Sultan al-Mansur Qalawun built the Bimaristan al-Mansuri in Cairo between 1284 and 1285 as part of a larger funerary complex including a madrasa and mausoleum. According to the historian al-Maqrizi, Qalawun took a vow to build it while he was ill and being treated at the Bimaristan of Nur al-Din in Damascus (the atlas's own Bimaristan al-Nuri), pledging to construct a comparable hospital if he became ruler of Egypt. The hospital, completed in under six months, provided drugs, shelter, food and clothing alongside medical treatment to the sick, poor and rich alike, with separate wards, four iwans, latrines, storerooms and a dedicated pharmacy; it operated for more than 500 years before being demolished in 1910, and its site is used today as an ophthalmology hospital.
Facts
Founding Year Connections
Associated With
Qalawun was treated at al-Nuri while ill and vowed to build a comparable hospital in Cairo.
Source Wikipedia: Qalawun Complex
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Qalawun Complex
WikipediaFounding Year and Founder; Inspiration Story; Scale and Services; Architectural Note
Sultan Qala'un received inspiration to build the hospital as a result of a vow which he had taken when he was ill.
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- Institutional profile classification
- Associated With: Bimaristan al-Nuri
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Three Facts About the Premodern Hospitals This Atlas Groups Together
Bimaristan al-Mansuri, one of the three hospitals this essay covers
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