Crown Gate

The entrance gate of Darüşşifa, a magnificent structure, is known as the “Taç Gate.” The inner lintel of the gate features pentagonal and octagonal star motifs symbolizing the Seljuk era. The stars and crescents on the gate are exact replicas of the crescent and star on the Turkish flag. The column dividing the window in half is a balancing column. The chief architect placed a total of three balancing columns in the complex: this one at the entrance and two others at the western entrance to the mosque section. The balancing columns indicate whether the mosque and the hospital are level. They lost their ability to rotate as a result of the 1939 Erzincan earthquake.

Inside the crescents on the right and left sides of the balance column at the main gate are hexagonal stars known as the “Seal of Solomon.” The three-line inscription below the column, written in Seljuk sülüs script, reads: "Melike Turan, daughter of Fahrettin Behram Shah, a humble servant in need of Allah’s forgiveness, a just queen, ordered the construction of this healing sanctuary in the year 626 H/1228 M." On the right and left sides of the door, human figures are depicted atop relief rosette-shaped floral decorations. Their faces have eroded over time.