Madrasa and Khanqah of Sultan al-Zahir Barquq

Sultan al-Zahir Barquq established this madrasa and khanqah between 1384 and 1386 CE at Bayn al-Qasrayn, one of the most prestigious stretches of Al-Muizz Street. The foundation combined several functions: a mosque, a madrasa teaching the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence, a Sufi khanqah and a mausoleum for members of Barquq’s family. The building is arranged around a central open courtyard with four iwans, the largest on the qibla side. This southeastern iwan preserves a marble mihrab, wooden minbar, Qur’an stand and the raised platform used by the prayer repeater. Residential and service facilities once supported students and Sufis, including rooms, a kitchen and stables. Decorative inscriptions, colored marble revetment and the monument’s façade and minaret mark the transition from the earlier Bahri Mamluk architecture around Qalawun to the Circassian Mamluk period.