A complex housing the remains of the sixth sultan of the Adil Shahi dynasty, Ibrahim Adil Shah II (r. 1580–1627) and members of his family, the Ibrahim Rouza, meaning ‘Ibrahim’s garden tomb’, is an exemplary work of the Adil Shahi architectural style. The tomb complex is located in Bijapur (now Vijayapura), in Karnataka, India. Among the features of this complex and its buildings, are densely ornamented surfaces, bulbous domes, slender minarets and an extensive use of brackets. The Ibrahim Rouza complex was commissioned by Taj Sultan, the second queen of Ibrahim Adil Shah II. The project was helmed by Malik Sandal, a noted Persian architect of the age and it was completed in 1633, following the death of Taj Sultan that year. Scholars believe that the complex’s construction was Taj Sultan’s way of establishing her authority as the ruling queen of Ibrahim Adil Shah II’s court.

The Adil Shahis ruled in the Deccan region between 1489–1686, and were major patrons of art and architecture. They extensively commissioned the construction of mosques, with the largest number of extant ones from their reign belonging to the period of Ibrahim Adil Shah II’s rule. The Adil Shahis furthered the Deccani architectural style, with the inclusion of large, petalled domes, pendentives, hanging ceilings, abundant minarets, decorative eaves and use of mortar. Hindu architectural features, such as micro-architecture, floral medallions and scrollwork, were also incorporated into this style. The Ibrahim Rouza’s design and architectural features mix Arabic, Persian and Hindu elements, which are meant to provide divine protection to the graves housed by it. 

The complex consists of a tomb and a mosque, located within a square walled complex. The two buildings sit on a raised, common plinth, facing each other, with a rectangular pool and fountain between them. 

The northern wall of the complex has a large, rectangular gateway, which has a central arch, and four minarets. Each minaret has a petalled, globular dome with a finial, similar to all the other minarets of the complex. The central arch, unadorned, is flanked by smaller arched niches, and a lintel portal through which visitors enter the complex. A bracketed cornice, featuring lotus medallions, covers the entrance, and a parapet lines the terrace. Inside the gate is a corridor with platforms on either side, unadorned walls and a vaulted dome ceiling, whose only decoration is a floral medallion at the centre. 

The boundary wall and the plinth house an arcade with cells that probably served as stables, residences, kitchens and toilets; these can be accessed through lintelled portals and arched entryways. A stairway flanked by two short, domed minarets leads up the plinth once the complex is entered through the northern wall gateway. There is an identical set of steps on its southern side. The pool at the centre of the plinth consists of descending steps on the eastern and western side; and there is a raised platform in its centre with a fountain spout. The eastern portion of it is attached to the eastern boundary wall such that the plinth is surrounded by a garden on three sides rather than all four. This wall has another arched gate, allowing entry into the complex, though far less conspicuous than the northern gateway.

The tomb, which sits on the eastern side of the plinth, has a large petalled dome atop a two-tiered cubical structure, at the centre of the roof. This structure has decorative arched niches, a cornice and miniaturised versions of the tomb crowning each corner. Four minarets, each capped by a petalled dome, sits on the roof’s four corners, with miniature versions of the tomb lying along the parapet. On each side of the exterior, there are seven unadorned arched bays, with the second and sixth ones being narrower than the others. A chajja or eave hangs above the arches, supported by a series of ornamented lotus brackets. The arches lead to a portico encasing the inner veranda. The portico has a vaulted ceiling with lotus medallions. Five cusped arches lead to the inner veranda, with a pilaster topped by a corbelled bracket and a cornice, between each. Together, this double row of arches forms an arcade that surrounds the tomb chamber. 

The square tomb chamber has a doorway on each side, which is framed by an arch and surrounded by rectangular panels of Arabic calligraphy. The exterior walls are densely decorated, including the inner rows of pilasters, primarily with calligraphy carved in mid-relief, as well as foliate patterns. The brackets on opposing pilasters of the inner veranda merge to form decorative cusped arches, and floral medallions are carved into each block of the ceiling. The tympanums and spandrels of the arches have further calligraphic designs, interspersed with arabesque patterns. Arched windows flank the entrance and are decorated in a similar way, except for geometric patterns instead of calligraphy on the architrave. A row of panels featuring floral and geometric patterns is carved below the windows. Each window contains three narrow portals topped by a wide arched jaali, patterned with dense calligraphy, most of which are now partly or completely broken. These calligraphic inscriptions are largely composed of suras from the Quran, with some Arabic and Persian poetry interspersed among them. Also, important dates and names of figures associated with the monument’s construction are inscribed on the walls. The calligrapher is Naqi al-Din Husaini.