Shangi La's façade fools you into thinking, if you do not know any better, that this is just another ordinary house. However, between the smiling camels is a single door (inscribed with sayings that greet those who enter with good things) which leads to a colorful, wonderfully furnished and designed home that showcases all things beautiful in Islamic art.
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| The front door as it looks today |
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| The foyer as it was being built on November 3, 1937 |
Look at the picture of the entry foyer below! What a feast to the eyes. The coffered painted ceiling was specially made in Morocco. Six hundred Iznik (name of town) Turkish tiles cover the walls. The 84 Spanish-style colored glass windows repeat their pattern every 4th time. The docent said they were especially beautiful when the sunlight hits them just right. There are wood chests from India, Central Asia, Iran and Syria.
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| The view on the other side of the front door |
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| Close-up of pierced metal hanging lamp, and ceiling in foyer |
At this early point of the tour, we were encouraged to put our purse or backpack or whatever into the house's "secure" area (read big-bin-with-lock located in the guard's office). We were also given a much-needed hand fan resembling the hand fans below which resulted in both of my hands being burdened. The dilemna pretty much made my decision to leave my expensive Bottega Veneta bag with the guard that much easier. The Lord answered my silent prayer for the BV's safety. Too bad I didn't pray for my free fan as it got lost after the tour while I browsed the Honolulu MOA.
ETA: The staff's insistence on us tourists letting go of our bags is very likely security related, and not just for the purpose of our comfort as we continue the tour. It would make it that much more difficult to steal anything (and hide it) from the estate if one were so inclined. As a Christian, that thought never even crossed my mind.
I will do a couple more posts on Shangri La. There are too many things still worth noting about this beautiful house. Continued HERE...
