The plan of the ʿĀdilīyyā is a replica of that of the Nūrīyyā, and it was probably designed by the same architect. If it were not for the greater size of the tomb chamber and its extending through to the inner court, one could mistake one plan for the other. The entrance has actually the “clef pendante” that the architect of the Nūrīyyā tried to achieve. The façades of the court in their sound and simple masonry result from similar ideas. Therefore, the plan of the ʿĀdilīyyā belongs to the years 1172-1174 CE; after an interruption following the death of Nūr ad-Dīn, the building was finished in all essentials in 1218; after a second interruption following al-ʿĀdilʾs death, it was finally completed in 1222-1223. The endowment was given entirely by al-malik al-Muʿaẓẓam ʿIsā.
The differences between the two plans are negligible: in the ʿĀdilīyyā the court is square, the tomb chamber is larger, and there is no fountain in the west īwān. But the identity extends to details like the pair of doors in the side walls of the prayer room. This room, originally covered by three cross vaults, has now (1930) a flat ceiling, and the miḥrābs in it and in the tomb chamber have been concealed.
Ernst Herzfeld. Damascus, Studies in Architecture I. Ars islamica v. 9, University of Michigan Press, 1942.
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