A powerful earthquake in 1303 loosened and knocked down many of the cladding stones, which were then transported by order of the Mameluke sultan An-Nasir Nasir-ad-Din al-Hasan to Cairo in 1356, where they were used to build structures within the city.
The facing stones were also largely looted in the early 19th century on the orders of Kedah Muhammad Ali and used in the construction of the Muhammad Ali Mosque also known as the Alabaster Mosque.
The facing stones can be found incorporated into the walls of buildings throughout Cairo.
