Mosque and Madrasa of al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun

The Madrasa of al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun occupies a prime position at Bayn al-Qasrayn between the Qalawun Complex and the later foundation of Sultan Barquq. Built for Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad in the early fourteenth century, it originally combined teaching, prayer and funerary functions. Two principal iwans survive around the courtyard. The eastern iwan preserves a rare stucco mihrab, while the western side contains delicate plaster decoration. One of the building’s most unusual features is its marble Gothic entrance portal, which the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities identifies as having come from a church in Acre after the city was taken by the Mamluks. The adjoining mausoleum contains the burials of Princess Aslabay, mother of al-Nasir Muhammad, and his son Anuk. The square minaret is also distinctive for decorative details described by the Ministry as Andalusian in character.