BEYAZIT II MOSQUE (IKINCI BEYAZIT CAMII)
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A pleasant walk through Saraçhane, Horozlu Bayır and Imaret avenues leads to the Tunca River and the 15th-century religious center of Beyazıt, which originally grouped, around its mosque flanked by four minarets, a medical school, a lunatic asylum, a travelers' hostel as well as a medersa. The complex, completed in 1488 by the architect Hayrettin, represents the largest and most complete monument in the city. The style of the mosque borrows from the Three Galleries Mosque (Üç Şerefeli) and the Selimiye Mosque. The interior, meanwhile, is reminiscent of the Yeşil Camii in Bursa and houses the imperial lodge. Preceded by a traditional ablutions courtyard, the prayer hall is topped by a large dome 20 m in diameter, resting on the walls. Two buildings have been nicely renovated into a museum: the hospital and the medical school. They house the Health Museum (Sağlık Müzesi) attached to Trakya University, the first of its kind in Turkey. The place, dedicated to the history of Arab medicine, presents the sometimes original treatments and protocols that were implemented there until 1909. Musicology, for example, was used to treat madness. Mannequins dressed as doctors and patients show the procedures of the time. And explanatory panels enhance the visit. Around the building, gardens offer a welcome break. Don't hesitate to discover the surgical tools room.
