After countless photos with Christmas trees, Santas and festive decorations in the month leading up to Christmas, the moment was finally here. It was Christmas morning at last. The children had been looking forward to this day for months. Our family dressed in the special Christmas clothes that we had bought in Greece and gathered in Nai Nai’s room for a gift exchange. The main gift-giving was done by Nai Nai, who prepared gifts for each of the adults and grandchildren. Uncles and aunts passed out gifts of toys, stickers and stationaries to the kids. After four months of very little contact with toys and craving something new, the kids were overjoyed to receive gifts. The kids distributed all of the hand-made Christmas cards they had made for each member of the family. We passed out the olive oil soaps that we purchased for everybody from Astrika Biolea in Crete. Merry Christmas!
Christmas Day was not a holiday from touring in India. We still had a full day of sightseeing ahead of us.
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In the midst of the jumble and chaos of Old Delhi is the second largest mosques in India, with a capacity of 25,000 worshipers at any given time. The Jama Masjid was constructed in the 1650s by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, better known as the ruler who built the Taj Mahal.
Before we were allowed to enter the courtyard, the women were directed by the guard toward a specially designated area for women only. It seemed that regardless of what we were wearing, even if we were covered from head to toe, women were asked to wear a floral robe. The robes were long, flowing and decorated with various floral patterns. They were easy to put on and rather pretty, so I wasn’t bothered by it. When we got into the courtyard, I did see some women who were not wearing the provided floral robes because they were dressed in their own abayas already. Before entering the courtyard, everybody had to remove their shoes.
There are two 40-meter minarets flanking either side of the entrance to the mosque and three marble domes that sit atop the mosque. Jama Masjid is Arabic for “Friday mosque”, referring to the traditional Friday prayer for Muslims. The mosque is built out of red sandstone with accents made in white marble. It is oriented toward Mecca, which lies to the west.
We approached the prayer hall that is reserved for worshippers only. From where we were standing, we could see the mihrab, the niche showing worshippers the direction of Mecca.
The mosque is built on a hill 10 meters higher than the surrounding area, so offers a commanding view of the narrow, crowded streets of Old Delhi down below. We gazed down into Old Delhi, mesmerized at the crowds of people going about their business in the narrow lanes below. In moments, we would find ourselves in the midst of all the chaos.
