The city of Rosetta ( Rashid) situated on the Western Bank of the branch of the Nile “Rashid”, 65km Northeast of Alexandria.
It is thought that a temple for Amon was built there during the time of the New Kingdom .in the Greco-Roman Period the city was called Balbotine and the branch of the Nile was known as “the Balbotine Branch”
In the Islamic period, Rosetta ( Rashid) was known by this name but it was usually less important than Alexandria. The sultan Qaitbaybuilt a fort surrounded by ramparts for defending purposes. Also the Sultan Al Ghouri built a wall round the city.
After the Ottoman Conquest in the 16 century after the decline of Alexandria until the 19th century Rosetta became the Principal Port of the Northern Coast and retained its importance serving the trade between Egypt , Turkey and other countries. Many Wikalahs and merchants houses were constructed .
Rosetta is considered a large open museum for the Islamic architecture. This great number of Islamic monuments does not exist in any other city except Cairo .Unfortunately most of this unique monuments are neglected besides it was surrounded by the modern buildings and the unplanned urbanization that almost affect them badly and cause many damaged .Therefore It was necessarily to make great national efforts to save them in order to revive the historical character of the city.
The Houses of Rosetta
Each house consists of 3 or 4 floors with wooden multi-level ceilings for more strengthening using the wooden corbels , and it was built of molded grouted bricks . In the facade for decoration purposes these brick were alternatively painted in red and black . . Also the Mashrapiyas and windows of different kind of turned wood whether Sahrili or Maymouni are decorating the façade .
1 The ground floor contains usually the caravansary or the store house , the stable , the Sabil , the cistern .
The 2nd floor was dedicated for men . it often has a separate door and a court yard surrounded by rooms .
The 3rd floor was dedicated for women called Al Hadir ( the place of sleeping) , It consists of a main hall ( liwan) surrounded by several rooms , and a private bathroom .
The houses of Rosetta often include a main room in the 3rd floor called Al- Aghany room ( room of songs) , in which women of the house used to sit there for listening to the watching the bands of songs. This room contains cupboards in one of its walls with Klaw Khowarnaqates and partition of turned wood .These wooden cupboards are inlayed with ivory and mother of pearl.
The walls of Al-Aghani room in some houses were covered with tiles of floral decorations in yellow, red, and green colours bearing Andalusi effect as in the houses of Mouharam an Oulwan
Arab Killy House ( the National Museum of Rosetta)
one of the very famous and the biggest houses in Rosetta. It date back to the century XII A.H ( XVIII A.D) the founder of this house was Arab Killy who was the governor of the city.
It consists of 4 floors:
1-The ground floor :
It includes
A- A storehouse with cross vaulted ceiling .
B- A Cistern Room.
2- the 2nd floor . It includes a hall surrounded by rooms with windows of iron grills below holes of Maaqali turning .
that is all
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