Madrasa al-Arghuniyya (المدرسة الأرغونية) was founded beside Masjid al-Aqsa as a school and the grave complex of the Mamluk amir Arghun al-Kamili. Arghun died…
Madrasa al-Arghuniyya (المدرسة الأرغونية) was founded beside Masjid al-Aqsa as a school and the grave complex of the Mamluk amir Arghun al-Kamili. Arghun died in Jerusalem on 26 Shawwal 758 AH, was buried within his foundation, and the building was completed after his death in 759 AH. The madrasa stands on Tariq Bab al-Hadid, the lane approaching the Iron Gate on the western side of Masjid al-Aqsa. The Jerusalem historian Mujir al-Din al-Ulaymi records that Arghun al-Kamili renewed this gate, which was consequently known as Bab Arghun before the name Bab al-Hadid became established. Arghun al-Kamili and his Jerusalem foundation Arghun al-Kamili was a senior Mamluk amir who held office in Aleppo and Damascus. His patronage included the bimaristan, or hospital, that bears his name in Aleppo, as well as the Jerusalem madrasa in which he was buried. The foundation belonged to the line of madrasas established beside the western boundary of Masjid al-Aqsa during the Mamluk period. These institutions joined teaching spaces, residential rooms and the graves of their founders within the streets leading directly to the masjid. The school beside Bab al-Hadid The two-storey building is entered from the southern side of Bab al-Hadid Lane. Its documented façade uses alternating red and pale stone, while the inscription above the entrance records the founder and the date of construction. Interlocking stonework also appears above the portal. Within, the plan is organised around a central hall and four iwans, the vaulted chambers characteristic of many Mamluk schools. Arghun al-Kamili’s grave occupies a chamber at the north-eastern corner, with windows opening towards both the street and Masjid al-Aqsa. The grave of Sharif Hussein ibn Ali The eastern iwan contains the grave of Sharif Hussein ibn Ali, the former Sharif and Amir of Makkah and King of the Hijaz. A member of Banu Hashim, he governed Makkah from 1908 and led the Arab Revolt against Ottoman rule during the First World War. Sharif Hussein ibn Ali died in Amman in 1350 AH / 1931 CE. His blessed body was carried to Jerusalem and buried in Madrasa al-Arghuniyya beside Masjid al-Aqsa. Members of the al-Afifi family later administered and inhabited the madrasa, giving it the additional names Madrasa al-Afifiyya and Dar al-Afifi.