Tomb and mosque
Facing across the court.
Ganesh.Subramaniam85 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Murali K — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Murali K — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ganesh.Subramaniam85 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pinakpani — CC BY 4.0
Ibrahim Rauza is a funerary complex in Vijayapura, with a mausoleum and a mosque in matching style with a fountain between them, raised on a plinth within walls and gardens. Taj Sultana, wife of Sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah II, built it, and its fine skyline earned it the names «Black Taj Mahal» and «Taj of the South». The complex was completed in 1036 AH, or 1626 to 1627, after more than eight years of work. It is a high point of the Adil Shahi dynasty, who founded a Sunni sultanate in Bijapur in the 15th century and ruled for almost two hundred years. The word Rauza comes from the Arabic for garden. It is a national monument run by the Archaeological Survey of India. The two buildings face each other across the court, with bulbous domes, slender minarets and carved eaves, and stone ornament and Arabic calligraphy on the walls. Long arcades surround them, and beyond the wall a wide water tank reflects the buildings in some seasons. From the corner of the court you can see both together. It lies west of the city, 3.6 km in a straight line from Gol Gumbaz. An hour is enough, and the hour before sunset is best, when the stone warms in colour. Dress modestly, remove your shoes at the mosque and avoid prayer times. The court offers lovely angles for photographs.
Facing across the court.
Carved on the walls.
Reflecting the site in some seasons.
West of Vijayapura city, northern Karnataka
Taj Sultana, wife of Sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah II.
It is an Arabic word for garden, later used for funerary complexes.