The Al-Shadhbakhtiyya Madrasa

A small madrasa and tomb inside the old city of Aleppo, tucked among the souqs. The neighbourhood calls it the Sheikh Marouf mosque, but the inscription above the door gives another name: Jamal al-Din Shadhbakht endowed this place.

Who built it

Shadhbakht had been brought from India as a slave, and Nur al-Din Zengi freed him. When his master died in 1174 he was serving as deputy at the Aleppo citadel. The madrasa was finished in 1193, in the reign of al-Zahir Ghazi, and endowed for followers of the Hanafi school; the naskhi inscription recording that endowment is still in place. The building was founded as a madrasa and a tomb together.

Getting there

Inside the souq fabric of the old city, a few minutes from Khan al-Wazir. From the lane you see a mosque sign, and only at the door does it read as a madrasa. The way in is through a narrow gap.

How long it takes

Twenty minutes. A small courtyard and two rooms, no more.

What to see

The portal ends in a half-dome filled with a fine tier of muqarnas — the signature of Ayyubid Aleppo. The run of arches on the west side of the inner courtyard has collapsed; the square room behind it still stands. Under the dome over the prayer chamber is the marble mihrab, with a column to either side and carefully carved capitals.

Don’t miss

Look closely at the marble of the mihrab. Few Ayyubid mihrabs this early survive in place in Aleppo, and it is the best-preserved part of the building. On the way out, step back and look at the muqarnas over the door from the street.