The Damascus Room is a residential winter reception chamber (qa'a) typical of the late Ottoman period in Damascus, Syria. Among the earliest extant, nearly complete interiors of its kind, the room’s large scale and refined decoration suggest that it was part of the house of an important, affluent family. Poetry inscribed on its walls indicates that the patron was Muslim and possibly a member of the religious elite who were believed to have descended from the Prophet Muhammad.
The Damascus Room, like most winter reception rooms (qa'as) of its time, is divided into two areas: a raised, square seating area (tazar) and a small antechamber ('ataba) entered through a doorway from a courtyard. The opening from which visitors view the room today would originally have been a wall with a cupboard. (The cupboard doors are now mounted in the passageway leading to the room.)
Wealthy Damascene homeowners periodically refurbished reception rooms in accordance with shifting trends and tastes in interior decoration. Therefore, houses in the old city of Damascus as well as their interiors rarely date to a single building phase. Although the inscription dates most of the woodwork elements in the room to A.D. 1707, alterations were made to the room in the subsequent three centuries.
The woodwork’s relief decoration is made of gesso covered with gold leaf, tin leaf with tinted glazes, and bright egg tempera paint. Known as 'ajami, this characteristic Ottoman-Syrian technique and style creates a rich texture with varied surfaces that are responsive to changes in light.
The palette of the 'ajami decoration was originally much more colorful and more varied than it appears today. Periodically the surfaces were coated with a layer of varnish as a form of maintenance. Over time, subsequent coats of varnish have darkened, muting the colorful surfaces in the Damascus Room.
The Damascus Room is decorated with forty stanzas of poetry.

Inscription: Tazar Ceiling Text و صافـــح أزهــار ألرُبـــا فتنسمــارأی ألبــرق تعبیــس ألدجــا فتبسّمــا The lightning saw the darkness frown and smiled. It skimmed and wafted over the flowers of the hills. فخلت بیاض ألثغر في ثمـرة ألسلماو لاح جبیـن ألصبح في طـرة ألدجی Dawn’s forehead shone through the forelock of darkness, and it pierced the whiteness of the teeth in the fruit of red lips. سوابق خیل ألریـح فـي حلیـة ألسماو رف لـواء ألبـــرق لمـــا تلاعبــت Lightning’s banner fluttered when racing horses of the wind dallied in the sky. و أرسل نحو ألأرض بألقطر سهما و أقتـرب امـي ألحـق قـوس سبحانـه The archer of the air loosened the bow of his cloud and sent toward the earth a downpour of sun rays. تناثــــر فــي أسلاکهـــــا فتنظمــــاو قـد بـلّ أردان ألثـری دمــع مزنــه The tears of the rain cloud have moistened the cuffs of the earth’s sleeves — [the pearly tears] that were scattered on their threads were restrung. فدّبـــج أثـــواب ألربــــوع و سهّمـاو جرّ علـی هـام ألرُبـا ذیـــل و یلــه [The rain] dragged the skirt between its legs over the head of the hills and adorned the garments of spring encampments with stripes. فدثــر أزهــار ألربیـــع و درهمـــاو شاب لجیــن ألظــل عسجــد بـارق And the silver of the shade mixed with the gold of lightning, and it covered the spring flowers with a blanket and produced round leaves. و وشـح أعطاف ألغصون و عممـاو شمّــر کــف ألفــص أکمــام نــوره And the hand of the garden gathered up the sleeves of its blooms and embellished the shoulders of the branches and wrapped them in turbans. فأحسـن بـه خـد او أحبـــب بـه فمـاو قبــل ثغــــر ألزهـــر وجنــة ورده The mouth of the flowers kissed the cheek of its rose. What a beautiful cheek! What a lovely mouth! کمــا سوّر ألتجعیــد للنهـر معصماو کــان سیحـــال ألغصـــون جــذور . . . as the curling put bracelets on the river’s wrist لبــرق تــــرآی أو حمـــام ترنمــــامـــال قـــوم ألبــان یرقــص نشطـــة Does the willow tree dance gaily because of lighting that became visible or because of warbling doves? و عانــق مـن خـوط ألأراکه معطفـو قبـــل مـــن زهــر ألأقاحه مبسما It embraced a cloak of the thorn tree’s green branches and kissed a mouth made of the blossoms of chamomile. Wall Cornice Text رأی ألبــرق تعبیــس ألدجــا فتبسّمــاو صل علی ألمختار و ألصحب کلما And pray for the Chosen One and his companions whenever lightning sees the darkness frown and smiles. ففضضنــه قطــر ألغمــام و عجمــــاو خــط بظـرس ألجـو سطـراً مذهبـا And it wrote on a palimpsest of air a gilded line and then drops of clouds dotted it with silver. و خضــب بألحنــاء کفــاً و معصمــاو کحّـــل بألیاقـــوت جفنـاً و ناظــراً It lined with ruby an eyelid and an eye, and it daubed with henna a hand and a wrist. أبا ألقاســـم ألهادي ألنبـــي ألمعظمــاو لا حاجــة فـي ألنفـس إلا إمتـداحها The soul has no need but to praise him, Abu’l-Qasim, who guides aright, magnificent prophet. حبیبــــاً خلیـــلاً هاشمیـــاً مقدمـــــــابشیـراً نذیــراً صادق ألقـول مرســلا Bringer of glad tidings, warner of the hereafter, true in his words, emissary, beloved and friend [of God], of Hashimite descent, preferred by all. سراجـــاً منیـــراً زمزمیـــاً مکرمـــاتقیـــاً نقیـــــاً أبطحیــــــــاً مبجــــــلا Pious, pure, Abtahi [Meccan], revered, a shining lamp from Zamzam, honored. مفوّقــــة فیهـــــا ألجمــــال تجسمــــانبــي تــرد ألمجـــد و ألبــاس حلیـــة A prophet who dons glory and power as striped finery in which beauty is embodied. و لا أزهــد ألداجـی ولا أعشب ألحمانبـي هـدی لولاه مـا استبـرق ألدجـی A prophet who has guided aright. Were it not for him, the dark would not be illuminated, night would not blossom, and slime would not bring forth greenery. فلله مــا أحیــا و أحمــــی و أرحمـــاهـو ألمجتبـی ألمبعـوث للناس رحمة He is the elect mercifully sent to the people. By God, how many are the lives he has given, how protective is he, and how merciful! هــو ألـذروة ألعلیـاء ألتـي لا ترتقــی هــو ألعـروة ألوثقـة ألتی لـن تفصمـا He is the highest summit that cannot become higher. He is the firm bond that will never break. حنانیـک قــد وافیــت بأنک محرمـاأیـا خاتــم إرســـال یا فاتـــح ألعلــی O seal of prophecy, O opener of highest heaven, I beg mercy, coming to thy gate as a sinner. علـيّ فقـــد ضــــاق ألفـــلا و أظلمـا فیـارب یا الله کــن لـــي و لا تکــــن O Lord, O God, be for me, and be not against me, for the world has become narrow and dark. بما أرتجي یا مالک ألأرض و ألسما سألتــک بألهــادي أجـــب دعوتـــي I ask Thee by him who guides aright, answer my prayer and be generous with what I hope for, O master of the earth and sky. وسامح ونعّم والّذي تطولا و لا تحــرق أللهــم بألنــار مسلمــــا And be tolerant, respond favorably, and he who . . ., and, O God, do not Wall Panels Text دامـت بک ألأفراح تهتف سرمدا بیت المحامـد و المفاخـر و النـدی House of praiseworthy and glorious deeds and generosity, may rejoicing in you be praised eternally. للائذیـن حـي یصـون مـن الردی شادتک أید ألمجد في شرف ألعلی Hands of nobility erected you in the highest dignity. Those seeking refuge have an abode that protects them from destruction. بعـلاک و ألداعي ألمثـوب غـرّدا و ترنمــت ورق ألحمائـم بألهنــاء Turtledoves sing congratulations on your sublimity, and the well rewarded summoner (?) warbles. سامي ألکواکــب وألـدرار سؤددا بشـراک بألعلیــاء فبانیـک ألــذي Rejoice in your loftiness, for he who built you surpasses the planets and stars in glory. تأتي لها ألاسد ألضراغم سُجَدا تـدب به في کـل صعـب راحة For it comfort is given in every difficulty: ferocious lions come to it prostrate. ما ألبحـــر عنـد نوالها إن أزبـــدا و یــــد تمـــد ألسائلیـــن بسیبهــا A hand that assists with gifts those who implore, as the sea yields when it froths. نالــت من ألمجـد ألمؤثل مقصــدا فـرع نمـاه إلـی ألأکـارم عصبــة A family branch which traces its root to the most noble of men derives more significance from high-born glory و بکل عـز فـــي ألأنام قد إرتـــدا مـن کـل مـن لبـس ألمعالي بـردة Than anyone who wears nobility as a cloak and is clothed in all splendor among mankind. و ألوقــت قنــاً و ألمفاخـر أعبـــدا جعلوا ألوزارة و ألصدارة خادماً They have made the office of vizier and that of the comptroller subservient, time a slave, and the proud has been enslaved. و إهنــــأ بمالــک بألعنایــةشــیـدا دُم بألمســـرة یا فریــــد زمانــــه Remain in happiness, O unique one of your time, and enjoy what has been erected with such care for you. تقتاد ما تبتغـي علی رغم ألعــدی متنغمــا فــي ظــل عیـش أرغــد Luxuriating in the shadow of a life of easy, you achieve what you desire in spite of enemies. بیتـاً یصیـخ لـه ألنهــي إن أنشــدا مـا جاءنـا تاریـــخ مــا أحکمتــه What has come to us is the date of what you have built so strongly as a house for which wisdom cries out, “Recite!” نادی إلیهـا و ألجـود فـي ابراجه محمـــد ربــــع ألمکــارم أطـــدا In its towers are assembled splendor and generosity. Through Muhammad, the abode of noble qualities was established. سنة 1119 Year 1119 [A.D. 1707 – 8]. "According to the last line, the name of the poet must be “محمد ربع المکارم” Muḥammad Rabʻ al-Makārim and this person was the sheikh of al-Azhar in the 10th century, this person built a mosque near cairo at a city called FAWAH and the mosque still till now at that place, see http://www.kenanaonline.com/page/4859 No.10. Independent Couplets و ألکـون لـم تفتـح لــه أغـلاق یا مصطفی مـن قبل نشأة آدم O you who Mṣṭuf were chosen before Adam sprouted, before the locks أثنــی علــی أخلاقک ألخـلاق أیروم مخلوق ثنـاؤک بعـد ما of existence were opened, Can a creature desire to praise The last two lines above which it is not from the same poem and also it is in not good calligraphy. These two poem are from (لسان الدین ابن الخطیب) Lisān al-Din Ibn al-Khaṭīb the Maroco poet and minster of the 14th century, the two poem are as follow: (These two lines are from Lisān al-Dīn Ibn al-Khatṭīb, the famous poet and minster of Morocco during the 14th c. and appear in: Diwān Lisān al-Dīn Ibn al-Khaṭīb al-Salmānī, ed. Muḥmmad Miftāḥ, 2 vols., Dr al-thaqāfa li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzī‘, al-Dār al-Bayḍā’, 1989. Vol.2 p.715. These two lines were used in the 18th c. by Musā al-Maḥāsinī (d. 1173 A.H) within a TAKHMĪS as mentioned in: Ḥulyat al-Bashar fī ’A‘yān al-Qarn al-Thānī ‘Ashar, by Bihjat al-‘Aṭṭār, 4 vols., vol.4., p.224). A.Ghouchani

[ Asfar and Sarkis, Damascus, Syria, early 1930s; sold to Kevorkian]; Hagop Kevorkian, New York (early 1930s–d. 1962); The Hagop Kevorkian Foundation(1962–70)