Two Factors to Define Houses Design in Jeddah:

- Social Tradition:
It's the reason of focusing on infinite privacy, and separating the private life
from public life. The houses were designed to provide as much privacy as
possible from strangers eyes, which imposes arranging interior spaces for
houses and limit the linking points between inside the house and the
outside.
- Weather:
Coastal cities' weather is hot and moisten probably most of the year. So,
the houses were comparatively open, and arranging spaces mostly
depended on that.
Rooms at those houses were multi-use rooms, not with a particular use for
the room like a dining room and another as a bed room, most of the time the
room could be used for more than one thing, you can eat, take a nap and
sleep in it.
The term "SALAMLK" is used for the places specified for men and their
guests, and the term "HARAMLK" is used for the places specified for women
and private family life.

Apportionment of the House:

Houses have two entrance most of the time, one for men and their guests,
and the other one is for women and their guests.
- if it were a two floors house looking over an inner yard (two yards one for
SALAMLK and the other one for HARAMLK , and if it were made with just
one yard, the HARAMLK yard would be higher and separated from the rest
of the house with several levels).
- Ground floor: more like a private suite.
- Main entrance hall (the lobby).
- Big room (for family, guests and servants).
- First floor: two living rooms (one for house owners and the other one for
close friends).
- Jeddah houses doesnt have a yard, so the rooms allocation would be
around the stairwell or a vertical Ventilation port (Ventilation port extends
from the ground floor to the roof) to draw cool breeze from the street at
night and circulate it in the house.

Houses rooms:
Higher levels arrangements would be repeated, each level would have a
large sitting room with a view on the street, and it would be the coolest
room of the house, and its being used for taking a nap and having close
friends over, then we would have a big room for family use has a kitchen
and a toilet, and another room, but a smaller one with a small kitchen and a
toilet for having guests over.
And a place for women. At this level a large room for acquaintances and
friends, and all family members could sleep in it for its cool breeze, and this

level might have a main kitchen where all the family meals being cooked at.
And at the summer nights the family sleeps on the roof where it has a private
unveiled places, and it would also has a toilet, a laundry room, storing room
and a door to the stairwell.
Toilets and kitchens of all levels are usually being gathered at the same side
above each other at the back of the house with ordinary windows without
decorations, it would also has sleek pipes covered with gravel for sewerage
disposal to an underground tank.
Those houses also have separated servants stairs leading to the kitchen
and the laundry room on the roof, linked to the maids rooms on the lower
levels, and maids rooms could be on mid-levels for separating them from the
rest of the house and for good Ventilation.
Jeddah old houses were being built from Coral Limestone Block (some kind
of sea remnants from coral origin) its being moduled in cubic shapes being
stacked above each other with mud. Outer walls would be supported by
wooden springer and being linked with cross belts on each level, and those
trusses are being seen from the outside and the inside as a horizontal bars
to help the coral limestone blocks in resisting Jeddah humidity. And they put
durable wooden architraves for every opening in the building parallel with
the wall width being placed on the two sides of the opening, by this way the
extensive stress of weight that concentrates on the openings corners is
being distributed.

Establishing the couch structure:

Relay wooden boards on wooden beams
(covered with crushed coral limestone blocks, calcareous blind and floor tiles
to prevent water leakage / straw mat then layers of wet dirt, after that dry
dirt then crushed gravel and calcareous, and in the end sleek tiles on
calcareous) to absorb heat when it gets harder in the summer.

Building the stairs:

Coral limestone blocks side by side above 3 wooden beams extended
between the walls, and on the borders we put a slide from wood and we
cover the bars with gravel.
Two kinds of Widows:
- Traditional:
Its being installed inside an opening in the wall, and it could be
Rectangular or curved.
- (RWSHAN):
Its being used as separated units or being stacked vertically or
horizontally, and its being established on a wooden supporters placed
inside buildings walls to carry the RWSHAN. RWSHAN is considered as a
window to the outside world, a vail from sunlight, the base of the
buildings Ventilation system, decoration for the house and an air filter
from the dirt.
The distribution of spaces is being characterized by traditional style, as it
also have two entrance (main entrance from the north, and an entrance for

women from the west) there is an obvious Separation between SALAMLK

and HRAMLK.
And the most distinguished feature in Nasief house is the main stairs, its the
main stairs that rounds the reception hall. The stair steps raises gradually
and its tighter on the third floor for its privacy, and it contains a main
kitchen no strangers allowed to enter it then a roof.
And every floor has its own services suite on the southern west side with
stairs to be separated from the rest of the house.

At the time where the western building style is the trending style in Arabian
countries, we found ourselves standing in front of an architecture
masterpiece in one of Jeddah streets. People passing by may think they are
in front of a museum, and that has some kind of truth in it because the
design and the rare pieces you could find in it make it a museum for Hijazi
and Arabian heritage. But as a matter of fact its a property of Dr. Sami
Ankawi who used his extensive experience in the field of Islamic architecture
to make this impressive house.
Hijazi historical building character is overshadowing the house, which could
be distinct by the (ROWSHAN) or wooden windows, Islamic inscriptions and
dirt soft colorings.
Dr. Sami says despite my passion and the influence of historical Hijazi
heritage on me, Ive tried to combine the historical Islamic and Arabic
architectural style with it in general. The design and every piece in the
house has been inspired from that style, but actually I added my own vision
on most of them and developed it a little bit to be compatible with our needs
today without losing its beauty and identity.
Whats also beautiful that Dr. Sami has chosen to this historical masterpiece
one of the most sophisticated areas in Jeddah, when all whats left like it
only available in old Jeddah area. He was worthily able to steal the attention
of people passing by from the surrounding houses which diverse between
the deferent western architecture styles.
The house front: from (RAWSHAN) or wooden windows which distinct old
Hijazi houses. Dr. Sami says when I designed the house I put in mind that
its not just about the look, but I used my experience and put in front of me
the importance of Ventilation and getting the sun light in every room, so you
can notice the abundance of windows, and also the building is not taking the
traditional square shape or the esplanade walls, it rather has disparity and
meanders very important for Ventilation process.
The Entrance: which contain an impressive masterpiece (a historical
wooden door) from Dr. Samis historical collectibles which he got from one of
old Mecca houses, although this door has been made from a long time, it
still has the inscriptions and the durability.
From the entrance to the main hall which could be seen from every room in
the house, its remarked with his high glass ceiling, bows, wooden windows
and balconies which have been decorated with beautiful green plants that
increase the vitality of the place.
The man hall also has a swimming pool which been designed to like the
famous old mosaic walls, and it has a fountain that its water runs down from
one of the halls sides which sends comfort in self. And in opposite of that a
sitting place has in the middle of it a small table inside a small fountain
covered by glass. Here appears the color of walls that looks like the old
muddy walls. As for the ceiling, its wooden bars overhangs from it small
lamp, and whats noticeable from this design the technical artistic way that
makes the light emits from it beautifully, and the simple beautiful decoration
that has been presented in an old earthenware which looks fantastic at this
place