Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower
برج ساعة باب الفرج
Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower
Alternative namesBab al-Faradis
General information
TypeClock tower
Architectural styleOttoman architecture
Town or cityAleppo
CountrySyria Syria
Construction started1898 (1898)
Completed1899 (1899)
Height28 metres (92 ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Charles Chartier
EngineerBakr Sidqi

Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower (Arabic: برج ساعة باب الفرج) is one of the main landmarks of Aleppo, Syria. It was built in 1898-1899 by the French[1] architect of Aleppo city Charles Chartier with the help of the Syrian engineer Bakr Sidqi, under the Ottoman ruler of Aleppo; wāli Raif Pasha.[1][2]

It is located near the historical gate of Bab al-Faraj, adjacent to the building of the National library.[3] Its construction was encouraged by Sultan Abdul Hamid II in order to mark the modern era of timeliness.[4]

The tower was inaugurated in 1900 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Sultan's accession to the throne.[1]

The construction of the tower cost a sum of 1,500 Ottoman lira.[1] Half of the cost was collected through donations while the other half was paid by the municipality.

Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower in 2009

The design of the tower resembles the old Islamic minarets with four similar façades, topped with traditional oriental muqarnas.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Klaus Kreiser. "How a public fountain house became a clock tower". Gerda Henkel Stiftung. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  2. Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower
  3. eAleppo Bab Al-Faraj tower (in Arabic)
  4. Burns, Ross (2013). Aleppo, A History. Routledge. pp. 260–262. ISBN 9780415737210.

36°12′14″N 37°09′10″E / 36.20402°N 37.15275°E / 36.20402; 37.15275

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.