The Sultan Bayezid II Külliye
Prior to becoming sultan, Bayezit II (r. 1481–1512) was governor of the town of Amasya where he met and was taught by members of the Helveti tariqa. The Helvetiyya were incredibly active in the city of Amasya and Bayezit would later invite his shaykh Çelebi Halife, to Istanbul establishing for him a Sufi lodge or tekke. Bayezit’s association with the Sufis and his commitment to the path of tasawwuf is part of the reason why he is known as veli (saint) and so many of his actions as ruler indicate his commitment to justice and caring for his people. Consolidating the empire his father had expanded, maintaining peace, prioritizing various public works and establishing vakif or waqf, characterize his reign. One such example of vakif is the Sultan Bayezid II Külliye whose construction the sultan ordered and had completed in 1488.
Nurettin Heybeli describes the complex as containing “the medical school; the mosque, which is at the center of the complex; two guesthouses, each having four rooms for guests, travelers, and patients’ or students’ visitors free of charge; the hospital, which consisted of three courtyards for the outpatients’ and service rooms, administrative rooms, and inpatient section; a social aid unit (imaret), which served free meals twice a day; a bridge and a water mill, which served as a source of income; a Turkish bath (hamam); Janissary Band (mehterhane), and an elementary school”.
The hospital boasted the most advanced medical practice of the time and the Külliye is known for the use of music and the sound of running water to treat patients who were mentally ill. Heybeli remarks that “the existence of a music stage in the inpatient section of a hospital of the 15th century is remarkable, considering during the same period in some countries mentally ill people were condemned to death. The gravures depicting patients listening to musicians shows music was used commonly in the treatment of these patients”. The 17th century traveller Evilya Çelebi also described the use of scents, “They give flowers such as sim and narcissus, gooseneck, müşk-i Rumi, jasmine, rose, gillyflower, cloves, sweet basil, tulip and hyacinth and these heal the patients with their nice smells”.
The vakif documents demonstrate how medical students were also provided with lodgings, meals and a stipend. The education they received was excellent and students had access to works written in Arabic, Farsi and Turkish. Furthermore, Sultan Bayezid donated Ancient Greek and Roman texts to the medical school with his own seal. Evliya Çelebi recalled how “There is a medical school in the complex and the students staying in the rooms are mature and skillful doctors who always discuss scholars such as Plato, Socrates, Filbos, Aristotle, Calinos and Pythagoras. In accordance with the saying of: there are two kinds of science. One is the science of religions and the other is the science of human body, each of them is interested in a field of science and esteems the valuable books and searches for a way to heal the suffering of the human”.
The complex remained in use for another four centuries until the Russo-Turkish War (1877 -78). The hospital section is now a museum and the complex itself is on its way to being included on the permanent list of UESCO World Heritage sites.
