Emir Abdelkader’s Summer Palace in Dummar

A two-storey summer house on the bank of the Barada, between al-Rabwa and Dummar, built by Emir Abdelkader, the Algerian leader who fought French colonial rule, during his years of exile in Damascus. The emir lived in Damascus from 1856 until his death in 1883; one source says he died in this house, but no second source was found to confirm where he died. It was abandoned after 1948, fell into ruin and was restored in 2008. Sources disagree about which institution uses it today and whether visitors can go in.

What the emir did in Damascus

Sent into exile by the French, Abdelkader settled in Damascus in 1856 and stayed 27 years. His main home, given to him by the Ottoman authorities, was in the Old City, in the Naqib quarter of al-Amara, where Algerian families still live. He taught at the Umayyad Mosque. During the violence of 1860 he sheltered the Christians of Damascus in his houses, a story still told alongside the summer house. This was a seasonal retreat, not where he lived year-round.

What kind of building it is

Two floors, with a small room on the roof known as a tayyara. Each floor covers about 325 square metres with a ceiling height of around 5 metres; sources give the total area as 1832 square metres. The main entrance is on the west side and a second one on the east. The ground-floor ceiling is made of terracotta blocks set between T-shaped iron beams, and the walls are brick and stone. A large garden surrounds the house, reached by a side road off the Damascus to Beirut highway.

What happened next

After the emir’s death his sons and grandsons lived here. The last was Emir Said al-Jazairi, who headed a government under King Faisal after the First World War. After 1948 the building was abandoned and half ruined, and ownership passed to the Damascus governorate for cultural and tourism use. The emir’s remains were moved to Algeria in 1966. The house was restored in 2008 with European support.

Can you visit today

The sources split on this. One says the house opened as a cultural venue in 2008. LoveDamascus, a Damascus tourism site, says it is the headquarters of the Regional Planning Commission and that one room is a small museum dedicated to the emir. So it may be an office building; ask about access in advance.

Do not miss

The tayyara room on the roof. Sitting on top of the two floors, this small room sets the outline of the house from outside. If you can get in, ask for the room dedicated to the emir.