Lebanese Architecture (3): 9 Essential Elements in the Construction

The most used Lebanese traditional architecture elements are mainly listed in the following menu:

The seventh column was the one in the center of the room, supporting the roof and transferring the load to the side columns in the walls through wooden panels.

As for the columns, they were made from one single piece, varying from 15 - 20 cm in diameter. The purpose of having the crown paw is to ensure the smooth transfer from its circular-shaped section along its body to the circular arch shape. The crown or the head of the column was decorated with various ornaments that bring elegance and delicacy to the entire element. They were used a lot within Windows but on a smaller scale.

As we can see in the following pictures, the usage of the arched windows along with a couple of small columns distributed either on the sides or in the middle of the window and so-named Mandaloun improves the whole appearance and the beauty of the elevation. This is true art!

3- The Arches:

The arches were constructed from cut stones except for the decorated arches, which benefit from special treatment and decoration, as they bring beauty and richness to the facade of the Lebanese old house and traditional architecture in general. The usage of arches in Lebanese traditional architectural constructions is very widespread because of a variety of circumstances.

The various sorts of arches and their construction lines

From climatic to materials, many reasons imposed their use; through the arch, the house connects to the courtyard (e.g. the Liwan that we talked about in the previous article on this blog) or opens to the gallery and the central hall. Therefore, and for those reasons, arches defined the look and the appearance of Lebanese classical architecture in general and were an essential component in this construction style.

In the construction of the traditional architecture arches elements, the arches shapes were formed into three main groups:

1. The Semi-Circular Arch: it appears mainly as a relieving arch above the lintel.
2. The Segmental Arch: used primarily as a relieving arch and over the windows and doors for its beautiful shape. Its form consists of three parameters used together and following a certain proportion. And those are the arc, the chord, and the rise. We recognize arches called a Third, a Quarter, and a Fifth, which refer to the relation of the rise to the chord of 1:3, 1:4, and 1:5, respectively.
3. The Pointed Arch: it was the leader and the dominant of Eastern Arab architecture. Its origin refers to ancient Mesopotamia (in present-day Iraq) and was still in use until the Arabs conquered the Middle East region. The plain one is normally used in vault construction. Its shape consists of two different circle arcs with their center points on the same level. The rise to chord proportion may vary between 1:1.3 and 1:1.4. Other than in vaulting, we can still find the pointing arch above the recessed main entrance door in residences.
4. The Tudor Arch: or the Persian, also called the depressed arch, consists of four arcs. The two outer ones center from the springing line and reside on the same level. The other two, are from two same-leveled centers below the springing line. Surprisingly, it occurs very rarely in Lebanon.

- The Adverse Arches, opposite to the Genuine, don’t keep the natural line in the vaulting construction.

- The Decorative Arches, deviate directly from the Genuine Arch and follow the natural vaulting line in the construction process.

4- The doors:

In the beginning, the doors had no trace of decoration and arrangement. But after the use of the stone and the development of its polishing, the frame of the door consisted of a stone lintel from above, made from a single piece covering the width of the door, and it is carried by several stones from both sides, as shown in the picture below.

The Lebanese doors types, Photo: Architecture in Lebanon

The doors were placed inside rectangular boxes decorated with geometric figures, which reflect the Arab influence. The door is composed of one or two parts; The second part is usually a smaller opening providing security access inside the main door.

5- The Windows:

Different types of the Lebanese Twin Window: The famous Mandaloun

It was composed of two arches separated from each other by a small column consisting of a body a square base and a small decorated crown. As for the brackets embedded in the window top, they were detached from the wall.

Also, we must note the windows with flower beds that give them a beautiful and elegant look reminding them of an element of nature. In the twin windows, there were sometimes triangular arcs with relevant shapes on top. These triangles come within the decorated area or within the arches.

There are also windows with glass on the top; In clear weather, they open to enlighten and ventilate the room, but in winter and storms, they can be closed. They are in many forms, so they are rounded and surrounded by decoration and paintings. As for the heights, we recognize them from 80-100 cm and from 30-40 cm, and they differ according to the floor level.

Generally, the window is an important element that gives the outer elevation a clear impression of what is inside.

6- The Openings:

It is an important element of the facade and its location is carefully studied. It was small, so the majority of the space was taken by the wall. The rectangular mate-polished stone panels surrounding the openings were used as well as a decorative frame in the facade.

Finally, as for the Lebanese traditional architecture, we note the wonderful harmony between the various openings, their number, and the ways used for decorating them in arches, doors, and windows, giving the facade a coordinated and proportional geometric shape.

7- The Triple Arches:

It was used to build doors, windows, and arches, consisting of three arches resting over two central pillars. As for the sides, the hooks were based on the walls and over half-columns.

Triple Arches element in Lebanese old houses, Photo: Architecture in Lebanon

Usually, the three arches were similar, or the middle one was a little bit wider. Sometimes these arches increased their number to four or five, according to the length of the facade and the type of house. Often these arches were decorated with stained and frosted glass.

8- The Balconies:

The stone supporters of the balcony consisted of one stone along with the balcony of equal size. It penetrates the wall by five centimeters and about 100 centimeters appear from the outside, and it is in various forms and decorations, floating on the facade, an impressive geometric shape.

Different types of Lebanese balconies, Photos: Lebanon in a picture

As for the width of the balcony, it was only 10 cm thick, surrounded by the handrail or balustrade made of architectural ironwork, which has become an interacting element in Lebanese traditional architecture. The wrought iron (known as fer-forgé in public, a French word) railings consisted of various artistic geometric shapes, including flowers and plantation patterns.

9- The Holes:

It is a slight discharge or hole in the wall with various ornaments and forms and usually has the same arch shapes. It is used to put candles or for decoration and other purposes.

Lebanese Holes over an Arched Gallery, Photo: Architecture in Lebanon

Various wall holes were used, Photos from Architecture in Lebanon by Raguette

How the Lebanese Architectural Elements Affect the Traditional Houses' Health

The breeze of Lebanon blowing from the south helped to create a certain level of living and imposed certain rules over the Lebanese traditional architecture that had to be followed.

Those classical architectural elements discovered are subject to the directions of the air and the sun. Interacting with the stone works, which are the main component of Lebanese traditional architecture, and which represent the basic element of the continuity of this architecture, decorates balconies and windows.

A philosophical thought about the great influence of architectural elements over the human soul and his response to the beauty of his work. This interaction is the stimulator of the relation between the individual and his Creator. A fact that motivates scholars and writers to talk about it;

In this context, this is what Claude Aveline (＊) wrote:

Political and Religious Factors

Since ancient times, Lebanon was and still is a point of contact between several countries and a station for foreigners; Thus, it seemed normal that it would be influenced by the many civilizations that passed over its territory and left behind castles, fortresses, and palaces belonging to those intruders.

So we find initially, the features of civilization in the Lebanese traditional architecture house, especially in the archways.

Arches for several sources spread all over Lebanon and were in the form of:

• Elongated arch from the top (origin: Morocco)
• The semi-circular from the top or chipped (origin: The Arab Peninsula)
• The elongated semi-circular arch is called the Horseshoe. (Al-Muqarnas, origin: the Arab region)

As we can see here, there were several sources of influence; As the civilization changes, its own culture will invade the whole country and leave its trace everywhere it resides.

At first, the windows were stone or wood, then came the glass windows. The Muqarnas made their appearance in Lebanon, which is an Islamic influence in various regions, and were composed of seven elements. Domes also spread in Lebanon and had several types as follows:

• The Mahdi Dome, or the semi-circular dome.
• The edged arches.
• The ridged vault. The advantages of this dome are that its ribs transfer the outbreaks and pressure toward the pedestals and are stiffer than the Mahdi Dome.

The Central Courtyard House

Many sources and witnesses attribute this flat to many civilizations, but what we can focus on and recognize is its Phoenician origin. Usually, in the facade, the windows were located in the middle of the balconies, and according to Scottoline (＊), the initial houses built were with pillars made of wood, as the stone pillars weren’t yet known.

In addition, the central foyer had two rooms located on both sides. The first side was inhabited by the owner or the occupant of the house and the other side was custom reserved for poultry. In case there was an upper floor, the stairs were located at the back of the house. The main element of this layout is the corridor or pathway and for the houses with multiple floors, the stairs were usually located at the back of it.

This typical layout is the influence of Roman art, but we can easily find that Roman art was the leader in that kind of layout. The crowds in the city imposed for the usage of this type of house the absence of access doors or openings. Therefore, the doors were opened on the other side.

Later on, adding more rooms to the existing ones from both sides will make the newly created inner space not enlightened. So having an open central room is necessary for ventilation and light.

Since there are two closed sides, the design of these Lebanese old houses obliged people to enter the central reception hall. Here, the distinction becomes clear between the usage of the various rooms; as the hosting rooms, which are placed next to it, and the working and living rooms are on the other side of it.

From the above, we can conclude the following; The house with a central hall or foyer was cloned from the Liwan, but edited according to the Lebanese conditions and other weather factors, and based on this theory, we can imagine that the opening of the interior foyer was an architectural element resulting from the warmness of the ambient weather of Lebanon during almost the days of the year.

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