The Mamluk madrasahs in Lebanon/Tripoli

Tripoli (Trablusşam in Turkish) is both the historic and current name of the city which is today situated in Lebanon and which has played host to different tribes and civilisations since the ancient times. It was under the rule of the Mamelukes for 228 years, from 1289 (1289-1517). Tripoli, which was taken from the Crusaders on 26 April 1289, gained its true identity as a city under the rule of the Mamelukes. After being taken by the Mamelukes in 1289, Sultan Qalawun had the el-Mina harbour region, where the city of the Crusaders had been established, completely destroyed and had the new city built on the skirts of Pilgrim Hill, a few miles to the east. Work began on the urbanisation of this area with structures such as mosques, Muslim theological schools, inns, bath houses and fountains, as well as the work on populating the city. The city, which began to take shape around the Mansouri Great Mosque, built in 1294, was transformed into a city which was suitable for inhabiting, in every sense. Among the educational structures which were built, Muslim theological schools (madrasahs) began to be established everywhere across the city and around the Great Mosque in particular. Tripoli, which displayed a more modest appearance when compared to other Mameluke cities and centres of knowledge such as Cairo, Damascus, Aleppo and Jerusalem, houses a large number of Muslim theological school buildings. 16 madrasahs belonging to the Mameluke period were examined during an on-site field study. While unlike the other Muslim theological schools seen in either Anatolia or the other Mameluke geographical areas, there are no student rooms in the schools in Tripoli, they were built as more functional structures. Three different types of plan designs can be seen in these schools. This study takes a look at the madrasahs in Tripoli from the Mameluke period, making comparisons with other examples from the same era, in terms of their plans and decorations.