Azim Palace
The Azim Palace ( Arabic قصر العظم, DMG Qaṣr al-ʿAẓm ) is a palace from Ottoman times. It is located in the old city of Damascus near the Umayyad Mosque .
history
The palace was built in 1750 by the Ottoman governor As'ad Pasha al-Azm. This was the tax collector of the Sultan in Istanbul and also had the Chan Asad Pasha built. It is very likely that the Omayyad caliphs and Mamluk emirs had resided here earlier. It is documented that the palace of the Mamluk prince Tingiz (r. 1312-1330) stood at precisely this point.
Construction
The Azim Palace is an example of traditional Damascus house construction. Multi-storey buildings in the typical Damascus black and white wall structure surrounded generous courtyards in which a multitude of plants grew and around which a multitude of rooms were grouped. The palace consisted of two areas: the harem , the protected area for the governor's family, and the selamlık , in which the governor performed his official offices. There was also a separate courtyard for employees. The palace has a total of 16 reception halls. 19 rooms were on the ground floor and 9 rooms on the second floor. An important architectural feature are the ivans - semi-open halls adopted from Persian architecture. These existed both in the public and in the private sector. Storage rooms, prayer rooms, an Ottoman bath, stables and a parking space for carriages were also integrated into the palace. Thick walls and the high ivans made it pleasantly cool in summer. In winter, the masonry stored the heat. The reception area was separated from the family area by sharply angled rooms. In oriental architecture it was customary that strangers should not see the women of the house. To ensure this, there was a strict separation of public and private areas. Magnificent facades, however, were unusual. Therefore only the entrance gate of the palace is elaborately designed. The interior, however, is of high quality. The wooden ceilings of the rooms were lavishly painted. There are marble pools in almost every room. There are also many fountains in the park. Today the palace houses an ethnographic museum. It depicts scenes from everyday palace life. In addition, traditional clothing, musical instruments and weapons are exhibited. In summer the Haramlik courtyard is used for concerts.
Web links
literature
- Frank Scheck, Johannes Odenthal: Syria. High cultures between the Mediterranean and the Arabian desert. 4th edition, DuMont, Ostfildern 2009, ISBN 978-3-7701-3978-1
Coordinates: 33 ° 30 ′ 37 ″ N , 36 ° 18 ′ 25 ″ E