The "madrasa" began to spread in Syria ("Bilad al-Sham") as a higher institution for religious education since the Zangid rule (521H./1127 to 569H./ 1173). During the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods, main cities of Syria were characterized by many madrasas, especially the major cities that served the political rule like, Damascus, Aleppo, Jerusalem and others. By the late Mamluk period, various factors had a direct effect on the fall of the madrasa function in Syria. Although a number of attempts were made to renovate and redevelop the "waqf" of "madrasas," the adverse circumstances had such a strong impact that the eventual result was extensive disintegration of the "waqf" and "madrasas" in Syria. This paper discussed the motives of endowing "madrasas" in Syria during the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods, despite the difficulty in separating one motive to another. During the Zangid and Ayyubid periods, it is noticeable that religious motives were stronger, while the political factor was underscored during the Mamluk era.