Solah Masjid, Bidar, Karnataka India

Solah Masjid or the Zenani Masjid, the sixteen-columned prayer hall was built in 1423 AD by Prince Muhammad even prior to the shifting of the capital to Bidar by the Bahamanis. This is the oldest Muslim building in Bidar and among the largest in India. Located in Bidar, a gate opposite to the royal baths leads to the gardens of the old Lal Bagh and the ladies apartments.

The Solah Khamba Mosque or sixteen columned prayer hall is the oldest Muslim building in Bidar and one of the largest in India. Part of the royal town inside the magnificent Bidar Fort this stately mosque served as the principal place of worship within the fort. Though built under the Bahamani Sultan Ahmad Shah Wali regime in 1429 AD, it was extended later. The Solah Khamba Mosque stands in a separate walled garden, Lalbagh. Its outer construction of the mosque consists of a long row of arched openings. The parapet of interlocking battlements above is a Bahmani addition. Its flattish central dome is raised on a drum with trefoil crenellations.

Only remnants of a fountain and series of water cascades in use can be seen reminding one of the cascades at the Vrindavan Gardens at Mysore. Aurangzeb, after the conquest of Bidar, held prayers here to decree Mughal sovereignty. Steps lead to the top from where a sweeping view can be had of the countryside.