Misri Masjid in Ponnani is a heritage site that was constructed in the 16th century for the Egyptian Army who came to Ponnani upon the request of Zainudheen Maqdhoom and Zamorin of Kozhikode to fight against the Portuguese. A 500-year-old mosque in the port city of Ponnani which is also known as “the Mecca of Malabar”, is an outstanding testimony of the glorious past in the Zamorian-Egyptian relations. It is a well-known fact that Ponnani was a hub of Arab and Muslim traders in the medieval period. Locals call it Misri Palli where Palli means mosque.
Misr is an Arabic word for Egypt and all Arabs use the word Misr instead of Egypt. During the Portuguese occupation of Kerala in the 16th century, Zainudheen Maqdhoom, a religious scholar from Ponnani had requested all arab countries to send their armies to Kerala to fight against the Portuguese. Zamorion of Kozhikode had favored this idea.
The mosque was mainly constructed for the Egyptian Army. Several Egyptian soldiers fought against the Portuguese along with Zamorions and Kuhali Marakkar, the naval commander of Zamorions. Many lost their lives during the war. Aliyyul Misri, one of the commanders of the Army lost his life to the Portuguese and was buried near Mosque. According to the famous book Thuhfathul Mujahideen, in 1568, Egyptians had given a revolver to Zamorion king of Kozhikode.
Renovation of Misri Palli
Earlier in 2019, mosque authorities started to demolish the mosque to renovate, but due to the intervention of then Ponnani MLA P Sreeramakrishnan, demolition was saved. In June 2023, renovation work worth 85 lakh rupees was completed under the Muziris Heritage Conservation Project of the State.
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