Al-Zahrawi Palace of Homs … an architectural edifice reflecting the nobility of heritage

Once the visitor enters the Zahrawi Palace, which is located in the lanes of the old city of Homs, he feels the greatness and splendor of this place. Its ancient black stones tell thousands of stories, in addition to its elegant open yard with a water pool in the middle of it, surrounded by rooms and decorated with large, rose – growing pottery jars, as well as the mills and the wheels of carts that passed through the palace and landed there.

The palace is located on Omar Al-Mukhtar Street, with an area of 600 square meters. It is  built of two-story black basalt stone topped with domes in addition to a water fountain at its main entrance which is the oldest water fountain in Homs. Some of its halls contain silent figures embodying wedding traditions in Homs, and some lanterns and cooking utensils that were used in the Mamluk period.

Speaking to SANA correspondent, Raja Bilal, the director of the palace, explained that the South Wing on the ground floor of the Palace is an important section, as it was a ruling suite, and is characterized by an iwan, a scalloped dome, and cornices.

The North Hall is marked by inscriptions that tell about the foundation of the palace, above which are two opposite lions, Renk Al-Zahir Baybars. It is said that the builder of the palace is Ali bin Musa Al-Azhari.

Bilal pointed out that burials and archeological finds dating back to the Byzantine period were discovered in the basements of the palace in 1990, considering that what distinguishes the palace is the state of symmetry on which the halls, iwans and rooms were built. It was not a house of residence, but rather a house of government, which comes in second place after the Citadel of Homs.

According to Bilal, the palace was used as a miniature inn in which merchants rested. The two narrow stairs from the east and west sides of the second floor of the palace  were used to lead to two iwans and two balconies overlooking the open courtyard.

On the renovations of the palace from 2015 to the present after defeating terrorism from the old city of Homs, Bilal indicated that some of the damaged domes on the northern side of the palace and the Ottoman pavilion, which had been used as a guesthouse, as well as parts of the remodeled  scalloped dome, have been restored .

A committee of antiquarians from the Department of Antiquities and Museums of Homs has been set up to prepare a complete architectural and civic study of the Palace, with an updated vision for investment. The study approved carrying out a complete renovation of the Palace and agreeing on the working mechanism to qualify it as a museum of folk traditions.

The walls and halls of the palace were decorated with some 30 paintings done by the Homs Antiquities Service depicting the renovations of many war-affected archeological buildings.

Amal Farhat