The tomb chamber measures 6.64 by 6.67 m. The miḥrāb in the south wall has two antique colonnettes. The two windows on the street signal a holy tomb; the passerby can stop and look in, even offer a prayer, as many still do. The honeycomb muqarnaṣ dome is of Mesopotamian origin, as is the case with its counterpart covering the vestibule of Bīmaristān Nūr ad-Dīn. The stone cenotaph in the middle of the room rests on a rectangular base; it carries a 45 cm band running around the four sides of the tomb with the following inscription: "This is the tomb of the martyr Nūr ad-Dīn. Allah have mercy upon him." And those who were mindful of their Lord will be led to Paradise in ˹successive˺ groups. When they arrive at its ˹already˺ open gates, its keepers will say, “Peace be upon you! You have done well, so come in to stay forever.” (Qurʾān 39:73). The inside of the turbā features a wide frieze running across the four walls above the miḥrāb and the windows and carrying Āyat al-Kursī (Qurʾān 2:255) in large, beautiful Nasẖī letters: "Allah! There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him, the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who could possibly intercede with Him without His permission? He ˹fully˺ knows what is ahead of them and what is behind them, but no one can grasp any of His knowledge—except what He wills ˹to reveal˺. His Seat1 encompasses the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of both does not tire Him. For He is the Most High, the Greatest."
Ernst Herzfeld. Damascus, Studies in Architecture I. Ars islamica v. 9, University of Michigan Press, 1942.
Terry Allen: Ayyubid Architecture
Gérard Degeorge. Damas: Des origines aux Mamluks. L'Harmattan 1997.
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