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The
Houses of Rosetta:
 Each
house consists of 3 or 4 floors, with multi-level, wooden corbel
ceilings for added strength. They were built of moulded, grouted bricks,
and in the façade, for decoration purposes, these bricks were
alternatively painted red and black. Also the Mashrapiyas and windows,
of a different type of turned wood whether Sahrili or Maymouni, also
decorate the façade.
-The
ground floor usually contains the “caravansary” or storehouse, the
stable, a Sabil (or fountain), and the cistern.
-The
2nd floor was reserved for men. It often has a separate door and a
courtyard surrounded by a number of rooms. The 3rd floor was reserved
for women called Al-Hadir (the place of sleeping); it consists of a main
hall (iwan) surrounded by several rooms, and a private bathroom.
These
houses often include a room on the 3rd floor called the “Al-Aghany” room
(room of songs), in which the women of the house sit, listening and
watching the entertainment, out of sight of the men. This room contains
cupboards in one of its walls, with Klaw Khowarnaqates and partitions of
turned wood. These wooden cupboards are often inlayed with ivory and
mother of pearl. In some houses, the walls of the Al-Aghani room were
covered with tiles with floral decorations in yellow, red, and green
bearing an Andalusi effect, as in the houses of Mouharam an Olwan. Arab
Killy House (the National Museum of Rosetta)
This is
one of the most famous houses in Rosetta, and the biggest. It dates back
to the 18th century (XII A.H) and was the residential house of Arab
Killy who was an Ottoman governor of the city.
It consists of 4 floors:
1-The ground floor, which includes:
A
storehouse with cross-vaulted ceiling
A
cistern
A
“Sabil” (or fountain)
2-The 2nd floor, reserved for the
men, which includes:
A
courtyard, surrounded by a number of rooms with windows of iron grills,
below holes of Maaqali turning
3-The 3rd floor, the domain of the
women, which includes:
A
courtyard, surrounded by a number of rooms with windows of iron grills
The Al-Aghany
(see above), this room contains a beautiful cupboard, inlaid with
mother-of-pearl.
4-The 4th floor, which includes:
The
flat roof
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