The minaret of the madrasah of al-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub is the only one of its era to have survived to the present-day virtually intact. The lower reaches of the tower preserve traces of drop-arched panels with rabbetted stucco of singular energy, in the octagonal upper section a series of elegant lobate openings is surmounted by a crown of spiky muqarnas on which stands the sturdy crowning piece with alternating widths of chunky ribbing. The minaret is an optimal example of the dynamic equilibrium between form and decoration that was fated to be eclipsed by the pretentious and showy proliferation of Mamluk decorative-ness