Mamluk Madrasas

Timeline

1. 1421–1430Historic Cairo (Islamic Cairo) · CairoIn the 1420s Burji sultans such as al-Mu'ayyad Shaykh built large madrasa-mosque-tomb complexes in Cairo, strengthening Shafi'i legal education and religious charitable networks; the city skyline was markedly altered by minarets and domes.
2. 1300–1500Cairo and Damascus, Syria · Mamluk SultanateMadrasas generally taught Sunni jurisprudence such as Shafi'i, and were bound to Sufi lodges, student dormitories, and charitable funds, forming a tiered system from basic education to advanced legal debate, training religious scholars and administrative bureaucrats.
3. 1517–1700Cairo · EgyptAfter the Ottoman conquest many Mamluk madrasa buildings were preserved and continued their teaching functions, coexisting with traditional institutions like al-Azhar, becoming an important part of Egypt's religious educational heritage.