The foundation of Sultan Barsbay at Suq al-Nahhasin (the coppersmiths' bazaar) was built in 1425. It is a cruciform four-iwan design dedicated to Sufis who wished to study the four rites of Islamic law according to a traditional madrasa structure. This madrasa figures importantly in understanding the change in function and form of Burji religious institutions.
It has been suggested that there is no mihrab in the madrasa's mausoleum, because accommodating one would have left no room for a window on al-Mu'izz Street, which would have deprived the tomb of its crucial visual contact with the street. The mihrab, a highly decorative feature which underscored the religious character of the mausoleum, is replaced here by the blessings of the passersby.
Sources:
Jarrar, Sabri, András Riedlmayer, and Jeffrey B. Spurr.
Resources for the Study of Islamic Architecture. Cambridge, MA: Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, 1994.
http://archnet.org/publications/2704.
Kessler, Christel. "Funerary Architecture within the City." In
Colloque international sur l'histoire du Caire, 257-267. Cairo: Ministry of Culture of the Arab Republic of Egypt, 1969.
Meinecke, Michael.
Die Mamlukische Architektur in Ägypten und Syrien (648/1250 bis 923/1517). Glückstadt: Verlag J. J. Augustin, 1992.
