Azm Palace (Hama)

Azm Palace
قصر العظم
Upper courtyard of the palace
Alternative names	Qasr al-Azm
General information
Type	Palace, Museum
Architectural style	Ottoman
Location	Hama, Syria
Address	400 meters (1,300 ft) south of the Hama Citadel
Completed	1742
Client	As'ad Pasha al-Azm
Technical details
Floor count	2

Coordinates: 35°8′2″N 36°45′13″E / 35.13389°N 36.75361°E / 35.13389; 36.75361

The Azm Palace (Arabic: بيت العظم‎‎, Beit al-Azem) is an 18th-century Ottoman palace in Hama, Syria at the center of the city on the banks of the Orontes River, about 400 meters (1,300 ft) south of the Hama Citadel. Ross Burns, author of Monuments of Syria, reportedly considers the Azm Palace to be "one of the loveliest Ottoman residential buildings in Syria."

The Azm Palace at Hama was built in 1742 by the Ottoman governor, As'ad Pasha al-Azm, as his residence. It served the continuing line of Azm governors in Hama until the end of family rule in the 19th century.

A larger palace with the same basic plan, also known as the Azm Palace, was built in Damascus by As'ad Pasha when he became governor of that city in 1743.

The palace has been used as a museum since 1956, displaying archaeological finds from sites in and around Hama, including the citadel. A noteworthy exhibit is that of a Roman mosaic depicting a musician playing a lyre. Extensively damaged during the 1982 Hama uprising, the palace has since been largely restored.

Unlike al-Azm's palace in Damascus, the Azm Palace in Hama has courtyards on each of its two floors. The courtyard on the ground floor has a fountain in the middle and is decorated with trees planted to provide shade. A liwan with three sides is located at one end, to provide seating for residents. The purpose of the courtyard on the second floor is to make use of breezes and the cool air. Stairs lead to the upper courtyard, where there is a grand reception room; protecting the facade is an arched portico, while every surface inside the building is decorated with painted woodwork, banded stonework, and patterned marble. A large dome is built above the central area.