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The Muristan complex is a popular shopping area in Jerusalem. It’s located in the Christian Quarter of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Old City.
History as a Hospital
Muristan is a based on the Persian word bimaristan, which means hospital. Pope Gregory the Great commissioned the first hospital on the site in 600 in order to treat Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land. The hospital was most likely destroyed in 614 by the Sassanids and restored in 629. In 800, Charlemagne enlarged the hospital and added a library. It was destroyed by Caliph Al Hakim in 1009.
In 1023, merchants from Amalfi and Salerno were given permission to build the Church of St. John the Baptist, which was administered by the Benedictines. The monastery around the church was used as a hospital by the Crusaders starting in 1099. The knights who were treated at the hospital and recovered formed the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, also known as the Knights Hospitaller.
Redevelopment
In 1868, Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz gave the eastern half of the complex to Crown Prince Frederick William (later Frederick III of Germany and Prussia) and the western half to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The Germans built the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer between 1893 and 1898.
Aftimos Market
The Greek Orthodox built the Aftimos Market and rearranged the streets in 1903. In the center is a 19th century ornamental fountain decorated with the symbol of the Patriarchate. The Aftimos Market is famous for its leather goods, but several other souvenirs can also be found. There are also several restaurants in the area.
