An inscription carved at the entrance of the mosque notes that it was commissioned by I‘tibar Khan in 1017 AH(1608/1609CE). Khan was a nobleman who lived during the reign of Ibrahim Adil Shah II.[3]
Henry Cousens posits that it was built as a women's mosque.[3] The absence of a pulpit within the prayer-hall points to this conclusion, since no man would be allowed to enter the mosque and deliver a sermon, due to purdah restrictions. Other elements supporting this theory include a parapet around the terrace of the building, which allows its occupants a view of the city without being seen themselves.[3] However, as of 2016[update], the mosque has banned the entry of women.[4] Its ground floor serves as a madrasa, while the upper floor serves as a prayer-hall for men.[4]
The building has two stories, with the mosque on the first floor and a hall on the ground floor, which might have served as a caravanserai. It is built out of dressed stone masonry. The first floor is ornately decorated, while the ground floor is plain.[3]
The mosque is situated on the western side of the first floor, and its façade has three arched entrances of equal size, opening out into a terrace. Two staircases provide access to the outer corners of the terrace, and a low parapet runs around it. The prayer-hall measures about 6 metres (20ft) square. Its western wall contains a large mihrab (prayer-niche), flanked by two smaller niches. There is no minbar (pulpit) within the mosque.[1][5][3]
A ribbed dome surmounts the roof, resting upon an arcaded drum with sixteen sides. Four minarets rise above a projecting buttress at the rear of the dome, which aligns with the prayer-niche of the mosque below. Four more minarets are provided, one at each corner of the building. The main dome is melon-shaped, as are small domes crowning each of the minarets.[1][3][6]
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