had been the privilege of non-local Ottoman officials; the Hammuds were prime among other Sidonian notables to sponsor large-scale urban development projects, including the construction of commanding private residences, mosques, public hammams (bathhouses), khans (caravanserais) and schools, among other buildings. Mustafa Katkhuda, a Hammud notable of the first half of the 17th century, was the first to leave material architectural evidence of the family's involvement in urban development. Katkhuda commissioned Sidon's Kikhiya mosque in 1634–1645. In the early 18th century, Mustafa Agha al-Hammud was the first Hammud to be identified in written records. He was a prolific builder; among his commissions are the city's Hammam al-Jadid (New Bathhouse) and the enlargement of the Bahri Mosque. The family's building activity was continued by Mustafa's son Ali Agha al-Hammud, who had become Sidon's tax farmer around the late 1710s and held that position until ; Ali was, like Mustafa a waqf (religious endowment) trustee. He commissioned two of the city's most prestigious private residences to showcase his wealth; he also commissioned public amenities including Khan al-Hummus and Hammam al-Ward (Rose Bathhouse). History of the palace Dar Ali Agha al-Hammud was built in 1721 by Ali Agha al-Hammud in the eastern part of Sidon's medina. A wall inscription above the door to the qa'a (guestroom) dating to 1730–1731 (1143 AH) asserts that Ali al-Hammud was the patron of the house. In the late 1730s, Ahmad al-Hammud inherited the public functions of his father Ali. Ahmad ran into many lawsuits and financial problems in addition to his uneasy relations with the Ottoman governor of Sidon. He was accused of selling waqf properties to the French. In 1739, he was appointed mutassallim (deputy governor) of Sidon but eventually lost his political influence and source of wealth with the rise to power of the local Acre-based chief and tax farmer Zahir al-Umar. With Ahmad's demise, the Hammuds' urban development activity ceased. After the Hammuds' loss of influence the family mansion was transformed into the seat of an Ottoman governmental office. In 1871 city archives the mansion is described as a saray (government headquarters) and in 1901 as the Dar al-Hukuma al-Qadima (Old Government Headquarters), indicating that it was used at the time as a local Ottoman administrative building.In 1856, the Sacy family acquired the haremlik (harem quarters) at the eastern end of the mansion as their private palace. The western part of the mansion, including the