Qalawun Complex

Timeline

1. 1284Bayn al-Qasrayn · CairoQalawun chose a site on the street between the two palaces in the old Fatimid palace district, demolishing remains of earlier palaces to begin construction of a monumental complex combining mausoleum, madrasa, and hospital, to display the sultan's charity and legitimacy.
2. 1285Qalawun Complex · CairoThe main structure was completed in about thirteen months. The hospital (bimaristan) had separate wards for men and women and a pharmacy, the madrasa taught jurisprudence, and the domed mausoleum was prepared for the sultan's burial. The building's decoration fused Syrian stonework with Cairene plasterwork traditions.
3. 1290–1517Cairo · EgyptAfter Qalawun died in 1290 he was buried in this mausoleum. The hospital and madrasa continued operating through the Bahri and Burji Mamluk periods and became a model for later sultans' commissioned complexes.
4. 1881Qalawun Complex · CairoThe stonework, dome, and woodwork have been restored multiple times in modern times. The complex is open to the public as a key node of Cairo's historic core, and the hospital section's historical function has been transformed into heritage display.