The Role of Noureddin Zangi in Development of Medical Sciences

Noureddin Mahmoud Ibn Zangi had established hospitals in different cities of his territory such as Aleppo and Damascus. He had done significant dedication to these hospitals; the most important one was Noori Hospital in Damascus. The Noori Hospital continued its scientific progression even after Noureddin and transformed into a medical training center for medical students to do clinical trials. Many famous physicians from across the Muslim world including Iran, Iraq, Egypt and from west joined there to practice medicine, exchange their medical knowledge with each other and train medical students. Noureddin also dedicated many medical books to this hospital so that physicians following to their medical practice could get together to read and discuss medical problems. Moreover, he established a hospital in Aleppo as well as Dekhvarieh medical school in Damascus. Ibn Abi Asibaae, the author of Oyoon al Anbaa Fee Tabakat al Atebaa (the book of wisdom in doctor's level) and Ibn Nafis, who discovered the blood circulation graduated from this school and trained in Noori Hospital. Noureddin's support to establish hospitals, affected a number of eminent of Zangi govern ment. As the result they establishedhospitals in other cities of Iraq such as in Mosul by Mojahed Aldin Ghaimaz and in Erbil by Mozafaredin Kokivari Ibn Zeinedin. The aim of this paper is to study the causes that Noureddin Zangi paid attention to medical knowledge and established hospitals and also we analyze the effects and consequences of expanding medical knowledge in Islamic civilization. This study is accomplished using the resources and tools at Saman's Library.