Saray Halab al-Kabir

Aleppo, Syria

The Grand Serail or Saray al-Kabir was constructed during the early twentieth century as the seat of the government of Aleppo Province. It was an imposing building that stood just south of the citadel, and incorporated elements of colonial European and historic Islamic design. After the seat of the government moved in the early 2000s, the building served as the police headquarters. The building was destroyed in 2014 during the Syrian Civil War.1