Name of Monument:

Arched house

Name in original language:

Bayt al-qanatir

Location:

Rmeil, Lebanon

Date of Monument:

1850

History:

The "arcade house" is a relatively old architectural style which was in vogue mostly before the 19th century. This style of house can be found in both rural and urban settings, and even within walled cities (?), as demonstrated by old photographs of Beirut. These houses were generally built with ramleh stone and a slanted roof. The house was designed on a principle of scalability, meaning it was able to grow in size without altering its internal logic.

Description:

The internal layout varied from house to house: the distribution of rooms, the location of the gallery, the regularity of the plan, or the inclusion of a protruding/external central element. As the house is organised around a large central arc, the different wings open up onto a central arcade rather than directly communicating with each other. The arcade itself serves as a porch and a circulation space, facilitating transition and structuring life around the open air. During the colder months, however, a reception room indoors is used as the house's centrepiece.

Citation of this web page:

Jeff El-Msanne, David Andos "Arched house" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2026.
https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monuments;AWE;lb;8;en

Prepared by: Jeff El-Msanne, David Andos
Copyedited by: Flaminia Baldwin

MWNF Working Number: LB 008