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= Al-Firdaus Madrasa =

Intro
Madrasa al-Firdaus is an Ayyubid complex in Aleppo, Syria that contains a madrasa, mausoleum and other functional spaces. The madrasa was established in the 13th Century by al-Malika Dayfa Khatun, who would later be the ruler of Aleppo. Madrasa al-Firdaus is a madrasa complex located southwest of the Bab al-Maqam in Aleppo, Syria. It is the largest and best known of the Ayyubid madrasas in Aleppo. Due to its location outside the city walls, the madrasa was developed as a freestanding structure.

Relationship to Environment
Built in 1236, by the queen al-Malika Dayfa Khatun, the Madrasa al-Firdaus was funded through the queen’s personal resources. These funds stemmed from a waqf that she established for the madrasa al-Firdaus that consisted of the income of the village of Kafr Zayta and two thirds of the income from a mill nearby. We can assume that the building was intended to fulfill a variety of functions when we examine the types of people that the Queen appointed within the Madrasa: Quran reciters, fuqah’s or jurists, and members from Sufi orders. From the range of educated scholars brought to the building, it is clear that the Madrasa al-Firdaus was meant to be an important place for Islamic worship and learning.

In the thirteenth century, Aleppo had become an immense center for commerce and religion. During the Ayyubid period, the majority of the citizens of Aleppo were merchants with a strong inclination towards Shi’ism. The overcrowding of the city was one of the primary factors why many large monuments, including the madrasa al-Firdaus, were built outside of the city. The site of the madrasa, built on the outskirts of the city of Aleppo, is referred to as the “Maqamat” or “maqam” area. In this case, the term maqam denotes the spiritual power and resonance of an area where a prophet once resided or stayed. While this was not the only maqamat area dedicated to Abraham in Aleppo, the importance of the madrasa within the maqamat area outside of the city is significant as it dictates why the site became a burial area as well as an area for spiritual retreat. Its label as a maqam location incited a powerful level of spiritual resonance and its location away from the packed city created a more spiritual area than the other maqams.

Another important factor relating to the madrasa location is its proximity to the main road leading out of the city and on to Damascus. This road was not only used each year for the Hajj procession, but also lead through the main gate of Aleppo know as the Bab al-Maqam and to the Citadel at the cities center. The placement of the madrasa at an area with so much traffic would likely have been intentional in order demonstrate the power and wealth of the ruler of Aleppo to any passerby. In addition, the sites strong religious ties would have earned continuous words of prayer from anyone moving by.

Visual Analysis
The Madrasa al-Firdaus was built outside of the city walls of Aleppo so there were few limitations when considering its architectural planning. The style of the building can be characterized by its visible regularity and rationale when observing its architectural details. This emphasis on regularity is not commonly seen in other examples of Syrian medieval architecture. It is rectangular in shape and topped by 11 domes. At its center is a courtyard which follows the ancient 3-4-5 ratio in which a rectangular area was made by combining two pythagorean triangles. The heights of the building’s columns shared the same measurement as the distance in between columns. Geometric references like these are seen throughout the building’s plan to reinforce its regularity. The building is based on a 4 Iwan plan, in which four spaces opened into central courtyard where they met. However, this plan was altered to only include one Iwan on one side of the building. The remaining 3 sides are surrounded by domes. On either side of the northern Iwan there is an entrance to a smaller iwan and two, double storied residences were eventually added to house those who would come to the madrasa. According to Sbit ibn al-‘Ajami the northern Iwan would have overlooked an enclosed garden with a pool. This view combined with inscriptions wrapping around the building would have evoked ideas of paradise for those who visited. There are two lengthy inscriptions on the Madrasa al-Firdaus. One can be read around the eastern facade while the other surrounded the courtyard. The inscription around the eastern facade was taken from the Quranic verses 6:85 and 12:4-6 in which believers were promised a Paradise where they would be “served on plates of gold”. The inscription around the courtyard draws upon poetry and mysticism to describe the activities of members of the Sufi order who would have congregated at the madrasa.

The Function of the Madrasa al Firdaus
Al-Firdaus was founded to house many facilities for religious as well as familial purposes for the queen’s family. Among the complex was the mausoleum, the madrasa, the ribat, the khanqa and the zawiya. The mausoleum was created to house the bodies of the queen and her family, as well as several saints later on. The Ayyubid standards for mausoleums called for the structure to be raised, in a clean site and being located near a holy place. This mausoleum upheld Ayyubid standards by being located at a raised and clean site without any dirty water or waste nearby. Al-Firdaus also follows the Ayyubid mausoleum rules because it is located near a holy site: the Maqam of Abraham. Because of the mausoleum being located in the al-Firdaus complex, the site is technically a “funerary madrasa” by definition. The madrasa itself was a formal school that maintained a traditional teaching method. Students would live with one man in an apprentice-type learning environment to learn from him. This education would most usually be for gaining religious knowledge and was seen as a good moral action. Also in the complex was the ribat, part of the structure that originally would have been a small fort defended by volunteers. However, this ribat was more of a religious space acting as a hospice and shelter for the poor in Aleppo. The khanqa was a space for the Sufi scholars who would be trained in law instead of the religious teachings from the madrasa. The zawiya served as a more informal school where the teacher would approach each student differently and there were less rules than at the ribat or the khanqa.