AMMAN — The
Duke’s Diwan, one of the oldest preserved buildings in Amman, has always been a tourist destination, in its capacity as a documentation of
the beauty of an extraordinary era in
Amman’s history.
اضافة اعلان
The original building, constructed in 1924 by Abdul
Rahman Madi, served as Amman’s first post office. It was later used as the
Ministry of Finance’s main office. In 1948 it was converted into the Haifa
Hotel, which ran for five decades until it was purchased by Mamdouh Bisharat,
the Duke of Mukheiheh.
Located in the heart of Amman, in the old commercial
area near the Arab Bank, this historic townhouse welcomes its visitors from
across the globe without requesting an entrance fee.
The experience of visiting the diwan (a term which
describes the section in the Arabic house that is always open for guests) mimics
experiencing a time machine that brings you back to the past. With every bit of
detail, one cannot but be nostalgic and start romanticizing the place and
appreciate the time it reflects.
The plan of the house consists of five rooms with a
central court; a plan style known as “The Three Bay House,” which was very popular
in the Levant at that time. The central court works as a distributing hall that
connects the building together.
The diwan is located on the first floor of the
building in King Faisal Street, accessed by a humble door with 28 yellow stairs
leading into the central court. A high ceiling and black and white tiles give
the instantaneous feeling of going back in time.
The black and white tiles, the floral prints on the
armchairs on the sofa, the ancient showcase in dark wood displaying porcelain
and silver works of past meetings face each visitor of the diwan. When you step
into the adjacent room, a round table in the center invites you to sit and
enjoy the place, all surrounded by turquoise walls and huge blue windows that
allow the light to flirt with the soul of the space.
The balcony adds a dramatic experience that completes
the space’s interior, overseeing the urban fabric on the hills of old Amman.
The balcony is directly above one of the most vibrant shops downtown: Habiba Knafeh.
The sight of the continuous movements of passersby juxtaposed with the stone
texture on the mountains gives a clear understanding of the city and its
people.
In 2001, Bisharat rented the house and decided to
transform it into a diwan and open it to the general public to serve as a
cultural center that showcases Amman’s modern and urban heritage.
The diwan houses a library with a significant number
of rare books in different languages. It hosts various theater shows, art
exhibitions, poetry nights, and other cultural activities and has served as a
home for poets, painters, sculptors, and other artists from different
backgrounds.
The Bisharat family home, which was built by his
father in 1932 overlooking the Roman Theater in downtown Amman, has also become
a sanctuary for art, full of portraits and sculptures by renowned artists and antique
artifacts he salvaged from obscurity. The project is an attempt to preserve artwork
as a witness to that beautiful era and celebrate Amman’s heritage.
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