The Baron Hotel was the first modern hotel established in Syria. It was not only a refuge for Armenians and others escaping genocide, but also a cultural hub during Aleppo’s golden era. Its story is inextricable from Aleppo’s history, as it thrived and struggled along with the people of the city. The hotel’s founders were members of the Armenian Mazloumian family, who had origins in the Turkish city of Kayseri but were based in Aleppo at that time. In 1911, the Baron Hotel, a luxury hotel aimed at foreign tourists, first opened its doors to receive guests. Before the opening of the Baron Hotel, foreign visitors to Aleppo were forced to stay in the caravanserai inns of the old city’s souk, which were uncomfortable and not quite suitable for more distinguished guests. The Baron Hotel changed that.

The hotel was built to be ready in time for the opening of the Aleppo Station on the Berlin-to-Baghdad railway. It went on to become a center for culture, international archaeological projects, espionage, and foreign trade. Many notable figures stayed at the hotel while it was in operation. Room 203 is where Agatha Christie wrote Murder on the Orient Express, room 202 hosted Lawrence of Arabia, and the balcony of room 215 is where King Faisal announced Syria’s independence in 1919. The Presidential Suite hosted many famous leaders, including Gamal Abdel Nasser, Theodore Roosevelt, Kemal Ataturk, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (founder of the UAE), and Charles De Gaulle.

Since the beginning of the war in 2011, the hotel has suffered considerable damage, as it is located near where the thick of the fighting was. Today, the hotel’s interior feels like an abandoned museum; traces of its old grandeur are still visible, but the building appears very run down. Faded travel posters from the 1920s, hanging framed on the walls, tell of better times. A sign at the reception desk lists a single room for 40 Liras, breakfast included. The hotel has not recovered and Armen Mazloumian, the heir to the hotel, sadly passed away in 2016. Roubina Tashjian, his widow, became the keeper of the hotel and took up residence there.

In recent years, despite the hotel’s sad state and lack of customers, Syrian artists, such as photographer Issa Touma and videographer Yousef Saba, have attempted to keep the hotel alive through various projects. However, despite such efforts, the hotel shut down. Roubina Tashjian announced the hotel’s closure in a post on Facebook, where many Syrians get their news. This was the end of an era for Aleppo. But hopefully, our memories from better times will keep the Baron Hotel alive.

Media shown below are archival photographs from Mia Shouha.