ABSTRACT
Islamic Spain has left enough material remains to present a fruitful field of study for archaeologists and architectural historians. Prominent structures such as palaces and mosques have inspired many academic studies, as they have throughout the Islamic world. However, edifices such as health-care buildings do not attract the same attention. One such is the mAristAn, or hospital, founded in fourteenth-century Granada. The mAristAn of Granada is situated in a valley next to the River Darro on the periphery of the Albaicin urban area, which extends to the north. Across the river to the south rises the hill on which the Alhambra palace is located. This Muslim hospital is the only one in southern Spain that survived into modern times, but it is mentioned by only a limited number of scholars. The edifice is now reduced to ruins, so this chapter is based upon a combination of archaeological findings and historical records.
