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Background: Sultan al-Zahir Baybars Sultan
Al-Zahir Baybars, also known as Rukn Uddin Baybrus (full name:
al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baibars al-Bunduqdari) was a political and military leader of major historical importance. He played an important role in the establishment of a new
mamluk-based regime in
Cairo that would rule
Egypt and
Syria for a long period known as the
Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517). After playing a central role in repelling the
Mongol advance at the
Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260 (often cited as a turning point in history) he rose to the position of
sultan. During his reign, he undertook a series of effective campaigns against the remaining
Crusader states in the
Levant, conquering a number of important cities and fortresses such as
Antioch and the famous
Krak des Chevaliers, which paved the way for the later final demise of the Crusader presence in the region. Baybars died unexpectedly in July 1277 in his palace (called
al-Qasr al-Ablaq) in Damascus after drinking a poisoned cup that was intended for someone else. His death was kept a secret and he was temporarily buried in the
Citadel of Damascus while arrangements could be made for his permanent burial and for a transition of power to his 18-year-old son
al-Sa'id Barakah. Baybars had reportedly expressed a desire to be buried near the town of
Darayya, but his son judged that he should be buried in a more prestigious location near the great mosque and near the tombs of illustrious
Ayyubid sultans, including the
Mausoleum of Salah ad-Din. Like many subsequent
Mamluk foundations, the funerary complex of Baybars served multiple functions, which were outlined in its
waqf (trust agreement for charitable foundations under Islamic law). It included two
madrasas (teaching
Islamic law), a
Dar al-Hadith (school for teaching the
sayings of the Prophet), and the sultan's mausoleum (called a
turba). The complex included a monumental portal with a broad canopy of stone-carved
muqarnas (honeycomb or stalactite-like forms) culminating in a shell-like hood, considered one of the most accomplished examples of its kind in Syria. The
mihrab (a wall niche symbolizing the
direction of prayer) also features an elaborate composition of marble mosaic paneling forming geometric and foliated patterns. The muqarnas portal (the earliest example of which is the
Bimaristan of Nur al-Din), the marble dadoes, and (to a lesser extent) the mosaic friezes of the mausoleum were decorative elements that would recur throughout the Mamluk period after Baybars. File:Entranceway (5348347368).jpg|The entrance portal of the madrasa complex, composed of different coloured stone (
ablaq),
Arabic inscriptions, and a
muqarnas canopy. File:DamaskusBaibarMausoleum.jpg|The exterior of the mausoleum's dome. File:Madrasa al-Zahiriyya, Damascus (دمشق), Syria - Burial chamber mihrab looking southwest - PHBZ024 2016 1317 - Dumbarton Oaks (edited).jpg|
Mihrab of the mausoleum of
Baybars, with marble mosaic paneling and glass mosaics above. File:Madrasa al-Zahiriyya, Damascus (دمشق), Syria - Detail of burial chamber mosaic - PHBZ024 2016 1321 - Dumbarton Oaks.jpg|A section of the glass mosaics along the walls of the mausoleum. == The Library ==