Çanakkale 1915 Hilali Ahmer Hospital Reenactment Area is an open-air museum area established by the Çanakkale Wars Gallipoli Historical Site Presidency under the umbrella of the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Alçıtepe Village, Eceabat, Çanakkale. The site aims to provide an experience of the health services behind the front lines of the Çanakkale Front, one of the bloodiest fronts of the First World War.

^{Çanakkale 1915 Crescent Ahmer Hospital Revitalization Area (Turkiye Culture Portal)}

Historical Context

In 1915, during the land battles on the Gallipoli Front, many field hospitals were established behind the front lines by the 5th Army Range Organization of the Ottoman Army and the Hilal-i Ahmer (Red Crescent) Society. Wounded soldiers were first treated with the "War Package" they carried with them, and then transported to "wounded nests" and "bandages" by medics, and then to the field hospitals behind the front lines.

^{What happened at a bombed bandage site (Turkiye Culture Portal)}

^{Çanakkale 1915 Crescent Ahmer Hospital Revitalization Area (Turkiye Culture Portal)}

Structural and Thematic Content of the Field

The Hilali Ahmer Hospital Revitalization Area was designed to reflect all the elements of a field hospital behind the front in 1915. The structures and elements in the area are as follows:

Machine Gun Trench: A defensive position positioned to protect hospitals from enemy aircraft.

^{Machine Gun Trench (Turkiye Culture Portal)}

Operating Theater Units where the first examination, treatment and surgery of the wounded are performed.

^{Operating Room (TurkishMuseums)}

Ambulance Point and Medical Sterilization Machine: Areas where field-type transported first aid systems and sterilization of instruments are provided.

The canopy: The area where fallen soldiers are kept.

Infirmary Tent, Continental Registration and Water Distribution Point: Areas where basic needs are met.

^{Infirmary Tent (Turkiye Culture Portal)}

^{Infirmary Tent (TurkishMuseums)}

Wax Sculptures: Representative figures of doctors, nurses, orderlies and wounded soldiers.

^{Wax Sculptures (TurkishMuseums)}

Original Field Stretcher: An original 1915 dated stretcher is on display in the area.

^{Çanakkale 1915 Crescent Ahmer Hospital Revitalization Area (Turkiye Culture Portal)}

Audio and Visual Narrations

The space is supported by sound installations. The sounds of shelling, machine guns and airplanes allow visitors to witness the chaotic atmosphere of war. What happened in a bombed dressing site is dramatized with sound and visual narration techniques.

Trench Revitalization Area

The Trench Reenactment Section at the site is 330 meters long and consists of 12 sections. Some sections of this line:

1.Soldiers on the lookout for the enemy,

2. Machine gun emplacement (600 rounds per minute),

3. Headquarters area,

^{Trench Revitalization Area (TurkishMuseums)}

4. Sewer tunnel,

5. Soldiers on the offensive,

6.Mehmet soldiers eating in a caravan,

7. Calls for medics for wounded soldiers,

8.Representative models of martyred soldiers.

^{Models of Soldiers (TurkishMuseums)}

This area offers the opportunity to experience first-hand the dramatic nature of trench warfare.

Visit Information

Çanakkale 1915 Hilali Ahmer Hospital Revitalization Area is open every day. It is open from 9 am to 7 pm in summer and from 9 am to 5 pm in winter. The museum is located in Alçıtepe village of Eceabat district of Çanakkale.

Çanakkale 1915 Hilali Ahmer Hospital Reenactment Area and the adjacent trench reenactment zone is an important public history area that aims to enable visitors to experience the human-oriented and dramatic face of the war history. The fact that the war was won not only at the front, but also with the superhuman efforts made in the medical field is documented in this area.