Beit Ghazaleh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Beit Ghazalehبيت غزالة |
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The central courtyard of Beit Ghazaleh
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| Location | Aleppo, Syria |
| Area | Al-Jdayde, Aleppo |
| Built | 17th century |
| Architectural style(s) | Syrian-Ottoman |
| Governing body | Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums |
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Beit Ghazaleh (which means "The Ghazaleh House" in Arabic, Arabic: بيت غزالة) is one of the biggest and best-kept old palaces from the Ottoman times in Aleppo, Syria. It got its name from the Ghazaleh family, who owned it for about 200 years.
Since 1914, this grand house was used as a public school. Later, it was planned to become the Memory Museum of Aleppo. Beit Ghazaleh is found in the Al-Jdayde area of Aleppo. Sadly, the building has been damaged by fighting and earthquakes over the years.
Contents
History: The Story of Beit Ghazaleh in Aleppo
The house is located on the western edge of a large neighborhood. This area was home to many different religious and ethnic groups. It grew north of the old city of Aleppo starting from the late Mameluke period. This neighborhood became the Christian quarter of Jdeideh, built around its churches. Important Christian families lived here, especially Armenians who were skilled in trading with India and Persia.
Beit Ghazaleh was built near two large Muslim waqfs (buildings or lands given for charity or religious purposes). These were created in 1583-90 and 1653. Together, they formed an important part of a lively neighborhood where Christians and Muslims lived side-by-side. Beit Ghazaleh is special because of its size and beautiful decorations. It shows how wealthy and powerful the Christian community was in Aleppo during the 17th century.
The decorations inside Beit Ghazaleh do not show human figures. Local artists made them, and they feature many painted messages. These messages include popular sayings, spiritual poems, and verses from the Bible. This mix of sources shows the rich Arab culture and the varied tastes of Aleppo's important families.
A Palace Built Around Many Courtyards
Over hundreds of years, the size of the mansion changed. It grew or shrank depending on what was needed and how well the family was doing. But it always kept a main central courtyard that was about 250 square meters. At its largest, the house covered about 1,600 square meters. About 570 square meters of this space was taken up by six courtyards. From the outside, you can't really tell how big the whole complex is.
The main entrance we see today was added in the 19th century on the east side of the house. This entrance leads to the main courtyard, which is the heart of the house. It's also the main path to all the other parts of the building. Colorful marble tiles, arranged like a "carpet," lead to a large fountain in the courtyard. This fountain has water features, stone basins, and small waterfalls. People say that the beautiful wall decorations in the courtyard were carved by an Armenian sculptor named Khachadur Bali. He was part of the Balyan family, famous Ottoman court architects.
The Iwan
A line running from North to South goes through the entire house. This shows how important the iwan is, as this line starts from there. An iwan is a large, vaulted hall or room, open on one side. This line divides the courtyard's paving, fountain, and garden into a very precise shape. The rest of the house is organized based on the family's needs and the shape of the land, without worrying about perfect symmetry.
All around the main courtyard, windows and doors are placed along the walls. Above these openings, the detailed decorations show which rooms are more important. The iwan is the most important of all. The stone decorations on the iwan's front and its nearby areas likely date back to the mid-17th century. The painted wooden panels of the qubba (a domed room) and the remaining panels of the iwan are probably from the same time. The iwan was first built to offer a cool place during the summer heat. It became the "center" of the house and showed the power of the owner of Beit Ghazaleh.
Rooms Around the Central Courtyard
There are five rectangular rooms that can be reached from the courtyard. These rooms were once decorated with beautiful woodwork, but most of it has now disappeared. The sixth room, on the west side, is a very large T-shaped qa'a. A qa'a is a grand reception hall, and its size here shows the family's wealth and power.
The North Facade
The North facade, which is opposite the iwan, was built at the end of the 17th century. It is known for its very rich decorations, which are unique in Aleppo. In the middle, the ablaq (alternating light and dark stone) highlights the perfect symmetry of the facade. However, the rooms inside do not follow the same symmetrical layout.
According to an inscription, the large room in the East Wing was built in 1691. Its rich interior decorations were partly updated in the 19th century. They include four different sets of writings:
- Verses from Psalm 91 of the Bible are on the ceiling's edge.
- Popular sayings are on the edge of the wooden panels.
- Fifteen transom panels (panels above openings) show a poem by Abû al-Fath al-Bustî. This poem talks about avoiding too much of anything, thinking about human relationships, needing God's help, and controlling oneself.
- The writings above the niches on the North side are verses by al-Mutanabbi. They discuss honor, wisdom, and ignorance.
The Floors
The floor of the iwan and some other rooms still have their old two-level design. The areas where people stand and walk, like corridors and ataba-s (raised platforms), are about the same level as the courtyard. The rest of each room, which would have been covered with mats and rugs, is about 50 centimeters higher. The height of the windows and their sills was decided by how high people would sit on cushions and what they would see from there. This also affected how the inside and outside of the walls were designed.
The Hammam
The hammam (steam bath) in the northwest corner is like a public bath, but it's simpler. This is because the large 'qâ‘a' (reception hall) was used as a dressing room and a place to rest before and after bathing.
Kitchens and other service areas, like stables, grain storage, and warehouses for food, were probably located to the northeast and south of the house. These could be reached from the small streets around the house.
The West Wing (The Qâ‘a)
The southwest corner of the courtyard and the West wing were completely rebuilt in 1737. This part includes three main areas: a very large rectangular room with a fireplace, a big 'qâ‘a', and a hammam. The T-shaped 'qâ‘a' has three iwan-s with wooden ceilings. These surround an ataba (raised platform) with a small eight-sided basin in the center, covered by a dome. The fourth side of the ataba opens towards the central courtyard. Its inside decorations include stone tiles with geometric patterns and wooden panels painted with cups and fruit bouquets in vases.
The 'qâ‘a' has two sets of writings. The poem written on the transoms (praising the Master of the House) starts by talking about wine. It ends with a dedication and the name Jirjis, along with the date 1737. Writings on the ceilings praise the Virgin Mary and include a love poem, typical of Sufi spiritual texts.
19th Century Changes
Many important changes were made to Beit Ghazaleh during the 19th century. For example, more rooms were added on top of the North wing. An inscription shows this was done in 1880. A new southern entrance to the impasse Chtammâ (a dead-end street) was built in 1887. These big changes were inspired by the look of consular apartments in Aleppo's city caravanserais (inns for travelers) and the architecture of embassies in the capital city of Istanbul.
Damage and Loss
In the 19th century, people's home lives changed, and Western furniture became popular. This led to wealthy families leaving houses like Beit Ghazaleh. When the Ghazaleh House was turned into a school, it helped save the building's structure, but many of its decorations disappeared.
Before the Syrian civil war, parts of the house's amazing wooden decorative panels were still there. By the time restoration began in 2011, many pieces had been lost, taken apart, or sold to people or museums.
Since then, the Ghazaleh house, especially its iwan, was badly damaged during the fighting in Syria. The property was hit by several explosions from house-to-house combat. Before this, all the remaining wooden decorative panels, except for a few ceilings, were also taken (this is now confirmed as looting).
Information about the stolen decorative panels was sent to Interpol and the International Council of Museums. The hope is that these panels will show up on the art market and can be returned to the museum.
Recent Studies and Restoration Work
From 2007 to 2011, the Syrian Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM) started a big project to restore Beit Ghazaleh. They wanted to turn it into a museum about the history of Aleppo. The restoration included fixing some of the decorative panels with the help of skilled workers from Damascus.
At the same time, descendants of the Ghazaleh family began a scientific study of the House. This study, which started in 2009, looked into the history of the neighborhood and the house. It also analyzed the style of its decorations and made a detailed architectural survey. The goal was to create a clear timeline of how Beit Ghazaleh changed over time.
In November 2017, the DGAM and UNESCO worked together to complete a very precise 3D scan of Beit Ghazaleh. This was done to help with further studies, protect the building, and quickly strengthen its structure. More reports have been released about the damage to the property and the looting of its decorative panels.
In January 2021, an application was made for Beit Ghazaleh to be added to the World Monuments Watch list. Important work to protect the building started later that year.
Beit Ghazaleh was damaged even more during the earthquakes in February 2023.
Gallery
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Stonework on the north facade of the Ġazaleh House
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The central courtyard of Beit Ghazaleh (2010)
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The 'Gazelles' of the Ġazaleh House, panels as seen in the Pharaon Collection (Mouwad Museum) of Beyrouth in 2011.
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The courtyard of Beit Ghazaleh (December 2016)
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The qoubba's wooden panels of the Ġazaleh House (now missing)
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The entrance of Beit Ghazaleh in Aleppo's Al-Jdayde district (2010)
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Beit Ghazaleh Qa'a -- its fine decorations were looted before the building was hit by multiple explosions (2017)
See also
In Spanish: Beit Ghazaleh para niños
