Visiting Beyt as-Suhaymi
Saturday, January 6th, 2007I can’t believe it’s taken us six months to visit beyt as-Suhaymi (the house of Suhaymi). The opulent home, built in the late 1600s (with additions to it up until the 19th century), is a stunning example of a traditional Ottoman home (or so the guidebook tells me). The house is a maze of narrow hallways opening up to rooms with two-story high ceilings and staircases that lead to yet another wing of the home. Anyway, we thought it was really cool.
The second courtyard behind the house, showing the “mashrabiyya” (wooden lattice windows which allowed women to look outside without anyone seeing her).
Private room
Many of the rooms were two stories high with wooden “malqaf” on the ceiling to direct the wind down into the building.
A room with a very large mashrabiyya.
Looking down into Al-Muizz li-Din Allah Street, a main thoroughfare for shopping in the 15th century (man, everywhere you look there’s old stuff!).
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