The architecture of mosques

A mosque is where followers of Islam gather to pray. It is also a place for religious education, community meetings, talks and discussions.

Its most important feature is direction: the prayer hall faces Mecca, the most sacred place in Islam.

Bigger mosques also have:

• domes;
• minarets: tall towers from which the muezzin calls people to prayer.

Friday prayers are especially important. The large mosques where they are held are often called 'Jama Masjid': jama means 'gathering' and masjid means 'mosque'.

The Jama Masjid in Ahmedabad was built in the 15th century by Sultan Ahmed Shah I, in yellow sandstone. It blends Hindu and Islamic building styles.

How do we know? Look at the details:

• fine stone jālis (stone screens with patterns cut through them);
• pillars in the same style as some temples, but without their decorations;
• certain kinds of carving.

From these, scholars conclude that local Hindu and Jain craftsmen, masons and stone carvers helped build it. People carve the way they were trained.

This mix has a name: Indo-Islamic architecture, Islamic building plans carried out with Indian skill. Its features include:

• domes;
• arches, both pointed and corbelled;
• jālis and floral designs;
• in Rajasthan, jharokhās (overhanging balconies) and chhatrīs (small domed pavilions).

What is a corbelled arch? It is built by stacking blocks like a staircase, each layer sticking out a little more, until the two sides meet at the top.

The Jama Masjid in Delhi, India's largest mosque, was built by Shah Jahan in the mid-17th century, after he moved his capital to Shahjahanabad. About 5,000 workers were made to work on it.

It is red sandstone with white marble decoration. It has:

• three large entrances;
• two minarets, each 40 metres high;
• three large domes over the prayer hall;
• a courtyard for up to 25,000 people;
• walls and arches decorated with calligraphy (beautiful writing) of verses from the Qur'an.