Special importance

[Picture source: © 2005 Rami al Afandi ]

The Madrasa al-Halawiyya was one of the first colleges founded by Nur ad-Din in the urban centers of Syria. Its particular significance lies in the size of the endowment, the facts that it was dedicated to the Hanafi school of law (most of Aleppo’s inhabitants at that time followed the Shafi’i school or were Shi’is) and, thanks to its solvency, was able to attract the most famous professors. Its location next to the Umayyad Mosque assured that it remained in the religious center of Aleppo. The main feature of the madrasa at the time of its foundation, in addition to the antique remains, is the entrance with an “unusual vaulting”, as Allen puts it. Together with the quality of the masonry, that makes it a prominent example of a “new style” developed during Nur ad-Din’s reign.[1]

The madrasa distinguished itself by its teachers, many of whom were famous law professors of Central Asian origin. One may imagine them lecturing in the prestigious prayer hall’s western half circle surrounded by Byzantine columns.