Debbane Palace

Debbane Palace
قصر دبانة
Entrance to the Debbane palace from the Saida old souk.
Location within Lebanon
Former names	Dar Ali Agha Hammoud, Qasr Hammoud
Alternative names	Qasr Debbane
General information
Status	Used as a museum
Town or city	Sidon
Country	Lebanon
Coordinates	33°33′54″N 35°22′17″E / 33.56500°N 35.37139°E / 33.56500; 35.37139
Construction started	1721

Debbane Palace (Arabic: قصر دبانة), also Qasr Debbane, Dar Ali Agha al-Hammud, and Dar Debbané, is an Arab-Ottoman-style grand mansion in Sidon, Lebanon. The palace was built as a private residence in 1721 by Ali Agha al-Hammud, a Sidonian notable descending from a long line of builders. The palace was built around a central courtyard without any street-level openings to ensure the privacy of its occupants. Only the reception area or selamlik remains of the palace's original wings; it features an indoor fountain, elaborate multicolored mosaics, muqarnas ornaments and sculpted Lebanese cedar ceilings.

The palace changed hands and functions after the loss of the Hammuds' political influence and wealth. The western part of the mansion, including the selamlik was bought in 1859 by Asin Khlat Debbane, the wife of a rich sericulturist and silk trader. The Dar was thenceforth known as Qasr Debbane or Debbane Palace; it became the private residence of the Debbane family until the early years of the Lebanese Civil War in 1976. During the war the palace was damaged and ransacked. After the end of the war the palace was restored and turned into a private museum.