Wakil House

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Part of site	Courtyard Houses of Aleppo
Variant Names	Beit Wakil, Bayt Wakil
Street Address	Judayda Quarter
Location	Aleppo, Syria
Style/Period	Ottoman
Century	18th
Building Types	commercial, residential
Building Usage	restaurant, private residence
Keywords	adaptive re-use; courtyard house; restoration and conservation

Notes

Bayt Wakil, situated in the Jdeide quarter on Sissi Street, includes two attached houses that are best known for their intricate wooden paneling. Carved by an Iranian artist in 1603, the depictions are of biblical scenes featuring the Virgin Mary, Christ and his disciples. The panels found there way to Germany after the Wakil family sold them in 1912 to Mrs. Mary Koch, who then donated them to the Pergammom Museum in Berlin, where they are displayed in the 'Aleppian Hall' in the Islamic section of the museum. Beit Wakil has been renovated and has adapted multiple programs throughout the last century, from house, to a Greek Orthodox infirmary, to an orphanage. It currently functions as a restaurant and a small inn. Source: Hadjar, Abdallah. 2000. Historical Monuments of Aleppo. Aleppo: Automobile and Touring Club of Syria (ATCS), 50-51.