Khan al-Zayt

An Ottoman khan from the end of the 16th century, named after the olive oil trade. It stands on the north side of the Midhat Pasha souq, a little west of Khan Jaqmaq. Workshops fill it today: rubber work, hat making, decorated wooden tables. Stand in the court and you hear the looms.

Getting there

Walk from the point where Straight Street becomes a covered souq, that is the Midhat Pasha souq. A little past Khan Jaqmaq the khan lies on the north side. Two khans follow one another on the same lane, so put both on one walk.

What to see

The court has two floors, and here the black and white stone of Damascus comes down to the ground as well: the paving runs in stripes that break and turn back on themselves at the corners. Wrought-iron fanlights sit over the shops below and an arcaded gallery runs above them; a row of domes covers the rooms behind that gallery, and you only see the domes by looking up from the court.

How it stands today

A working building. Most cells are workshops and the court is a work floor; the basin in the middle is still in place but empty. If you are not after a restored monument, this is exactly what a Damascus khan amounts to today.

How long it takes

15 minutes.

Do not confuse it

Jerusalem has a souq of the same name, and search results go there almost every time. This building is in the old city of Damascus. Written sources on it are thin; no detailed article has been written about the khan itself.