Upon leaving the Red Fort, we caught a rickshaw to begin our tour into Chandni Chowk. You really cannot go by any other transportation means, other than by foot. We headed off into traffic, driving past snake charmers, trinket peddlers, and the bustling crowd of old Delhi.

We entered Jama Masjid through a side entrance (or so it seemed). We left our shoes with the shoe guard and began to explore the mosque.

After climbing some steps, we entered the main courtyard. You really have to admire the beauty and symmetry of the Moghuls. The courtyard was crowded with running children, families, and birds.

You can climb the highest minaret and catch a fantastic view of the surrounding area. After a good climb, you find yourself at the top of the small minaret. There's enough space for maybe seven people. It's absolutely amazing to observe the ceaseless activity below from the small minaret.

The structure of the mosque is just visually beautiful, made of patterned, tiled red sandstone and topped with pointed turrets. Inside the walls of the mosque are hallways and smaller shrines, where every now and then you can spot a Delhi resident kneeling in silent prayer.

A groundskeeper was sweeping the floors of the open-air prayer floor with a broom on a rope that he swung around his head and beat against the tile as he walked. The regular sound of the swoosh against the tile floor was soothing and meditative. The Jami Masjid mosque is just a peaceful and very impressive place -- both an architectural feat (built by the ubiquitous Shah Jahan) and a calm, quiet respite from the manic energy roiling just beyond the walls of the mosque in Old Delhi.

Built between 1650-56 to function as the mosque for the Mughal Court, the masjid stands atop a plinth- the level’s high so that you look up to it in reverence, quite literally. When Shahjahan came here to pray every Friday, he’d enter along with a huge retinue through the Eastern Gate, but it’s kept locked nowadays, so you’ll have to go in by the side gate- and that’s an experience in itself. You come in through a high stone gate, and suddenly you’re in this massive courtyard, with the mosque towering up on your left. It has a façade of 11 arches, topped by three domes. All perfectly symmetrical, subtly decorated, and absolutely stunning.

You can wander around the mosque (not during namaz, obviously) but do take off your shoes. Leave them at the entrance- someone will be there to keep an eye on them- or you can carry them in your hand, provided you hold them with their soles touching each other (the logic is that the soles, which are unclean, should not face the sacred city of Mecca, which lies due west).

Entry's free, but you'll have to pay Rs 5 if you want to climb to the top of the minar (the tower) of the mosque. It's a climb of 122 steps- but the view is fabulous.