ASelf-Ethnography
ByAmiraSayyad
- 1202424 ArchitectureinPalestine-ENAR3301 2023 Dar
Al-Dahiya
ByAmiraSayyad
Introduction
April-2023
40yearsago,Ahmadand InaamAl-Ajrabboughtthis 500squaremeterlandinthe townofAl-Ram.
Thisisisthestoryofhowthey madetheirhouseahome,astold bymygrandparents,theirseven children,andtheirendlessphoto albums.
Aerialphoto-1997
theneighborhood
Location:DahiyatAlBarid,Al-Ram
Mygrandparents'house
AbuJamal'shouse:where theylivedbefore,withtheir sixchildren.
AbuJamal'shouse
Theyfoundaplotoflandin astrategicspotnearby.
Mygrandmother'sparents' house
"لﺎﻤﺟﻮﺑأرادﻰﻠﻋوﻲﻠﻫأرادﻰﻠﻋﺔﺒﻳﺮﻗ"
1984:Afterlivinginarentalapartment(darAbuJamal)for about12years,theystartedbuildingahouseoftheirown.
Seedoworkingasaschoolteacherin Libyainthe70s.
TheDesign
Thehousewasdesignedbymy grandfatherand namedSamirAl-Abbasi.
Wedesignedit exactlylikeour houseinLibya.
Girls' Room Boys' Room
It'snothinglikeour houseinLibya! ...onlytheverandais.
Kitchen
TheFoyer
Master Bedroom
Don'tlistentoeither ofthem.It's actuallylikeAbu Jamal'shouse.
TheGuest Room
The Veranda
BalconyTheymovedinbeforethe housewasfinished,and continuedfinishingover thenext10years.
woodenslab
bricks curtains
stateofthekitchen-until1994
Unfinishedrooms (notiling,paint,or kitchenfittings)
"فﺮﺼﻣوشدﺲﺑنﺎﻛﲑﺒﻜﻟامﺎﻤﺤﻟا"
Mainpartsofthehouse
UncleAyman'sapartment
thestudy
Grandparent's
apartment thebasement-formerly inhabitedbyoldersons
2009 1984 2004
DifferenceinPerception
Grandfather'sdepictionof thefloorplan.
Theydon'tagreeonthe locationofthesetwo:
Grandmotherlovessittingoutside-she addedthelandscapingplan.
UncleEhab'splanwasthemost accurate.
؟تﺎﺳﺎﻴﻘﻟاةﺮﻛﺬﺘﻣﻒﻴﻛ-
؟يرادﺶﻣ؟ةﺮﻛﺬﺘﻣﻒﻴﻛﻮﺷ-
The Foyer
ناﻮﻴﻠﻟا whateverSeveralfurniturechanges-usually doesn'tfitintheotherrooms Usedascommonspacebetweenallrooms:diningarea,TVroom...etc.
The Kitchen
bathroomMid-90s:thekitchen,guestroom,and modernwindowswereallreplacedwith aluminiumones,toseemmore presentable.
Afterfinallygettingthefittings,the kitchenwentontohostcountlessbirthday parties.
ﺦﺒﻄﻤﻟا
Theverandawasthemostuniquefeatureofthehouse,usedfor lotsandlotsofEidpictures.
The Veranda
Openverandaswere notverycommonin thearea,itwas inspiredfrommy grandparents'house inLibya.
ةﺪﻧﱪﻟا
Abouttenyearsafter movingin,theverandawas closedupwithwindows,to makeitmoreprivate& practical.
Thisroomhasbeenusedasabedroom,study space,TVroom,andeverythinginbetween.
CurrentlythemainseatingareaofthehousebecauseoftheTVandairconditioning.
The Yard
Swing-handmadebynone otherthanSeedo.
Evolutionofthelowerportionofthe yardintoaparkinglot SitePlan
ﺔﺣﺎﺴﻟا
Bypopulardemand, oneswingbecametwo.
The driveway usedto onlyfit onecar.
The Parking Lot
Butafter problemswith neighbors,the parkingspacewas extendedtofit fourcars,along withanewgate.
The Rooftop Where Uncle Ayman built
his house
Nomajorchangesinsidemain apartment,onlysmalltweaks.
furniture replacements
frontdoorwas paintedand repaintedmanytimes
thesinkwas replaced
balcony coveredup forprivacy
Grandfather workedveryhard onthe landscaping
stairrailingswerealsorepainted alongwiththedoors additionofasink,as wellasanadditional stonewall
functionof changedthefoyerfrom seatingto diningarea
Granddaughter's Perspective:
Memories withaunties
peace& quiet gettingready
privacy
Whatthehousemeanstome
Breakfast
Late-night conversations
Prayingwith Tata
Ironically,theopenbalconyisthebestplaceto takeaphonecall.
OFFLIMITS
SleepoverLand
Sleepoversareyetanotherfunctionofthisroom.
Theguestroomisonlyforguests.
Mygrandparentshadtoleavetheirhomeinthe WestBanktokeeptheirhealthinsurance.They nowliveinasmallapartmentinKufrAqab.
Thehouseisnowmainlyusedonspecialoccasions andbiggatherings.
Familiesinsurroundingareahavealsoleftfor similarreasons.Theneighborhoodisnowalmost abandoned.
