ar Khan in 1017 Hijri (1608–09 CE). Khan was a nobleman who lived during the reign of Ibrahim Adil Shah II. Henry Cousens posits that it was built as a women's mosque. 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. However, as of 2016, the mosque has banned the entry of women. Its ground floor serves as a madrasa, while the upper floor serves as a prayer-hall for men. Description 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. The mosque proper 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 (20 ft) square. Its western wall contains a large mihrab (prayer-niche), flanked by two smaller niches. There is no minbar (pulpit) within the mosque. 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 pra