Ash-Sham (Greater Syria)
Ash-Sham at that time included what is known now as Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine., Damascus and Jerusalem were the important cities.
Damascus: The first known hospital in Islam was built in Damascus in 706 A.D. by the Umayyad Caliph, Al-Walid (Hamarneh, 1962). The most important hospital built in Damascus in the middle ages was named An-Nuri Hospital, after King Nur Adl-Din Zinki in 1 156. This hospital was built during the Crusades War, hence the importance of it being built was to fulfill a need for a well-equipped and well-staffed hospital. It turned out to not only be first class in care, but the hospital also was an excellent first class medical school. It is important to understand why books were expensive and limited in number in the middle ages. This was because they were hand-written and because printing was not, in process, used until the middle of the 15th century. Books were hand-written and thus expensive and limited in number. The king donated a whole library rich in medical books to the hospital. The hospital adopted medical records, probably being the first in history. From its medical school, many eminent physicians graduated, for example Ibn Anl-Nafis, the scholar who discovered the pulmonary circulation system. The hospital served the public for seven centuries and parts of it still exist today.
Jerusalem: In 1055 A.D., the Crusaders built Saint John's Hospital. By the end of the 11th century, it expanded to such an extent to include a hospital, a palace for knights, and a convent for the nursing sisters. The medical activities of the hospital were tremendous because of the large number of daily admissions of patients, pilgrims, and wounded soldiers. After the liberation of Jerusalem by Salah ad-Din in 1187 A.D., the hospital was renamed was changed into Al-Salahani Hospital. He expanded the hospital, which continued to serve the people until its destruction by an earthquake in 1458 A.D.