A Health Structure in the Late Ottoman Period: Thessaloniki Hamidiye (Gureba/Municipality) Hospital

Thessaloniki was one of the most ethnically, religiously and culturally diverse Ottoman cities. During the Ottoman period, the city's reconstruction movements progressed rapidly and Turkish period works such as mosques, madrasahs, hospitals, government buildings, imaret, inns and baths were built in the city. In the last periods of the Ottoman Empire, especially during the reign of Abdülhamid II, hospitals were built within the scope of reconstruction activities. In this period, gureba hospitals played an important role in improving health services. The first modern hospitals were military hospitals and later civil hospitals and gureba hospitals were built almost everywhere in the Ottoman geography. The "Hamidiye Hospital" built in the early nineteenth century is one of the modern health structures of the period. Thessaloniki Hamidiye Hospital is one of them. Gureba Hospital was renamed as "Hamidiye" in 1903 in honour of the name of Abdülhamid II in 1873. Thessaloniki Hamidiye Hospital reflects the general plan and architectural features of the period and its Neo-Classical style draws attention. The hospital was formerly called Gureba Hospital, later named Hamidiye or Municipal Hospital. The hospital building has survived to the present day and is used as Agios Dimitrios Hospital. In this study, the construction process of the building will be evaluated in the light of the documents taken from the Presidential State Archives, and information about the plan and architecture of the building will be presented by considering the visuals.