An Arab hospital in a German fortress

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We have seen some pictures of the Lutheran church at Augusta Victoria on Mt. Scopus; but today, for the That's My World tour, let's walk around the hospital part of the compound.
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We can enter through the gate house.
Kaiser Wilhelm II built the huge complex, completed in 1910, naming it after his wife, the Empress.
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It was built as a hostel for Christian pilgrims and as a rest home for the German population in Eretz Israel.
Many of the materials were imported from Germany.
It was the first building in the country to have electricity, powered by a diesel generator.
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Step in and be greeting by a fantastic doorway!
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I had to remind myself that I was entering an Arab hospital and not an old castle in Germany!
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Victory.

Trampling out the evil creatures.

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You don't often see gargoyles in Jerusalem!

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Here is the back of the building, which was fashioned as a medieval German fortress.

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During the last century it passed through many different hands.

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The Turkish army headquartered here from 1914 until they surrendered to the British in 1917.

Then it became General Allenby's HQ.

From 1920 to 1927, Augusta Victoria was the official residence of the British High Commissioner of the Palestine Mandate.

After damage from the big 1927 earthquake was repaired, it was converted to a hospital during World War II for the British forces.

From 1948 to 1967 it became under UN control in the buffer zone of Mount Scopus, but was actually a hospital for the Jordanian army.

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In the Six Day War of 1967 the second floor was destroyed by shelling between the Israeli paratroopers 55th Brigade and the Arab Legion.
After Israel's victory Augusta Victoria was incorporated into the unified city of Jerusalem, and today it is a 161-bed hospital serving parts of the Arab population.

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More photos and information at their website, Wikipedia, and BibleWalks.com.

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