Nur al-Din Madrasa
Encyclopedia
The Nur al-Din Madrasa is a funerary madrasa Damascus
, Syria
, located along the Khayattin Souk, inside the walled city of Damascus. It was built by Nur al-Din, Zengid ruler of Syria, in 1167. Consisting of a madrasa, mosque, and the founder's mausoleum, the Nur al-Din Madrasa was the first royal madrasa complex in the city.
leading to the eastern iwan
leading to the courtyard. To the south of the vestibule is a "horse-shoe" arched door topped by a 16-sided rosette window leading to the tomb chamber, and to the north is a staircase leading to the second floor which houses the madrasa's classrooms.
-styled semi-dome
. Both the eastern and western iwans are flanked by two small rooms on each side.
The prayer hall is located to the south of the courtyard and its central door is aligned with the mihrab
and two smaller side doors. The prayer hall and the madrasa rooms are covered with flat roofs. To the left of the mihrab is a minbar
("pulpit") and to the east and west of the prayer hall are two side chambers accessible by individual doors. A minaret
with a wooden balcony rises above the arch of the eastern iwan. The northern side of the courtyard was demolished for road enlargement. It originally consisted of an elevated iwan measuring 8.25 metres (27.1 ft) wide by 7.6 metres (24.9 ft) deep, and roofed with a barrel vault resting on the side walls. It had been flanked by two narrow rooms from each side. Today, only the courtyard walls remain.
On the vertical surface of cenotaph
are lines of Arabic
inscriptions carved repeatedly on its four sides, dedicated to the memory of Nur al-Din. The walls are decorated with niches below a continuous band of calligraphy
stating the Kursi sura
from the Qur'an
. The space is illuminated with three arched windows placed above the inscription bands on each wall, although some of the windows have been closed in. The base of the dome also has four arched windows facing the cardinal points and its upper muqarnas corbel
s are punctured with smaller openings. The southern wall has a mihrab niche flaked by two small columns.
A second mausoleum adjoins the staircase situated to the north of the complex's main entrance. It's a square-shaped room covered with a muqarnas dome, similar to the dome of Nur al-Din's mausoleum. Entered separately, this mausoleum is remnant of Madrasa Nagibiyya and houses the tomb of Amir Jamal al-Din Aqqush an-Nagibi, who died in 1269 and governed Damascus under the Mamluk
sultan Baibars
.
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, located along the Khayattin Souk, inside the walled city of Damascus. It was built by Nur al-Din, Zengid ruler of Syria, in 1167. Consisting of a madrasa, mosque, and the founder's mausoleum, the Nur al-Din Madrasa was the first royal madrasa complex in the city.
Architecture
The structure is accessed from the east through a portal recess covered with a double cross-vault. In the 14th century, a low-lying arch was constructed across the recess in order to support the double arch of the original vault. The portal itself opens up to a cross-vaulted vestibuleVestibule (architecture)
A vestibule is a lobby, entrance hall, or passage between the entrance and the interior of a building.The same term can apply to structures in modern or ancient roman architecture. In modern architecture vestibule typically refers to a small room or hall between an entrance and the interior of...
leading to the eastern iwan
Iwan
An iwan is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called pishtaq, a Persian term for a portal projecting from the facade of a building, usually decorated with calligraphy bands, glazed tilework, and...
leading to the courtyard. To the south of the vestibule is a "horse-shoe" arched door topped by a 16-sided rosette window leading to the tomb chamber, and to the north is a staircase leading to the second floor which houses the madrasa's classrooms.
Courtyard
The classrooms are organized around the courtyard measuring 16.6 metres (54.5 ft) by 20.6 metres (67.6 ft), paved with black and white marble tiles. A rectangular basin alimented by a water channel connected to a fountain situated on the west iwan is in the center. The iwan is 4.45 metres (14.6 ft) wide by 3.9 metres (12.8 ft) deep and is topped by a muqarnasMuqarnas
Muqarnas is a type of corbel used as a decorative device in traditional Islamic architecture. The term is similar to mocárabe, but mocárabe only refers to designs with formations resembling stalactites, by the use of elements known as alveole.Muqarnas takes the form of small pointed niches,...
-styled semi-dome
Semi-dome
A semi-dome, also called a "half-dome", is the term in architecture for half a dome , used to cover a semi-circular area. Similar structures occur in nature.-Architecture:...
. Both the eastern and western iwans are flanked by two small rooms on each side.
The prayer hall is located to the south of the courtyard and its central door is aligned with the mihrab
Mihrab
A mihrab is semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla; that is, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying...
and two smaller side doors. The prayer hall and the madrasa rooms are covered with flat roofs. To the left of the mihrab is a minbar
Minbar
A minbar is a pulpit in the mosque where the imam stands to deliver sermons or in the Hussainia where the speaker sits and lectures the congregation...
("pulpit") and to the east and west of the prayer hall are two side chambers accessible by individual doors. A minaret
Minaret
A minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
with a wooden balcony rises above the arch of the eastern iwan. The northern side of the courtyard was demolished for road enlargement. It originally consisted of an elevated iwan measuring 8.25 metres (27.1 ft) wide by 7.6 metres (24.9 ft) deep, and roofed with a barrel vault resting on the side walls. It had been flanked by two narrow rooms from each side. Today, only the courtyard walls remain.
Mausoleum
Nur al-Din's mausoleum has a square plan, measuring 6.6 metres (21.7 ft) on each side, and adjoins the entrance vestibule. It is centered on his tomb located below a small, detailed muqarnas dome. Its walls are higher than the rest of the madrasa complex, lifting the dome, with its corbels and bulbous crown, into the skyline of Damascus.On the vertical surface of cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
are lines of Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
inscriptions carved repeatedly on its four sides, dedicated to the memory of Nur al-Din. The walls are decorated with niches below a continuous band of calligraphy
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
stating the Kursi sura
Sura
A sura is a division of the Qur'an, often referred to as a chapter. The term chapter is sometimes avoided, as the suras are of unequal length; the shortest sura has only three ayat while the longest contains 286 ayat...
from the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
. The space is illuminated with three arched windows placed above the inscription bands on each wall, although some of the windows have been closed in. The base of the dome also has four arched windows facing the cardinal points and its upper muqarnas corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s are punctured with smaller openings. The southern wall has a mihrab niche flaked by two small columns.
A second mausoleum adjoins the staircase situated to the north of the complex's main entrance. It's a square-shaped room covered with a muqarnas dome, similar to the dome of Nur al-Din's mausoleum. Entered separately, this mausoleum is remnant of Madrasa Nagibiyya and houses the tomb of Amir Jamal al-Din Aqqush an-Nagibi, who died in 1269 and governed Damascus under the Mamluk
Mamluk
A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
sultan Baibars
Baibars
Baibars or Baybars , nicknamed Abu l-Futuh , was a Mamluk Sultan of Egypt. He was one of the commanders of the forces which inflicted a devastating defeat on the Seventh Crusade of King Louis IX of France and he led the vanguard of the Egyptian army at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, which marked...
.