Apr 04, 2022

Traditional Syrian Houses -Unique Features and Elements

Traditional Syrian Houses - Unique Features and Elements

The traditional Syrian houses are an important part of the oriental spirit of the people of Syria during their long history. The traditional houses of Syria were spreading an atmosphere of safety, stability, intimacy and family bonding for every Syrian family. And the design of traditional Syrian houses contributed to increasing emotional attachment to it.

You may ask: How do traditional Syrian houses create these feelings for their people?

It is something you feel as soon as you enter one of the traditional houses, as it is a building that opens inward and closes outward, and in the middle of the traditional Syrian houses is a circular hall overlooking the doors of all the rooms of the house. This house suggests that it is keen to gather its members together, and is keen to maintain the element of privacy in the house, and internal openness connects the relationships of the same family.

Let's learn more about the elements of traditional Syrian houses:

1- The circular space in the center of the house, which is called “the courtyard of the house”:

This space is often circular in shape, and all the rooms of traditional Syrian houses are located around it. It is possible that the rooms are distributed over one or two floors often, and this space is not roofed, so you can see the sky from it, and the residents of traditional Syrian houses are keen to plant them with lemon, orange and jasmine trees, which makes the smell of the house always distinctive and purifies the atmosphere, especially in the city center. Also, this hall should contain a pool for water, as an aesthetic element and a means of hydration for the summer weather, and some traditional Syrian houses contain a fresh water well.
This circular courtyard has two main functions:

- Distributive function: because only through it can individuals move from room to room in traditional Syrian homes.

- A collective function: the whole family gathers in it to eat meals or for day and evening sessions.

2- The “Al-Iwan” Hall:

It is the slightly raised room overlooking the circular courtyard. It is open without a door, but it is roofed. It includes a majlis for the people of traditional Syrian houses, and it is a covered outdoor sitting that the people of the house enjoy during the summer periods.

3- Reception Hall:

It is the room designated to receive guests in traditional Syrian houses, and is often characterized by luxurious furniture, interior decorations and luxurious carpets, and varies from one house to another according to the budget of the owner of the house.

4- Bedrooms:

Many of the sleeping rooms in traditional Syrian houses are spread over one or two floors, and each room is furnished to suit the residents in it. It can be a room for a small family within the large family that owns the house, or it can be for one person.

5- Kitchen and pantry room:

The kitchen is definitely separate in the traditional Syrian houses. The Syrian kitchen is famous for its interest in making many foods that take time to prepare and cook. In traditional houses, there are special rooms for storing food and supplies for the winter, in addition to other warehouses according to the profession of the home owner.