Salihiyya Madrasa
Encyclopedia
The Salihiyya Madrasa was one of the most prominent centers of Islam
ic learning in the Ayyubid and Mamluk
era in the 13th-14th centuries CE. Its remains are located along Muizz Street
in Cairo
, Egypt
.
founded by Saladin
ruled Egypt and the neighboring lands. In 1242, the sultan at the time, as-Salih Ayyub
, built the Salihiyya Madrasa (named after him). It became the first madrasa ("religious college") to teach all four of Sunni Islam
's madhabs ("schools of law"). The northern wing of the complex was dedicated to the Shafi'i
and Maliki
denominations and the southern wing was dedicated to the Hanafi
and Hanbali
denominations.
In 1249, Shajar al-Durr, as-Salih Ayyub's widow, had a mausoleum for as-Salih built adjacent to his madrasa. This established a medieval Islamic tradition of burying the patron in the religious institution he or she founded. The Salihiyya Madrasa soon became known as the "citadel of the scholars (ulema
)." It was deserted sometime following the conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Empire
in the early 16th century.
chronicler al-Maqrizi
, as-Salih Ayyub had the eastern wall of the royal palace demolished in order to construct the two building complexes that made up the Salihiyya Madrasa. The two parallel wings were divided by a public passageway. Each of the wings consisted of two floors centered around open inner courts. The western portion of each wing provided student housing while the eastern halves functioned as iwan
s—open vaulted halls where teaching took place. The architectural plan originated in Islamic Persia, while the iwans themselves derive from pre-Islamic Persia. Although the Salihiyya Madrasa was not the first madrasa to introduce the iwan court to Egypt, it is the oldest surviving structure of its type in the country. Its plan played a significant role in Cairo's later architecture.
Today, there are no remains of the southern wing except for the facade. Few parts of the northern wing, namely the iwan, still stand. This iwan was dedicated to the Maliki denomination. The larger qibla
iwan which is no longer intact had three mihrab
s and was dedicated to Shafi'i denomination. Because of the issue of reconciling already-built thoroughfares with the traditional need to align the primary structures with Mecca
, the building plan was asymmetrical. The building's exterior is currently covered by shops, with only the minaret
and parts of the central facade visible from the street.
The Salihiyya Madrasa broke the Ayyubid tradition of only adding minarets to Friday mosques to call Muslims to prayer in that mosque. The madrasa's minaret is positioned directly over the entrance of the madrasa. The structure has two shafts topped by ribbed helmet domes divided by a balcony and is known as a mabkhara ("incense burner.") The lower shaft is rectangular and on each of its sides are three tall, recessed, keel-arched panels with ribbed hoods. Its upper shaft is octagonal in shape and also with keel-arched panels. Unlike its lower counterpart, however, it is a more open structure filled with lobe-arched windows. The bases of the minaret's domes are decorated by two bands of muqarnas
.
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic learning in the Ayyubid and 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...
era in the 13th-14th centuries CE. Its remains are located along Muizz Street
Muizz street
Al-Muizz Street in Islamic Cairo, Egypt is one of the oldest streets in Cairo, approximately one kilometer long. A United Nations study found it to have the greatest concentration of medieval architectural treasures in the Islamic world...
in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
History
In the 13th century, the Ayyubid dynastyAyyubid dynasty
The Ayyubid dynasty was a Muslim dynasty of Kurdish origin, founded by Saladin and centered in Egypt. The dynasty ruled much of the Middle East during the 12th and 13th centuries CE. The Ayyubid family, under the brothers Ayyub and Shirkuh, originally served as soldiers for the Zengids until they...
founded by Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
ruled Egypt and the neighboring lands. In 1242, the sultan at the time, as-Salih Ayyub
As-Salih Ayyub
Al-Malik as-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub , also known as al-Malik al-Salih was the Ayyubid ruler of Egypt from 1240 to 1249.-Biography:...
, built the Salihiyya Madrasa (named after him). It became the first madrasa ("religious college") to teach all four of Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
's madhabs ("schools of law"). The northern wing of the complex was dedicated to the Shafi'i
Shafi'i
The Shafi'i madhhab is one of the schools of fiqh, or religious law, within the Sunni branch of Islam. The Shafi'i school of fiqh is named after Imām ash-Shafi'i.-Principles:...
and Maliki
Maliki
The ' madhhab is one of the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. It is the second-largest of the four schools, followed by approximately 25% of Muslims, mostly in North Africa, West Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and in some parts of Saudi Arabia...
denominations and the southern wing was dedicated to the Hanafi
Hanafi
The Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
and Hanbali
Hanbali
The Hanbali school is one the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. The jurisprudence school traces back to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal but was institutionalized by his students. Hanbali jurisprudence is considered very strict and conservative, especially regarding questions of dogma...
denominations.
In 1249, Shajar al-Durr, as-Salih Ayyub's widow, had a mausoleum for as-Salih built adjacent to his madrasa. This established a medieval Islamic tradition of burying the patron in the religious institution he or she founded. The Salihiyya Madrasa soon became known as the "citadel of the scholars (ulema
Ulema
Ulama , also spelt ulema, refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. They are best known as the arbiters of shari‘a law...
)." It was deserted sometime following the conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in the early 16th century.
Architecture
According to MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
chronicler al-Maqrizi
Al-Maqrizi
Taqi al-Din Ahmad ibn 'Ali ibn 'Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad al-Maqrizi ; Arabic: , was an Egyptian historian more commonly known as al-Maqrizi or Makrizi...
, as-Salih Ayyub had the eastern wall of the royal palace demolished in order to construct the two building complexes that made up the Salihiyya Madrasa. The two parallel wings were divided by a public passageway. Each of the wings consisted of two floors centered around open inner courts. The western portion of each wing provided student housing while the eastern halves functioned as 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...
s—open vaulted halls where teaching took place. The architectural plan originated in Islamic Persia, while the iwans themselves derive from pre-Islamic Persia. Although the Salihiyya Madrasa was not the first madrasa to introduce the iwan court to Egypt, it is the oldest surviving structure of its type in the country. Its plan played a significant role in Cairo's later architecture.
Today, there are no remains of the southern wing except for the facade. Few parts of the northern wing, namely the iwan, still stand. This iwan was dedicated to the Maliki denomination. The larger qibla
Qibla
The Qiblah , also transliterated as Qibla, Kiblah or Kibla, is the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays during salah...
iwan which is no longer intact had three 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...
s and was dedicated to Shafi'i denomination. Because of the issue of reconciling already-built thoroughfares with the traditional need to align the primary structures with Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
, the building plan was asymmetrical. The building's exterior is currently covered by shops, with only the 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....
and parts of the central facade visible from the street.
The Salihiyya Madrasa broke the Ayyubid tradition of only adding minarets to Friday mosques to call Muslims to prayer in that mosque. The madrasa's minaret is positioned directly over the entrance of the madrasa. The structure has two shafts topped by ribbed helmet domes divided by a balcony and is known as a mabkhara ("incense burner.") The lower shaft is rectangular and on each of its sides are three tall, recessed, keel-arched panels with ribbed hoods. Its upper shaft is octagonal in shape and also with keel-arched panels. Unlike its lower counterpart, however, it is a more open structure filled with lobe-arched windows. The bases of the minaret's domes are decorated by two bands of muqarnas
Muqarnas
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,...
.