Beit Ghazaleh

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The main courtyard of the Ġazaleh house

Beit Ghazaleh (Maison Gazalé; the Ġazaleh house; Arabic بيت غزالة, DMG Bait Ġazāla ) is one of the largest and better preserved palaces from the Ottoman era in Aleppo . It was named after the Ghazaleh family who owned it for about two centuries. It has been used as a public school since 1914 and has recently been restored to house the Aleppo City Memory Museum. Beit Ghazaleh is located in the al-Jdayde district (pronounced "al-Judayda") of Aleppo.

History: the origins of the Ghazaleh House in Aleppo

Example of the ornate windows
The six courtyards

The house is located on the western edge of a large suburb, inhabited by a multi-religious and multi-ethnic population. This district in the north of the Old City of Aleppo has been developing since the late Mamluk -Epoche. This area was organically grouped around its churches in the Christian quarter of Jdeideh. The dignitaries of the Christian communities in Aleppo lived here , especially the Armenians who specialized in trade with India and Persia .

The Ghazaleh House was built in front of two large Muslim waqfs - laid out in 1583–1590 and 1653 - and together they formed a monumental center of a busy mixed Christian-Muslim neighborhood. Unique for its size and decor, Beit Ghazaleh embodies the wealth and power of the 17th century Christian community in Aleppo. Beit Ghazaleh's decorative panels - made by local artisans - do not contain any human representations. The plates show many painted inscriptions, present a mix of popular sayings, mystical poetry and biblical psalms. This diversity of sources underscores the rich Arab culture and ideas of the typically urban elites of Aleppo.

The Ghazaleh House suffered catastrophic damage from civil wars. The property was hit by various explosions and all remaining wooden decorative panels were removed by unknown persons.

Current studies and restoration

From 2007 to 2011, the Syrian General Directorate for Antiquities and Museums ran a major restoration campaign to convert Beit Ghazaleh into a museum in memory of the city of Aleppo. Restoration work mainly concerned the renewal of part of the decorative panels by Damascus craftsmen.

At the same time, descendants of the Ghazaleh family started a scientific study of the house. This study, which began in 2010, aims to provide an accurate chronology of the development of Beit Ghazaleh since its inception.

gallery

  • Detail of the sculpture of a frame on the north facade of the Ġazaleh house

  • The "Gazelle" by Beit Ghazaleh (Collection Pharaon , Beirut 2011)

  • The Qoubba of wooden panels from the Ġazaleh house in Aleppo

  • Summer Ivan of the House of Gazaleh (1918–1920)

  • The Ghazaleh House in September 2017

Literature and Links

Web links

Commons : Beit Ghazaleh  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Notes and references

  1. ↑ According to the transcripts and genealogical lines of the family, the name can be found spelled differently. Gazalé, Ġazaleh, Gazale, Ghazaleh:
  2. ↑ The oldest parts of the house are at least 350 years old.
  3. ↑ It was first converted into a German and then an Armenian school (Haigazian Varjaran)
  4. ↑ Transliteration: The area was written as "Al-Jdaydeh", "Al-Jdeideh", "Al-Judayde", "Al-Jdeïdé" and "Al-Judayda". The place name comes from Arabic جديدة Dschudayda
  5. ↑ Bayt Ghazala | iDAI.gazetteer. Retrieved January 24, 2019 .
  6. ^ D. Duda: Interior architecture of Syrian town houses from the 16th to 18th centuries. In: perspectivia.net. 1971, pp. 35, 90-1, 108 , accessed March 1, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Your authors were either Muslim or Christian
  8. ↑ Aleppo Archive Project - 3sat.Mediathek News History of damage to Beit Wakil and Beit Gazaleh in Aleppo. In: 3sat.de. July 4, 2018, accessed July 8, 2018 .
  9. ↑ Photos of Damage of Traditional Art Museum, Dar Ghazaleh, and Jdaideh in old Aleppo المديرية العامة للآثار والمتاحف. Syrian Directorate General of Museum and Antiquities, accessed February 27, 2018 .
  10. ↑ A house dismantled - Beit Ghazaleh, the house of the Ġazaleh, غزالة. Retrieved February 27, 2018 .
  11. ^ Beit Ghazaleh (maison du XVIIè s.) À Alep
  12. ^ Robert Mouawad Private Museum