Bait Wakil | Training and Restoration in Aleppo

Film

The Bait Wakil restoration project is part of the Syrian Heritage Archive Project (SHAP) at the Museum für Islamische Kunst in Berlin. In this film, project leaders and trainees from Syria report on their experiences in the training and practical restoration work on one of the most important residential courtyard house in Aleppo. 

The representative courtyard house Bait Wakil in Aleppo is closely associated with the Museum for Islamic Art in Berlin: The magnificently painted wooden wall panelling, the Aleppo Room from 1600-1603, which is now one of the highlights of the collection of the Museum for Islamic Art, comes from this house. 

While the Aleppo Room was being restored in Berlin over several years, Syrian craftsmen were trained on site at the same time. The film shows how traditional handicraft techniques are taught, developed and secured for reconstruction after the war and destruction caused by the 2023 earthquake. The focus is on the people who are preserving Syria's cultural heritage with their knowledge and commitment - and gaining new perspectives for the future in the process. 

About the project 

The Syrian Heritage Archive Project (SHAP) has been documenting and researching Syria's rich cultural heritage since 2013 and developing methods for its preservation in times of crisis. Projects such as the restoration of the Bait Wakil bring together education, research and practical heritage conservation.

The project is funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation.