Eski Sıhhat Mektebi (Old Health School)

Merkez MadrasaHistoric Buildings October 2010

Located in the city center of Çorum and used for many years as the Çorum Museum, the Eski Sıhhat Mektebi (Old Health School) is one of the foremost public buildings of the city’s late Ottoman period. Designed in the Neo-Classical style as a Sıhhat Mektebi (health school), construction of the building began in 1908 and was completed in 1914. This period coincides with the final years of the Ottoman Empire and reflects a phase in which state-led institutionalization in the fields of education and health was intensifying.

Architecture

Built of local yellow sandstone, the building has a rectangular plan and extends along an east-west axis. On the corners of the exterior facade, the sections marking the floor heights and the spaces between the windows are made of sandstone, while the remaining walls are constructed of mortared rubble masonry. This craftsmanship reflects the orderly facade arrangement and pursuit of symmetry characteristic of the era’s Neo-Classical understanding. In addition, two projections were added to the front facade of the building and five to the rear facade. Three stories tall including its basement, the building stands apart from the surrounding fabric of vernacular architecture with its voluminous mass.

The use of local yellow sandstone is also in keeping with Çorum’s traditional approach to building materials; similar stonework can be seen in other historic buildings of the city.

Inscription

The inscription on the building bears the following words:

“1332 Kanunu Evvel 1335 Sefer 21. This General Diseases Hospital was built through the disclosure and assistance of the people of the Sanjak of Çorum and of the esteemed Ministry of Imperial Pious Foundations (Evkaf-ı Hümayun).”

The text of the inscription reveals that both the local population and the Ministry of Imperial Pious Foundations (Evkaf-ı Hümayun) contributed to the construction of the building; this indicates that the building was realized with both local and central support.

History and Use

After its initial function, the building served as home to numerous different educational institutions. It was used in turn as an Agricultural School, a School of Arts, a Commercial High School, a Vocational College of Mechanics, and Atatürk High School; in this way it functioned as an important center in the city’s educational life during the Republican period. In this respect, together with other early educational buildings in the center such as the İstiklal Primary School, the building is one of the tangible witnesses to the history of modern education in Çorum.

In 1986 the building was transferred from the Ministry of National Education to the Ministry of Culture. After suffering a fire in 1998, the building was repaired and, from that date onward, began to be used as the Çorum Museum. Following the museum’s later move to its new building, the structure has continued to play its role in preserving the city’s cultural heritage.

Location and Related Places

The building is situated in the city center of Çorum and can easily be seen along the historic and cultural route in the city center. Among other notable points in the vicinity are the new Çorum Museum, where the region’s archaeological finds are exhibited, the Çorum Houses, which reflect the city’s traditional residential architecture, and the Municipality Building, another example of late Ottoman public architecture.

ℹ️ This article has been enriched with additional historical context and editing over the original archive content.