This lordly mansion was built in the 18th century in what was then the heart of the city. It was constructed at the initiative of ʾAsʿad Pāša al-ʿAẓm, governor of Damascus and head of one of the city's most influential families, whose other members held high official posts at various times. ʾAsʿad Pāša's monuments include the caravansary of the Grain Market (Sūq al-Buzūrīyya), known as H̱ān ʾAsʿad Pāša. Though the barrāni courtyard and reception halls of the palace were destroyed by fire in 1925, the private apartments remain nearly intact. They are set around the beautifully paved juwwāni courtyard, the west corner of which is seen in the first photo, dominated by the Western Minaret of the Great Mosque. Seen in the second photo) is the portico, dominated by the Minaret of Jesus.
Jacques Ghislain de Maussion de Favières. Damascus, Baghdad: Capitals and lands of the caliphs. Translation to English by Edward J. Banks. Librairie orientale (Dar el-Mashreq), Beirut, Lebanon. 1972.
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