The gardens adorning the courtyards and terraces of Topkapı Palace are known as aesthetically marvelous landscapes, greeting visitors with the scents of tulips, hyacinths, and roses. However, the beauty of these lush green areas is merely the visible surface of the story. Behind the walls, especially in the Hasbahçe belonging to the Enderun, the Sultan’s private living quarters, lay a hidden world that not only pleased the eye but also healed the body. Topkapı Palace gardens served as botanical laboratories, pharmacies, and living medicine chests for the empire’s greatest physicians. Every herb and every flower grown here would transform into a healing paste or a refreshing sherbet in the hands of the chief physicians, undertaking the duty of protecting the health of the Sultan and the dynasty. These gardens are the most elegant proof of the Ottoman’s deep connection with nature, their advanced level in medical science, and their holistic philosophy that combined beauty with healing.
A Meaning Beyond Beauty: The Hasbahçes of Topkapı Palace
The garden culture of Topkapı Palace is a perfect blend of aesthetics and functionality. The Hasbahçes, specifically reserved for the private use of the Sultan and his family, were designed as an earthly reflection of paradise. Marble pools, elegant pavilions, colorful flowerbeds, and the unique view of the Bosphorus offered the Sultan both spiritual rest and the pleasure of enjoying his worldly power. In these gardens, roses, tulips, carnations, and hyacinths, symbols of Ottoman aesthetics, were meticulously cultivated.
However, within this aesthetic arrangement, medicinal plants were strategically placed with the wisdom of the chief physicians. Many plants that appeared to be ornamental actually had therapeutic value. Special gardeners (bostancılar) subordinate to the Bostancıbaşı meticulously cared for these plants, knowing precisely when to sow each plant, how to water it, and when to harvest it. Therefore, the Hasbahçe was not just a resting area but also a living, breathing plant encyclopedia that formed the foundation of the palace’s health system.
Enderun: More Than a School, A Science Center
Located in the Third Courtyard of Topkapı Palace, the Enderun School was an academy that trained not only the future administrators of the empire but also its physicians, pharmacists, and scientists. The palace gardens served as a natural extension and a practical application field for the medical and botanical education provided in Enderun. Students had the opportunity to personally see, recognize, and learn the characteristics of the plants they read about in books, right in these gardens. This system enhanced the quality of Ottoman medical education by combining theoretical knowledge with practical experience.
[Link: Enderun School and Education System -> /sarayin-kalbi-enderun-mektebi-devsirme-cocuklardan-nasil-valiler-ve-vezirler-yaratiliyordu]
The Chief Physician (Hekimbaşı) and the Palace’s Health Organization
The most authoritative person in charge of all health matters in the palace was the Hekimbaşı. The Hekimbaşı was not only the Sultan’s personal physician but also effectively the empire’s minister of health. He was responsible for the management of the palace hospital (Darüşşifa), the pharmacy, and other health personnel. The understanding of medicine in the Ottoman Empire was based on preventing diseases (hıfzıssıhha) as much as treating them. At the core of this preventive medicine approach were proper nutrition and cures prepared with medicinal plants.
The Hekimbaşı would decide which plants to use according to the temperament and illness of the Sultan or a member of the palace household, and would give instructions for these plants to be procured from the Hasbahçe. This direct chain of command illustrates the organic link between the palace’s health organization and the gardens. The Hekimbaşı’s prescription would begin with the gardener planting a seed and conclude with it transforming into a healing medicine in the hands of the pharmacist.
Botany and Medicinal Plant Cultivation
The science of botany in the Ottoman Empire was known as “İlm-i Nebâtât” and had its roots in great scholars of the ancient and Islamic worlds such as Ibn Sina and Dioscorides. Medical books taught in Enderun contained detailed descriptions of hundreds of plants, their habitats, and their medicinal benefits. The Topkapı Palace gardens were a living library of this theoretical knowledge.
Some important plants known to be cultivated for medicinal purposes in the palace gardens included:
- Rose (Rosa Damascena): Cultivated not only for its beauty but also for making rosewater (gülab) and rose sherbet, which reduce stress, beautify the skin, and provide freshness.
- Melissa (Lemon Balm): Known for its calming and sleep-inducing properties, melissa was a main ingredient in teas and sherbets prepared to soothe nerves.
- Mint: Used to alleviate nausea, aid digestion, and provide freshness.
- Chamomile: Due to its calming and anti-inflammatory effects, it was consumed as a tea and used in poultices prepared for the skin.
- St. John’s Wort (Kantaron): Cultivated specifically for obtaining St. John’s Wort oil, used in the treatment of wounds and burns.
- Licorice Root: Frequently preferred in the making of syrups and sherbets for its sweet flavor and cough-suppressing properties.
These plants were enriched with seeds brought from different geographies of the empire, and the palace gardens effectively served as a botanical collection.
The Palace Pharmacy: Treatments from Nature
Medicinal plants meticulously cultivated in the Hasbahçe and harvested at the right time were sent to the palace’s pharmacy, or “Eczahane-i Hümayun,” for processing. This palace pharmacy was a highly equipped laboratory where the chief pharmacist (eczacıbaşı) and his apprentices, subordinate to the Hekimbaşı, worked. Here, plants were dried, ground, distilled, and transformed into various drug forms according to the Hekimbaşı’s prescriptions. Medical practices in the Ottoman Empire were based on these herbal medicines (drog).
[Link: More information about the plants used by the Hekimbaşıs -> /misir-carsisindan-saray-kilerine-hekimbasilarin-sifa-icin-kullandigi-bitkilerin-gizemli-dunyasi]
Pastes (Macuns) and Sherbets Prepared in Enderun
The most common and effective forms of medicine prepared in the palace pharmacy were pastes (macuns) and sherbets. These formulations aimed to make the healing properties of plants palatable and easy to consume.
- Pastes (Macuns): These thick mixtures, prepared by pulverizing dozens of different medicinal herbs and spices and mixing them with honey or molasses, were among the most important medicines in Ottoman medicine. “Sultan’s pastes” prepared to give strength to the Sultan, or special pastes formulated to treat specific diseases, are the most well-known examples of this tradition. Honey was not only a sweetener but also a preservative that carried the active ingredients of the plants into the body and allowed the medicine to be stored for a long time without spoiling.
- Sherbets and Syrups: Sherbets, obtained by boiling and straining fresh or dried plants, flowers, and fruits with water, were used as both refreshing beverages and therapeutic tonics. Special sherbets were prepared, especially for cooling the body in fevers, suppressing coughs, or aiding digestion. Honey was generally used instead of sugar to obtain a healthier and more healing content.
- Oils and Ointments: Herbal oils obtained by macerating plants in carrier oils like olive oil or by distillation formed the basis of ointments and poultices prepared for external use. Muscle aches, skin problems, wounds, and burns were treated with these natural ointments.
Topkapı’s Botanical Heritage: From Past to Present
Today, while visiting Topkapı Palace, it may not be possible to see the exact replicas of those ancient healing gardens, but the traces of this ancient heritage still persist. The centuries-old plane and cypress trees soaring in the palace courtyards are silent witnesses to the botanical richness of that era. Garden layouts depicted in historical records and miniatures reveal the Ottomans’ deep respect for and knowledge of nature and plants.
The Sultan’s secret garden is a green wisdom from history, reminding us that beauty is not merely an aesthetic concept; it can also be intertwined with health, science, and healing. The botanical and medical treasures of the Hekimbaşıs in Enderun contain the seeds of a balanced and holistic life philosophy, far from chemicals, from which modern humans can draw inspiration in their quest to return to nature.
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Tags: Topkapı Palace, Ottoman Gardens, Hasbahçe, Medicinal Plants, Ottoman Medicine, Hekimbaşı, Enderun, Botanical History, Palace Pharmacy, Traditional Treatment.
