Madrasa al-Ashrafiyya

The al-Ashrafiyya Madrasa
The al-Ashrafiyya Madrasa
مدرسة الأشرفية
	Qaytbay
Location
Location	Temple Mount, Jerusalem
Geographic coordinates	31°46′39.12″N 35°14′3.6″E / 31.7775333°N 35.234333°E
Architecture
Type	Madrasa
Style	Mamluk architecture; Islamic
Completed	1482 CE
Materials	stone

The Madrasa al-Ashrafiyya (

Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount) in Jerusalem.^[1]^[2] Although only a part of the original structure still stands today, it is a notable example of royal Mamluk architecture in Jerusalem.^[3]

History

A first madrasa on the same site as the Madrasa al-Ashrafiyya was begun by Sultan

Khushqadam in 1465.^[4] The current madrasa, however, was completely rebuilt by one of his successors, Sultan al-Ashraf Qaytbay, after whom it is named.^[4]

Al-Ashraf Qaytbay was one of the last powerful and successful sultans of the

Burji Mamluk period which was otherwise marked by Egypt's relative decline.^[5] He is known for at least 85 structures which he built or restored in Egypt, Syria, Palestine, and Mecca, including 17 in Cairo, and this period is characterized by a refinement of the Mamluk architectural style.^[6]

Qaytbay saw Khushqadam's madrasa in 1475 and apparently did not think highly of it.

sabil (fountain house or water dispensary) to its northeast to be rebuilt, resulting in the Sabil of Qaytbay, which still stands there today.^[4]

A strong earthquake destroyed much of the upper floor of the madrasa in 1496.[8] Today, only parts of the lower stories have survived, but the original structure is known thanks to extensive contemporary documentation and modern-day investigation of its remains.^[4]

Its ground floor housed the al-Aqsa Library between 1977 and 2000.^[9] The building underwent years of considerable rehabilitation in the 2000s. Since 2008, it has been repurposed as the al-Aqsa Center for the Restoration of Islamic Manuscripts (مركز ترميم المخطوطات الإسلامية), including a restoration lab for its technicians.^[10]

Architectural description

The madrasa was built on two stories on the western side of the Haram al-Sharif, facing towards the Dome of the Rock. The facade of the building is 25 meters wide and projects in front of the long arcade which runs along the western boundary of the Haram al-Sharif, which would have made the madrasa very prominent, a feature likely owed to its royal patronage.^[4]

The madrasa was centered around a large rectangular courtyard similar to those built by Qaytbay earlier at

his own funerary mosque-madrasa in Cairo and in other late Mamluk madrasas of the period. However, the eastern side of the courtyard was taken up by a triple-arched loggia which, thanks to its elevated position, provided an unimpeded view of the Dome of the Rock. Living quarters for students were arranged around another upper courtyard or terrace built over the adjacent Baladiyya Madrasa.^[4]^[8]

According to

Mujīr al-Dīn al-'Ulaymī, who was a historian at that time, the madrasa was the third jewel of Masjid Bayt al-Maqdis (the Haram al-Sharif), after al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.^[11]^[12]

Environs

It is located in the western esplanade of the al-Aqsa Compound, with many other notable structures around:

To its south are the

at-Tankiziyya Madrasa

To its northeast is the Fountain of Qayt Bay.
To its west is the Baladiyya Madrasa.
To its east are the an-Nāranj Pool and Fountain of Qasim Pasha.
To its southeast is the Dome of Moses.

References

doi:10.5642/lux.201303.16
.

^ Al-Natsheh, Yusuf Said. "Al-Madrasah al-Sallamiyya (al-Mawsiliyya) History, Architecture, Methods of Restoration and Rehabilitation". Welfare Association-Old City of Jerusalem Revitalization Programme: 1–117.

^ "Discover Islamic Art - Virtual Museum - monument_ISL_pa_Mon01_8_en". islamicart.museumwnf.org. Retrieved 2020-04-21.

^
Bloom, Jonathan
(1995). The Art and Architecture of Islam: 1250-1800. New Haven; London: Yale University Press. pp. 92–93.

^ Raymond, André. 1993. Le Caire. Fayard.

^ Williams, Caroline (2018). Islamic Monuments in Cairo: The Practical Guide (7th ed.). Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press. p. 289.

^ Marom, 2019, p. 138

^ ^a ^b ^c "Madrasa al-Ashrafiyya". Archnet. Retrieved 2019-10-23.

ISBN 978-2-8218-7626-2
.

^ "The Old City of Jerusalem Revitalisation Programme" (PDF). Welfare Association. 2012. p. 29. [p. 17 of the PDF]

JSTOR 604667
.

^ Necim, Raif. "İsrail İşgaline Rağmen Kudüs'te İslam Mimari Mirasının Korunması". The Conference on the Preservation of Architectural Heritage of Islamic Cities: 473–479.

Bibliography

Berchem, van, M. (1922). MIFAO 43 Matériaux pour un Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Part 2 Syrie du Sud T.1 Jérusalem "Ville" (in French and Arabic). Cairo: Impr. de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale. (pp. 352−374)

Burgoyne, Michael Hamilton (1987). Mamluk Jerusalem. British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem by the World of Islam Festival Trust.
ISBN 090503533X
. (pp. 589−605)

ISBN 978-3902782113. (pp. 88–90
)

Marom, Roy (2019). "A short history of Mulabbis (Petah Tikva, Israel)". Palestine Exploration Quarterly. 151 (2): 134–145.
S2CID 197799335
.

Moudjir ed-dyn (1876). Sauvaire (ed.). Histoire de Jérusalem et d'Hébron depuis Abraham jusqu'à la fin du XVe siècle de J.-C. : fragments de la Chronique de Moudjir-ed-dyn. (p. 143)

Tibawi, A.L. (1978). The Islamic Pious Foundations in Jerusalem: Origins, History and Usurpation by Israel. London: Islamic Cultural Centre.

External links

Media related to Al-Ashrafiyya Madrasa at Wikimedia Commons

Madrasa al-Ashrafiyya at Discover Islamic Art (Museum With No Frontiers) (includes more pictures and a floor plan)

Madrasa al-Ashrafiyya at ArchNet

Madrasa al-Ashrafiyya Restoration, archnet

Photos of the Madrasa al-Ashrafiyya at the Manar al-Athar photo archive

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Madrasa_al-Ashrafiyya&oldid=1219739871"

[1] doi:10.5642/lux.201303.16
.

[2] Al-Natsheh, Yusuf Said. "Al-Madrasah al-Sallamiyya (al-Mawsiliyya) History, Architecture, Methods of Restoration and Rehabilitation". Welfare Association-Old City of Jerusalem Revitalization Programme: 1–117.

[3] "Discover Islamic Art - Virtual Museum - monument_ISL_pa_Mon01_8_en". islamicart.museumwnf.org. Retrieved 2020-04-21.

[:0-4] 
Bloom, Jonathan
(1995). The Art and Architecture of Islam: 1250-1800. New Haven; London: Yale University Press. pp. 92–93.

[Raymond1993-5] Raymond, André. 1993. Le Caire. Fayard.

[6] Williams, Caroline (2018). Islamic Monuments in Cairo: The Practical Guide (7th ed.). Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press. p. 289.

[Marom-7] Marom, 2019, p. 138

[:1-8] "Madrasa al-Ashrafiyya". Archnet. Retrieved 2019-10-23.

[9] ISBN 978-2-8218-7626-2
.

[10] "The Old City of Jerusalem Revitalisation Programme" (PDF). Welfare Association. 2012. p. 29. [p. 17 of the PDF]

[11] JSTOR 604667
.

[12] Necim, Raif. "İsrail İşgaline Rağmen Kudüs'te İslam Mimari Mirasının Korunması". The Conference on the Preservation of Architectural Heritage of Islamic Cities: 473–479.

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