دراسة لمبنى نموذجي من العهد المملوكي ٢_a .. كتاب العمارة العربية الاسلامية

The iwans and the prayer hall: As for the iwans, there are three of them connected to each other and occupy the southern half of the school. One large one in the south and two small, identical ones in the east and west. It is open to the courtyard with three large arches in the southern iwan, and a smaller arch in each of the eastern and western iwans, above each of which are two small arches (see geometric section No. 29). The arches of the iwans are all made of alternating colored stones, and are carried on two columns with muqarnas capitals. The three iwans consist of a hall that rises three-quarters of a meter above the floor of the courtyard, in the shape of an inverted letter B. It is an innovative design that combines the principle of the iwan-wan and the arcades, and is useful in creating a hall for teaching and prayer on this small area. This hall, which is considered the most important place in the school and which was used for prayer and teaching, is the most beautiful thing about it. Its three interior walls are lined up to the middle with colored marble and various decorations (Photo No. 75). It is interspersed with a mihrab, bookcases, and windows that open to the outside. The upper section is covered with a white cloth, and is interspersed with rectangular panels. The hall is covered with a flat roof of wooden beams and boards above it. They are all decorated with colorful botanical drawings and flowers, their shape and style being renewed in the Ottoman era. The wall covering, or wall covering, begins at the top with a strip of Qur’anic verses, engraved in a beautiful Naskh script, its letters are raised and gilded, with a blue background underneath, and its verses are separated by round ornaments of floral decoration. The writing is surrounded by a frame decorated with plant leaves resembling lilies. The writing strip is followed by a colorful marbling composed of rectangular panels made up of small niches, their arches have alternating colors, and their floor is covered with marble mosaics inlaid with mother-of-pearl, consisting of geometric themes. The mihrabs' suiriyyat are also engraved. In other paintings, the shape of the arches changes and becomes detailed, covered with engravings and perforations.

Other circular panels are brilliantly engraved and sprinkled with gold within a square frame, and the space between the circle and the square is filled with fine marble mosaic decorations inlaid with mother-of-pearl as well. It will take a long time if we analyze all of these decorative themes (Photos 77, 78).

Finally, the mihrab that comes in the middle of this cladding is considered a miracle of beauty, as it brings together all the types of decorations known to the mihrab. The apse was covered with longitudinal panels of colored marble, interspersed with decorative panels inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Above the apse is a bar consisting of a series of decorated niches, then a bowl that was covered with glass mosaics. The arch of the bowl consists of colored marble composed of interlocking arches, in addition to decorative ornaments filling every corner of it. The most beautiful things about the mihrab are the two Suwayrians with their wonderful capitals and bases. The mihrab is surrounded at the top by the band of verses that we talked about (Photo No. 77).

As for the fourth iwan, it occupies the middle of the northern side of the school. It is located between two small rooms and is shallow. On one side of it is a small door for a staircase that ascends to two floors of rooms. We believe that a modification occurred on this side of the school that changed the shape of the iwan arch and made it deviate from the arches of the other iwans.

Soil: It occupies the northeastern corner of the building, and contains two graves that were made of clay and straw, contrary to what was usual for ancient graves. Also, this simple description of it is not consistent with the decoration that the school was full of. It is likely that the tomb was of modern origin and that there was no shrine originally, due to the killing of the prince and the lack of anyone to care for his shrine. However, the two shrines were recently renewed when the school was restored with stone and were made in the form of contemporary graves, contrary to the rules of restoring antiquities.

The torba has a door leading to the courtyard and a window in each of the three walls, one of which is open to the prayer hall. It is roofed with a high dome supported by four arches, the corners of which are covered by muqarnas. The walls of the soil are covered in their lower parts with marble, decorated panels, and bands of beautiful writing, as is the case in the school hall, with some differences in shapes.

Technical characteristics of the Al-Jakmaqiya School:

The Al-Jaqmaqiyya School is considered one of the most beautiful schools of the Mamluk era, and it has originality in design and art in decoration, which makes it a model for the arts of this era in architecture and decoration. A contemporary historian described it when its construction was completed, saying: It was extremely beautiful, and neither Damascus nor Egypt had anything like it (1).

When studying the school plan, we noticed that it has a funny and innovative design. The courtyard is small and roofed in a special way, but it does not deprive the school of light. The engineer also overcame the small area of ​​land and joined the three rooms together to obtain a hall with an appropriate capacity suitable for teaching and prayer at the same time. There is nothing like it in other school halls. It is shaped like an inverted letter B, as we have seen, and its roofs are supported by only two columns (see the engineering plan).

We notice beauty and mastery in the construction of the muqarnas of the door, in the arch of the entrance, and in the facade stones decorated with colored strokes. And with inscriptions and numerous architectural ornaments. One can also notice the beauty and richness of decorative elements in the interior wall cladding.

After its construction, the Al-Jaqmaqi School became an example to follow, and the architects borrowed many elements from it. The covered courtyard and the vault of the vestibule appear in the Shabakliyya Madrasa, which was built nearly a quarter of a century later (5857).

Similar decorated facades also appear in this school and in the Dalamite soil located in Al-Jisr Al-Abyad (847 AH), and in other buildings.