Why Were Patients Treated with Music in the Ottoman Empire?

During both the Seljuk and Ottoman periods It is also known that music was used as a therapeutic tool in healing centers before. That’s why music has been used as a therapeutic tool for years.

What about Europe? torture in mental hospitals On the contrary, how could water and music be medicine for the sick in Ottoman history?

It would be a big mistake to consider music only as art.

Anatolia has been the cradle of civilizations throughout history and in this rich cultural mosaic The use of music for therapeutic purposes also has deep roots. Musical documents starting from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic ages shed light on the musical evolution of Anatolia in human history.

Various methods used in these periods instruments and rituals, the interaction of music between communities It shows how important a task it has. The fact that Anatolia was under the influence of many civilizations and blended with its own culture also nourished the therapeutic power of music.

The first traces of music therapy can be seen in the healing centers and temples of ancient times.

In places like Bergama Asklepieion, patients It is known that attempts are made to treat it through music. In Anatolia, as in ancient Greece and other civilizations, music played an important role in improving mental and physical health.

Especially Phrygians’ treatment methods with fluteclearly shows that various diseases are being tried to be cured through music. Of course, when it came to Medieval Anatolia, music treatment methods developed even more.

Great thinkers such as Farabi and Ibn Sina examined the effects of music on human psychology.

Particularly Farabi’s work called “Musiki’ül Kebir” draws attention with its explanation of how musical modes affect the human soul at what times and at what time. Okay let’s come To the Ottoman period…

During the Ottoman period, the practice of music therapy became more widespread in Anatolia and was frequently applied in palace circles. Hospitals had become places specializing in music and therapy. and people were treating both their physical and spiritual health with music here.

In 1488, mentally ill patients, known as madmen, were treated at Edirne Sultan Bayezid Hospital.

In those years, unlike the various treatments applied to insane people in the Ottoman Empire, it was not even known that ‘madness’ was a disease in Europe. 18-19. in the century patients in European countries It is written that they are treated worse than animals.

Regarding the subject, Dr. one of the founders of modern psychiatry. Kraft Ebing, “Europe learned to treat mental patients from the Turks” he says. Because the construction of a hospital exclusively for mentally ill people in the world was also seen in the Ottoman Empire.

The water rising from the fountains in the hospitals creates a melody as it falls; This would put the patients at ease.

They examine which maqam is good for which disease, one by one; What hours should you rest? They would administer the treatment at those hours.

Hekimbaşı, First, he makes the patients listen to various makams; He would choose melodies suitable for the person by looking at the speed of their heartbeats. People with similar complaints would gather together and concerts would be held on certain days of the week. In this way, both the soul would heal and the body would find peace…

Even today Music therapy has become widespread a method of treatment It is accepted as. I think we also need to repair our soul by keeping this tradition from the past alive.

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