Ablaq

A decorative masonry technique that alternates courses of contrasting coloured stone, traditionally red and cream or black and white. Characteristic of Mamluk and Syrian architecture, ablaq accentuates facades, arches and portals with rhythmic horizontal banding. The method ornaments mosques, palaces and caravanserais, and gives Levantine heritage hotels an immediately recognisable visual signature that ties their architecture to a documented regional building tradition.