The American hospital in Van before and after the shelling

The photographs show the American hospital in Van before and after the shelling. The shelling began on 20 April 1915 on the orders of Djevdet Bey, the governor of Van. This shelling of the central part of the city in effect destroyed the entire historic part of the city.

The upper photograph shows a white three-storey building with a pitched roof and a small canopy over the entrance. In the lower photograph only the walls of the ruined building remain, without a roof.