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The Bayezid II Complex (II. Bayezid Külliyesi) is an important mosque complex in Edirne, Turkey. It operates as the Complex of Sultan Bayezid II Health Museum (Sultan II. Bayezid Külliyesi Sağlık Müzesi).
History of the Bayezid II Complex
The Bayezid II Complex was built between 1484 and 1488. It was a mosque complex that included an important Ottoman medical school and hospital. A bust of its founder, Sultan Bayezid II, sits in the outer courtyard of the medical school. The architect was Mimar Hayruddin.
The medical school and hospital remained in use for almost 400 years until the Russo-Turkish War in 1878. It was notable for its treatment methods for mental disorders. The museum opened in 1997 and the complex is run by Trakya University (Trakya Üniversitesi).
Visiting the Bayezid II Complex
Admission to the complex and museum is 50₺ for foreigners (as of June 2023) and it’s open daily. It has exhibits explaining the study and breakthroughs of Ottoman medicine and the development of medical services throughout Ottoman history.
Interpretive panels in the museum are in Turkish and English, and provide a wealth of information about Ottoman medical practices and life at the complex. Some of the panels include text taken directly from the hospital and medical school archives. The information provided is excellent and greatly enhances the visitor experience. For a virtual tour of the museum, click here.
To reach the complex, visitors must cross over two historic Ottoman bridges a short walk northwest of the historic city center. You can combine a visit to the complex with the ruins of Edirne Palace, which is about a 15 minute walk away, and loop back into the historic city center from there.
Bayezid II Mosque
The Bayezid II Mosque (II. Bayezid Camii) is the centerpiece of the complex. It was built along with the rest of the complex between 1484 and 1488. The architect was Mimar Hayruddin, and Sultan Bayezid II himself laid the cornerstone.
Outer Courtyard
The outer courtyard in front of the mosque is a pleasant space shaded with several pine trees. There are a few paths and benches to sit and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.
Inner Courtyard
The inner courtyard of the mosque is accessed through a monumental entrance with three portals. In the center is an ablutions fountain (şadırvan) and on the north side is a small well. 2 identical minarets, each 38 meters (125 feet) high, flank the central dome.
The courtyard is surrounded by arched porticoes covered with small domes. The arches are supported by marble and granite columns with muqarnas capitals.
Prayer Hall
The mosque’s prayer hall is stunningly beautiful, with several windows providing illumination. The walls and window frames are painted with geometric and floral patterns. The mihrab and minbar are made of marble.
The sultan’s gallery on the left side of the prayer hall stands on marble columns. It was the first example of its kind in an Ottoman mosque.
Dome
The dome of the mosque isn’t held up by columns or half domes as in other Ottoman constructions. It sits directly on the walls and has a diameter of 23 meters (75 feet). The drum has 20 windows. For a virtual tour of the Bayezid II Mosque, click here.
Guesthouses
Guesthouses sit on each side on the mosque. They both had four rooms and are topped with nine domes. Travelers were able to stay in the guesthouses for free, and patients discharged from the hospital spent a convalescence period there. Today, the guesthouse on the left side of the mosque, next to the Sultan’s Gate (Sultan Kapısı) serves as a café.
Soup Kitchen of the Bayezid II Complex
The soup kitchen (aşevi) of the Bayezid II Complex provided food to staff, students, patients of the Bayezid II Hospital and Medical School as well as the needy.
The soup kitchen is located in the outer courtyard of the Bayezid II Complex. The building sits to the left of the Bayezid II Mosque. It contains an excellent and informative exhibit on the function of soup kitchens in the Ottoman Empire and their importance to mosque complexes.
Mannequins set up in different scenes and wearing uniforms of soup kitchen workers give visitors a good idea of how a soup kitchen would operate. There are also scenes of a coffeehouse and a typical Ottoman dining room.
In the dining room of the soup kitchen is a scene depicting Sultan Bayezid II sharing a meal with a Janissary and some officials.
Around the rest of the dining room are serving trays, vessels, and other kitchenware used during Ottoman times. Interpretive panels on the walls highlight the importance of soups to the Ottomans as well as the evolution of Ottoman cuisine.
Aşçı Yahya Baba
One display inside the soup kitchen is dedicated to the memory of Aşçı Yahya Baba. He was a cook at the Bayezid II Complex in the 15th century who would take leftover rice and feed it to the fish in the Tundzha River behind the complex. Eventually, he would order surplus rice for the pantry and instead of cooking it, he would use it to feed the fish. When he was caught, he was reported to the Sultan Bayezid II who confronted him.
The Sultan said, “Yahya Baba! Isn’t what you’re doing a waste?” Aşçı Yahya Baba responded, “My Sultan! Do you see the surplus of the state for us? Is your state’s treat only for people?”. The cook then laid down and died of disappointment. Aşçı Yahya Baba is buried in a tomb just outside the Bayezid II Complex.
Kitchen of the Bayezid II Complex
To the north of the soup kitchen is the kitchen (mutfak), which was where the meals served in the soup kitchen were prepared. It was empty and looked like it was being used for storage at the time of my visit.
Pantry of the Bayezid II Complex
The kitchen is attached to the pantry (kiler), which was also closed to the public. The pantry stored items needed for the kitchen and soup kitchen.
Bayezid II Medical School
The Bayezid II Medical School (II. Bayezid Tıp Medresesi / Medrese-i Etibba) was one of the most important sections of the Bayezid II Complex.
The Bayezid II Medical School was one of the best medical schools of the Ottoman Empire. It consisted of 18 student rooms and a classroom. The rooms surround a central courtyard with a fountain in the middle. Some of the rooms are open to visitors to demonstrate how students lived and learned at the school.
Students were established physicians, each with a different specialization. Their goal was to discover the best possible treatments by discussing the works of Ancient Greek philosophers, physicians, and scientists, such as Plato, Socrates, Hippocrates, Aristotle, and Pythagoras. The hand-written archives of the school are kept in the library of the Selimiye Mosque.
Watchman’s Room
The first room open to visitors in the Bayezid II Medical School is the watchman’s room (kapıcı odası), which sits to the right of the entrance. It features a mannequin of the school’s watchman. It’s followed by a room explaining the history of Ottoman medical education.
Student Rooms
Next are a pair of student rooms (öğrenci odaları), which depict how students lived while studying at the school.
Applied Training Rooms
Two applied training rooms (uygulamalı eğitim odaları) showcased how students would learn by practicing directly on patients. One room shows treatment with cauterization while another shows treatment of hydrocephaly.
Chief Physician’s Room
The room in the corner is the chief physician’s room (baş müderris odası). Mannequins represent the chief physician sitting on a bench while a student sits on the floor with a book.
Turkish Experimental Medicine
The next room depicts two physicians with a rooster and a snake. This represents Turkish experimental medicine (Türk deneysel tıbbı).
Classroom
Following a room with information about the history of the Medical School is the classroom (dershane). It’s the largest room in the complex. In the center are mannequins demonstrating the treatment of vertebra dislocation while another mannequin in the rear corner is preparing some kind of concoction. Four students sit on the floor taking notes at their desks.
Training Room
After the classroom is a training room (eğitim odası), where students would discuss treatments and medical philosophy with teachers.
Library
The final two rooms open to visitors are the library (kütüphane) and the music room (musiki odası). The library has wooden bookcases filled with several volumes as well as a couple mannequins studying.
Courtyards of the Bayezid II Hospital
There are two courtyards leading to the hospital of the Bayezid II Complex. The rooms on these courtyards contain different exhibitions.
First Courtyard
The First Courtyard (Birinci Avlu) of the Bayezid II Hospital (II. Bayezid Darüşşifası) has a garden in the center and buildings on each side. There’s a small building with four rooms on one side, and a longer colonnaded building with six rooms on the other side. Two separate larger rooms sit opposite each other at the entrance to the Second Courtyard.
Service Rooms
In the past, the smaller building contained service rooms. Today, the first room displays information and photos about the establishment of the Complex of Bayezid II Health Museum.
The next three rooms feature exhibitions on the hospital’s laundry (çamaşırhane), kitchen (mutfak), and pantry (kiler). It was interesting to learn that Ottoman doctors prescribed different foods for different types of illnesses.
Polyclinic
The rooms in the longer building were used as a polyclinic. Today, they include exhibits about the history of the hospital. The first room belongs to the museum administration, while the next two rooms focus on the life of Sultan Bayezid II and the history of the Bayezid II Complex.
The next three rooms display information about the hospital and its medical and administrative staff. In the room about the history of the hospital, an interpretive panel explains how the income from 88 different villages was dedicated to the Bayezid II Complex in 1574.
In the medical and administrative rooms, there are mannequins depicting different staff members. Interpretive panels displayed the job description of each staff member as well as their pay. In 1617, medical staff included a head physician, two surgeons, two physicians, two eye doctors, four orderlies, and a drug mixer.
Administrative staff included a superintendent, scribe, majordomo, provisioner, servant, cleaner, laundry person, doorman, fumigator, two cooks, and a lavatory attendant. More staff was added over time.
Pharmacies
The two large rooms just before the entrance to the Second Courtyard were once used as pharmacies. The room to the left is now a meeting room, while the room to the right contains an exhibit on the Basic Principles of Ottoman Medicine (Osmanlı Tıbbının Temel İlkeleri).
The exhibit includes several drawings from the hospital archives and information about how the Ottomans approached medicine and treatment of disease. There are also examples of different medical tools, such as scissors used during eye operations and circumcisions, bladder hooks, flat scrapers used to scrape bones, scalpels, hooked knives to split calluses, and tools to open veins.
Other displays include a collection of herbs and spices as well as marine crustaceans used in Ottoman medicine. Shells of these crustaceans were burnt and their ashes were used in drug production.
Second Courtyard
The Second Courtyard (İkinci Avlu) is a much smaller space, with a garden in the center and two rooms on each side. The rooms were used as executive rooms during the Ottoman era.
Theriac in Ottoman Medicine
One room to the left contains an exhibit about Theriac in Ottoman Medicine (Osmanlı Tıbbında Tiryak). Theriac was an Ancient Greek concoction dating back to the 1st century. It was invented by Andromachus the Elder, the personal physician of Roman Emperor Nero. The Ottomans used it against bites from snakes and poisonous insects.
Rose Gardening in Edirne
The other room to the left is an exhibit about Rose Gardening in Edirne (Edirne’de Gülcülük). Edirne roses were very highly regarded for their superb quality. Rosewater, perfumes, and sweets were sought after by members of the Ottoman court. Physicians used rose products to help patients improve digestion and protect the liver and stomach.
Methods of Drug Production
A room to the right of the garden in the Second Courtyard covers Methods of Drug Production (İlaç Hazırlama Yöntemleri). It contains different kinds of glass medicine bottles.
Ottoman medicines included oils from flowers, powder from different minerals, fruit and herb extracts, and other natural materials. They were prepared using different methods. Some medicines were brought from Egypt and the Greek island of Chios. A collection of minerals used for medicinal purposes are on display.
Syrup Workshop
Across the way is the fourth and final room in the courtyard, which is the Syrup Workshop (Şuruphane). It features mannequins of a drug grinder and syrup maker as well as some of the tools they would use.
Healing House of the Bayezid II Hospital
The Healing House (Şifahane) of the Bayezid II Hospital was one of the most important medical research centers in the Ottoman Empire, especially for treatment of mental health disorders using non-traditional methods. The structure contains four open rooms and six closed rooms surrounding a hexagonal domed courtyard with a fountain in the center. Patients were hospitalized in the rooms during the years the hospital was active. Today, exhibits are presented in each room.
Smallpox Immunization from Edirne to Europe
Working clockwise, starting from the room just left of the entrance, is an exhibit about Smallpox Immunization from Edirne to Europe (Edirne’den Avrupa’ya Çiçek Aşısı). It features a mannequin representing Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762), the wife of the British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Sir Edward Wortley Montagu (1678-1761).
Lady Montagu was instrumental in introducing and advocating for smallpox inoculation in Britain after observing the process in Adrianople (now Edirne). The inoculation process later spread from London throughout Europe. Interpretive panels include excerpts from her diary.
Female Surgeon Küpeli Saliha Hatun
The next section is dedicated to Female Surgeon Küpeli Saliha Hatun (Cerrahe Küpeli Saliha Hatun). Küpeli Saliha Hatun was a 17th century surgeon who learned how to perform hernia surgeries from her husband, Deniz bin Gazi, in Üsküdar.
After her husband died in 1620, she performed several hernia surgeries between 1622 and 1624. On display are consent forms signed by her patients, who came from as far away as Bursa, Erzurum, and Trabzon.
Gynecology and Obstetrics
The third room is dedicated to Gynecology and Obstetrics (Kadın Hastalıkları ve Doğum). It includes a wealth of information about the treatment of gynecological diseases and childbirth methods during Ottoman times. Drawings and excerpts from the original hospital archives are featured.
Female patients were treated by female doctors and midwives, but a male doctor could intervene if a female doctor wasn’t available. Examples of Ottoman medical tools used for gynecological diseases and childbirth are on display in the room.
Esthetic and Reconstructive Surgery
Next is a section about Esthetic and Reconstructive Surgery (Estetik ve Rekonstrüktif Cerrahi). Along with the mannequins is information about different surgeries with an emphasis on breast reduction in men. Other surgeries performed included polydactyly, joint fingers, eyelid deformities, and cleft tongues.
Psychiatric Patients
The fifth room includes information about Psychiatric Patients (Akıl Hastaları). An excerpt on the wall from the writings of Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi (1611-1682) described the mental hospital in 1653. It contained patients from all walks of life afflicted by various diseases. He claimed many patients were admitted to the mental hospital for love sickness in the summer.
Music Therapy in the Hospital
In a niche on the courtyard after the fifth room is an exhibit about Music Therapy in the Hospital (Darüşşifada Müzikle Tedavi). It features several mannequins playing musical instruments. The courtyard was famous for its acoustics and was instrumental in the use of music as well as fragrances and water sounds in therapy.
Severe Psychiatric Patient
Continuing around the courtyard is a room dedicated to a Severe Psychiatric Patient (Ağır Akıl Hastası).
Surgery
Next is an exhibit on Surgery (Cerrahi). The mannequins represent the removal of a cyst. Any visible mass on the outside of the body, including cysts, tumors, and abscesses, were treated by surgeons. Interpretive panels explain how some of these growths were treated.
Ear, Nose, and Throat Diseases
The eighth room features Ear, Nose, and Throat Diseases (Kulak-Burun-Boğaz Hastalıkları). Excerpts and original drawings explain how polyps and adenoids in the nose were treated. Other descriptions include a tonsillectomy as well as information about ear problems such as pain, itching, maggots, foreign objects, and hearing loss.
Eye Diseases
The following room includes an exhibit on Eye Diseases (Göz Hastalıkları). Excerpts explain how physicians dealt with a mass in the eyelid.
Dental Diseases
The tenth and final room in the hospital was about Dental Diseases (Diş Hastalıkları). Along with the excellent interpretive panels and original drawings from the archives of the hospital are examples of dental tools used to extract teeth and remove excess tissue.
