[6] He is known for at least 85 structures which he built or restored in Egypt, Syria, Palestine, and Mecca, including 17 in Cairo, and this period is characterized by a refinement of the Mamluk architectural style.

[4] In 1478 CE (883 AH), he endowed a quarter of the revenues of Mulabbis to the establishment of two new institutions: the Madrasa Al-Ashrafiyya, and a mosque in Gaza.

[4] As Qaytbay estimated that local craftsmanship did not live up to his standards, he commissioned a team of builders and artisans from Cairo, including a Coptic architect, to work on this project.

[9] Today, only parts of the lower stories have survived, but the original structure is known thanks to extensive contemporary documentation and modern-day investigation of its remains.

The facade of the building is 25 meters wide and projects in front of the long arcade which runs along the western boundary of the Haram al-Sharif, which would have made the madrasa very prominent, a feature likely owed to its royal patronage.

However, the eastern side of the courtyard was taken up by a triple-arched loggia which, thanks to its elevated position, provided an unimpeded view of the Dome of the Rock.

[4][9] According to Mujīr al-Dīn al-'Ulaymī, who was a historian at that time, the madrasa was the third jewel of Masjid Bayt al-Maqdis (the Haram al-Sharif), after al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.