Maristan of Granada

Maristans or bimaristans were the historic equivalent of hospitals in the Islamic world, first originating further east and spreading to Morocco and Al-Andalus around the 12th to 14th centuries.

[4][3][5][6] It was located in the lower Albaicin quarter, on the north bank of the Darro River near the 11th-century bathhouse known as the Hammam al-Yawza (today known as El Bañuelo).

[9][4] The layout and shape of the building is known thanks to 19th-century plans and drawings made by Francisco Enríquez Ferrer and Jules Gailhabaud, as well as thanks to modern archeological investigations.

[4] The arched niche was filled with the building's long foundation inscription carved in stone with Arabic letters painted gold on a turquoise background.

[3][10] After decades of abandonment, a major project to restore the maristan's remains was begun in 2020, though it was initially delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic that year.

[8] The first phase of work involved consolidating and restoring the maristan's southern gallery, the only part of the original building that survived demolition.

[14] From the post-Nasrid period, smelting furnaces and a cooling pond belonging to the 16th-century mint were also recovered and have been integrated into the restored site for visitors to see.