Khan al-Muradiyya

Murad Pasha, the Ottoman governor, built it in the year 1006 of the Islamic calendar, that is between 1593 and 1596. It stands west of the Umayyad Mosque, in the Bab al-Barid quarter. Its fronts face both the Al-Hamidiyah Souq and the silk souq. The plan is square. Sources count 24 shops inside the court and 23 outside, and the building has five doors.

Getting there

It sits at the eastern end of the Al-Hamidiyah Souq, close to the west gate of the Umayyad Mosque. A rectangular annex links it to the passage that forms the entrance of Khan al-Jumruk. The two buildings stand back to back, and most visitors take them for a single souq.

Where the money went

The khan was endowed to the poor of Mecca and Medina. Its rent did not stay in Damascus; it went to the Haramayn, the two holy cities. The building was not an investment but a source of income, and that income flowed out of the city. One sentence, and the Ottoman endowment system in Damascus is explained.

How it stands today

The khan works as a souq. The shops trade, the court is a thoroughfare. Nothing is roped off. This is not a restored monument but a commercial building in daily use, and the stone shows through only where the signboards leave it uncovered.

How long it takes

15 minutes. It dissolves into a walk through the Al-Hamidiyah Souq and needs no detour of its own.