Red Madrasa: Cizre’s College and the Tomb of Melayê Cizîrî

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1. What is the Red Madrasa?
2. How do you get to the Red Madrasa?
3. When is the best time to visit the Red Madrasa?
4. What is the history of the Red Madrasa?
5. What is the Red Madrasa famous for?
6. What can you see at the Red Madrasa?
7. Frequently asked questions about the Red Madrasa
8. What do the official records say about the Red Madrasa?

What is the Red Madrasa?

The Red Madrasa (Kırmızı Medrese; Medreseya Sor in Kurdish; “Medresetul Hamra” in Arabic) is a college of Islamic learning in Cizre, built in the 15th century by the Azizan emirs who ruled the town. It takes its name from the red colour of its building material.

It is best known as the burial place of Melayê Cizîrî, known in Turkish sources as Şeyh Ahmed el-Cezeri, the most celebrated classical poet of Cizre, whose tomb inside the madrasa is visited by people from across the region.

How do you get to the Red Madrasa?

The madrasa is in Cizre, close to the town’s other historic monuments. Cizre is reached by air via Şırnak Şerafettin Elçi Airport nearby, or by road from Mardin, Midyat and Silopi. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all travel within 10 km of the Turkey–Syria border, an area that includes Cizre (FCDO), so check your own government’s advice and insurance before you go.

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When is the best time to visit the Red Madrasa?

Spring and autumn, ideally in the morning, when Cizre is cooler. As a working place of prayer and pilgrimage, the tomb is busiest on Fridays and religious holidays; dress modestly and avoid prayer times.

What is the history of the Red Madrasa?

The 2002 inventory records that the Red Madrasa was built in the 15th century by Şeref II, a bey of the Azizan dynasty of Cizre. It was called “Medresetul Hamra” because it was built of red brick, and it was made up of a prayer room, administrative and student quarters, teachers’ rooms and a wider complex.

The poet buried here, Şeyh Ahmed el-Cezeri, is described by the inventory as a famous poet who wrote on Sufi themes in his odes and poems and left a divan of about 2,000 couplets. Sources disagree about when he lived: the inventory gives 1404–1479, while many modern scholars place his life in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, so treat any single date with caution. His poetry is in Kurdish (Kurmanji), and he is regarded as one of the founders of classical Kurdish literature.

Madrasas like this one trained generations of scholars in Cizre, which was a centre of learning under the emirs of Bohtan. Nearby, the Mir Abdal Mosque, also used as a madrasa and dated by the inventory to 1437, holds the tombs of Mem and Zin.

What is the Red Madrasa famous for?

• Melayê Cizîrî. The tomb of the poet, known locally as “Mela” and “Nişani”, is the main reason people visit.
• The Azizan emirs. It is one of the few surviving buildings from the period when Cizre was the capital of the Bohtan emirate.
• Its colour. The red building material gives the madrasa its name in Turkish, Kurdish and Arabic.

What can you see at the Red Madrasa?

The tomb. The tomb of Şeyh Ahmed el-Cezeri lies inside the madrasa, and visitors come to pray there.

The madrasa building. The inventory describes a complex of prayer room, administrative rooms and quarters for students and teachers.

The Mem and Zin connection. A short walk away, the Mir Abdal Mosque holds the tombs of Mem and Zin. The provincial directorate dates their story to 854 AH (about 1450), under Emir Zeynuddin, son of Emir Abdal: Mem and Zin, from different circles at court, fall in love; their friend Tacdin helps them, while the courtier Bekir schemes against them; the emir imprisons Mem, and Zin dies at his grave. Ahmed-i Hani, a poet from Hakkari, put the story into verse in the late 17th century, around 240 years later. Seen together, the two buildings show Cizre as a centre of Kurdish poetry under the Azizan emirs.

Nearby monuments. In the same visit, see the Prophet Noah Mosque and tomb, the Great Mosque, the Mir Abdal Mosque with the tomb of Mem and Zin, and the Belek Tower with the al-Jazari museum, all described in our Cizre guide. Mount Cudi rises to the northeast.

Frequently asked questions about the Red Madrasa

What do the official records say about the Red Madrasa?

The Red Madrasa was built in the 15th century by the Cizre Azizan bey Şeref II. Because it was made of red bricks, it is called “Medresetul Hamra”. It consisted of a prayer room, administration, student and teacher sections and a complex. Şeyh Ahmet El-Cezeri, whose tomb is inside the madrasa, was a famous poet who lived between 1404 and 1479. In his odes and poems he dealt with Sufi subjects. He has a divan of 2,000 couplets. Among the people he is known as “Mellayı Ciziri” and “Nişani”. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Şırnak Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)