Beit Ghazaleh

History: the origins of the Ġazaleh House in Aleppo

The house is located on the Western edge of a large suburb inhabited by a multi-religious and multi-ethnic population. This neighbourhood to the North of the old city of Aleppo developed since the late Mameluke period. This area became the Christian quarter of Jdeideh which was organically clustered around its churches. Here lived the notables of Aleppo’s Christian communities, notably the Armenians who specialised in trade with India and Persia.

The Ġazaleh House was built in front of two large Muslim waqfs — created in 1583-90 and 1653 — and together they form the monumental heart of a lively mixed Christian-Muslim neighbourhood. Unique for its size and decor, Beit Ghazaleh embodies the wealth and power of the Christian community in 17th century Aleppo. The decorative panels of Beit Ghazaleh do not include human figure representations; made by local craftsmen, the panels display many painted inscriptions presenting a mix of popular sayings, mystic poetry and biblical psalms. This diversity of sources underlines the rich Arab culture and the eclecticism typical of Aleppo urban élites.

A palace built around many courtyards

Throughout the centuries, the mansion’s footprint expanded or contracted according to changing needs and fortunes. However, it always maintained a main central courtyard of 250m². At its apex, the house covered an area of approximately 1,600m², with 570m² occupied by six courtyards. The actual size of the complex is practically invisible from the outside.

The present entrance was opened in the 19th century on the main street on the house’s East side. This entrance leads to the principal courtyard, the focal centre and the main thoroughfare to the rest of the house. Polychrome marble tiles, forming a "carpet" in front of the iwan, precede the great fountain in the courtyard, with its games of water, stone basins and cascades.

The iwan

A North-South axis cuts through the whole house underlining the importance of the iwan from where it originates. This line divides the courtyard’s paving, basin and garden into a precise geometry. The rest of the space is organized according to the needs of the household and the shape of the plot without concern for symmetry.

All around the main courtyard, windows and doors punctuate the facades. Above these openings, the relative intricacy of the low relief decor surrounding them establishes the hierarchy of the rooms with the iwan at its summit. The stone decor of the iwan facade and of its annexes likely dates from mid-17th century. The painted wooden panels of the qubba and the surviving panels of the iwan are likely dated from the same period. The iwan, first meant to provide comfort from the summer heat, is thus the "centre" of the house and plays an essential symbolic role representing the power of the master of Beit Ghazaleh.

The rooms around the central courtyard

The five rectangular rooms accessible from the courtyard were once decorated with woodwork that has now almost entirely disappeared. The sixth room to the West is a vast T-shaped qa'a, indicative of wealth and power.

The North facade

Opposite the iwan, the North façade dates from the end of the 17th century. It is remarkable for its lavish decor, unique in Aleppo. In the centre, the ablaq emphasizes the strict symmetry of the facade, while the interior spaces do not follow the same organization. According to an inscription, the large room in the East Wing dates from 1691. Its rich interior decoration, partially refurbished in the 19th century, includes four distinct sets of inscriptions:

The floors

The floor of the iwan, and of some other rooms, has retained its old split-level organization. The spaces where you stand and circulate, the corridors and the ataba-s, are roughly at the same level as the courtyard. The rest of each room, covered with mats and rugs, is about 50 centimetres higher. The line of sight and the height of cushions determine the height of the sills and windows and thus the internal and external organization of the facades.

The hammam

The hammam steam bath in the northwest corner is comparable to a public bath, but presents a simplified plan because the vast 'qâ‘a' served as dressing room and resting space before and after bathing.

Kitchens and other service quarters, stables, granaries and warehouses for provisions were likely situated to the North-east and South of the house, accessible from the alleys that surround the plot to the house’s North and the South.

The West wing

The southwest corner of the courtyard, and the West wing, was completely rebuilt in 1737. It includes three key elements: a very large rectangular room with a fireplace, a large 'qâ‘a' and a hammam. The T-shaped 'qâ‘a' includes three iwan-s with wooden ceilings framing a ataba with a small octagonal basin in the centre, covered with a dome. The fourth facade of the ataba opens towards the central courtyard. Its interior decor includes stone tiles with geometric patterns and wooden panels painted with cups and fruit bouquets in vases.

The 'qâ‘a' has two sets of inscriptions. The poem calligraphy on transoms (in praise of the Master of the House) begins with a discourse on wine. It ends with a dedication and the name of Jirjis along with a date of 1737. Inscriptions on the ceilings offer praise to the Virgin and include a poem of love typical of Sufi mystic texts.

The 19th century additions

Significant changes were made to Beit Ghazaleh during the nineteenth century. Notably, rooms were added on the top of the North wing (dated 1880 by an inscription). A new Southern entrance to the impasse Chtammâ was built, dated 1304/1887. These major redevelopments were inspired by the appearance of consular apartments in the Aleppo urban caravanserais and by the architecture of embassies in the capital Istanbul.

Loss and Destruction

During the nineteenth century, changes in the domestic lifestyle and the introduction of Western furniture ultimately led to aristocratic families abandoning houses such as Beit Ghazaleh. The transformation of the Ghazaleh House into a school was a factor for both its destruction and its preservation. While it allowed the preservation of the physical structure of the building, it also favoured the "disappearance" of most of its decoration. Only a few of the house’s exceptional wooden decorative panels were still in place prior to the Syrian civil war. By the time of its restoration, a number of pieces had already been lost, dismembered and sold to individuals or to museums.

The Ghazaleh house, especially its iwan, has suffered catastrophic damage from civil war associated fighting. The property has been struck by various explosions and all of the remaining wooden decorative panels have been removed by parties unknown.

Recent studies and restoration works

From 2007 to 2011, the Syrian Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums conducted a major campaign of restoration to transform Beit Ghazaleh into a museum dedicated to the memory of the city of Aleppo. Restoration work notably concerned the renovation of part of the decorative panels by Damascene craftsmen.

In parallel, descendants of the Ghazaleh family launched a scientific study of the House. This study, which began in 2010, includes a historical research on the neighbourhood and of the house, a stylistic analysis of its decorative elements, and a detailed architectural survey. The study aims to establish a precise chronology of Beit Ghazaleh's evolution since its inception.