Qa'a (room)
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The qa'a is a roofed reception room found in the domestic architecture of affluent residences of the Islamic world. It is the most common hall type in the medieval Islamic domestic architecture. The plan of a qa'a may be inspired by the four-iwan plan (cruciform) of religious buildings. They were used to welcome male guests, where they would sit on the raised platform.
The tazar (sitting platform) of the Damascus Room, a qa'a from a medieval house in Damascus. This qa'a, designed in ajami-style, is now kept in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Fountain of the Damascus Room, it is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Damaged qa'a of the 17th-century Beit Ghazaleh in Aleppo. The fine woodwork of the room has been stripped out by looters.
Beit Ghazaleh
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Beit Ghazaleh is one of the largest and better-preserved palaces from the Ottoman period in Aleppo. It was named after the Ghazaleh family that owned it for about two centuries. Since 1914, it was used as a public school and restored to host the Memory Museum of the city of Aleppo. Beit Ghazaleh is located in the Al-Jdayde district of Aleppo. The structure has been damaged by warfare and earthquakes.
The central courtyard of Beit Ghazaleh
Example of the ornate windows of Beit Ghazaleh
The six courtyards of Beit Ghazaleh (RC Heritage)
Ġazaleh House Iwan in Aleppo (Postcard 1918-1922)