The
Lounge is the central piece of the first floor and has an
Arabic setting.
It is distinguished for its walls and ceiling covered with
painted paneling of the 17th, 18th and
19th centuries representing patterns of
essentially flowers and vegetables sometimes
interspersed with small landscapes. These panels form a
sumptuous
background for Chinese plates left by Nicolas Sursock and
Islamic art
objects collected as the years went by:
12th
and 13th century ceramics from Raqqa combining
glazed potteries and non-enameled
potteries with model ornaments covering tiles made in
Damascus in the beginning of the 17th century forming a mirhab,
silverware dating back to the Ottoman era featuring rock
crystal and silver narghiles,
as well as a series of finely carved ewers, perfume burners,
qum-qums,
qalamans and hat stands.
Nevertheless,
the finest piece in the collection is indisputably the big
jar dating back to the Umayyad era or early
Abbasid (7th-9th
centuries) that sits imposingly in the center of the lounge and is remarkable for the rope and
garland ornaments of the belly. Its beauty and almost
perfect state of preservation arouse admiration, considering
it has lived through centuries and remained intact.
Business & 
interspersed with small landscapes. These panels form a
sumptuous
background for Chinese plates left by Nicolas Sursock and
Islamic art
objects collected as the years went by: 
