Khan As’ad Pasha al-Azm, Hama

Khan As’ad Pasha al-Azm is an Ottoman caravanserai on al-Murabit Street in Hama, near Bab al-Balad. A khan is a merchants’ inn built around a courtyard. This one was built by As’ad Pasha al-Azm, an Ottoman statesman from the Azm family. It began with a single storey, and a second floor was added during the French Mandate. Today the building stands in part, and restoration started in 2026.

Where it is

The khan is on al-Murabit Street, on the same line as Khan Rustem Pasha. The same street reaches one end of Souq al-Tawil, so all three fit into one walk.

Who built it and when

The Kültür Envanteri, a Turkish heritage inventory, dates the building to 1738. Arabic Wikipedia gives the Hijri year 1153, which is 1740. The two dates are close, and both credit As’ad Pasha al-Azm. The better-known Khan As’ad Pasha in Damascus is his work too, and the Azm Palace in Hama belongs to the same family. Robin Wimmel, who wrote a doctoral thesis on Ottoman caravanserais at the Technical University of Berlin, sees this khan as the second-to-last link in the great Ottoman caravanserai tradition. He also reads As’ad Pasha’s choice of a style independent of Istanbul as a political message.

What to see

The portal is the part to look at: a pointed arch laid in bands of black and white stone, the technique known as ablaq. The stonework carries on a Mamluk tradition. The khan is built around a large courtyard and had ten fireplaces; it was meant for display and prestige as well as trade. The south-east wing is in fairly good shape, while the south-west wing is largely in ruins.

Can you go inside today

Restoration and rehabilitation work began in 2026. Whether visitors can enter could not be confirmed. The portal can be seen from the street; for the courtyard, ask the staff at the gate. In recent decades the building housed the Faculty of Arts and later the Faculty of Sharia, and people nearby may know it by those names.