Khan al-Wazir and Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Paşa’s Endowed Buildings in Aleppo: History, Architecture, and Conservation State

Year 2023, Volume: 11 Issue: 3, 551 - 570, 29.09.2023

Ruba Kasmo

Abstract

Due to a paucity and fragmentation of knowledge on Merzifonlu Paşa's endowed buildings in Aleppo, this paper seeks to illuminate their distinctive heritage values by presenting them through the history, architectural characteristics, and the city’s urban dynamics. As the endowment's main building, Khan al-Wazir, is considered one of Aleppo’s largest and most important khans, it has been analyzed in detail. Enduring urban interventions, functional changes, war, and earthquake damage, the remaining endowed buildings are in urgent need of reviving their historical and functional linkages and restoring them in a way that displays their cultural significance both as unique examples of architecture and as active facilities within the urban network.

Keywords

Architectural Heritage, War Damage, Ottoman Architecture, Khans, Aleppo

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