| Grand Serail | |
|---|---|
سراي حلب الكبير | |
 | |
  Location within Ancient City of Aleppo | |
| Former names | Grand Serail d'Alep |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Syrian |
| Location | Old city,Aleppo,Syria |
| Construction started | 1928 |
| Completed | 1933 |
| Inaugurated | 15 April 1933 |
| Owner | Government of Syria |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 3 |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | Kegham Akgulian |
| Structural engineer | Kevork Baboyan |
TheGrand Serail (Arabic:سراي حلب الكبير,French:Grand Serail d'Alep) was the former seat of the governor of theSyrian city ofAleppo. It was built between 1928 and 1933 to serve as the main government building in the city. It was opened in 1933 during the period of the mayor Nabih Martini.[1]
The building is located to the south of theCitadel of Aleppo and adjacent to its main entrance. It is surrounded with the Citadel square andAl-Sultaniyah Madrasa from the west,Al-Otrush Mosque from the south, the Palace of Justice andHammam Yalbugha from the east and the Citadel from the north.
The idea for the construction of a new government house came when theState of Aleppo was declared by the French GeneralHenri Gouraud in September 1920. However, the construction started only in 1928, after the formation of theSyrian state under the French mandate. Theserail was designed by the Syrian-Armenian architectKegham Akgulian, and the construction was carried out under the supervision of another Syrian-Armenian engineerKevork Baboyan.
The inauguration of the building took place on 15 April 1933 to become the house of the government in Aleppo and the regular seat of the governor and the mayor of the city. It served as the house of the government until 2008, when the new building of the Aleppo city council was opened.
In August 2014, the building was almost completely destroyed during theSyrian Civil War, by an underground explosion conducted by rebels againstSyrian Army troops.[2]
36°11′50″N37°09′46″E / 36.19722°N 37.16278°E /36.19722; 37.16278