The inscriptions

[Picture source: © 1993 Jean-Claude David]

The madrasa possesses two long inscriptions in prominent places. The first one, about forty meters in length, runs along the eastern face, starting to the right of the muqarnas gate. It starts as a typical building inscription, mentioning the founder’s name and her royal titles, her grandson’s name and titles. It continues with lengthy Quranic citations and dates the foundation of the complex at 633/1235-36.[1] The second long inscription runs along the inner walls of the courtyard. It consists of two parts: one, on the courtyard’s eastern wall, is historical in content and partly repeats the inscription on the external wall; the other is religious and particularly interesting, labeled by Tabbaa as “one of the most outstanding in all Islamic architecture”.[2] It describes the ceremonies and the nocturnal worship of Sufis (Islamic Mystics), performed in order to achieve ultimate knowledge of God. It attests as well to the double function of the Madrasat al-Firdaws: a madrasa of the Shafiʿi School of Law and a mystical convent (a khanqah), and shows, again, Dayfa Khatun’s multiple affiliations, particularly her interest in Sufism.[3]