Author
Abu al-Fadl al-Harithi, also known as the engineer.
Author Original
أبو الفضل الحارثي، المعروف أيضاً بالمهندس
Publication Date
549/ 1154
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;sy;Mon01;15;ar
Library Location
In the Al-Hamidiya market area, south of the Great Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, Syria
Date
549/ 1154
Notes
Al-Bimaristan Al-Nuri, a hospital dating back to the 6th / 12th century, is one of the most famous buildings in Damascus, and at the time of its construction, it was considered a renovation, as the Valencian-Andalusian traveler Ibn Jubayr recorded in his memoirs. Albimaristan was a therapeutic shelter for the sick and a medical school. The Mamluk Sultan Qalawun is said to have survived a serious illness in this bimaristan, an experience that inspired him to build his famous institution in Cairo: the Qalawun Complex. Al-Bimaristan Al-Nuri is currently used as a museum of Arab medicine and science. It is located on a side street in Mansouk Al-Hamidiyah. It can be easily recognized by its red muqarnas dome made of Rafidian-style brick, equipped with dark glass. It is also known for its elegant entrance, the woodwork of its door, and the perfect balance in its plan with four axially symmetrical niches. The Bimaristan is entered through an entrance surmounted by a longitudinal composition of muqarnas that are shallow in a way Unusual, with a row of lobed arches at its base based on a classical style. The door is considered an important example of woodwork and marquetry in this period, and the identity of the door’s designer has been recorded in history as Abu al-Fadl Muhammad bin Abdul Karim al-Harithi, known as the Engineer. Abu al-Fadl, the doctor in Bimaristan, and the craftsman who created the door, demonstrated the diversity of experience that scholars had in this period. The entrance leads to a square hall covered with a muqarnas-shaped brick dome, as stone had not yet been used in the manufacture of muqarnas. Once inside, one becomes immersed in the splendor of the scene that one sees: units of stalactites gradually rising, penetrated by rays of light. The foyer leads to the large, rectangular heavenly space with its large central basin with internal corner curves. The heavenly courtyard is bordered by four iwans covered with vaults: the western iwan, which leads to the entrance, the southern and northern iwan on either side of the courtyard, and the main eastern iwan, which is the largest of them, and faces the entrance. This main iwan represents the great hall of the bimaristan, and is the place where students attended lessons and where they could access medical manuscripts for study. The walls of the iwan are surrounded by inscriptions in Naskh script that mention verses of the Qur’an that talk about medicine and healing. They clearly indicate the function of the building and are useful in bringing blessings. Overlooking the southwestern corner of the courtyard is an original window mounted on an arch, covered with stucco decoration in the form of a grid of octagonal stars with scrolling floral decorations.
Sample Text
Abd al-Razzaq Moaz, Zena Takieddine “Bimaristan Nour al-Din” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;sy;Mon01;15;ar
