The mausoleum exhibits influence from Syria and incorporates spolia from a Fatimid palace to commemorate Shajar al-Durr rule as sultan. After acquiring the throne from her late husband al-Salih, she obtained much of his estate and thus utilized funding and other resources to construct her own tomb. While construction of al-Salih's mausoleum was underway, Shajar al-Durr's tomb was also being assembled by the same artisans who created the nearby Mausoleum of the Abbasid Caliphs. This is evident in the architectural elements of a high pointed dome, a square base, and a middle transitional zone speckled with trios of carved-out hexagonal windows. Stucco detailing is seen on the exterior of the building with fluted keel arched niches that reflect the Fatimid-Ayyubid architectural style of this era.
