Al-Shibani Church

The al - Schibani School (Arabic كنيسة الشيباني ) is a Syrian cultural and educational center in Aleppo. In the al - Schibani - school is among other things the extension of the German Goethe Institute in Syria and a branch of the Aga Khan Foundation. Furthermore, a museum in this complex is housed on the history of Aleppo. The building consists of two floors.

History of the building

The building was used in pre-Islamic times as a Christian church. After Islamization of Aleppo, it was used as an Islamic educational institution. In the 12th century it was rebuilt. In the 17th century, the building was bought by the Al- Shibani family and named in that time as Khan Al- Shibani. In the 19th century it was acquired by the Roman Catholic French Franciscan Order, the Terre -Sainte College einrichteten there. The restoration work began in 1853, and the college opened in 1859. The whole building complex was completely renovated in 1879. In the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, the college significant influence on the educational and political layer in Syria. 1934 large parts of the building complex were demolished and the College of the Franciscans moved to the then partially mainly Christian district of Al Aziziyah.

In 1967 the College was transformed into the Syrian Partisans Enrollment Institutes of the Baath Party. Later, the building complex fell to the Syrian government and was used as a tobacco warehouse. In 2001, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, in collaboration with the Syrian government began to transform the building complex and use again in memory of his historical roots as an educational facility. In December 2006, the renovation work was completed.