Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Dār al-Qurān al-Afrīdunīyā

 


Perhaps the most noteworthy of the buildings endowed just after Tengiz’s time is

the Madrasa al-`Ajami (or Turba al-Afriduniye), a minor masterpiece erected by a local

businessman, Afridun al-`Ajami (d.1348) which shows the confident absorption of

the early Mamluk style within the Damascus tradition. The building (western side of

Midan Street just south of the Suq al-Sinaniye), though today unrestored and plastered

with posters, shows the new Mamluk repertoire in its full confidence: roundels,

joggled stonework, shallow window settings, a high entrance muqarnas enclosing a

boldly patterned panel. For the first time, Damascus yielded to the masters’ tastes in

all their exuberance. Even behind the façade, in spite of the building’s small dimensions,

the layout followed the cruciform plan.  






Text: Ross Burns. Damascus, a history 2005.

Photo:Akram H. Olaby. H̱itat Dimašq, Dar al-Tabbaa 1989.

Plan: Zakarīya Kībrīt. Arab Encyclopedia

No comments:

Post a Comment