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The City of Agra is full of monuments and forts. There are many monuments that have been decorated in the city. The city is considered to be the capital of the Mughal Empire. It was during the reign of Shah Jahan that Mughal architecture here came into existence. Moti Masjid is one of the Mosques that was built during Shah Jahan. Moti in the local language means Pearl.

Moti Masjid is situated in the premises of the Red Fort in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The splendid monument was got built between 1648 and 1654 by the famous Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Like his father, Shah Jahan was very interested in building monuments but differed in taste greatly. He preferred structures with while marbles and this Masjid is one of the examples of his flavor in architecture. For the very same reason the Masjid is named Moti Masjid as it resembles the white color of the Pearl.


The architectural design of the mosque resembles the Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. The architectural significance of the mosque is that it is built on a land that inclines from east to the northern part of the Diwan-i-Am complex. The mosque here is lavishly built with light white marble facing reflecting the style of architecture during Shah Jahan.

The site is being located in the neighborhood of the River Yamuna. The shiny velvet appearance magnetizes almost all the tourists who visit the monument. The structure contains three huge domes of high architecture value. These three domes are built with light white marble with the red sandstone serving as their basement. Diwan-E-Aam of the fort is positioned to the right of the hall.

There is a unique factor about this mosque which differentiates it from the others. Unlike other mosques, the masjid's main podium contains four steps whereas all other mosques have only three steps at the podium. Men and women do not pray together, they have separate halls. Women are accessible to an area on the either side of the main prayer hall. Both of the prayer halls are decorated with screens that have marble worked screens.

The monument is bordered by balconies on all the sides, decorated with an arch and twelve pillars. There are multiple passage ways in the Masjid that are divided by seven coves. The eastern gate of the Masjid is the main entrance and is positioned facing the river bank of Yamuna.

Moti Masjid or the Pearl Mosque was built by the emperor who built Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan. The mosque as it shined like a pearl got the popular name of Moti Masjid.The mosque was built by Shahjahan for his members of the royal court.

The three marble domes of the mosque rest over the red sandstone walls and seen in totality the structure is inviting. The structure is built taking a good care of its symmetry. It is grounded to the right of the structure hall Diwan-E-Aam of the Agra Fort.

The place where Moti Masjid stands is not far from the city center. There is regular bus service from the Power House Bus Stand. The place has a railway station of its own. Agra Fort Railway Station is the one that provides the service. Agra Airport lies to the south-west of Agra Fort. By air one can reach the airport and has to travel about 8 kms to reach the Agra Fort Complex.

The main entrance to the mosque is on the eastern side and thus, it is much larger and more beautiful than the subsidiary gates on the southern and the northern sides that had arches and three square chhatris crowning them. The main gateways are approachable by two staircases and had a red sandstone exterior and a marble interior. The prayer chamber has an arcade of seven arches. Out of its twenty-one bays, only three have vaulted soffits.

Its western wall has beautifully carved and inlaid mihrab and six niches corresponding to the arches of the façade.There are prayer chambers for women on either side of the main prayer chamber that has a marble latticework screen separating them from the main hall. This chamber has three bulbous domes crowning it. There are seven beautiful square chhatris above the parapet and an octagonal tower with a marble cupola on top at each corner.

Nearby tourist places to Moti Masjid Agra Allahabad Ayodhya

• Through Airways:Through Airways, the city of Delhi has an international Airport, the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Taxi and Coach Transfer, pre paid taxis, air conditioned and non A/C coaches all can take you to the Jama Masjid from the Airport.


• Through Railways:Through Railways, the city of Delhi is also the hub of Indian railways.It is connected with trains running to and from all parts of the country.


• Through Roadways: Buses from all the major places in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are available for getting to Delhi. During the summer months, air-conditioned coaches are recommended. Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) operates special services from railway stations to different parts of the city.