The Mamluk sultan al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Barsbay (825-841 AH / 1422-1437 AD) established this madrasa in 829 AH / 1425 AD. The madrasa taught the four schools of Islamic jurisprudence and Sufism, and also served as a mosque.
A band of text inscribed with the details of the endowment deed runs along the interior wall.
This madrassa follows the famous perpendicular layout in Islamic religious buildings, as it consists of a rectangular area with an open courtyard in the middle surrounded by four iwans, the largest and deepest of which is iwan al-qibla.
A Mausoleum was attached to the madrasssa in its northeast corner, next to iwan al-qibla.
The mausoleum contains two burials, one for one of the sultan’s wives and the other for his son, Muhammad ibn Barsbay. The sultan himself was buried in his burial complex in the Mamluk cemetery, in the east of Cairo. A sabil (public drinking fountain) to provide water to passers-by and a kuttab (Quranic school) to teach Muslims how to read and write and recite the Quran are attached to the madrasa.
