, and enlarged by his son, Zain-ul- Abidin, it is a typical example of Indo-Saracenic architecture. Destroyed thrice by fire and rebuilt each time, the mosque, as it now stands, was repaired during the reign of Maharaja Pratap Singh.

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