Clock Tower (Bab al-Faraj)

The Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower is one of the most prominent historical and architectural landmarks in the city of Aleppo, embodying the modernity introduced by the Ottomans in the late 19th century. The tower is located in Bab al-Faraj Square, on the ruins of Qastal al-Sultan, near the National Library.
The tower was designed by the French architect Charles Chartier in collaboration with the Syrian engineer Bakr Sidqi. The construction process began in 1898 AD (1316 AH) during the reign of the Ottoman governor Ra’if Pasha, and was completed in 1899 AD (1317 AH). The tower is approximately 28 meters tall, and the cost of its construction was about 1,500 Ottoman gold liras, half of which was collected from local donations and the other half from the city hall fund.
The tower was inaugurated in 1900 AD to mark the 25th anniversary of Sultan Abdul Hamid II’s accession to the throne. The tower features an authentic Ottoman architectural style, with facades decorated with traditional muqarnas ornamentation, and its design resembles ancient Islamic minarets.
The tower was equipped with a mechanical clock, believed to have been brought from Britain, which was used to regulate time in the city, making it one of the first public clocks in Aleppo.
The tower was damaged during the Syrian war, particularly in 2013, when the clock’s glass was shattered. The tower underwent restoration in 2019, which included repairing the clock mechanism and resetting it to local time.