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Welcome to ARCHNET, an open access, interdisciplinary, intellectual resource focused on the built environment of Muslim societies.Focused on the built environment of Islamic civilizations past and present, we seek to:<ul><li>Facilitate excellence in scholarship and professional work by&nbsp;providing reliable information and ready access&nbsp;to vetted, high-quality textual and multimedia resources&nbsp;focused on architecture, urbanism, environmental and landscape design,&nbsp;heritage&nbsp;conservation, economic and environmental sustainability, community development and resilience in the face of rapid change, and related topics.</li><li>Enable teaching and learning in these domains by providing educators with reliable, effective pedagogical material and teaching aids.&nbsp;</li><li>Serve as a platform through which scholars, practitioners, and institutions can bring their work to new global audiences.&nbsp;</li><li>Promote intercultural understanding and dialogue through reliable, high-quality, peer-reviewed material on the diversity of and pluralism within Muslim societies and the interaction between Islamic and other religious, cultural, and philosophical traditions as it relates to architecture and urbanism.</li><li>Enable easy access to a wide variety of resources via a custom-built, web-based, mobile-friendly platform optimized to minimize financial, infrastructural, linguistic, and other barriers to access.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>Launched in 2002 after several years of development, ARCHNET is a pioneering digital resource that has proven a reliable authority on the built environment of Muslim societies, past and present.&nbsp;ARCHNET is a partnership between the <a href="https://www.archnet.org/collections/1342" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aga Khan Documentation Center, MIT Libraries</a> (AKDC@MIT) and the <a href="https://www.archnet.org/authorities/1903" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aga Khan Trust for Culture</a> (AKTC), with support from the <a href="https://www.archnet.org/collections/50" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture</a> at Harvard and MIT.&nbsp;ARCHNET is developed and maintained by <a href="https://www.performantsoftware.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Performant Software Solutions</a>.

About

 Damascus

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IAA707914

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caravanserai

The 6 Feb. earthquake and its aftershocks have caused a massive humanitarian crisis, the dimensions of which are not yet clear. Even less clear is the extent of damage to historic structures, a comprehensive assessment of which cannot be undertaken while the crisis is still unfolding. Nonetheless, anecdotal reports of damage to historical monuments are coming in, often supported by photographs or video.&nbsp;This collection contains the Archnet records for affected cities and sites. It is not a comprehensive list, and we are still in the process of updating individual records to indicate the damage sustained. We seek your help in keeping this collection current. See the call for participation:<ul><li><a href="https://www.archnet.org/publications/14915" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">English</a></li><li><a href="https://www.archnet.org/publications/14917" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">العربية</a></li><li><a href="https://www.archnet.org/publications/14916" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Türkçe</a></li></ul>

Heritage Sites Damaged in the 6 February 2023 Turkey–Syria Earthquake

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IAA706604

Syria

Import

Sir Keppel Archibald Cameron Creswell

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ICR2596

Khan al-Jumruk

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ICR2597

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slide

ISY0428

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ISY0429

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ISY0430

Michel Écochard

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dam_pho_041a

The khan building type was developed as an extension of important suqs in large urban centers; for example, Damascus, Aleppo, and Beirut. The khan provides an place for the exchange of goods, storage of merchandise and temporary residential units. Each khan was specialized both in terms of the commodity traded and the nature of the visitor, whether foreign merchants or a traveling caravan. The number of khans erected in the old city of Damascus dramatically increased during the Ottoman period when the city was made accessible to foreign merchants who required a safe place to stay for short periods of time. The Ottoman khan is usually two stories: the first reserved for trade and storage, and the second for resting. The building adheres to a rectangular plan that is defined by an open courtyard with a pool or fountain at its center and porticos wrapping around the perimeter. The portico (riwaq) that shelters the path around the courtyard on the ground floor provides an open space in front of the entrances of the shops and storage areas in the khan while creating a walkway on the second floor to connect different residential rooms. The storage rooms and shops are vaulted spaces with heavy stonewalls separating each unit from the next. Vaulted spaces pierced with small apertures to provide adequate light from the outside serve as cool, dry areas for stored goods. The system of different scales of arches and vaults between repeated, modular units (doorway, room, arcade) creates a functionally ornamented experience. Some of the khans in Damascus are more elaborate in terms of ornamentation and material; for example the Khan Sulayman Basha erected in 1732 and Khan As'ad Basha built by the governor of the city in 1753. The khan is slightly rectangular with a nine-square court covered with eight domes and an open center square. The court is built in traditional Damascene ablaq style with alternating striations of black and white stone. All the shops and storage surround the grand semi-open court. Khans in Damascus today persist as a vital part of the city's commercial and touristic life. Some of the khans still function as storage spaces for commerce, others have been adapted to serve as centers for reviving traditional Damascene crafts such as glass works, Syrian textile and metal smiths. This re-adaptation preserves the building and the crafts while simultaneously introducing both younger citizens of the city and visiting tourists to this vital, historic architectural type. Some of the khans of Damascus include Khan Gumruk, Khan Ahmad, Khan Sawwaf, Khan Tutun, Khan Zeit, Khan Sadrawiyya and Khan Safarjalani. Sources: Rihawi, Abdul Qader, 1979, Arabic Islamic Architecture in Syria, Damascus. 216-220, 227. Rihawi, Abdul Qader, 1977, Damascus: Its History, Development and Artistic Heritage. Damascus.133-135.

Khans of Damascus

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Khan al-Jumruk
Damascus, Syria

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Khan al-Jumruk
Damascus, Syria

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Khan al-JumrukDamascus, Syria

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Khan al-Jumruk
Damascus, Syria