Kerala has a healthy population of Muslim community and Kerala Muslims are just second in terms of population, the first being Hindus. The Muslim community is mainly found in the northern part of Kerala such a Malabar. The Muslims in Kerala are believed to be descendants of those who have settled in Kerala from the Arab countries, as Kerala was a major trade center for the Arabs in the ancient times. Thus Kerala is also home to some of the ancient mosques in India and most of them are important pilgrimage centers for Kerala Muslims.

The architecture of the mosques in Kerala are unique and unlike others in other parts of India. They are generally covered structures comprising a large prayer hall in the centre with covered verandhas on all sides. They resemble the multi-storeyed residential buildings and have their walls made of laterite blocks. The older mosques in Kerala share the same features as the ones noticed in the Brahmanical tradition. The mosque at Patalayini Kollam had its dome covered, like the Brahmanical temples, with sheets of copper. The Jama-Masjid at Tannur, district Malappuram has a gate or gopura covered with copper sheeting. Some of the other later versions show the employment of arches. The outer walls of the Jami Masjid at Ponnani are pierced on all the sides by doors while the inner walls have several arched openings.