The later layer of the houses can be characterized as a post-Ottoman and colonial evolution of the traditional house. The houses maintained the Ottoman organization of the inner space (with more stress put on perimeter arcade passages in the case of the elite houses), but have applied new architectural forms:

RESIDENTAL ARCHITECTURE represents the most numerous and most valuable part of the Koya old town heritage, comprising more than fifty structures. Its evolution demonstrates the transformation of life standards, building technologies, and architectural styles since the 2nd half of the 19th century. The oldest layer of the residential architecture features late Ottoman houses with spacious first-floor arcades (tarma) supported usually by wooden columns with carved capitals. The houses are furthermore characterized by spacious courtyards with a central fountain, timber roofs and pointed arches, richly niched living rooms, decorative stonework (using an elegant gypsum stone of Mosul origin, so called Mosul marble, as raw material), stucco, reliefs, and inscriptions, as well as metal accessories (window bars, railings, door knockers, etc.). The preserved assemblage of the late Ottoman houses in Koya comprises both large palatial residences and smaller houses.

Rasul Agha - Karel Pavelka, Czech Technical University Prague

Sabir Mam Khidr House