Gallery
Description
Property Name: Nur al-Din Bimaristan (Damascus)
Inventory No: 963-11-7
Date of infill of the inventory form: 2007-11-05
Country (State party): Syria
Province: Damascus
Town:
Geographic coordinates: 33° 30′ 41″ N
36° 18′ 23″ E
Historic Period: 12th century, 2nd half
Year of Construction: 1154
Style: Seljuk
Original Use: Hospital
Current Use: Museum
Architect: Unknown
Significance
Bimaristan Nur al-Din is one of the most remarkable Islamic institutions with its Seljuk-style portal in Damascus. The bimaristan functioned as a hospital until the construction of the National Hospital in the 19th century.
Selection Criteria
ii. to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning, or landscape design
iii. to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared
iv. to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history
vi. to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance
State of Preservation
Bimaristan Nur al-Din has traces of the restorations of 1283 and of the 18th century on it.
References
Burns Ross. Monuments of Syria, IB Tauris, London, 1999.
Degeorge, Gérard. Syrie: art-histoire-architecture. Paris: Hermann, 1994.
Sauvaget, Jean, Les Monuments historiques de Damas, Beirut, 1932.
Archnet Web Site: http://archnet.org
Muslim Heritage Web Site: http://www.muslimheritage.com
Shop. abc. Web Site: http://shop.abc.net.au
Sonic Web Site: http://www.sonic.net