Traditional hotels in Old Damascus… houses that open their doors to history

Ammar Johmani Magazine

Damascus, SANA –Ancient Damascene houses are distinguished by creativity and architectural art dating back to the 17 century, keeping their architectural landmarks and heritage with various decorations linked that the past with the present and the heritage with modernity, as they were later turned into five- star heritage hotels in order to be invested in economic projects in old Damascus.

Mamlouka house is considered as one of the ancient Damascene houses which was turned into a heritage hotel.

Any visitor will see a wide large courtyard and vast open area, the orange and lemon trees, the Damascene jasmine, the pool, and the liwan which is furnished with covered brocade fabrics that tell the details of a place dating back to 17^th century.

Owner of the hotel , Anton Maznar affirmed the importance of preserving the old Damascene houses as they contain a heritage and civilization that date back to hundreds of years.

He added “We turned the house into a hotel that combines heritage and civilization and preserved its architectural landmarks, and added some service modifications.”

The house consists of 8 rooms, four of them are doubles, and four are suites, each one was given names of historical figures and is different from the other in terms of decoration, space, and furnishings.

Al-Wali house is another type of heritage hotels in old Damascus, and it is considered the largest in terms of area, consisting of three Arab houses open to each other. it dates back to the 18th century.

Owner of Beit al- Wali hotel, Edward Merza said that it was restored as a traditional hotel, preserving the old damascene landmarks.

“The entrances were modified to show their brilliance as inscriptions and ancient landmarks, where the rooms, old wooden doors, windows, and oriental details were kept to provide the place with civilization of the past and the modernity of the present,” as Mirza pointed out.

He added that 2021 witnessed a good tourist turnout, particularly from expatriates and foreigners.

Hybah/Mazen

Al-Wali house