Fodor's Expert Review Madrasa and Mausoleum of al-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub

Though its facade is deceptively regular, this building marks a turning point in Cairo's architectural and political history. The last descendant of Salah al-Din to rule Egypt, al-Salih Najm al-Din al-Ayyub died in 1249 defending the country against the Crusader attack led by Louis IX of France. His madrasa was used by judges to hear cases and issue judgments; punishments were carried out in the street in front of it, in the Bayn al-Qasrayn area, which was the city center for centuries. This madrasa was not only the first in Cairo to have a liwan (a vaulted area) for more than one legal school, but it was also the first to have a tomb attached—two traits that became standard features of Mamluk madrasas. Note the minaret's cap, which is shaped like a mabkhara (an incense burner), and its keel-arch recess with shell-like ornamentation.