al-Sa'id died and was buried here in 1280, and the new sultan al-Mansur Qalawun was required to see to its completion. This may have been accomplished in 1281, with the mausoleum's decoration probably being the last element to be executed. The architect of the complex was Ibrahim ibn Ghana’im al-Muhandis, who was also responsible for building al-Qasr al-Ablaq, the palace of Baybars in Damascus, in 1264. Like many subsequent Mamluk foundations, the funerary complex of Baybars served multiple functions, which were outlined in its waqf (trust agreement for charitable foundations under Islamic law). It included two madrasas (teaching Islamic law), a Dar al-Hadith (school for teaching the sayings of the Prophet), and the sultan's mausoleum (called a turba). The complex included a monumental portal with a broad canopy of stone-carved muqarnas (honeycomb or stalactite-like forms) culminating in a shell-like hood, considered one of the most accomplished examples of its kind in Syria. The portal and exterior of the building also demonstrates alternating layers of dark and light stone, known as ablaq masonry. Today, the portal and the mausoleum are the best-preserved historical parts of the complex. The mausoleum is covered by a large dome and its interior is boldly decorated with marble paneling along its lower walls (dadoes) and a large frieze of glass mosaics along its upper walls. The mosaics are reminiscent of the more famous ones found in the Ummayyad Mosque nearby, illustrating scenes of trees and palaces. However, their craftsmanship is of somewhat lesser quality, suggesting that this skill was in decline compared to earlier periods. The mihrab (a wall niche symbolizing the direction of prayer) also features an elaborate composition of marble mosaic paneling forming geometric and foliated patterns. The muqarnas portal (the earliest example of which is the Bimaristan of Nur al-Din), the marble dadoes, and (to a lesser extent) the mosaic friezes of the mausoleum were decorative elements that would recur throughout the Mamluk period after Baybars. The Library The madrasa had a library from the outset. Its first books were donated by the mother of al-Sa'id Barakah as part of the madrasa's endowment. It was only turned into a "general library" in 1876 or 1877 by Sheikh Tahir al-Jazairi and Salim al-Bukhari, who collected thousands of items for the library. He was helped in part by the governor of Damascus, Midhat Pasha, who used an edict from the Ottoman sultan to collect books