Abdul Nabi Mosque is located in Delhi about 400m north of the Tilak Bridge, lies with its back on the Mathura Road, New Delhi. It is one of the most prominent mosques in this temple town which many people following Islam attend on Friday for weekly worship. It is a rubble built structure constructed between the years 1575-1576 by Shaikh Abdul Nabi, the ecclesiastical registrar during the reign of the Mughal Emperor, Akbar. He was a very trustworthy person of the emperor. He was once to Mecca with money for distribution to the poor, but on his return he failed to account for the money. He was however, executed by the emperor for not being able to give an account of the money and was put in prison and murdered in 1584-85.
Structure of Abdul Nabi Mosque
Abdul Nabi Mosque is an octagonal shaped mosque that has been constructed on a raised platform that used to house the graves of a mother and her son both them have been a known personality from the family of the Mughals. The mosque has a prayer hall that can be entered through 3 arched openings. The facade of the prayer hall has been originally decorated with coloured tiles, which have been mostly disappeared. The centre hall consists of a restored grave which is supposed to be of Adam Khan since the original one was demolished by the Britishers. The cloisters on the sides of its courtyard have faded away. Originally, this 15th century building had an inscription carved above the main arched bay of the prayer hall that provided the information about Shaikh Abdul Nabi, the builder of the mosque. In a recent renovation work the mosque has been given a complete new shape for which it has lost its ancient grandeur. The whole area of the Abdul Nabi Mosque is enveloped within a boundary wall, on the rear side of which lies a dense forest.
How to Reach Abdul Nabi Mosque
Abdul Nabi Mosque is well connection with the modes of transport. The Indira Gandhi International Airport, 15 km south of the city, is the nearest airport. New Delhi Railway Station is the nearest railway station here.