Beit Junblatt ( ar, بيت جنبلاط) is a historic mansion in
Aleppo,
Syria, built in the 16th century by a
Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish languages
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern Kurdistan
**Eastern Kurdistan
**Northern Kurdistan
**Western Kurdistan
See also
* Kurd (dis ...
emir of the
Janbulad family.
Background
Beit Junblatt ( ar, بيت جنبلاط); originally Janpolad Palace ( ar, قصر جان بولاد), is a historic mansion in
Aleppo,
Syria, built during the 2nd half of the 16th century by a
Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish languages
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern Kurdistan
**Eastern Kurdistan
**Northern Kurdistan
**Western Kurdistan
See also
* Kurd (dis ...
emir of the
Janbulad family, Janbulad ibn Qasim. In 1604–1605, it briefly served as a residence for the
Ottoman wāli of Aleppo Hussein Pasha Janpolad.
The mansion is located at al-Bandarah area of al-Farafira district, within the walls of the
Ancient City of Aleppo
The Ancient City of Aleppo ( ar, مدينة حلب القديمة, Madīnat Ḥalab al-Qadīma) is the historic city centre of Aleppo, Syria. Before the Syrian Civil War, many districts of the ancient city remained essentially unchanged since ...
. According to the Aleppine historian
sheikh ''Kamel al-Ghazzi'', emir Janpolad spent 1,000
Ottoman gold lira to build the palace. Since 1766, the palace became the property of
al-Kawakibi family. In 1814, it then served as the residence of the
mufti
A Mufti (; ar, مفتي) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion (''fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatwas'' played an important role ...
of Aleppo sheikh Hasan Afandi al-Kawakibi.
Beit Junblatt is believed to have the largest
iwan
An iwan ( fa, ایوان , ar, إيوان , also spelled ivan) is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called , a Persian term for a portal projecting ...
in Aleppo, decorated with fine
qashani
''Qashani'' or ''Kashani'' is a Persian decorative arts which had been popular in Iran in the 16th to 18th century, and then moved to Turkey in the time of the Ottomans with the transfer of many Persians artists to Turkey, becoming the basis for ...
ceramic-tiled mosaic wall, depicting several
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
-type
inscriptions. Like the vast majority of
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
traditional houses, the square-shaped
courtyard
A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky.
Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...
of the palace has a large water fountain in the centre mainly used for
wudu
Wuḍūʾ ( ar, الوضوء ' ) is the Islamic procedure for cleansing parts of the body, a type of ritual purification, or ablution. The 4 Fardh (Mandatory) acts of ''Wudu'' consists of washing the face, arms, then wiping the head and the fe ...
. It has been described as one of the most beautiful palaces built in the city.
However, many associated external buildings around the palace—including a military barrack and stables—were said to have been ruined during the 1960s. It was subsequently restored by the Kuwait-Syria-Arab Fund to serve as a
cultural center
A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run.
Asia
* Cen ...
and library.
War damage
Beit Junblatt (Dar Janpolad) suffered material damage from fighting and
looting during the
Battle of Aleppo (2012–2016). Numerous
tiles
Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or o ...
were removed from the building's
iwan
An iwan ( fa, ایوان , ar, إيوان , also spelled ivan) is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called , a Persian term for a portal projecting ...
allegedly to be shown as samples to international antiquities dealers. Similar tiles were sold at a Western auction house in 2015.
Gallery
File:Beit Junblatt Aleppo 2001 01.jpg, Beit Junblatt Iwan (2001)
File:Beit Junblatt Aleppo 2001 02.jpg, Beit Junblatt (2001)
File:Beit Junblatt Aleppo 2001 05.jpg, Beit Junblatt (2001)
File:Beit Junblatt Aleppo 2001 03.jpg, Beit Junblatt (2001)
File:Beit Junblatt Aleppo 2001 04.jpg, Beit Junblatt (2001)
File:Looting Janpolad Palace قصر جان بولاد Beit Junblatt Aleppo 2018 02.jpg, Beit Junblatt (2018) missing decorative elements
File:Janpolad Palace قصر جان بولاد Beit Junblatt Aleppo 2018 01.jpg, Beit Junblatt Iwan (2018) Aleppo
References
External links
*
*Stoc
images folder of Beit Jamblattdecorated with coloured and patterned tiles (2008)
*Image of th
Iwan of Beit Jumblatin black and white
No Strike List for AleppoHeritage for Peace
{{coord, 36, 12, 13, N, 37, 09, 31, E, display=title
Buildings and structures in Aleppo
Museums in Syria
Palaces in Syria
Houses completed in the 16th century
Ottoman palaces
Architecture in Syria