Masjid Mubarak Begum, 19th century mosque in Hauz Qazi, Old Delhi, India.
Masjid Mubarak Begum is a mosque built from red sandstone in the Hauz Qazi area of Old Delhi, topped with three domes decorated with red and white bands. The building has two levels, with the prayer hall on the upper floor and a row of shops that originally occupied the ground floor.
The mosque was commissioned in 1823 by Mubarak Begum, a former dancer who had married the first British resident of Delhi. Her decision to fund a religious building came at a time when the city was navigating the growing presence of British power alongside its own traditions.
The mosque carries the name of the woman who commissioned it, which was rare in Delhi at that time. Visitors can see the inscriptions and the overall design that reflect how this building was shaped by a woman's personal ambition and faith.
Entry to the mosque is through arched gateways on the facade, which lead up to the main prayer area on the upper floor. The lanes around Hauz Qazi are narrow and busy, so it is worth allowing extra time to find the building and move through this part of Old Delhi.
A marble inscription above the central gateway compares the mosque to the sky and calls it a second Jerusalem, a phrase drawn from Islamic poetic tradition. This kind of reference, linking a local building to one of the holiest cities in multiple faiths, is rarely seen on mosques in Delhi.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
