Amasya Darüşşifa
Amasya Darüşşifası
A 14th-century Ilkhanid hospital where mental illness was once treated with music, the sound of running water and fragrances. It is now the Sabuncuoğlu Şerafettin Museum of Medical and Surgical History.
This hospital was commissioned in 1308 to 1309 by Ildiz Hatun, wife of the Ilkhanid ruler Öljaitü. It is one of the best-preserved medieval hospitals in Anatolia, where mental illness was treated with music, flowing water and fragrances. Its finely carved stone portal is a highlight. It now houses the Sabuncuoğlu Şerafettin Museum of Medical and Surgical History, named after the 15th-century local surgeon Sabuncuoğlu, and uses wax figures to recreate ancient surgery and music therapy. It is on the main street on the south bank of the river, and a visit takes about 40 minutes.
Opening hours
About 08:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Yalıboyu Houses
- Burmalı Minare Mosque
- Büyük Ağa Madrasa
- Tombs of the Pontic Kings
- Hazeranlar Mansion
- Amasya Castle (Harşena Castle)
- Sultan Bayezid II Mosque Complex
- Amasya Archaeology Museum