page_title: Beit Ghazaleh
section_title: History: the origins of the Ġazaleh House in Aleppo
hierarchical_section_title: Beit Ghazaleh / History: the origins of the Ġazaleh House in Aleppo
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Détail du travail de la pierre sur la façade nord de la maison Ghazaleh à Alep
context_page_description: Beit Ghazaleh is one of the largest and better-preserved palaces from the Ottoman period in Aleppo. It was named after the Ghazaleh family that owned it for about two centuries. Since 1914, it was used as a public school and was recently restored to host the Memory Museum of the city of Aleppo. Beit Ghazaleh is located in the Al-Jdayde district of Aleppo.
context_section_description: 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.
caption: Example of the ornate windows of Beit Ghazaleh
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