Hospital

The Marrakech Hospital

The hospital was called Hospital of Amir al-Muminin al-Mansur ibn Yusuf.

AI-Mansur was an Almohad ruler who ruled Morocco and Spain from 1184 until his death in 1199.

Al-Mansur had a hospital built has no equal in the world. For his purpose he chose a very extensive area in the centre of the city. He ordered the masons and the builders to carry out his plans with the greatest perfection possible. He decorated the hospital with inscriptions and designs of surpassing beauty.He ordered that flowers should be planted and cultivated in the courtyard, as well as fruit trees, and to have flowing water conducted to all the wards and rooms.

He ordered the hospital to be equipped with furniture. He endowed it with ample waqfs and donations, providing the hospital with a daily sum of forty dinars for its expenses.
Pharmacists were employed to prepare food and drink and needed medicaments, as well as clothing for the summer and winter for the patients. When a poor patient left the hospital he was given a sum of money until he could find employment. When a rich patient was discharged he received his money and belongings beforehand. The hospital was accessible to rich and poor alike. If a stranger was taken ill in the city he was admitted and treated until he was well or until he died.

Every Friday the monarch rode to the hospital and visited the sick, asking about the state of their health and making inquiries about their needs. The caliph continued this custom until his death.

by: FSTC Limited, Fri 20 December, 2002