The Nur al-Din Bimaristan
A medieval hospital and medical school founded in 1154. Its muqarnas portal, and the Museum of Arab Science and Medicine inside it today.
- Opening hours
- Varies — confirm at the gate
- Entry
- Varies — confirm at the gate
- Duration
- 45 minutes
- Best time
- Morning; the courtyard is small and fills up after noon
- Period
- Zangid
- Address
- North-west of the Bzouriyah souq, Old City, Damascus
A hospital, but also a school. Nur al-Din Zangi had it built in 1154, and while patients were treated here trainee physicians learned at the bedside. It is counted among the most advanced hospitals of the medieval world, and the building does not claim that — its plan says it: a courtyard with four iwans, each one a department.
Getting there
In the old city, north-west of the Bzouriyah souq. Ten minutes on foot from the Umayyad Mosque.
What to see
The portal is the famous part: a hood of muqarnas, the stalactite vaulting where stone turns into knitting. Inside is the Museum of Arab Science and Medicine — surgical instruments, manuscripts, distilling vessels.
Do not miss
The pool in the middle of the courtyard was not decorative but functional: the sound of water was considered part of the treatment. Visitors who come through the door and walk straight to the cases never notice it.
Tips
- Look at the muqarnas of the portal from outside; it is not visible from within
- The courtyard pool was not decorative — running water was part of the treatment
- The museum is small; forty-five minutes is enough