Madrasa al-Firdaws
المدرسة الفردوس
The largest and finest Ayyubid madrasa of Aleppo, founded by Queen Dayfa Khatun in the 13th century outside Bab al-Maqam.
South of old Aleppo's walls, outside Bab al-Maqam, stands Madrasa al-Firdaws, considered by many the finest surviving Ayyubid building in Aleppo. It was founded in the 1230s by Queen Dayfa Khatun, wife of al-Zahir Ghazi, who ruled Aleppo as regent for her grandson — one of the few women to govern in that era.
It combined teaching, prayer and lodging for students and Sufis, a madrasa and ribat at once. A large courtyard with an octagonal pool and colonnaded portico opens onto a great iwan to the north and a domed prayer hall to the south with a mihrab of interlaced coloured marble.
A long carved inscription band runs around the courtyard, with fine muqarnas over the portal. Quieter than the sites inside the walls, it is a contemplative visit and a testimony to women's patronage of learning and architecture. Part of the Ancient City of Aleppo World Heritage property.
Note: photos may not reflect the site's current condition.
For the visitor
Location: 36.1867, 37.1554 · Open on the map
Photos
Photos: K. A. C. Creswell — via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Dosseman — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)
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