Muntasiriya Madrasa, the university of its time, is situated by the Tigris in Baghdad. It is a madrasa with two storeys, four iwans and an open courtyard. It was built by Caliph al-Mustansir in 1233 and was repaired many times both in the Ottoman period and the period of the Republic of lraq. It hosted a lot of literary and handwritten works.

The iwan facing the entrance iwan was converted to a masjid. There are rooms for students in various sizes on the ground and first floor.

The brick-walled iwans, rooms and corridors of the building, which were built in rectangular shape and included separate divisions for each of the four Sunni sects, were surrounded by a rectangular courtyard.

A great emphasis was placed on the decoration of the madrasa. The monotonous design of the walls was eliminated by courses of bricks on the interior and exterior facades. There are geometrical and plant decorations and epitaphs on the portal, iwan vaults and inside surface niches. This decoration was made with Terracotta technique while palmette and rumi were employed in the motifs.