The story behind the Mandaloun
The Mandaloun is an element of the
traditional architecture of Lebanon and the region that first appeared in the 17th-century
Prince Fakhreddine II brought it with him all the way from Italy
How did Fakhreddine bring it from
Italy ?
In 1608, prince Fakhreddine II of
Lebanon concluded a secret economic
and military alliance with the Grand Duke
of Tuscany against the Ottoman hegemony
Alarmed, the Ottomans dispatched the Muhafiz of Damascus to mount an attack on Lebanon
in order to reduce Fakhreddine's
growing power
Fakhreddine chose to seek exile in Italy from 1613 until 1618 where he was hosted by
Cosimo II de' Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany and stayed in the Palazzo Pitti
He was exposed to Florentine
architecture particularly the
"Biforas" that garnered the facades of the Florentine Renaissance palaces
Friedrich Ragette, an author of a book on Lebanese architecture, indicates an
Italian origin to the naming and links
the term to the Italian Mandolino, a
musical instrument in the lute family
F.Ragette inferred that the Mandaloun's
disposition and location was
favorable to the instrument player,
thus the naming
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