Functional and Physical Alterations Over Time
[Picture source: © 1989 Anette Gangler] [Picture source: © 1989 Anette Gangler] Both above-mentioned buildings are typical of the entire quarter. There are hardly any uniform building complexes; rather, individual structures were abandoned because they had grown derelict, or could not be maintained in periods of economic downturn – such as the decline of the silk trade – or the plots were divided. During periods of economic boom, or when there were changes in the extended family, new structures were added to the buildings (as in house 2110, e.g.) (fig. 14).
Figure 14: Public use in 1988 [Picture source: © 1993 Anette Gangler] 
Figure 15: Southern part of house 1366 with the iwan [Picture source: © 1993 Anette Gangler] Richer buildings from this period (around 1700 and earlier) often had a family courtyard as well as an additional courtyard for receiving guests. The courtyard was surrounded by simple box-shaped rooms, and in the south, there was often a tall iwan that was open to the north, providing shade. It was also used for receiving guests. We may assume that the “missing” southern part of house 2111 also had such an iwan that opened towards the courtyard. This part of the building may have become derelict or the house may have been sub-divided. Subsequently, during the economic upswing of 1850-1900, house 2110 was rebuilt on the remains of the original structure. The property boundaries as well as the entrance to building 2111 changed. House 2110 was built during a period marked by the uniform construction style of period 2 and looks more like a fairly complex urban building, with a rather small courtyard where family life took place.
The quarter contains several houses from the 1850-1900 period which have two or three courtyards and indicate growing prosperity. One example is building 1039 in Khan as-Sabil, further to the west. Moreover, due to greater investment pressure in agricultural exports to Europe, after 1900 further construction took place on individual building parts or they were supplemented. Building in this phase, period 3, was marked by an ornate, even ostentatious, construction style that is also evident in inner-city urban palaces. A pertinent example is building 1366, to the north in Al Abraj (fig.15 ).
