Interlocking Stones and Stalactites

Mamluk architecture had very particular and prominent characteristics, The Tankeziyeh, located near the Gate of the Chain, was built in the fourteenth century as a school of Islamic religious studies, and later became the seat of Jerusalem’s qadi (Muslim judge). At the top of the building is a dome from which stylized stone stalactites (muqranas in Arabic) hang down, and below them are interlocking stones in various colors (ablaq in Arabic).