House of Amasyali

One of the most impressive of all Rosetta's fine buildings is the House of Amasyali, one of two restored houses on al-Anira Feriel. The façade here is one of the most impressive in Rosetta, with beautiful small lantern lights and vast expanses of mashrabiyya screens, which circulate cool breezes around the house. Although inside it's devoid of furniture - as are all the buildings - it's still possible to get a clear idea of how the house worked.

A series of rough stone chambers, which would have been used for storage, make up the ground floor. The 1st floor is for the men. One of the rooms here is a reception room, where guests would have been entertained by groups of musicians, and is overlooked by a screened wooden gallery behind which the women would have sat, obscured from view. The stair to the gallery is hidden behind a false cupboard and there are some fine examples of mother-of-pearl inlay work in wooden panels along the same wall. Be sure to look up at the ceiling to see intricately carved decorations painted brilliant blue. Also notice the little revolving turntable, designed so that women could serve tea and coffee without being seen. The nearby bedroom has several smaller rooms attached, one that would have been a walk-in wardrobe and another a hammam (bath) room with separate toilet.