| Scots Hotel | |
|---|---|
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| Former names | Scots Mission Hospital |
| General information | |
| Location | Tiberias, Israel |
| Opening | 1999 |
| Owner | Church of Scotland |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 69 |
| Number of restaurants | 1 |
| Website | |
| Scots Hotel | |
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The Scots Hotel is a hotel in Tiberias, Israel, formerly the Scots Mission Hospital, also known as the Scottish Compound. The hotel is run by the Church of Scotland.
History
Hospital
See also: Tiberias § Health careScottish doctor David Watt Torrance graduated his medical studies in Glasgow in 1883, after which he travelled to Ottoman Palestine where he assisted in the inauguration of the Sea of Galilee Medical Mission. Back in Tiberias after undertaking further training in Egypt, Damascus and Nazareth, he opened a two-room hospital near the Franciscan monastery, offering services to patients of all religions. In 1894, the hospital moved to the current, larger premises at Beit abu Shamnel abu Hannah, which initially had 24 beds and 6 cots for patients. The following year, Dr Torrance was ordained in the Free Church of Scotland. During World War I, he served in Scotland being in charge of a war hospital, but then returned to Tiberias where he died in 1923. That same year his son, Dr. Herbert Watt Torrance, also a graduate of Glasgow University, was appointed head of the hospital. His work during the British Mandate was later rewarded with an OBE.
In 1949, following the establishment of the State of Israel, the Scottish Hospital became a maternity hospital in charge of midwifery and gynaecology in Northern Galilee under the supervision of the Israeli Department of Health. Herbert Watt Torrance retired in 1953 and returned to Scotland. The hospital closed in 1959.
Guesthouse and hostel
After 1959, the building became a hostel for pilgrims and then a guesthouse, known as the Scottish Hospice. The Church of Scotland maintained there a resident minister and bookshop in continuation of its missionary work. In 1999, the buildings were renovated at the cost of around £10,000,000 and reopened as the luxurious Scots Hotel, which received the Israeli "Boutique Hotel of the Year" award in 2008.
See also
- Poriya Hospital, who took over the maternity clinic
- St Andrew's Church, Jerusalem
References
- "Scots Mission Hospital, Tiberias (Torrance). Hospital beds". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- "Tiberias". The BAS Library. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- ^ Roxburgh, Angus (31 October 2012). "BBC News - Scots Hotel: Why the Church of Scotland has a Galilee getaway". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
- ^ "Collection MS 38 - Torrance Collection". Archive Services Catalogue. University of Dundee. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ "The Scots Hotel - Tiberias - Galilee". Inisrael.com. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
External links
- Scots Hotel Tiberias, homepage (1) on Church of Scotland website (2021)
- Scots Hotel Tiberias, homepage (2) at inisrael.com (2021)
- Scottish church in Tiberias, homepage – St Andrew's Galilee congregation (2021)
- St Andrew's Church, Jerusalem, homepage with links to further facilities in Israel (2021)
- Historical photos (1934-46), American Colony Jerusalem/Matson Collection, at US Library of Congress. Accessed 2021.
- Historical photos from Matson Collection, BBC News article. Accessed 2021.
- The Torrance Collection held by Archive Services, University of Dundee
32°47′20″N 35°32′29″E / 32.7890°N 35.5415°E / 32.7890; 35.5415
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