Bīmāristān al-Qaymarī: the Plan

 

The plan of al-Bīmāristān al-Qaymarī is evidently modeled after an-Nūrī's (*). It is the perfect cruciform plan of a madrasā, with the lateral īwāns reduced in size. At the same time, it shares with al-Madrasā aṣ-Ṣāḥibīyyā the strict symmetry of the plan, the avoidance of domes, the exclusive use of barrel, cloister, and cross vaults, apparently a fashion of that late period.

* Unlike the Bīmāristān of Nūr ad-Dīn, which is almost the same size, al-Qaymarī's courtyard is relatively small, allowing the addition of some medium-sized rooms. The tank in the center of the courtyard is a simple square, without corner cusping.

Ernst Herzfeld. Damascus, Studies in Architecture III. Ars Islamica XI-XII 1946 (p. 1-71).

Terry Allen. Ayyubid Arhitecture. Solipsist Press, Occidental, California, 1999.