Rabé-Rashidi: The greatest Iranian University Complex (8th A.D./13th C.E.)

Rabé-Rashidi can be considered as the most manifest sample of constructions done by Gazan Khan with an ideal wish of eminence and social mobility in Iran. As a university campus, Rabé-Rashidi was established by Khaje Rashid Eldin Fazl Allah Hamadani, with a great deal of cultural, economic and welfare programs in the first years of 8th A.H. century. Despite an undeniable delay in comparison to the firstly founded University of Cambridge in 1209, foundation of Rabé- Rashidi preceded many well-known European universities like Prague, Vienna and other similar universities. The University campus was located in Tabriz, and its exact location was at the end of Sheshgelan sStreet. The whole process of training in Rabé-Rashidi constituted 5 stages: Beit-ol-Talim, Professional training, higher education, Dar-ol-shafa and Khangah. Beit-ol-Talim was dedicated to educate children, with a particular interest on orphans. During professional trainings, young men could learn technological andindustrial professions; higher education consisted 3 fields of commentary (Tafsir), mathematical and rationalized sciences, and studying written works of Rashid Al-din. Dar-ol-shafa was also obviously designed for treatment of patients and training young physicians and specialists like orthopedists, ophthalmists, and pharmacists. The hospitals in Rabé-Rashidi were all free of charge and would deliver services by physicians and nurses; Khangah was also a place for Sufies and professors to rest down, study and even pray. Furthermore, Beit-ol-Ketab (library) in Rabé-Rashidi is one of the richest library in the world and contained more than 1000 copies of Quran , 60000 copies of rare and fascinating books in science, history, poems and more than other 60000 copies of books written in Persian or in Arabic. Such a great number of books can be more interesting if you remind of their procedure of handwriting which could take months or even years for an author to be complete.