[2] Sultan Faraj was assassinated in 1412 by rebellious Mamluk amirs and Mu'ayyad Sheikh eventually succeeded to the throne, reigning from 1412 to 1421.

Nonetheless, he managed to erect many religious and secular buildings (including a large mosque) despite the unsettled political situation and the economic difficulties of Egypt at the time.

[2] He appropriated the site of Sha'ban's madrasa and built this maristan, even though a large bimaristan institution already existed as part of Sultan Qalawun's earlier complex at Bayn al-Qasrayn further north.

[3] It is likely that the foundations of Sha'ban's demolished religious complex were reused for the maristan, as the building's floor plan is aligned with the qibla (the direction of prayer).

[4] In March 1422, under the reign of Sultan al-Ashraf Barsbay, the building was turned into a Friday mosque (for which it was already well-suited, given its qibla alignment).

[2] Part of the foundation's failure to serve its intended function may be due to a lack of information and instructions outlined in the documents of its waqf (a charitable trust in Islamic law).

[3] What remains today is mostly the facade and the walls of the main hall; the upper floors and interior of the building having collapsed or disappeared some time ago, along with some other outlying structures.

[3][2] Both here, on the exterior, and around the arches of the main hall/courtyard, are bands of carved stone that look like linked chains and serve to frame various elements of the architectural composition.

[2] The entrance is set within a monumental recessed portal crowned by a vault or canopy of muqarnas (stalactite-like carvings) within a rectangular frame that projects higher than the rest of the building's facade; all of which is typical of Mamluk architecture.

[2] One unusual detail is also found above the doorway: here, set along the middle of a double window, are two small decorative columns with carved snakes wrapping around them, which could be a symbol of healing.

[1] The interior was ruined over time and little remains of the original structure other than the bare walls of the main halls, although it has recently been repaired and restored.