GARDEN AND MUSALLA
Architect: Hani Asfour 2019 © Mazen Jannoun This white limestone masterpiece has appeared from nowhere in the town of Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon. That was my first impression arriving at the site from the village. The spiritual progression has been choreographed perfectly from the moment a visitor sets eyes on this unfamiliar yet inspiring worship structure. Mediterranean cypress trees welcomes the person through a trail of peculiar directions down to the garden or forward towards a narrow stairway that travels up from the shadows into a bright glowing sky. The inside of the Musalla is a refined and intriguing set of vertical elevations and daylight incisions creating an atmosphere of creamy gradations of highlights and shadows to a supernatural level.