Al-Halawiyah Madrasa
Al-Halawiyah Madrasa is a madrasah complex located in al-Jalloum district of the Ancient city of Aleppo, Syria. It is built in 1124 on the site of Aleppo's Great Byzantine Cathedral of Saint Helena of the 5th century, where, according to tradition, a Roman temple once stood. Saint Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, built a great Byzantine cathedral there. When the Crusaders were pillaging the surrounding countryside, the city's chief judge started to convert the cathedral into a mosque in 1123 during the reign of Balak Ibn Bahram Ibn Ourtoq. In 1149, Nur al-Din converted the building into a madrasah; an Islamic-religious school for the followers of the Hanafi madhab.
Parts of the 5th century Christian construction were turned into an Islamic school. It is also known for its fine mihrab.
