handsome cornice are richly ornamented with carving and illumination,
and the heavy beam which spans the entrance is supported by a pillar
of elegant shape and proportion. Here, or in the "mandara"[3] inside
the house, the Arab host receives his male guests. On the most shady
side of the court are placed the "zīrs," while several doors lead
to the harīm, as the ladies' quarters are called, and the various
offices and reception-rooms of the house. These doors are always
panelled in elaborate geometrical designs, and the principal one,
which is reached by a short flight of stone steps, is set in a lofty
recess, the trefoil head of which is richly carved. This gives access
to the reception-room on the first floor. One side is entirely open to
the air, and through three archways connected by a low balustrade of
perforated stonework overlooks the court. The floor is paved in tiles
or marble of various colours, usually in some large design, in the
centre of which is a shallow basin in which a fountain plays. Round
the three walls is a raised daīs called "lewan," covered with rugs
or mattresses, on which the guests recline. Little recesses in the
walls, which in the homes of the wealthy are elaborately decorated
with mosaic or tile work, contain the water jars, and the "tisht wa
abrīk," or water-jug and basin, used for the ceremonial washing of
hands before meat. The walls are usually plain, and are only broken by
the "dulab," or wall cupboard, in which pipes and other articles are
kept. The ceiling is heavily beamed and illuminated, or covered with
appliqué work in some rich design, the spaces variously coloured or
picked out in gold.

[Footnote 3: Guest chamber.]

For cold weather another similar room is provided in the interior of the
house much as the one I have described, but with the addition of a