The Art And Architecture of Islamic Cairo

Mausoleum
Madrasa
Qibla
iwan
North-west iwan
splendid keel-arched panel with a fluted sunburst of radiating
muqarnas framing a central panel containing the foundation
inscription written in Naskhi. On either side of this are two rectangular
recessed panels with rosettes and muqarnas. Like the al-Aqmar
mosque this arrangement of panels forms a masterly composition
in relief, exploiting the play of light and shadow across these
beautifully proportioned and precisely delineated crystalline
surfaces. The rest of the façade is broken by tall recessed panels,
keel-arched at the centre and square-headed over the rest, with
windows at ground-floor level.
Except for the façade, nothing of the southern wing has survived,
and the remains of the northern wing are fragmentary, with
only the north-western iwan surviving with its original vaulting. The
larger qibla iwan had three mihrabs and the other two sides of the
sahn were overlooked by irregular barrel-vaulted rooms providing
student accommodation. The north-western iwan was devoted to the
Maliki madhhab and the south-eastern qibla iwan to the Shafi’i
madhhab. The considerable asymmetry of this plan is due to the
problems of reconciling established public thoroughfares with the
above: Plan of mausoleum and madrasa
of Sultan al-Salih.
Ayyubid Architecture 117