Sahn-ı Seman Medrese
The Sahn-ı Seman Medrese or Semâniyye (meaning 'eight courtyards') was a 15th-century
History
The medrese complex, consisting of eight large and eight smaller (tetimme) medreses, was built by the order of
The buildings were part of the
Each of the large medreses had a smaller medrese next to it consisting of eight cells for students who received a more elementary education. When the students advanced, they were given a room in the Sahn-ı Seman medrese. Each room was occupied by one or two students. At the eastern side of the complex is a hospital (dârüşşifâ) and a lunatic asylum (tabhâne) with a similar design to the medrese.
The Sahn-i Seman complex had 216 rooms for students, 152 in the large medreses and 64 in the smaller ones.
The medrese complex was a kind of university of its time, with hundreds of Muslim students studying various sciences such as
There were eight stages of education. Students from the first seven ranks were called suhte or softa, while those of the highest rank were called danışman ('learned man').
The medrese complex continued in use until 1924 when the new secular government of Turkey passed the Tevhid-i Tedrisat law in an effort to reduce Islamic education. This compelled the closure of all the medreses in Turkey. Today the medrese buildlngs are in a dilapidated state; four of the smaller ones were completely demolished after World War II to make way for a new road.
References
- ^ ISBN 9781461731764.
- Online information [1]