The mosque is located inside Sher Shah Suri's fort, Purana Qila, which became his fortification after he won Delhi.

[6] Historian MC Joshi argues that although Sher Shah completed the mosque, it was originally "designed" and its construction was started by Humayun.

[1] Joshi believes that Sher Shah built the upper part of the mosque which included the dome.

[6] It is a symbol of the architectural tradition of "a five bay mosque", a concept which was developed during the of Sayyid and Lodi dynasties.

The mosque was built by "core masonry" with stone rubble "bonded with lime mortar".

[7] From the liwan rises the dome, built in the Lodi style, flanked by small minarets, called guldastas (flower bouquets).

[1] The mihrabs, with alternate dark and light coloured stones, are similar to that of the Atala Masjid in Jaunpur.

There is a shallow dome in the central space, whereas the eastern and western arcades have semi-domes called "nim-gumbad" which rest on "suspending arches".

[1] The mosque also has "cusped entrance arches", a feature common during the reign of Alauddin Khalji.