Çifte Medrese
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| Çifte Medrese | |
|---|---|
_DSCF0761.jpg) Gevher Nesibe Medical Complex | |
 Interactive map of the Çifte Medrese area | |
| General information | |
| Type | Medical school and hospital (bimaristan) |
| Architectural style | Seljuk architecture |
| Location | Kayseri, Turkey |
| Coordinates | 38°43′24″N 35°29′15″E / 38.7232°N 35.4874°E |
| Construction started | 1204 |
| Completed | 1206 |
Çifte Medrese, also known as the Gevher Nesibe Medical Complex (Turkish: Gevher Nesibe Şifahanesi ve Tıp Medresesi) is a 13th-century medical and educational complex located in Kayseri, Turkey.[1] It is considered one of the earliest examples of medical schools in the Islamic world, and possibly the first of its kind in Anatolia combining a hospital (şifahane) with a medical madrasa (tıp medresesi).[2]
Çifte Medrese, one of the Anatolian Seljuk madrasahs, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2014.[3]
The complex was commissioned by Kaykhusraw I of the Sultanate of Rum in 1204 and completed in 1206.[2] According to legend, it was built in memory of his sister, Gevher Nesibe, who reportedly died of heartbreak and asked for a medical school to be established so that others would not suffer her fate.[4]
Architecture
The complex consists of two adjoining buildings:
- The şifahane (hospital), designed for the treatment of patients, located to the west.
- The madrasa (school of medicine), located to the east, used for theoretical medical education.[1]
It is built of cut stone in the traditional style of Seljuk architecture, featuring a central open courtyard, iwans, domed chambers, and ornamental stone carvings.[2] The complex represents one of the earliest architectural integrations of education and healthcare in the medieval Islamic world.[5]