After its rehabilitation, The Al-Jadeed archaeological bathhouse in the Bab Al-Hadid neighborhood restores the heritage of old Aleppo

Aleppo, (ST)-The Al-Jadeed archaeological bathhouse in the old city of Aleppo has been resurrected to narrate the heritage, customs and folklore of the people of Aleppo after being restored, announcing the continuation of life in the alleys and streets of the Old City, which are shaking off the dust of terrorism, by rehabilitating its markets, gates and archaeological khans.

Muhammad Faris, the owner of the bathhouse, explained in a statement to SANA that the new bathhouse is one of the most important ancient baths in Aleppo, which dates back to more than 500 years. It was destroyed during the presence of terrorist organizations in the old city of Aleppo.

” Out of the love for the city and the endeavor to preserve its original heritage, we began the process of rehabilitating and restoring parts of the bath, starting from its external stone facade, passing through the reception hall to the inner and middle section, the Jacuzzi room and the swimming pool”, he stressed.

“The bathhouse was and still, is a gathering place for the people of the neighborhood, as it imparts a distinctive social atmosphere by reviving the rituals of ancient Aleppo weddings, where the groom comes to the bath house with a group of his friends and family, as the bath rituals are performed with the songs of ancient folklore of Aleppo. The bath can receive more than 700 people”, Faris added.

Engineer Lyon Mashqa, explained that resorting Al-Jadeed bathhouse comes within the plan and supervision of the old city of Aleppo to rehabilitate and restore the ancient sites including markets, khans and archaeological baths, in a way that contributes to return the glow of the old Aleppo while preserving its urban identity in accordance with the set technical specifications. All the possible facilities are provided to owners of establishments and economic activities in the Old City to obtain the required restoration and construction licenses, he confirmed.

Hosam Ammouna representative of the company executing the restoration work indicated that the company has started restoring the archaeological external facades of the bathhouse, interior sections, stone ceilings, arches, traditional wooden floors and doors, taking into account the technical conditions related to preserving of the ancient architectural character. The water networks and basins have also been replaced and the destroyed and broken stones restored as they were by expert local cadres. Work is currently underway to complete the remaining external works on the roof and stone domes.

A number of Aleppo residents and bath-goers expressed their joy that one of the city’s archaeological and popular landmarks has returned to work again so reviving  its popular memory with its various rituals and folkloric evenings.

 Amal Farhat