Beit Ghazaleh (The Ġazaleh House; Arabic: بيت غزالة) is one of the largest and better-preserved palaces from the Ottoman period in Aleppo.
[4] 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.
[8] Unique for its size and decor, Beit Ghazaleh embodies the wealth and power of the Christian community in 17th century Aleppo.
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 fine wall decorations in the courtyard are said to have been carved by the Armenian sculptor Khachadur Bali a member of the Balyan family of Ottoman court architects.
The iwan, first meant to provide comfort from the summer heat,[12] is thus the "centre" of the house and plays an essential symbolic role representing the power of the master of Beit Ghazaleh.
Its rich interior decoration, partially refurbished in the 19th century, includes four distinct sets of inscriptions: The floor of the iwan, and of some other rooms, has retained its old split-level organization.
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.
Its interior decor includes stone tiles with geometric patterns and wooden panels painted with cups and fruit bouquets in vases.
These major redevelopments were inspired by the appearance of consular apartments in the Aleppo urban caravanserais[19] and by the architecture of embassies in the capital Istanbul.
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.
Restoration work notably concerned the renovation of part of the decorative panels by Damascene craftsmen.In parallel, descendants of the Ghazaleh family[27][28] launched a scientific study of the House.
This study, which began in 2009, includes a historical research on the neighbourhood and of the house, a stylistic analysis of its decorative elements, and a detailed architectural survey.
[29][30] A collaborative high precision survey of Beit Ghazaleh was completed in November 2017 by the DGAM and UNESCO to facilitate the further study, protection and emergency consolidation of its structure.