0 COMPLEX OF SULTANᶺQALA'UN:AMA-DRASA, A MAUSOLEUM AND A MARI-STAN (683-684 A.H./1284-1285 A.D).

              Sultan al-Mansur Saif al-Din Qala'un al-Alfi al-Salih ordered the building of this complex in 683 A.H.'/1284 A.D., using part of the land of the Fatimid western palace on the main qasaba of al-Mu'izz .

The complex was named after the maristan of Nur al-Din when he was an amir (prince ) and vowed that he would build his won in Egypt, if he ever became a ruler .

The complex represents a new trend in design, as the building contains a madrasa, a mausoleum and a maristan grouped along an ambulatory five meters wide.

On its side, the madrasa and the mausoleum are located, and at the end lies the muristan. The entrance of the complex is located on the south eastern façade between each of the two the two blocks of the madrasa and the mausoleum. It lies in a deep rectangular niche crowned by a horse-shoe arch. The entrance door is located in. a recess topped by a pointed arch supported on two marble columns, and above the entrance door is a lintel with a foundation  script (photo 1/43).

The ma-drasa is connected to the ambulatory through two entrances, one is in the north eastern iwan leading directly to the courtyard space, which is presently used, and the other is a bent entrance at the end of the ambulatory.

The plan of the madrasa consists of a central courtyard with an octagonal fountain in the center and four iwans (Plate 1/43). Its surface area is about 25,00  x 55,00meters, the courtyard is 17,00 x 20,50 meter, and the ratio between the courtyard area to the total area is 1:3.95.

The main iwan is influenced ѣ by European architecture, as the iwan is divided into three riwaqs perpendicular to the qibia wall as in the basilica, the larger of which being the nave with its ceilings higher than that of the side aisles.

The ceilings are all in wood with girders that lost their decorations. The iwan overlooks the courtyard through a triple arched façade in two piers supported by marble columns, the middle one, which is the largest, is topped by a round stucco grill, its intrados and edges are covered with fine stucco decorations and the arches are set in a shallow pointed arched panel, and on each side is an opening with a straight lintel topped by two tiersof arched windows, (photo 2/43). In the central front of the iwan is a circular mihrab with a circular arched hood, flanked by two round marble columns; the hood and the spandrels are decorated with gold mosaic, and the mihrab is ornamented by marble strips and rows of small marble mihrabs  (photo 3/43). On the southwest side of courtyard is a small riwaq consisting of an arcade of three arches supported on two marble columns, attributed to the renovations of 'Abd al Rahman Katkhuda .

The north eastern side of the courtyard includes at the center: a pointed-arched small iwan the present entrance and six doors of vaulted cells on its sides.