Qalawun
قلاوون
Builder of the Great Hospital
Born: ~1222 CE
Died: 1290 CE
Also known as: al-Mansur Qalawun, Sayf al-Din Qalawun al-Alfi
Qalawun was the Mamluk sultan who consolidated the empire's power and built the magnificent Mansuri Hospital (Bimaristan al-Mansuri) in Cairo, one of the largest and most advanced medical institutions in the medieval world. He also founded a dynasty that ruled Egypt for over a century.
Key Accomplishments
- Built the Bimaristan al-Mansuri in Cairo, one of the most advanced hospitals of the medieval world
- Defeated the Mongols at the Second Battle of Homs in 1281
- Captured the Crusader stronghold of Tripoli in 1289
- Founded the Qalawunid dynasty that ruled Egypt for over a century
The Full Story
Qalawun was a Kipchak Turk who, like Baybars, was sold into slavery and rose through the Mamluk military ranks. His nickname "al-Alfi" (the Thousander) reportedly derived from the high price paid for him -- one thousand dinars. He served under Baybars and succeeded to the sultanate in 1279 after a brief power struggle, ruling until his death in 1290.
Qalawun's greatest legacy is the Bimaristan al-Mansuri, completed in 1284 in Cairo. This massive hospital complex could reportedly treat 8,000 patients and offered free medical care to all regardless of wealth, gender, or religion. It included separate wards for different conditions, an outpatient clinic, a pharmacy, a lecture hall for medical education, and a mosque. The hospital remained in operation for centuries and set a standard for medical care that was unmatched in the contemporary world.
Militarily, Qalawun defeated the Mongols at the Second Battle of Homs in 1281 and continued Baybars' campaign against the remaining Crusader fortresses, capturing Tripoli in 1289. He was preparing the final assault on Acre, the last major Crusader stronghold, when he died in 1290; his son al-Ashraf Khalil completed the task. Qalawun's descendants, the Qalawunid dynasty, ruled Egypt for over a century and presided over some of the Mamluk Sultanate's most prosperous years.
Places
Connected Figures
Baybars
The Lion of Egypt
Predecessor as Mamluk sultan whom he served as commander
The Mamluk SultanateAl-Ashraf Khalil
Conqueror of Acre
Son and successor who completed the conquest of Acre
The Mamluk SultanateQutuz
Victor of Ain Jalut
Earlier Mamluk sultan in whose era Qalawun rose through the ranks
Notes
Sources
- [1]Northrup, Linda S. "The Bahri Mamluk Sultanate." in The Cambridge History of Egypt, Vol. 1. Cambridge University Press, 1998.
- [2]Dols, Michael W. "The Origins of the Islamic Hospital: Myth and Reality." Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 1987.
- [3]Amitai-Preiss, Reuven. Mongols and Mamluks: The Mamluk-Ilkhanid War, 1260-1281. Cambridge University Press, 1995.