Authorities in the central province of Kayseri have placed the site of a fourth-century hospital complex under state protection, preserving what researchers believe may be one of the world’s earliest examples of a free inpatient medical institution.
The site was officially designated as a third-degree archaeological site in an effort to protect the remaining ruins and prepare the area for future tourism.
Researchers say the complex was built between 368 and 375 A.D. during the early spread of Christianity in Anatolia.
Halit Erkiletlioğlu, head of a history and research Association, said the complex was commissioned during the time of Saint Basil, also known as Basil of Caesarea, an influential Christian bishop who lived in Kayseri in the fourth century.
According to Erkiletlioğlu, the site originally included a soup kitchen, dormitory, church and hospital.
He said the hospital differed from earlier medical facilities of the era, which mainly treated wounded soldiers.
“This hospital operated as an inpatient treatment center staffed by professional physicians and assisted by nuns,” Erkiletlioğlu said. “It provided free treatment to anyone in need, regardless of gender or social status.”
He added that historical engravings describe the structure as a large multi-story building.
Erkiletlioğlu also noted that U.S. archaeologist John Henry Haynes described the structure as “the world’s first hospital” in one of his writings.
According to Professor Osman Özsoy, the Foundation for the Protection and Promotion of Environmental and Cultural Values (ÇEKÜL) Kayseri representative, the area is believed to be the original settlement core of ancient Kayseri and may contain additional archaeological remains, including a mint, temple, military barracks and hippodrome.
