The Matbakh al-Ajami Palace

A medieval palace on the street that runs down from the citadel square to the Great Mosque of Aleppo, opposite the Al-Sahibiyah Mosque. Majd al-Din ibn al-Daya, an emir of the Zengids — the dynasty of Nur al-Din that ruled Aleppo before Saladin’s Ayyubids — built it early in the 12th century, and it was restored in the 15th century. Its dome is counted as the largest surviving dome of the Ayyubid period. The name means “the Ajami kitchen”; sources suggest the building may once have been the residence of the al-Ajami family.

Getting there

From the citadel square, walk west towards the Great Mosque. The Al-Sahibiyah Mosque and Khan al-Wazir stand at the same spot; the palace faces them across the street. There is no map on this page, because the building’s coordinates could not be confirmed by two independent sources. Treat the three buildings as one stop.

What to see

The façade is a plain wall of cut stone. In its centre opens a pointed-arch portal whose voussoirs alternate dark and light stone. A wide frame of interlacing stone bands surrounds the arch. The dome rises behind the façade wall and can only be seen from the far pavement. According to the sources, the dome rests on muqarnas pendentives at the corners: the move from a square room to a round dome is made with rows of small niches stepped like stalactites.

The museum years

From 1967 to 1975 the building housed Aleppo’s Museum of Popular Traditions. The collection later moved to the Beit Ajiqbash mansion in al-Jdeideh.

Do not miss

The interlaced stone frame around the door. Light bands loop through one another like knots over a dark stone ground. Take the picture from across the street rather than close up; only from there do the frame and the dome fit in one shot.

Where things stand

In photographs dated August 2018 the portal is standing, but its wooden door leaves are gone and a metal shutter fills the opening. Through the door, a gap open to the sky shows in the inner wall. A street view from the same year shows rubble. We found no record of repairs after 2018 and could not confirm whether the interior can be entered; ask on site.