Although it has likely lost part of its original premises on the north side—now encroached upon by residential buildings—the monument currently comprises an entrance opening onto the south side and, aligned along an east-west axis, a mosque (now lacking a courtyard) and two funerary chambers with ribbed domes. In keeping with ʾAyyūbid tradition, these domes rest on two superimposed drums, whereas the prayer hall—originally likely covered by a pitched roof—now has a flat terrace roof. Exterior decoration is concentrated entirely on the drums—featuring flat-backed niches, shell-headed niches, or paired windows—and on the window lintels: those of the western turbā bear the foundation inscription, while those of the eastern turbā feature dovetail-shaped panels that remain uninscribed. Inside, the plasterwork features molded decoration: lobes in the spandrels of the lower drums and fleurons at the apex of the arches supporting the dome. The openings in the drums were originally fitted with colored glass windows.
Gérard Degeorge. Damas: Des origines aux Mamluks. L'Harmattan 1997 (p 227-228).
Photo: Jean Sauvaget. Les monuments Ayyoubides de Damas.
Plan: Ernst Herzfeld. Damascus, Studies in Architecture III. Ars Islamica XI-XII 1946 (p. 1-71).
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