The house of Zaynab Khatun was built in 1468, with later additions in 1713. It is situated in the old town, near the al-Azhar mosque. The Supreme Council of Antiquities restored it in 1996; renovation works included the underpinning of structural walls, the demolition of damaged structures, and waterproofing of the roof.

Noteworthy aspects of this house include the painted and gold-decorated ceiling of the qa'a, or main room. The grand reception hall on the second floor overlooking the courtyard is representative of Mamluk qa'a. Typically a qa'a is a lofty tripartite space comprising a square hall (durqa'a) lit and ventilated by a wooden lantern in its roof and flanked by two opposing iwans whose floors are elevated above that of the central hall by one or two steps. The durqa'a usually housed a fountain beneath the skylight. The two other sides of the central hall contain opposing rectangular alcoves that look like miniature iwans, and, in the case of the house of Zaynab Khatun, a mashrabiyya overlooking the courtyard and facing an alcove on the opposite side of the hall.

Renovation works included the underpinning of structural walls, the demolition of damaged structures, and waterproofing of the roof.

Sources:

Jarrar, Sabri, András Riedlmayer, and Jeffrey B. Spurr. Resources for the Study of Islamic Architecture. Cambridge, MA: Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, 1994.

Sauvaget, Jean. "Edmond Pauty. — Les palais et les maisons d'époque musulmane au Caire (Mémoires publiés par les membres de l' Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale, t. XLII, 4°." Syria 4 (1933): 414.

Revault, Jacques, and Bernard Maury. Palais et Maisons du Caire du XIVe au XVIIIe siècle, vol. III, Manzil de Zaynab Hatun. Cairo: Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale du Caire, 1979.

Williams, Caroline. Islamic Monuments in Cairo:The Practical Guide, 155. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2002.