Al-Hatab Square Explained

Al-Hatab Square
ساحة الحطب
Coordinates:36.2072°N 37.1569°W
Location:Aleppo, Syria
Area:2,500 m²
Built:1420s

Al-Hatab Square (Arabic: ساحة الحطب, Sahat al Hatab) is one of the oldest squares in the Syrian city of Aleppo. It is located in the old Jdeydeh Quarter, outside the historic walls of the Ancient City of Aleppo. The square suffered catastrophic damage during the Syrian civil war.

History

In 1400, the Mongol-Turkic leader Tamerlane captured the city of Aleppo from the Mamluks and massacred many of its inhabitants.[1] [2] After the withdrawal of the Mongols, the Muslim population returned to Aleppo.[3] In contrast the Christian residents, unable to resettle in their own city quarters, established a new neighbourhood just to the north of the city walls in the early 1420s. This area became known as Aleppo's al-Jdeydeh (Jdeideh) Quarter (for "new district" in Arabic).[4] [5]

Al-Hatab Square became the centre of this newly established quarter and was surrounded by many churches, hammams, khans, caravanserais and caeserias.[6] [7] Many Christians chose this area as a number of fifteenth century churches had been located there.[8] A number of structures here were built on earlier Byzantine foundations. By the seventeenth century, a mosque (al-Sharaf Mosque), and sprawling waqf complex with shops and coffee house were established near there to help service the local inhabitants and visitors. Many Armenians also settled in the area as early as the 1600s to develop the growing silk trade with Persia.[9]

The square and khans quickly became one of the busiest commercial hubs of the city.[10] Many European traders would also come to do business here as many of their local agents and translators lived in this area.[11]

The 1850 massacre of Christians and others in Aleppo also originated in and around Al-Hatab Square.[12]

Renovation and revitalisation

By 2011 Sahat al Hatab square, and the Jdeideh neighbourhood around it, had underdone a revitalisation process.[13] It became home to many boutique hotels housed in historic buildings such as the Zamaria House,[14] museums such as the Beit Ghazaleh and Beit Achiqbash, and number of noted restaurants that celebrated the local cuisine.[15] [16] [17]

The square, which had once been built over with trader's sheds, was rehabilitated as a shared and open public space.[18] [19] Its expanse, and the streets around it, went on to foster a vibrant mix of Syrian families and foreign tourists.[20] [21]

This civic project, as part of a plan to protect the Old City of Aleppo,[22] began in 1995 came with some controversy regarding land speculation, land use and its impact on existing residents.[23] The project was also a recipient of international award for urban planning and renewal.[24]

The square became a popular destination, especially for visitors passing through the narrow alleyways of Aleppo's Old City[25] —it was home to many shops of antiques and handmade jewellery.[26] [27]

The famous ful parlor Abu Abdo was also located near the square.

Recent developments

Sahat Al Hatab suffered catastrophic damage during the Syrian civil war that began in Aleppo in July 2012.[28] [29] A series of huge underground explosions conducted by the armed opposition under the square in April 2015 devastated it along with the surrounding historic buildings.[30] [31]

Al Hatab Square, and its al-Jdayde (Jdeideh) Quarter, found itself on the front line from the beginning in what became a war of attrition between combatant forces.[32] [33]

The area, like much of the old city, remained a closed militarized zone for most of this period and was heavily damaged from fighting.[34] [35] Official damage assessments conducted after the evacuation of rebel forces determined Sahat al Hatab to have been "highly affected" by civil war fighting.[36]

While the Jdayde Hotel along with other buildings surrounding the square were mostly destroyed,[37] [38] the craters on it were backfilled and its surface levelled during 2017. In 2018 further remediation work was undertaken in the area.[39] By 2021, work began on a comprehensive renovation of the square, with the first phase estimated at LS 200 million.[40] [41]

Christmas market was organized on the square in December 2022 with the participation of heads of the Christian denominations and a number of Islamic clerics.[42]

Sources and further reading

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Gillespie, Alexander. A History of the Laws of War: Volume 3: The Customs and Laws of War with Regards to Arms Control. 2011-10-07. Bloomsbury Publishing. 9781847318411. 129. en.
  2. Book: Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades. 1987-12-03. CUP Archive. 9780521347716. 463. en.
  3. Web site: Battle of Aleppo - Everything2.com. everything2.com. 2016-12-09.
  4. Book: Burns, Ross. Aleppo: A History. 2016-08-25. Routledge. 9781134844081. 197. en.
  5. David. Jean-Claude. L'espace des chrétiens à Alep. Ségrégation et mixité, stratégies communautaires (1750-1850). Revue du monde musulman et de la Méditerranée. 1990. fr-FR. 55. 1. 150–170. 10.3406/remmm.1990.2340.
  6. Caeserias were small marketplace (smaller than khans) and were also craftsmen's workshops.
  7. Book: The Ottoman City Between East and West: Aleppo, Izmir, and Istanbul. Eldem. Edhem. Goffman. Daniel. Masters. Bruce. 1999-11-11. Cambridge University Press. 9780521643047. 39–40. en.
  8. Book: Burns, Ross. Aleppo: A History. 2016-08-25. Routledge. 9781134844081. 179, 231–2. en.
  9. Ross Burns & Stefan Knost (2020) "Judayda Churches | كنائس الجْدَيْدِة". L.I.S.A. WISSENSCHAFTSPORTAL GERDA HENKEL STIFTUNG (in English and Arabic).
  10. Book: Darke, Diana. Syria. 2010-01-01. Bradt Travel Guides. 9781841623146. en.
  11. News: Christians in Aleppo: Rumblings beneath the Surface - Qantara.de. Qantara.de - Dialogue with the Islamic World. 2017-03-23. en.
  12. Book: Historical Dictionary of Syria. Commins. David. Lesch. David W.. 2013-12-05. Scarecrow Press. 9780810879669. en.
  13. News: Preserving Heritage, and the Fabric of Life, in Syria. Ourousseff. Nicolai. The New York Times. 26 December 2010. 27 December 2016.
  14. Web site: Aleppo Burns – Dar Zamaria, Sisi House and much of Souq reported Burned- Syria Comment. Atlioglu. Dr Yasin. 2012-09-30. Orient. 2017-01-01.
  15. Book: Booth, Marilyn. Harem Histories: Envisioning Places and Living Spaces. 2010-01-01. Duke University Press. 978-0822348696. 217–8. en.
  16. Book: Darke, Diana. Syria. 2010-01-01. Bradt Travel Guides. 9781841623146. 185. en.
  17. News: Beehner. Lionel. 2010-01-22. Tourists Return to an Ancient Crossroads in Syria. en-US. The New York Times. 2020-08-21. 0362-4331.
  18. Book: Booth, Marilyn. Harem Histories: Envisioning Places and Living Spaces. 2010-01-01. Duke University Press. 978-0822348696. 218. en.
  19. Jaber. Sylvia. 2013. Dissertation -- Urban streets : towards sustainable mobility in Arabic cities. Universität Stuttgart 01 Fakultät Architektur und Stadtplanung. 318. 10.18419/opus-100 . Online Publikationen der Universität Stuttgart.
  20. Web site: Weblog of a Syrian Diplomat in China. Weblog of a Syrian Diplomat in China. 2017-03-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20161226145423/http://imad_moustapha.blogs.com/my_weblog/page/3/. 2016-12-26. dead.
  21. Book: Haddad, Rema George. Changes in the nature of governance of public spaces in the historic city centre. Dissertation Heriot-Watt University School of the Built Environment. 2009. ROS Theses Repository. 140.
  22. Web site: Cultural Heritage in Conflict: World Heritage Cities of the Middle East. Cobb. Elvan. 2010. repository.upenn.edu . University of Pennsylvania Scholarly Commons. 56–64. 1 Jan 2016.
  23. Book: Bairs-Zars (2010), Bernadette. Developing heritage: activist decision-makers and reproducing narratives in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria.. Thesis Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning. 2010.
  24. Web site: Aleppo — Joan Busquets Harvard University Press. www.hup.harvard.edu. 2017-01-01.
  25. News: Aleppo, Syria, Preserves the Past by Enhancing the Present. Ouroussoff. Nicolai. 2010-12-26. The New York Times. 2017-03-26. 0362-4331.
  26. News: Aleppo, Syria, Preserves the Past by Enhancing the Present. Ouroussoff. Nicolai. 2010-12-26. The New York Times. 0362-4331. 2016-12-09.
  27. News: Aleppo, Syria: a cultural guide. Simmons. Gail. Telegraph.co.uk. 2017-01-01.
  28. News: Syria: Christians take up arms for first time. Telegraph.co.uk. 2016-12-09.
  29. Web site: The Antiquities Directorate of Aleppo inspected the damage at both Beit Ghazaleh & Beit Ashiqbash20/08/2016 - عدد القراءات : 1116. www.dgam.gov.sy. 2016-12-09.
  30. News: Damage Assessment of Aleppo, Aleppo Governorate, Syria (10 Jul 2015). 2015-07-22. ReliefWeb. en. 2016-12-09.
  31. News: ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives Weekly Report 38 (April 27, 2015). 2015-05-28. ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives. en-US. 2017-01-03.
  32. News: Aleppo's famed Old City left 'unrecognisable' by war. 2016-12-30. Al-Monitor. en-us. 2016-12-30.
  33. News: Aleppo After the Fall, New York Times Magazine. The New York Times . 24 May 2017 . 2017-05-27. Worth . Robert F. .
  34. News: Aleppo's famed Old City left 'unrecognisable' by war. 2017-01-01. Al-Monitor. en-us. 2017-01-01.
  35. News: Rebuilding Aleppo: 'We cannot preserve the place but we can save our memories'. Mackenzie. Laura. 2019-07-15. The Guardian. 2019-07-18. en-GB. 0261-3077.
  36. Ministry of Culture Directorate General of Antiquities & Museums (2017) State Party Report On The State of Conservation of The Syrian Cultural Heritage Sites (Syrian Arab Republic), 1 February 2017, available on https://whc.unesco.org/document/155953
  37. Web site: SYRIA Aleppo City / Jebel Saman District / Aleppo Province Imagery analysis:18 September 2016. UNOSAT. December 20, 2016. UN. Jan 5, 2017.
  38. News: Aleppo's famed Old City 'unrecognizable'. 2016-12-14. The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. 2017-04-27.
  39. News: Restoration work currently undergoing at Qalat al Sharif and Sahat al Hatab. Twitter. 2018-08-26. en.
  40. News: Rehabilitation of al-Hatab square in old Aleppo with cost of SYP200 million. SANA. 6 December 2021. 23 January 2021. en.
  41. Web site: Bassam Janji. 1 October 2021. Jedayde 1. live. 2021-12-09. Vimeo. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20211209140524/https://vimeo.com/user154681632 . 2021-12-09 .
  42. Web site: Christmas Village Festival in Aleppo conveys a message of peace and love. Ruaa al-Jazaeri. SANA. 20 December 2022.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Al-Hatab Square".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.