Mecca Masjid, Bijapur

Mecca Masjid is a mosque in Bijapur, in the Indian state of Karnataka. The mosque was built especially for women of the royal household. It is listed as a monument of national importance.

History
The date of construction of the mosque is not known. In The New Cambridge History of India, it is ascribed to the reign of Ali Adil Shah II, while Henry Cousens dates it to the end of the 13th century. There is a tomb of a saint at the eastern end of the enclosure, who had probably commissioned the mosque.

The minarets are remnants of an earlier structure, probably an earlier mosque. Henry Cousens posits that the high walls built around the mosque, indicate that it was used as an elephant stable. He posits that the earlier mosque, in its ruinous state, was used as an elephant stable before the newer mosque was built.

Description
The mosque is located within an enclosure. The facade of the mosque is of five bays. It is surmounted by a hemispherical dome, carried on eight arches.

Interior
There is no pulpit within the mosque, as women's prayers are not preceded with a sermon.