AL-HAGG ISMAIL

OFFICIAL NAME: eQ YSEG dG e :

RAMADAN HOUSE
i18090004 :
ID CODE: i18090004
:
MONUMENT No.: 42

OTHER NAMES: Ramadan House :

LOCATION AND SETTING :

The house is located in the corner of
Port Said Street, previously al-Malikah

Nazli, and a small side street, and is one .
of six Ottoman houses preserved in this .
quarter. Abd al-Hamid Maharim house . (i18090005)
(i18090005) is immediately to the east.

HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURAL dG

FEATURES jQdGh jQdG
This house was built by Ismail Ramadan in the 18th century -
(12th century A.H.). Uthman Khuga, the governor of Rosetta,

resided in it during the campaign of General Frazier in 1807,
and it was allegedly from this house that the resistance against .
the British was initiated.

It is both one of the tallest and one of the largest houses in .

Rosetta. It has two facades; the main one overlooking Port
Said Street in the north and the other one overlooking a side .
street to the west. There are three entrances in the northern
facade. The first and the second are projected and are flanked
by miksalah. The first entrance leads to the interior of the

house and the second one to the wikalah. The third entrance is .
small and leads to the sabil. The design of the facade is very
elaborate and quite unusual for Rosetta. It is longitudinally .
divided into three sections with only the outer flanks of the
.( i18090015)
upper floors projecting, giving the appearance that the central
part is actually recessed. This is only otherwise seen in the
western facade of Al-Amasyali house (i18090015) in Rosetta.
.
The central section is adorned with the main entrance at the
bottom and a double arched window with mashrabiyyahs above .
this. On the level of the second floor the facade is slightly .
projected and supported on wooden corbels. In the centre of this .
overhanging part is a screened opening with an octagonal box
of mashrabiyyah. On the top floor of this section is a bay window
.
with mashrabiyyah screens and a roof. A projecting bracket above .
it prevents the leakage of rain inside the house. The western
section of this facade has been entirely reconstructed. The
western facade has no entrances but is longitudinally divided
.
into three sections like the northern facade.

The house consists of three floors in addition to the wikalah,

which occupies the ground floor. The layout of the upper
floors does not follow the typical tripartite plan because the
.
house is much larger than what is common and almost square .
in shape, and it also has more rooms than usual. It is divided
into three sections, a western, eastern and a central part,
which in turn are divided on the tripartite plan. It also has an
open courtyard in the south. The ground floor is comprised
.
of the wikalah with six store rooms with cross-vaulted ceilings
and an open courtyard and the sabil.
The durqaah on the first floor is flanked by two iwans and
surrounded by three rooms. One of the iwans overlooks the .

EAIS - THE HISTORICAL MONUMENTS OF EGYPT 58

Rosetta - AL-HAGG ISMAIL RAMADAN HOUSE -

street to the north while the other one overlooks the open .
courtyard in the back of the house. The main room is in the .
northwestern corner and contains an al-aghani gallery. A cellar

is placed between the ground floor and the first floor, known as
the secret floor, an element unique for this house. In the first floor .
there is a large room to the northwest with an iwan surrounded . .
by benches for visitors. There is one room in the southwest and
another in the southeast, which contains a water closet. The
second floor is similar to the first. The third floor resembles the
second one, apart from the area north of the staircase which has
.
been transformed into a single room. Similarly, the northern .
iwan has been turned into an annex for the main room. The .
opening in the ceiling of the durqaah is octagonal.

CONDITION AND THREATS WdGh KCG dM

The house has been under restoration for a long period .
of time due to its poor condition. Regrettably, cement and
red bricks different than the original ones have been used,
.
thus significantly damaging the original appearance of the
house. In the parts where the restoration has been completed,
humidity is already causing the paint to peel off the walls. . .
The eastern section is still awaiting restoration.

ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS
Climatic factors Humidity

Rain

Natural causes High water table

HUMAN THREATS
Construction Visual pollution

Neglect Poor conservation and restoration

CONSERVATION DATA edG fH

PROCESS: Eastern section: cracks in the walls were repaired, ) ( :
missing elements of the house were rebuilt and all interior
walls were painted. The mangur bricks were also painted
.
and the masonry joints were refilled. All broken ceilings and . .
staircases were dismantled and replaced with new ones and
decayed wooden elements were repaired and consolidated. .
Western section: elements in poor condition were dismantled
.) (
and rebuilt with the original materials, the foundations were
insulated to protect them from water and all old ceilings were .
replaced. New floors were installed, the exterior walls were
replastered and masonry joints were refilled in the facade. . .
Finally, all wooden elements were conserved and restored.
:
CONDUCTED BY: Technical Contracts Group
DATE: 1985 (eastern section), 2007 (western section)
( ) ( ) :

BIBLIOGRAPHY LGdG
Kjeilen, T. ROSETTA. House of Mizouni.
www.i-cias.com/egypt/rosetta.htm (Accessed on 12th of December 2004).
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EAIS - THE HISTORICAL MONUMENTS OF EGYPT 59

Rosetta - AL-HAGG ISMAIL RAMADAN HOUSE -

General view of the house.

Main facade.

.
The durqah of the third floor with a niche with the curb of the well-opening. Internal view of the wikalah.

EAIS - THE HISTORICAL MONUMENTS OF EGYPT 60

Rosetta - AL-HAGG ISMAIL RAMADAN HOUSE -

Ground floor
First floor

Second floor Third floor

Facade

EAIS - THE HISTORICAL MONUMENTS OF EGYPT 61