Renovating a 17th century Damascus House

t's a 300 year old stone house inside the Roman walls of old town Damascus, a few winding alleys away from the street called straight. A couple of thousand years ago, St Paul may well have passed by while escaping over the Roman wall in a basket. The rooms surround a courtyard and fountain, the serenity inside the courtyard is irresistible, I had to try my hand at renovating it and can't wait to bring my friends for a visit. 

     We bought the house in 2004. I found the neighborhood Keimarieh while on a walk with my daughter Helen. The house used to be owned by Dr Jajeh later the Halaweh family. Mazen one of 8 inheritors sold the house to us. It took 6 months to close the deal. Another nine months to get the renovation started. You need a strong and connected Engineer, a "can do" honest contractor with a harmonious work crew of 15 workshops, and an agent to deal with money and costs. It's as simple as that.

     Gihad is supervising the stone design and Aida is in charge of the visual design in general. As a couple we are the architects of the project and Abu Amar Kahwaji is our general contractor. 

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