Khan As’ ad Pasha Al-Azm (2)

(Khan As’ad Pasha is a rich architectural piece of luxury details unparalleled in the world and the Arab-Islamic architecture is representing completely in it and people who are producing skilled architects in design those people live for art). French poet Lamartine

There is on the lintel of the gate a part of the arch surmounted by a circular interface is composed of curved lines intersect the circle inside this circle there was a small ruby luxury (lost during the earthquake). Beside the entrance there is a room which has two stone seats porters were using them for rest during unloading of goods. When you enter the khan’s bowl you can see a shape square courtyard and in the middle of it there is a large polygonal shape which has water inside it this shape has a fountain to make the atmosphere of the Khan nicer.

And it is surrounded by four huge columns carrying eight arches domes that cover the Khan was distributed symmetrically around the central aperture which remain without coverage provides a great breakdown of light and air. The courtyard of the khan is one of the most beautiful courtyards of ancient buildings and most influential in the self because of its privacy walls overlooking the courtyard are black and white and the of the upper section of the walls consists of the brackets gallery on the first floor and the number are (12) arcs.

On the ground floor there are bilateral and trilateral suites which have several rooms. Overlooking the courtyard and the number are (40) rooms used as offices for the traders and storage of goods as well. The first floor consists of a gallery oversees the courtyard on all four sides and there are forty-four rooms overlooking the gallery so the total of rooms on both floors are (84) room. As for the domes of the ceiling the diameter of the dome is (8meters) and each dome has (16) rib. The height of the highest points in Khan is (22) meters and from the surface of the Khan it could be seen the old city of Damascus. The west side of Alkhan has Albuzuriyah Mosque which was built to an era earlier than the date when Alkhan was built. The wooden in Alkhan is a witness to the skill of Al-Sham’s craftsmen embellished the doors of the ground floor with the Arabic floss (Arabesque). As for the doors of the first floor carved with different formations and variety of engineering in finishes lines drilled by cross-cutting and nails and for the windows of domes were made entirely of wood and glass with plaster transparent.

In 1959 Damascus famous earthquake demolished the two domes in the middle and the Khan after the earthquake has been abandonment for a period of time. Khan continued to function until the beginning of the twentieth century then the ownership has moved to the traders of the area and used to store their goods until the early eighties when Khan released of its occupants after the decision of acquisition of khan as’ad Pasha for the ministry of culture directorate general of antiquities and museums in 1973. And the KHAN As’ad Pasha is used now as a platform for many cultural events intellectual and artistic works such as conferences seminars and exhibitions of modern art of drawing photography sculpture. As’ad Basha khan is a wonderful example of Arab and Islamic architecture which is one of the most important cells which kept old artistic and architectural form.

Haifaa Mafalani