An imposing house stands out among other buildings in Iraq’s Samawah city — once a multi-generational family home, it’s now a museum of a bygone age in the country’s tribal south.
Abdellatif al Jablawi, the property’s owner and family patriarch, led a tour of the traditional house where he was born 80 years ago.
At the time, three generations, from grandparents to grandchildren, lived in the house, with its intricate “shanasheel” bay windows, wooden balconies and tall doors topped by elaborate lintels.
“Over the generations, everyone preferred to rent elsewhere and the house emptied out,” said Jablawi, now the oldest member of his family.
The house is comprised of 13 rooms splashed with sunlight coloured by stained glass windows, including a grand ceremonial salon and kitchen, which Jablawi still calls “the fireplace”, as it was known when he was young.
The rooms are connected by steep, narrow stairs and walls of yellow brick, a historic building material still produced in southern Iraq.
Jablawi said the structure had been at risk of “falling into ruin” when he decided to act.
“I decided to buy back all the shares of the house... and, in 2015, I found an architect specialised in renovating heritage buildings,” he said.
“I told myself: ‘This is our loyalty to the past’.”
All told, the work to restore the building cost 250 million dinars, or around $171,000.
Symbol of the city
At the start, some family members were resistant to the project, said Ali, Jablawi’s eldest son, standing in front of an old radio set in the inner courtyard, where a well recalls the days before running water.
“We didn’t agree with this project and the expense; we suggested he sell the dilapidated house to construct a building because we are in the commercial centre of the city,” he added. — AFP
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