Archäologische Untersuchungen und Restaurierungsarbeiten an der Madrasa des Sultan an-Nasir Muhammad in Kairo

The construction of the madrasa was begun by Sultan Kitbuga from 1294 to 1296 and completed by his successor Sultan an-Nasir Muhammad from 1299 to 1304. The monument was most likely abandoned during the 1 st half of the 19 th century. Several restorations were undertaken during 20 th century, the most comprehensive dating back to 1985/6. Recent archaeological researches led to the discovery of the madrasa's sanitary installations located in the south western corner of the site. The sanitary installations consist basically of rows of cells facing an open courtyard. The cells are connected with an underground waste water system, which most likely dates back to the Ayyubid period. It remains unclear, whether those drains are belonging to a network or whether they are limited to this site. The entrance gate (of the madrasa) was made of marble. The gate was originally built by the Crusaders for the Church of St. Agnes in Akka (Palestine) and was brought to Cairo in 1292 by the victorious Mamluk army. The gate itself recently suffered badly from saline corrosion and was in urgent need of restoration. In addition to the actual restoration, detailed research of its structure, its original polychromy and the origins of its different elements was carried out. This research provided abundant information on the different layers of polychromy and on its original shape as well as the changes linked to its reconstruction in Cairo.