The building is located toward the northeast end of aṣ-Ṣāliḥīyyā; it was restored between 1935 and 1942 and underwent another renovation in the late 1980s. Though the madrasā is now isolated in an entirely false plaza of medium size bordering an enormous expanse of roadway, the monument is well used and reflects its original state to a considerable extent.
The madrasā originally consisted of three parts: the three-sided domed cloister, entered through the portal; a prayer hall beyond the cloister; and the tomb, east of the cloister and entered through its east arcade. An extension to the prayer hall has been added in the southeastern angle of the building, communicating with the tomb and the original prayer hall. In addition, a minaret has been constructed at the northwest corner of the building.
The dome of ar-Ruknīyyā's cloister is crude and is set on muqarnaṣ squinches, which predominate in Damascus, compared with muqarnaṣ pendentives in use in Aleppo at the same time. Ar-Ruknīyyā's work is entirely Damascene.
Terry Allen. Ayyubid Architecture. Solipsist Press, Occidental, California, 1999.
Wulzinger and Watzinger, Dama
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