The Waqf of Ibshir Mustafa Pasha- Damage assessment

by Rami Alafandi, Issam Ballouz, Alaa Haddad

State of the built heritage (August 2017)

The waqf (endowment) complex of Ibshir Mustafa Pasha has suffered serious damage in several areas. This includes the khan on the north side and the eastern and western qaysariyya. Without removing the rubble, no final statement can be made about the extent of damage. Most likely, there was a total loss in the areas affected by the April 2015 tunnel bomb explosion. The western portion of the waqf complex, including its front facade, is still standing but is noticeably damaged.

Two of the most important buildings of the waqf complex of Ibshir Mustafa Pasha survived: the mosque and the coffeehouse at the south. The uniquely decorated facade of the hall of the coffeehouse, as well as its first row of vaults, were destroyed. The core of the hall was only partially damaged, while the section of the central dome with its high lantern was, for the most part, destroyed.

Since August 2017, no photos or reports have been published to give updates on the current situation of the waqf complex.

Timeline

2015, April
As shown in a video of the brigade al-Fawj al-Awwal (The First Batallion), three tunnel bombs exploded in the northern ancient city area of al-Hatab Square, just north of the waqf complex of Ibshir Mustafa Pasha.

2015, May
Two videos by HNN news and Shahba Press Agency show minor damage in the waqf’s mosque.

2015, August
A satellite image published on August 18th by ASOR (DigitalGlobe) shows many explosion craters caused by tunnel bombs (a better view published on December 11th). On August 3rd 2016, another satellite image by UNITAR (Digital Globe) confirmed this state.

2016, December
Drone video by the Syrian central war report office (Syrian Media War Center) shows remaining parts of the waqf complex, including the western side with its facade, the coffeehouse and the mosque.

2017, April
Photos by ‏‎Saleh Zakkour show the destroyed facade of the coffeehouse and a partial collapse of the central dome.

2017, June
A photo by Mahmoud Sekt shows that one of the columns of the coffeehouse is being reinforced with steel straps.

2017, August
Photos and video show the remains on the inside of the coffeehouse.

Conclusion

The classification of the waqf complex of Ibshir Mustafa Pasha is indicated individually for each of the buildings. The mosque is classified as Recommendation Class 2 (RC2): “Minor repairs and/ further investigations”. The coffeehouse is classified as Recommendation Class 3 (RC3): “Major repairs based on the diagnosis”.