Short answers, pulled from the story.
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan ordered the Jama Masjid built between 1650 and 1656 at the highest point of Shahjahanabad. Approximately 5,000 workers labored to raise the structure from red sandstone and white marble.
The mosque was inaugurated on the 23rd of July 1656 by Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari who arrived from Bukhara in Uzbekistan. This building stood as one of the last monuments commissioned by Shah Jahan before his reign ended.
Jama Masjid fell into British confiscation and was barred from religious use during this period. Authorities repeatedly considered destroying the structure before eventually converting it into barracks for Sikh and European soldiers.
The square courtyard measures at least 30 meters per side and can accommodate 25,000 worshippers. A marble ablution tank measuring 10 meters long and 4 meters wide occupies the center of the paved red sandstone floor.
Two explosions occurred on the 14th of April 2006 shortly after Friday prayers leaving one person seriously injured and eight others with minor wounds. Six members of Indian Mujahideen were arrested in November 2011 believed responsible for the Jama Masjid blast alongside other attacks.