Short answers, pulled from the story.
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built the Jama Masjid between 1650 and 1656. It was inaugurated on the 23rd of July 1656 by Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari, the first Shahi Imam, who had been invited from Bukhara in present-day Uzbekistan.
The construction of the Jama Masjid cost ten lakh rupees at the time of building, equivalent to one million rupees. Around five thousand workers were employed, drawn from India, Arabia, Persia, Turkey, and Europe.
After reclaiming Delhi in 1857, the British confiscated the Jama Masjid, banned religious use, and converted it into barracks for Sikh and European soldiers. It was repeatedly considered for destruction before being returned to the Muslim community in 1862, subject to strict conditions including mandatory British policing.
The square courtyard of the Jama Masjid can accommodate 25,000 worshippers. Its sides measure at least 99 metres, and it is paved with red sandstone centred on a marble ablution tank measuring 17 metres long and 15 metres wide.
On the 23rd of October 1947, Abul Kalam Azad spoke from the mosque's pulpit during Thursday prayers, urging Muslims in Delhi to remain in India during the upheaval of Partition and reassuring them that India was still their homeland. His tomb now stands adjacent to the mosque.
The Shahi Imams are the direct descendants of the first Imam, Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari, appointed by Shah Jahan in 1656. All have carried the surname Bukhari, reflecting their ancestral origin in Bukhara. The current Shahi Imam is Shaban Bukhari, who took office in 2024.