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Jama Masjid, Delhi: visiting hours, entry fee and etiquette
Jama Masjid, Shah Jahan's great mosque in Old Delhi, is open to visitors every day outside prayer times. Delhi Tourism lists tourist hours from 8 am to sunset for foreign visitors and from 11 am to sunset for Indian visitors. Indian visitors enter free, foreign visitors pay ₹400, and photography is free. After sunset only worshippers are let in.
Completed in 1656, Jama Masjid is the largest mosque in India and the last great architectural project of the emperor Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort next door. Its courtyard of red sandstone and white marble can hold some 25,000 people, and you can climb the southern minaret for a wide view over the rooftops of Old Delhi.
Indian visitors enter free; Delhi's official tourism page lists a ₹400 fee for foreign visitors and free photography. Pay at the counter and ask for a receipt. Dress modestly, leave your shoes at the gate, and avoid the midday prayer window, when the mosque closes to sightseers.
India's great Mughal mosque
Tickets
Before you go
Modest dress, shoes off🕰 Closed to visitors ~12:15–13:45 (prayers)Jama Masjid visiting hours
Jama Masjid is a working mosque, and its hours for tourists are built around the five daily prayers. Delhi Tourism's page, updated in January 2026, gives:
- Foreign visitors: 8 am to sunset.
- Indian visitors: 11 am to sunset.
- Every day of the week, but tourists are not allowed in during prayers.
- After sunset: only worshippers, for the Isha (night) prayer. The mosque then closes, reopens at Fajr (the dawn prayer) for worshippers only, and closes again until tourist hours, with cleaning in between.
An older schedule, 7 am to noon and 1:30 pm to 6:30 pm, still appears on Incredible India and on many travel sites. The midday gap in it is the noon prayer, and the visit card above also marks a midday prayer closure. Whichever timetable you see, the practical rule is the same: avoid the time around midday prayer, and on Fridays expect the courtyard to belong to worshippers at that hour.
Entry fee and camera
According to Delhi Tourism, entry is free for Indian visitors and ₹400 for foreign visitors, and photography is free. Pay at the counter and ask for a receipt.
The southern minaret can be climbed for a wide view over the rooftops of Old Delhi; Delhi Tourism does not list a separate price for it, so check at the gate.
✅ Dress code and etiquette
A mosque in daily use; these are the basic rules.
- Dress modestly — Modest clothing is expected. Delhi Tourism notes that robes can be hired at the northern gate.
- Shoes off at the gate — Shoes are left at the gate and the courtyard is crossed barefoot.
- Not during prayers — Tourists are kept out during prayer times; after sunset the mosque is for worshippers only.
- Cameras — Delhi Tourism lists photography as free. Keep the lens off people at prayer.
What to see
The courtyard of red sandstone and white marble holds some 25,000 people and is entered through three sandstone gates; the tallest, on the east, was once the emperor's own entrance. On the west side stands the prayer hall under three marble domes, framed by two 41-metre minarets. The southern minaret can be climbed for a view over the rooftops of Old Delhi.
The mosque was built by Shah Jahan, the emperor of the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort, between 1650 and 1656 on the highest point of his new city, Shahjahanabad. Its formal name is Masjid-i-Jahan-Numa ("the mosque that reflects the world"). It was the imperial mosque of the Mughals until the empire ended in 1857 and is now a Monument of National Importance. About 45 minutes covers the courtyard, the prayer hall and the minaret.
How to reach Jama Masjid by metro
The mosque stands off Netaji Subhash Marg, just west of the Red Fort. Two stations serve it:
- Jama Masjid (Violet Line): Gate 2 is named for the mosque, and Delhi Metro puts the mosque 400 m away, about 4 minutes on foot.
- Chawri Bazar (Yellow Line): the station Delhi Tourism names. Delhi Metro puts the mosque 750 m away, about 10 minutes on foot.
The Red Fort is a short walk east, and Chandni Chowk and Dariba Kalan are to the north, so the mosque fits easily into a day in Old Delhi.
❓ FAQ
What are the Jama Masjid timings for tourists?
Delhi Tourism lists 8 am to sunset for foreign visitors and 11 am to sunset for Indian visitors, every day, with no entry during prayers. After sunset only worshippers are admitted.
What is the Jama Masjid entry fee?
Free for Indian visitors and ₹400 for foreign visitors, according to Delhi Tourism. Photography is free.
Can a Hindu visit the Jama Masjid?
Yes. The mosque is open to visitors of any faith during tourist hours; Delhi Tourism sets the hours by Indian or foreign visitor, not by religion. Dress modestly and stay out during prayers.
What time is Juma prayer at Jama Masjid?
Official tourism pages do not publish the jamaat timetable. Friday prayer is held at midday, when tourists are not admitted, so visit on Friday morning or later in the afternoon.
Is Jama Masjid the largest mosque in India?
It is one of the largest: the courtyard holds about 25,000 people. It was the imperial mosque of the Mughal emperors.