Moti Masjid, Delhi, Mosque in the Red Fort, Delhi, India

Moti Masjid is a small white marble mosque inside the Red Fort complex in Delhi. Three rounded domes crown the prayer hall, whose walls display fine floral carvings and whose windows are sheltered by pierced stone screens.

Aurangzeb commissioned the Moti Masjid shortly after his accession, completing it in 1663 CE at his own expense; the court chronicle Ma'asir-i-Alamgiri records the cost as 1 lakh and 60 thousand rupees. It gave the emperor a prayer hall closer to his private chambers, since the fort then had no mosque. In 1857 British soldiers stripped its gilded copper domes and sold them at auction; the British later replaced them in white marble.

The name means Pearl Mosque, after the white marble of its prayer hall. Aurangzeb began offering the zuhr prayer here with state officials, a new ceremonial practice. The mosque is closed to visitors, so the floral marble reliefs and the acanthus-vine minbar are not on view.

The mosque is closed to visitors; the ASI shut it to prevent damage to the structure, so it can only be seen from outside. It stands within the Red Fort, raised slightly above ground and entered from the east by a staircase. Its tall red sandstone enclosure walls hide the interior from view.

The mosque's domes were originally gilded copper; British Prize Agents stripped and auctioned them after the 1857 Siege of Delhi, and the British later replaced them in white marble. The court chronicle Ma'asir-i-Alamgiri records the building cost as 1 lakh and 60 thousand rupees, paid by Aurangzeb himself.