Muristan Street, Jerusalem
The Muristan is a historic district located in the heart of the Christian Quarter within Jerusalem's Old City, situated just south of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and bordered by David Street to the south, Christian Quarter Road to the west, and the Souk Aftimos market to the north. Spanning approximately 2.5 acres (about 1 hectare), it forms a roughly rectangular area that today functions as a bustling complex of narrow streets, alleyways, shops, and markets, blending medieval architecture with modern commercial activity. The name "Muristan" derives from the Persian word "Bimārestān," meaning "hospital" or "place for the sick," reflecting its long association with medical care and pilgrimage hospitality dating back to the medieval period.
Ancient Origins
The Muristan's roots trace back to
prehistoric times as a stone quarry, active until the 1st century BC,
when it filled with silt and humus to become fertile garden land by the
era of Jesus. Its proximity to the traditional site of Golgotha (the
crucifixion hill) placed it outside the city walls during the Second
Temple period. A tradition, cited as early as 1496 by William Caoursin,
attributes the founding of a hospital here to Judas Maccabeus and John
Hyrcanus in the 2nd century BC, inspired by events in the Second Book of
Maccabees where King Antiochus V reportedly had a divine vision to
establish a facility for the sick and poor. Some scholars, like Doron
Bar, suggest the area may have housed the camp of the Roman Tenth Legion
after the destruction of Jerusalem in the First Jewish–Roman War (66–73
CE).
Roman Period
In 130 CE, Emperor Hadrian reconstructed the
ruined city as the Roman colony Aelia Capitolina, positioning its
central forum at the Muristan's location, at the intersection of the
Cardo Maximus (north-south axis) and Decumanus Maximus (east-west axis).
This made it the religious and political heart of the Roman city.
Hadrian also erected a large podium temple to Venus (or Aphrodite)
nearby, possibly over an early Christian site, with the southern valley
filled in to level the ground. In the 4th century, Emperor Constantine
repurposed parts of this temple site for the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre, boosting pilgrim traffic to the adjacent Muristan.
Byzantine Period
The first documented structure in the Muristan dates
to around 600 CE, when Abbot Probus, on orders from Pope Gregory the
Great, built a hospital to care for Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy
Land. This hospice was likely destroyed during the Sasanian Persian
invasion of 614 CE, which saw widespread slaughter and the razing of
churches and monasteries in Jerusalem. It was probably restored after
the Byzantine reconquest in 628 CE. Additionally, the 5th-century Church
of St. John the Baptist, one of Jerusalem's oldest, was constructed
here, dedicated to the saint and possibly housing relics like fragments
of his skull; Orthodox tradition claims his head was buried on-site. The
church, an irregular triconch from Late Antiquity, was damaged in the
7th-century Persian or Arab conquests.
Early Muslim Period
Following the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem in 637 CE under Caliph Omar,
Christians retained freedom of worship, and the restored Byzantine
hospice continued serving pilgrims. In 800 CE, Charlemagne, Holy Roman
Emperor, enlarged the hostel and added a library. Bernard the Monk noted
a Benedictine hospital near the Holy Sepulchre in 870 CE. The site
endured endowments, such as property from Hugh Marquis of Tuscany in 993
CE, but was destroyed in 1009 CE by Fatimid Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr
Allah, who razed thousands of Christian buildings. In 1023 CE, merchants
from Amalfi and Salerno, with ties to Constantinople, obtained
permission from Caliph Ali az-Zahir to rebuild the hospice, monastery,
and chapel on the site of St. John the Baptist. By 1080 CE, a new
hospital for pilgrims stood east of it, both under Benedictine control.
Despite Seljuk Turk persecutions after 1078 CE and Egyptian control in
1098 CE, the facilities persisted, with separate hospitals for men (led
by Brother Gerard) and women (managed by Agnes).
Crusader Period
The Muristan reached its zenith during the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem
(1099–1187 CE). During the 1099 siege, the Amalfitan hospital treated
wounded knights, leading Brother Gerard to found the Order of the
Hospital of St. John (Knights Hospitaller) after the city's fall to
Godfrey of Bouillon. Gerard adopted the Augustinian rule, broke from the
Benedictines, and expanded the complex into a massive facility treating
all patients regardless of faith, confirmed by Pope Paschal II's 1113
bull. Under successor Raymond du Puy, it grew to accommodate thousands,
as described by pilgrim John of Würzburg in 1160 CE: a hospital with
daily care for the sick, food distribution, and military training
against Saracens. The 15-dunam complex included churches like St. Mary
Latina (rebuilt around 1150 with mosaic floors and cloisters), St. Maria
Maggiore, and St. John the Baptist; halls with modular piers, groin
vaults, and buttresses; infirmaries, kitchens, latrines, stables, and
cisterns. Archaeological evidence shows varied construction phases, with
Crusader tool marks, mason's marks, and features like a northwest
multi-storey hall and eastern bath complexes. The order evolved into a
military-religious powerhouse, defending the Holy Land and influencing
European hospitals.
Ayyubid and Mamluk Periods
After Saladin's
conquest in 1187 CE, Christians were expelled, but he permitted ten
Hospitallers to remain for wounded care before their departure. Saladin
converted buildings into the Mosque of Omar and established his own
hospital, solidifying the "Muristan" name. In 1216 CE, his nephew turned
the conventual church into a lunatic asylum. Hospital functions
continued sporadically for the sick until the 16th century, but the
Mamluk conquest in 1267 accelerated decay; the area fell into ruins,
with some parts reused as a madrasa, prison, housing, workshops, or
caravanserai. A major earthquake in 1457 collapsed much of the Crusader
hospital, leaving massive pillars and vaults buried.
Ottoman
Period
By the 16th century, amid Ottoman decline and reduced pilgrim
numbers due to the Reformation, the Muristan was largely deserted and
buried under rubble. Some Greek Orthodox monks inhabited ruins of the
St. John monastery, which was renovated in 1839. In 1868, Sultan
Abdulaziz gifted the eastern Muristan to Prussian Crown Prince Frederick
William (later brief emperor in 1888), as Master of the Johanniterorden
(Protestant Knights Hospitaller successor). Germans cleared debris,
built Prince Frederick William Street, and from 1893–1898 constructed
the neo-Romanesque Lutheran Church of the Redeemer over the ruins of St.
Mary Latina, preserving its medieval cloister, refectory, and plan.
Kaiser Wilhelm II dedicated it on October 31, 1898—the first Western
rulers' visit to Jerusalem since the Crusades. In 1903, the Greek
Orthodox Patriarchate cleared the western Muristan's ruins (including
St. Maria Maggiore) to build the Suq Aftimos bazaar, named after
19th-century sacristan Euthymius, with 70 shops, cafes, and a central
fountain honoring Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The northern end retains the
1216 Mosque of Omar.
Modern Period
Early 20th-century
excavations, including those by Conrad Schick, revealed the Hospitaller
complex's scale (160 yards east-west, 143 yards north-south), though his
plans were partly unreliable. Remains include arches on David Street,
the north door of St. Mary Latina (now in the Redeemer Church), and a
modern memorial. In 2013, reconstruction work uncovered Crusader
hospital sections with ribbed vaults over 6 meters high. Recent
interdisciplinary projects, using photogrammetry and 3D reconstructions,
have documented masonry, vaults, and functions like ovens and latrines.
The "Durch die Zeiten" archaeological park, opened in November 2012
beneath the Church of the Redeemer's nave, allows visitors to explore
strata from Roman to Crusader eras. Today, the Muristan is a vibrant
tourist hub with leather goods shops, traditional food, and sites like
the Redeemer Church (hosting multilingual congregations) and St. John
the Baptist Church, blending history with daily Old City life.
Wandering the Muristan today feels like stepping into a living mosaic
of history and commerce. The district is crisscrossed by pedestrian
lanes lined with souvenir shops selling religious icons, jewelry,
spices, and textiles, catering to tourists and pilgrims. Key landmarks
include:
Church of the Redeemer: A neo-Romanesque structure with
a tall bell tower offering panoramic views of the Old City. Its crypt
houses archaeological exhibits from the site's forum and hospital eras.
Church of St. John the Baptist: One of Jerusalem's oldest churches,
dating to the 11th–12th centuries, with Crusader architecture and
frescoes.
Fountain and Plaza: A central Ottoman-era fountain,
surrounded by cafes and eateries, serves as a gathering spot. The area
buzzes with vendors, street performers, and multilingual chatter from
visitors.
The atmosphere is vibrant yet serene, overshadowed by
the spiritual weight of the nearby Holy Sepulchre. However, like much of
the Old City, it can be crowded during peak tourist seasons and is
subject to security measures due to Jerusalem's geopolitical
sensitivities.
The Muristan embodies Jerusalem's role as a crossroads of faiths. For Christians, it symbolizes medieval pilgrimage and the chivalric orders that protected holy sites. Its hospital legacy influenced modern medical organizations like the St. John Ambulance. Archaeologically, it offers insights into urban evolution from quarry to forum to market. Today, it attracts historians, tourists, and locals, underscoring themes of healing, commerce, and coexistence amid the city's complex history. While not as iconic as the Western Wall or Dome of the Rock, the Muristan provides a quieter, more intimate glimpse into Jerusalem's enduring layers.