Palace, Museum in Aleppo, Syria
| Beit Junblatt |
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 Beit Junblatt |
Location within Ancient City of Aleppo |
| Alternative names | Qasr Junblatt |
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| Type | Palace, Museum |
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| Location | Aleppo, Syria |
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| Address | Al-Bandarah area, al-Farafira district
Ancient Aleppo |
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| Completed | 16th century |
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| Cost | One thousand Ottoman gold lira |
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| Client | Janpolad bek ibn Qasim |
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| Floor count | 2 |
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Beit Junblatt (Arabic: بيت جنبلاط) is a historic mansion that resides in Aleppo, Syria, built in the 16th century by a Kurdish emir of the Janbulad family.
Background
Beit Junblatt (Arabic: بيت جنبلاط); originally Janpolad Palace (Arabic: قصر جان بولاد), is a historic mansion in Aleppo, Syria, built during the 2nd half of the 16th century by a Kurdish emir of the Janbulad family, Janbulad ibn Qasim.[1] In 1604–1605, it briefly served as a residence for the Ottoman wāli of Aleppo Hussein Pasha Janpolad.[2]
The mansion is located at al-Bandarah area of al-Farafira district, within the walls of the Ancient City of Aleppo.[3] 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 of Aleppo sheikh Hasan Afandi al-Kawakibi.
Beit Junblatt is believed to have the largest iwan in Aleppo, decorated with fine qashani ceramic-tiled mosaic wall, depicting several Persian-type inscriptions.[4] Like the vast majority of Arabic traditional houses, the square-shaped courtyard of the palace has a large water fountain in the centre mainly used for wudu. It has been described as one of the most beautiful palaces built in the city.[5]
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 and library.[6]
War damage
Beit Junblatt (Dar Janpolad) suffered material damage from fighting and looting during the Battle of Aleppo (2012–2016).[7][8] Numerous tiles were removed from the building's iwan allegedly to be shown as samples to international antiquities dealers.[9][10] Similar tiles were sold at a Western auction house in 2015.[11][2]
