Kalan Masjid

The Kalan Masjid, or Kalan Mosque, is a 14th-century mosque in Old Delhi, India. It is one of the seven mosques built by Khan-i-Jahan Tilangani.

Etymology

The mosque is titled Kalan Masjid, meaning chief mosque. It is also known as Kali Masjid, or black mosque, although this may also be a corruption of the word Kalan.

History

The mosque was built in 1387 by Khan-i-Jahan Maqbul Tilangani during the reign of Firuz Shah Tughlaq.

Architecture

The mosque is built out of sandstone. It is an oblong structure, measuring long and wide. It has two stories, with a maximum height of.
A flight of steps leads to the doorway on the first story through which the mosque is to be entered. The doorway is surmounted by a low dome, which is flanked by two conical columns. Over the doorway is a marble slab on which there is an inscription in the Naskh script. The inscription describes the date of completion of the mosque, and that it was constructed by Khan Jahan during the reign of Firuz Shah.
The mosque has a square plan, and is divided into four quadrants.