The Madrasa and Mausoleum of Al Salih Najm Al Din Ayyub is one of the most historic complexes of its kind in Cairo. This complex is also known by the name of Madrasa Al-Salihiyya (or Salihiyya Madrasa). This complex was built in the Ayyubid dynasty of Egypt in 1242, by the Sultan Al-Salih Ayyub, and the mausoleum of the complex was added later by his wife Shajarr ad-Durr in 1249. It’s located in Al-Muizz street, right across the complex of Sultan Qalawun.

The Salihiyya Madrasa holds a prominent historical value among the several similar complexes of Cairo, as it is one of the oldest religious complexes. This complex pioneered in being the first madrasa to teach all four madhabs (schools of law) of Islam and, after the addition of Al-Salih Ayyub’s mausoleum, the oldest complex to have a mausoleum for its founder, which started the tradition of having a big mausoleum for the founder of a complex to be buried in, in order to let the people visiting the complex to also visit his burial site to remember and pray for him.

The complex is made up of two buildings that are separated by a public passageway. According to the historic Muslim chronicler Al Maqrizi, the Sultan demolished the eastern wall of the royal palace to construct his complex. The two wings had similar plans; they consisted of two floors and had their western portions designated as students housing, while the eastern portions had the iwans, which were big open vaulted halls where teaching took place. This architectural plan, especially the iwans, drew a lot of inspiration from the Persian architecture. The setting of iwan courts in which teaching took place wasn’t introduced in Egypt by the Salihiyya Madrasa, but it is one of the early constructions to employ this setting and one of the most well known at the time, which greatly influenced the architectural style of the following religious structures of Islamic Cairo. Today, it is the earliest surviving example of the iwans.

The southern wing has only its facade remaining today, while the northern wing has a few elements still standing, with the most important one being its iwan. This surviving iwan was dedicated to the Shafi’i denomination. The minaret of the complex is still surviving today and, along with parts of the central facade, can be seen from the street. The minaret of the Madrasa Salihiyya was a breakthrough feature. It was the first minaret to be built for a building other than a Friday mosque, which the Ayyubids built to call people for prayers. The minaret has two shafts. The lower shaft is rectangular in shape while the upper one is octagonal. The two shafts have a balcony dividing them and the minaret has a dome on top of it. The minaret is one of the most beautiful in Egypt with lots of very aesthetic details. One of these beautiful details is the keel-arched panels that cover the minaret, along with their ripped hoods. Also, the minaret’s dome is hollow and ripped in beautiful patterns; it is known as a mabkhara, which is the arabic name of an incense burner.