Al-Halawiyah Madrasa, Aleppo (must see)

Al-Halawiyah Madrasa is a madrasah complex built in 1124 on the site of Aleppo's Great Byzantine Cathedral of Saint Helena of the 5th century, where, according to tradition, a Roman temple once stood. Saint Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, built a great Byzantine cathedral there. When the Crusaders were pillaging the surrounding countryside, the city's chief judge started to convert the cathedral into a mosque in 1123 during the reign of Balak Ibn Bahram Ibn Ourtoq. In 1149, Nur al-Din converted the building into a madrasah; an Islamic-religious school for the followers of the Hanafi madhab. Parts of the 5th century Christian construction were turned into an Islamic school. The building encompasses a small courtyard and the original chapel with its eight large corinthian columns. These columns resemble the ones at the Saint Simeon Cathedral near Aleppo. The symmetry of the space allowed a relatively easy transformation from chapel to masjid. It is also known for its fine mihrab.