Mutabchi House Project

Mutabchi House is a house built in 1900 in the Sabunkaran district of Suleimaniyah (Iraqi Kurdistan). Purchased by Haji Saeed Tutinchi, who renovated it, it was then sold to Haji Hama Amin Mutabchi. In order to safeguard it, it was recently acquired by the Directorate of Antiquities of Suleimaniyah. Indeed, this building being part of the heritage in danger of the old city, it enters within the framework of a vast program of acquisition and rehabilitation of heritage goods.

Beyond the characteristic typology of this Ottoman residence, its great interest lies mainly in the particularities of its two vast rooms. They are richly decorated with carved stucco (plaster) and mosaic decorations composed mostly of coloured mirrors. In addition, the ceiling of the main room is decorated with fine wood patterns and elegantly arranged mirrors. These decorative details testify to a craft know-how that has almost disappeared today. This building having been abandoned for many years, the annual maintenance of its traditional compacted earth roof is no longer assured. This has serious consequences for many structural disorders, especially at the top of walls, due to rainwater infiltration. This building also suffered from the last earthquake in 2017, which caused numerous cracks. Step by step, a whole traditional architecture is deteriorating, taking with it its rich decorations of a rare quality.

Thanks to the Evergète Foundation, Archaïos was able to set up an exploratory mission to make an inventory of the house. This study will enable the implementation of a vast project for the restoration and conservation of this traditional architecture from the early days of the Emirate of Baban, the founding Emirate of the current governorate of Suleimaniyah.