The Maristan of Granada

After many years of neglect, the Maristan, this unique building from the Nasrid period at the foot of the Albaicín district, has finally been restored and is now open to visitors.

From now on, you can access this special monument with the ticket “Dobla de oro”.Was war das Maristan?

What was that Maristan?

The Maristan was a public building that was constructed by Mohamad V in the second half of the 14th century.

It is often said that it had been a hospital for the “insane”, but that was only one of its multiple functions. It was a centre for the treatment of various diseases, including psychiatric problems, but also a training centre for doctors.

This idea is reflected in the etymology of the word Maristan itself, which derives from the Persian word “bimarestan”.  Bimar can be translated as “sick” without specifying the disease, and the full translation is “house of the sick”.

The decision to construct this building benefited the people of Granada, but it should not be forgotten that it also benefited the Sultan, showing his generosity while bringing him closer to Allah and the promised paradise.

In the Western Islamic world, it is the only institution of this kind that we know of that existed with certainty. Compared to other similar institutions in Europe, it could even be called avant-garde.

Hence its exceptionality. However, if we compare it with the eastern Islamic world, we must say that its foundation in Granada was rather late.

The Maristan was staffed by 7 doctors, 4 of whom were dementia specialists. It also had outpatient and inpatient services.  The staff was completed by pharmacists, laundresses and cooks. In addition, various sedatives such as hemp, nutmeg and wolfsbane were produced on site.

Background

At this point I would like to thank the psychiatrist and publicist Blas Curado for the valuable information he has compiled in his article (see https://www.propronews.es/maristan-granada).

We know that since the 8th century such institutions already existed in cities like Fez, Damascus, Baghdad, Cairo, Aleppo and Antioch. A very curious detail is what Benjamin de Tudela tells us about the Maristan of Baghdad in the 12th century, in which he highlights the mercy of the sultan who picked up madmen in the streets of the city and chained them until they regained their sanity.

The Maristan of Granada was strongly influenced by the Maristan of Fez and has the same function and architectural structure. This is not surprising, as Mohammed V spent part of his exile in this city.

Where can we find the Maristan?

This beautiful building was erected in the so-called Axares neighbourhood. It is very close to the river Darro and the hammam, now known as the “Bañuelo”.

Since the restoration and the archaeological excavations, it is known that it had a rear patio that extended to the river, which was used as a resting place or for growing medicinal plants.

It was a two-storey building a little more than 10 m long, surrounding a central courtyard. In the courtyard, as was customary, was a large water basin fed by two large marble lions.

It had 60 rooms, ranging in size from 5 to 8 square meters.  Each of these rooms could accommodate up to two patients. Larger chambers were found on the upper floor, which may have been used as training rooms for doctors or for carrying out certain treatments.

The women’s rooms were located on the upper floor and the men’s bedrooms on the lower floor.

Other functions of the building after the Christian conquest of Granada

A few years after the Christian conquest (in 1497), the Catholic Monarchs changed the function of the Maristán, which from then on became the Casa de la Moneda (Mint) and maintained this function until 1685.

The right to mint coins was a privilege held by only seven cities in Spain, and Granada was one of them.

After that it fell into oblivion, and although it had some other functions, none of them were of any importance, and there were also several attempts to demolish it. The most important of these was in 1845.

Medical science in Islam.

As in other Islamic cities, the Maristan had the task of centralising and controlling medical science and training doctors.

Throughout the Middle Ages, Islamic medical science reached a very high level.

In this context, the description and reflection that the Arabist Carles G. Bárcena makes on the functioning of this type of medical centre in his article “El bimaristán, un modelo de hospital islámico” (Bimaristan, a model of an Islamic hospital) is very interesting:

“The non-aggressive therapy systems, the humane treatment of patients, the normality with which mental illnesses were accepted, and the formal beauty of the buildings are values that are still valid today. In the Muslim world of the 9th, 10th and 11th centuries, we discover essential values such as beauty, harmony, serenity, proportion and balance. These values are healing because they affect their mood and contribute to their health and well-being. “A balanced diet, a harmonious and well-rhymed melody, the murmur of the waters of the fountains, the melodious words of poets and storytellers, and the oratory of the doctors themselves, attentive and respectful to the sick, convey peace and tranquillity”.

About the renovation of the Maristan.

So far, phase 1 of the entire redevelopment project has been completed.

Of the 4 bays [? corridors or wards?] that made up the building, the southern bay [see above] and the ovens of the old mint have been preserved.

Future plans include securing the archaeological remains of the rest of the building and the central basin.  Copies of the original lions that decorated the central basin will also be installed.

The restoration has brought surprises to light, such as the presence of a rear courtyard, the durability of the mint’s ovens, the beautiful flooring that surrounded the courtyard, or the smoke pipes  that were used to carry out some treatments.

You can learn more about the Maristan by visiting the Alhambra Museum.

This wonderful museum, housed on the first floor of Charles V’s palace, preserves two important pieces.

These are the following items:

– The Foundation Stone. It is a beautiful hewn stone made of white marble on which are inscribed, among other things, the date of construction, the name of the founder and the purpose of the foundation. It also mentions, as was customary, several sultans of the Nasrid dynasty, such as Ismail I, Yusuf I and Mohammed V. Next to each of them are sentences from the Qur’an recounting their deeds and achievements.

– The original lions that adorned the basin and ushered in water. After the Maristan was abandoned, they were taken to the El Partal palace in the Alhambra. After a few years they were restored and put on display in the Alhambra Museum to prevent further deterioration.

Every corner of the Albaicín holds fascinating stories like the one I just told you. I look forward to accompanying you on my guided tours to discover the secrets of the city together with you.

For more information, please visit my website or via whatsapp on +30 617 35 43 79