ers 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 dais 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
abrik," 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
applique 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
cupola or dome over the fountain, while the large windows, in the
recesses of which couches are placed, are filled with the beautiful
"mushrabiyeh" work we have noticed from the streets, or by stained glass
set in perforated plaster work. These rooms contain practically no
furniture, excepting the low "sahniyeh," or tray, upon which
refreshments are served, and the copper brazier which contains the
charcoal fire, but from the ceiling hang numbers of beautifully-wrought
lamps of metal and coloured glass. We can imagine how rich a scene such
a room would form when illuminated for the reception of guests whose
gorgeous Oriental costumes accord so well with its handsome interior,
while the finishing touch is given by the performance of the musicians
and singing girls with which the guests are entertained, leading one
instinctively to call to mind many similar scenes so wonderfully
described in the "Arabian Nights." Many of the adventures of its heroes
and heroines are suggested by the secret passage