Two thirds of the palace are ruined today, but some of its high walls and structure still stand.
Its best-preserved element is its unusually massive and monumental entrance portal.
This portal dates from two eras.
The original entrance, from Qawsun's time, is a tall portal crowned with a hood of muqarnas sculpting and stone-carved patterns in ablaq (two-coloured) masonry.
Unusually, it appears to be signed by its maker, a craftsman named Mahmud the Syrian, in a cartouche to the right of the entrance.
In the late 15th century, Yashbak added to the portal by extending it with projecting walls on either side, with the space between these covered by an even more elaborate dome-like vault of stone muqarnas.
The portal thus appears now as a deep recessed entrance with multiple decorative elements.
Other decorative details include multi-coloured mosaics around the doorway and a large stone inscription running along the walls at eye level.


The entrance led into a square vestibule chamber covered by a dome.
Much of the ground floor is made up of massive vaulted halls which were used as stables and storage, while the upper floor supported a lavish reception hall (known as a qa'a).
The vaulted roofs were supported on massive horeshoe arches in ablaq masonry.
The reception hall followed a standard layout: a large roofed court, about 12 meters long, with two iwans (vaulted chambers open to one side) facing each other at opposite ends of the court (similar to many madrasa courtyards in Mamluk architecture).
While most of the palace is now ruined, it is likely that it featured many of the usual decorative and architectural features of the time, such as central fountains, marble pavement, marble mosaics, stained-glass windows, wooden mashrabiyyas, and ceilings of carved, painted, and gilded wood.
Two thirds of the palace are ruined today, but some of its high walls and structure still stand. Its best-preserved element is its unusually massive and monumental entrance portal. This portal dates from two eras. The original entrance, from Qawsun's time, is a tall portal crowned with a hood of muqarnas sculpting and stone-carved patterns in ablaq (two-coloured) masonry. Unusually, it appears to be signed by its maker, a craftsman named Mahmud the Syrian, in a cartouche to the right of the entrance. In the late 15th century, Yashbak added to the portal by extending it with projecting walls on either side, with the space between these covered by an even more elaborate dome-like vault of stone muqarnas. The portal thus appears now as a deep recessed entrance with multiple decorative elements. Other decorative details include multi-coloured mosaics around the doorway and a large stone inscription running along the walls at eye level.

The entrance led into a square vestibule chamber covered by a dome. Much of the ground floor is made up of massive vaulted halls which were used as stables and storage, while the upper floor supported a lavish reception hall (known as a qa'a). The vaulted roofs were supported on massive horeshoe arches in ablaq masonry. The reception hall followed a standard layout: a large roofed court, about 12 meters long, with two iwans (vaulted chambers open to one side) facing each other at opposite ends of the court (similar to many madrasa courtyards in Mamluk architecture). While most of the palace is now ruined, it is likely that it featured many of the usual decorative and architectural features of the time, such as central fountains, marble pavement, marble mosaics, stained-glass windows, wooden mashrabiyyas, and ceilings of carved, painted, and gilded wood.
Palace of Yashbak