If you turn to the left after the Madrassa Djakmakiyah, you will come to Saladin's Mausoleum, a very modest edifice
considering the reputation of this indomitable adversary of the Crusaders who died in 1193 in Damascus. Emperor
Wilhem II, visiting Damascus in 1898, gave it a new marble sarcophagus. Buried at first in the citadel, Saladin
received his final tomb inside the Madrassa Aziziah, founded by the Sultan Aziz, son and successor (in Cairo, not
Syria) of the famous sovereign. Even more remarkable is the wood cenotaph with Arabesque sculptures (12th century)
which local tradition attributes to the secretary of Saladin. The western wall of the mausoleum is ornamented with
ceramic tiles of the 18th century bearing a Turkish inscription.
Beyond the mausoleum, in the narrow street to the right is the National Library housed in Madrassa Zahiriyah, a
rather modest building where Ayoub, the father of Saladin, who gave his name to the Ayoubid dynasty, lived. On
the death of the Mameluke Sultan Baybars (in 1277) the building was transformed into a funeral madrassa to house
the tomb of this sovereign. Then, the room sheltering the tomb was topped with a dome and a monumental entrance
was made. The room of the tomb is paneled with marble marquetry and decorated with a mosaic frieze with golden
background representing trees and monuments.
Across the street perpendicular to the one you just followed, the Madrassa Adiliah, the ancient house of the Arab
Academy, is another funeral madrassa. It holds the tomb of EI-MaIek EI-Adel, the Sword of the Religion or Saifuddin
(Saphadin for the Crusaders). EI-Adel was the brother of Saladin and was proclaimed Sultan of Egypt and Syria in
1200. In order to defend the city against the Prankish threat, he reconstructed the citadel in 1216-1217. The portal
with hanging key, covered by a double cupola, is a very fine piece of work. |
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