Dar Rajab Pasha, Aleppo’s Palace of Culture

Dar Rajab Pasha is a 16th-century Ottoman mansion in Aleppo’s Old City, in the Bab al-Faraj area. In the first decade of the 21st century it was renovated, given a large theatre hall next door and turned into a cultural centre; its official name is Qasr al-Thaqafa, the Palace of Culture. It was repaired again after the war, and in 2025 the Aleppo Directorate of Culture used it for exhibitions, concerts and festivals. Today most people go there for an event.

Where it is

On Abdel Moneim Riad Street, which runs from Saba Bahrat Square down to the Great Mosque of Aleppo, close to Al-Khandaq Street. Arabic sources place it in the Bab al-Faraj area. The Al-Omari Mosque and the Central Synagogue of Aleppo are nearby. The building’s own position could not be confirmed by two independent sources, so the page has no map.

What happened after the war

The mansion became one of the restoration sites in the Old City. In February 2021 the ministers of culture and tourism toured renovation work there and stopped at the Palace of Culture. Four years later the building was hosting events again.

What goes on here

Three events in 2025 show how the building is used. On 1 August the Directorate of Culture opened a four-day culture and heritage programme: a qanun recital on the first evening, then talks, a film screening, exhibitions of mosaic, macramé and Damascene ornament, and a book fair.

On the evening of 14 August, Kunuz Suriya (Treasures of Syria), a website for digitally documenting Syria’s threatened heritage, was launched here. The Layali Halab (Aleppo Nights) festival opened on 15 September; its first day brought exhibitions of handmade carpets, painting and calligraphy, a poetry evening and a concert of muwashshahat and qudud, Aleppo’s classical song forms. On the second day the same venue hosted religious inshad, devotional singing.

Can you visit

The events were open to the public. The last documented public event was in September 2025; we found no visit record from 2026 and no regular opening hours. Whether you can get in on days without an event is not verified. The Aleppo Directorate of Culture announces the programme.

What most people miss

Linking the building to a walk to the Great Mosque. Abdel Moneim Riad Street runs down from Saba Bahrat to the mosque; Dar Rajab Pasha is on the way, with the Al-Omari Mosque and the Central Synagogue close by. If an evening event is on, you see the mansion the way it is mostly used.