From the late Ottoman period, the house was owned by a retired general, Jamal Afandi. In 1955 the house was bought for 240 Iraqi Dinars by Rauf Mahammed Abdulrahman, more commonly known as Rauf Saraf, a money exchanger in Sulaymaniyah ("Saraf" is a Kurdish word meaning someone who exchanges money). The structure is made of red mudbricks, and beneath there is a natural spring. It was rebuilt in a more modern style in 1955, after a request from Rauf Saraf’s wife, Sabriyah Ahmed. This house is now property of the Governorate of Sulaymaniyah and used as the seat of the Directorate of Antiquities.