 Muslim women , particularly those from the Ayyubid family , the families of local governors , and the families of the ulema ( " religious scholars " ) took an active role in Ayyubid architecture . Damascus witnessed the most sustained patronage of religious architecture by women . They were responsible for the construction of 15 madrasas , six Sufi hospices , and 26 religious and charitable institutions . In Aleppo , the Firdaws Madrasa , known as the most impressive Ayyubid building in Syria , had regent queen Dayfa Khatun as its patron . 
