National Museum of Aleppo
Encyclopedia
The National Museum of Aleppo is the largest museum in the city of Aleppo
, founded in 1931. It is located in the heart of the northern city on Baron Street, adjacent to the famous Baron Hotel
and near the Bab al-Faraj clock tower
. The majority of the museum's exhibitions are devoted to the archaeology of Syria, with most of the finds coming from archaeological site
s of the northern part of the country.
palace was designated to become the National Museum in the city of Aleppo. After three decades, the building became too small to host the growing number of exhibited items. Therefore, it was decided in 1966 to demolish the old building and replace it with a larger, more modern structure.
, while there is a quite big Islamic section. The entrance is a temple gateway with a female sphinx from the Iron Age (9th century BC) Neo-Hittite
settlement of Tell Halaf
.
The first section is a big hall which contains numerous samples of Stone Age
human items and tools found in Aleppo, Ain Dara
and Ebla
. It also contains the oldest civilized human shelter (8500 BC) brought from Mureybet
.
The second section consists of a group of halls, classified geographically according to the Syrian regions and dedicated to the ancient civilizations of Syria. Many Bronze Age
objects from Hama
and Ugarit
are exhibited in these halls, statues and cuneiform script
s from Mari
, as well as pieces discovered by Max Mallowan
at the site of Tell Brak
. Moreover, Iron Age
materials and Assyria
n style statues from archeological sites of the Al-Jazeera region
, and the Euphrates
region could be found.
The main halls of this section are:
figure, while in the front courtyard, monuments of Assyrian, Aramaic, Byzantine and Arabic origins are exhibited.
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
, founded in 1931. It is located in the heart of the northern city on Baron Street, adjacent to the famous Baron Hotel
Baron Hotel
Baron Hotel , is the oldest hotel in Syria and the region. It is located in downtown Aleppo, Aziziyeh area, Baron street, next to the National Museum of Aleppo.- History :...
and near the Bab al-Faraj clock tower
Bab al-Faraj (Aleppo)
Bab al-Faraj or Bab al-Faradis is located to the north of the old city of Aleppo, Syria. It was built by al-Zaher Ghazi and reopened later by al-Nasir Yusuf II. In 1904 it was torn down with a portion of the surrounding fabric to become a public square known by the same name...
. The majority of the museum's exhibitions are devoted to the archaeology of Syria, with most of the finds coming from archaeological site
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
s of the northern part of the country.
History of the museum
In 1931, under the decision of the Syrian authorities, a small OttomanOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
palace was designated to become the National Museum in the city of Aleppo. After three decades, the building became too small to host the growing number of exhibited items. Therefore, it was decided in 1966 to demolish the old building and replace it with a larger, more modern structure.
Collections
All historical periods are exhibited in the museum, however the greatest emphasis is put on the Iron AgeIron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, while there is a quite big Islamic section. The entrance is a temple gateway with a female sphinx from the Iron Age (9th century BC) Neo-Hittite
Syro-Hittite states
The states that are called Neo-Hittite, or more recently Syro-Hittite, were Luwian, Aramaic and Phoenician-speaking political entities of the Iron Age northern Syria and southern Anatolia that arose following the collapse of the Hittite Empire around 1180 BC and lasted until roughly 700 BC...
settlement of Tell Halaf
Tell Halaf
Tell Halaf is an archaeological site in the Al Hasakah governorate of northeastern Syria, near the Turkish border, just opposite Ceylanpınar. It was the first find of a Neolithic culture, subsequently dubbed the Halaf culture, characterized by glazed pottery painted with geometric and animal designs...
.
Ground floor
The ground floor consists of two main sections: the Section of Prehistoric Culture and the Section of Ancient Syrian Civilizations.The first section is a big hall which contains numerous samples of Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
human items and tools found in Aleppo, Ain Dara
Ain Dara
Ain Dara is a village about 30 km from Beirut, in the governorate of Mount Lebanon, in the Aley District.Ain Dara Municipality has an area of 2,586 hectares , with a population of approximately 8000 persons...
and Ebla
Ebla
Ebla Idlib Governorate, Syria) was an ancient city about southwest of Aleppo. It was an important city-state in two periods, first in the late third millennium BC, then again between 1800 and 1650 BC....
. It also contains the oldest civilized human shelter (8500 BC) brought from Mureybet
Mureybet
Mureybet is a tell, or ancient settlement mound, located on the west bank of the Euphrates in Ar-Raqqah Governorate, northern Syria. The site was excavated between 1964 and 1974 and has since disappeared under the rising waters of Lake Assad...
.
The second section consists of a group of halls, classified geographically according to the Syrian regions and dedicated to the ancient civilizations of Syria. Many Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
objects from Hama
Hama
Hama is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria north of Damascus. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate. Hama is the fourth-largest city in Syria—behind Aleppo, Damascus, and Homs—with a population of 696,863...
and Ugarit
Ugarit
Ugarit was an ancient port city in the eastern Mediterranean at the Ras Shamra headland near Latakia, Syria. It is located near Minet el-Beida in northern Syria. It is some seven miles north of Laodicea ad Mare and approximately fifty miles east of Cyprus...
are exhibited in these halls, statues and cuneiform script
Cuneiform script
Cuneiform script )) is one of the earliest known forms of written expression. Emerging in Sumer around the 30th century BC, with predecessors reaching into the late 4th millennium , cuneiform writing began as a system of pictographs...
s from Mari
Mari, Syria
Mari was an ancient Sumerian and Amorite city, located 11 kilometers north-west of the modern town of Abu Kamal on the western bank of Euphrates river, some 120 km southeast of Deir ez-Zor, Syria...
, as well as pieces discovered by Max Mallowan
Max Mallowan
Sir Max Edgar Lucien Mallowan, CBE was a prominent British archaeologist, specialising in ancient Middle Eastern history, and the second husband of Dame Agatha Christie.-Life and work:...
at the site of Tell Brak
Nagar, Syria
Tell Brak, ancient Nagar, is a tell, or settlement mound, in the Upper Khabur area in Al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. The site was occupied between the sixth and second millennia BCE...
. Moreover, Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
materials and Assyria
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
n style statues from archeological sites of the Al-Jazeera region
Al-Jazira, Mesopotamia
Upper Mesopotamia is the name used for the uplands and great outwash plain of northwestern Iraq and northeastern Syria and southeastern Turkey which is known by the traditional Arabic name of Al-Jazira , variously transliterated into Roman script as Djazirah, Djezirah and Jazirah...
, and the Euphrates
Euphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
region could be found.
The main halls of this section are:
- The Hall of Al Jazeera Hills.
- The Hall of Mari.
- The Hall of Hama Region.
- The Hall of Ugarit.
- The Hall of Tell Halaf.
- The Hall of Arslan TashArslan TashArslan Tash , ancient Hadātu, is an archaeological site in northern Syria,in Aleppo Governorate, around 30km east of the Euphrates Riverand nearby the town of Ain al-Arab.-History:...
. - The Hall of Tell AhmarTil BarsipTil Barsip or Til Barsib is an ancient site situated by the Euphrates river about 20 kilometers south of ancient Carchemish.-History:...
. - The Hall of Ancient Statues and Cuneiform Scripts.
- The Hall of Ebla.
Second floor
The upper floor of the museum contains three sections:- The Section of Classical Remnants: Exhibits several objects of GreekGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Hellenistic, RomanAncient RomeAncient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and ByzantineByzantineByzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
periods, such as coins, mosaics glassware and potteries. - The Section of Arabic-Islamic History: This section contains several Arabic coins, manuscripts, potteries and a IslamIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic 12th century tomb and a 12th century astrolabeAstrolabeAn astrolabe is an elaborate inclinometer, historically used by astronomers, navigators, and astrologers. Its many uses include locating and predicting the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars, determining local time given local latitude and longitude, surveying, triangulation, and to...
. - The Section of Modern Art: Dedicated to the modern artists of Aleppo and Syria. It contains a scale model of the old city of Aleppo and a sixth-century fantastic mosaic.
Courtyard
The internal courtyard of the museum is the home of huge basaltic statues of ancient Hittite and Roman mythological characters and a big third-century mosaicMosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
figure, while in the front courtyard, monuments of Assyrian, Aramaic, Byzantine and Arabic origins are exhibited.