The tomb of Nur al-Din, the famous Muslim leader who captured Damascus from the Turkoman rulers, is one of the finest Muqana-style buildings in Syria and is curiously similar to a giant Dalek.
Built by Nur al-Din himself in the 12th century, the tomb is located inside the Nuriyal al-Kubra Madrasa in the Khayattin Souk and overlooks Damascus. The entrance to Saladin’s predecessor’s tomb is tall and narrow with stone and tile ornamentation and the muqana closes the arch at the top. Crowning the dome is the defining Islamic symbol - a crescent moon.
A muqana is characterised by honeycomb-shaped vaults staggered on top of each other, one of the most distinctive architectural styles in Syria, and the tomb is one of the earliest examples in the country.