In the name of Allah, the Passionate, the Merciful. Praise be to Allah the God of all creatures. The best prayers be on the Prophet, our master Muhammad peace be upon him (PBUH), and his family and companions

1- Location and History:

The Tourrntaeah School is located in Aleppo (Al-Shahaba) away from Bab Al- Neirab in the Kurdish quarter, which is now known in the school's alley as Muhammad Beik district. Saufajae mentioned that this school is the Kamaliya the a'ademeea school itself that was built in 639 A.H / 1241 AD by Ibn al-Adeem , the historian of Aleppo, and completed it in 649 A.H / 1251 AD. It is considered as one of the Ayyubid period schools.

Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar in his book "Al-Dorar Al-Kamenah", mullah Kamel Ghazzi in his book "Nahr Al-Dahab", and mullah Ragheb Al-Tabbakh in his book "E'laam Al-Nobala'a" mentioned in their books that it is called "the Tourrntaeah" after the name of the deputy of Damascus, prince Sayf Eddeen Tourrntai son of Abdullah, who died in 792 A.H / 1389AD. He was a dignified, obeyed, just prince. He renewed the aforementioned school, started the Friday sermons, and took care of the school and made a permanent endowment for it.

On the school door we can read: (the Mosque and the school are devoted to the sake of God by Mr. Afif Deen son of Muhammad Shams Eddeen in 785 A.H).
Mr. Afif Eddeen is the son of Mohammad Shams Eddeen, the son of the prince Hussam Edeen Tourrontai Al Mansouri, the Sultanate viceroy of the victorious King Qalawoon Al-Salihi. As documented in the summary of the book of the school and mosque, which was kept by the Badenjki family who were in charge of its affair.

Some ancestral manuscripts of mullah Aweys Abu Tasa, who deceased in the early seventh century of Hegira and buried in the place on which the school was constructed, stated that the place was a deserted monastery.

According to Mullah Ahmed Al-Maktabi -the imam of the Delwatea School -the monastery had been haunted by the genies. However, Mullah Aweys Abu Tasa re-opened it and taught theology in it.

The records of the historians, the words on the school door, the summary of the book of school and mosque, the ancestral manuscripts of Aweys family found in 1129 A.H, and in 1225 A.H, and what was reported of some scholars could be combined to include the following:
Before constructing the school by Ibn Al-Adeem, it was a deserted monastery due to the earthquake that struck Aleppo in 565 A.H, so it was haunted by the genies. Mullah Aweys Abu Tasa opened it in late sixth century, and taught theology in it till his death in that place. In the Ayyubid period, Ibn al-Adeem built a school on that place in 649 AH. Then, the school was ruined because of many reasons such as: the destruction of Aleppo at the hand of Hulagu in 658 AH / 1260AD as it in history by Ibn Katheer in his book "Al-Beidaaya wa Al-Nyhaaya", and the earthquake that struck Egypt, Syria, and Aleppo in 744 A.H, which cracked the walls of mosques, destroyed the castles, forts, and drove away the people of Aleppo to the wildernesss. After that, in the Mamluk period, Affif Eldeen the son of Muhammad , son of Shams-Eddeen Hussam-Eddeen Tourrntai completed the construction of the mosque and the school at his expense in: 785 A.H / 1383 AD, then, a great earthquake destroyed Aleppo in 789 A.H / 1387AD.Finally, Prince Sayf Eddeen Tourrntai , son of Abdullah, who died in 792 A.H renewed the school, established a Friday sermon for it and allocated endowment for it, therefore, it was named after him.

Among those who mentioned the dates of these great earthquakes in Aleppo are Mullah Kamel Ghazzi in his book "Nahr Al-Dahab"(River of Gold), and quoted from him Dr. Mahmoud Al Rifai in his book "Halab Bayn Al-Tareekh wal Handasa"(Aleppo between History and Engineering). The minaret of the school was built in the Ottoman period in: (1293 AH / 1876AD), as stated by Mullah Ragheb Al-Tabakh.

2- The Architectural Description:

The Tourrntaeah School as described by Mullah Ragheb Al-Tabakh in his book: (It is a towering school, similar to castles in its craftsmanship and mastery of construction). Mullah Kamel Ghazzi said in his book " Nahr Al-Dahab"(River of Gold): (It is a huge, prosperous school that looks like a fortress) .The school and mosque have more than one entrance, a Kiblah(prayer room), a section for remembrance of Allah (Zikr) , rooms for the scholars and worshipers who dwelled in the school, a library, a graveyard, a minaret, a dwelling attached to the school, public facilities, a courtyard surrounded by two squares from north and south, and two corridors from east and west, and there are other two corridors above them , which lead to the rooms.

3-The Scholars of the School:

Before constructing the school by Ibn Al-Adeem, Mullah Aweys Abu Tasa was teaching theology in this place till his death in the early second and third decade of the seventh century of Hegira i.e between 620 A.H and 630 A.H and he was buried in the same place, as written in his lineage manuscripts. After building the school at the hands of Ibn Al-Adeem in 649 A.H, no one had taught at it ever since because the Nasiriyah period ended before fulfilling his purposes; as was stated by Mullah Ragheb Al-Tabakh, quoting from Sabat Ibn Al-Ajmi in his book "Konooz Al-Dahab"(Treasures of Gold). It is written in the summary of the school book that after erecting the building by Mr. Afif Deen son of Mohamed Shams Eddeen in 785 A.H, theology was taught in it and fixed salaries were allocated in the school book, to those who were in charge of the school.

Prince Tourrntai son of Abdullah started the Friday sermons, then Mullah Al-Saleh Ahmad Al-Zarkashi preached in it. Sabat Al-Ajmi who died in 884 A.H, talked about the Adeemia School in his book "Konooz Al-Dahab" (Treasures of Gold): "Friday prayers and sermons were performed in our time and continued so, and mullah Ahmed Al-Zarkashi was preaching there".

Then, the scholar mullah Dawood Al Mara'ashi Al-Hanafi Al-Sufi Al-Oweyssi dwelled in it with some followers. He put his mullah the Sufi and Kluti Aweys Al-Qormani, who died in Damascus in 951 A.H, under an obligation. When the Qormani was released from Aleppo Citadel, Mullah Dawood went with him to Damascus where he died in 955 A.H, as stated in Mullah Ragheb Al-Tabakh's book.

The mullah Ragheb quoted in his book "Al-Anwar Al-Jaleya Fe Mukhtasar Al-Athbaat Al-Halabeia" from the mullah Abdul Karim Al Sharabati -who died in 1178 A.H- as saying about the erudite scholar the mullah Mustafa Al-Bakri Siddiqi -who died in 1162 A.H- that Mustafa Al-Bakri Siddiqi said that the mullah Mustafa al-Bakri Al-Khaluti Al-Siddiqi stayed in the Tourrntaeah school in Bab Al-Neirab and people supported and followed him. The mullah Ahmad Al-Maktabi also said that one of the successors of the mullah Mustafa al-Bakri was the mullah Muhammad Al-Maktabi and a group of magnificent scholars of that blessed family dwelled in the Tourrntaeah School in order to study theology and worship Allah in it.

After that, the place flourished with the help of the famous, ascetic, dignified, holy man Sayyid(a descendant of Prophet Muhammad) Muhammad Sa'eed son of Sayyid Abdul Wahid the Maidanjki, who belongs to the Husseini and Nabhani lineage, and follows the Shafi'i doctrine and Kadiri and Khluti way. He was born in Aleppo in 1189 A.H, and he was the descendant of the Nabhani Husseinieh family, who are the establishers of the famous section for worshiping Allah in Jibreen near Aleppo. He and his successors stuck to the Tourrntaeah School and worked to revive the praising and remembrance of Allah sessions (Zikr) and reciting the Holy Qur'an till his death in 1252 A.H. His son, Mullah Muhammad, known as: (Abu Kersh) followed him, then the other son the scholar mullah Mohiuddeen, then his successors who belong to the Badenjki family. Up till now the Tourrntaeah school – by the grace and help of Allah and the guidance of His Prophet peace be upon him (PBUH)– is full of them and their brethren, and with the praising and remembrance of Allah sessions(Zikr) as well as reciting the Holy Qur'an classes. We ask Almighty Allah to maintain its benefit ever.

May Allah bless and grant our master Muhammad and his family and companions peace.

This is written in 20 / Shawwal / 1430 A.H, by the servant of God Hassan the son of Abdul Rahman AlBadenjki.

The references used by Dr. Hassan the son ofAbdul Rahman AlBadenjki, may God forgive him, are: "Al-Beidaaya and Al-Nyhaaya " by Ibn Kathir : 13/253, " Al-Dorar Al-Kamenah fe Aya'an almia Al-Thamina by Ibn Hajar'Asqallaani: 2 / 378 , "Kounooz Al-Dahab"(Treasures of Gold) by Sabat Ibn Al-Ajmi : 1 / 248, "Nahr Al-Dahab fe Tareekh Halab" by the mullah Kamel Al-Ghazzi:2 / 274, 3/84-149-161, "E'laam Al-Nobala Btareekh Halab" 4 / 460, 5/107-503-516 and "Al-Anwar Al-jaleia" P. (224) by mullah Muhammad Ragheb Al-Tabakh, manuscripts of Al-Owayssi family that go back to early thirteenth century A.H, manuscripts kept by the Badenjki gentlemen, that go back to early fourteenth century A.H," Madaress Halab Al-Atharaeia by Lamia Al-Jasser p. (222), the Tourrntaeah school records in the department of the Owqaf (the religious endowments) in Aleppo, real state / 1958 / of the area /11/ , "Halab Bayn Al-Tareekh wal Handasa" by Dr. Mahmoud Al-Rifai p. (136), manuscripts of Al-Owayssi family that go back to early of the thirteenth century A.H, and dialogues with the sons of mullah Ahmad Al-Maktabi and his brothers.