Hama riverside walk: Khan As’ad Pasha to the Kilaniyya Bridge and al-Izzi Mosque

This walk runs from Hama’s Ottoman trading street down to its Mamluk riverbank. It starts at two khans on al-Murabit Street, Khan As’ad Pasha al-Azm and Khan Rustem Pasha. It passes the Azm Palace, built by the same family, and the al-Nuri Mosque, then crosses the Orontes on the 14th-century Kilaniyya Bridge and ends at the al-Izzi Mosque at the northern foot of the citadel mound. Six stops, close to two kilometres on foot, about three and a half hours. The longest measured leg is from Khan Rustem Pasha to the Azm Palace: 750 metres.

The route

Start outside Khan As’ad Pasha al-Azm. Restoration began in 2026, and it is not confirmed whether you can go inside; the pointed-arch portal with its black and white stone courses is visible from the street. The Turkish heritage database Kültür Envanteri dates the khan to 1738, Arabic Wikipedia to 1740. Follow al-Murabit Street for 340 metres to Khan Rustem Pasha on its east side. Rustem Pasha, grand vizier to Suleiman the Magnificent, built it in 1556. Stop at the end of the entrance passage: the arch frames the small domed prayer room in the middle of the courtyard.

From the khan, head north towards the river. As’ad Pasha al-Azm built the Azm Palace while he was governor of Hama, so the palace and the first stop share a patron. Two khans and a mansion trace one family’s mark on the city in a single walk. About 350 metres beyond the palace you reach the al-Nuri Mosque at Bab al-Naura. Nur al-Din Zengi built it in 1162, as the inscription over the north door records.

The bridge is right beside the mosque. The Kilaniyya Bridge is a stone bridge built by al-Malik al-Afdal in the early 14th century, with 5 arches and a length of 40 metres. It has three names: the Afdal Bridge, the Bayt al-Shaykh Bridge and the Kilaniyya Bridge. In 1982 the historic buildings of the quarter were destroyed; the bridge survived and people still walk across it. Stop halfway and look at the norias, the great wooden waterwheels, then cross to the other bank. In the Bab al-Jisr quarter, at the northern foot of the citadel mound, stands the al-Izzi Mosque. Muhammad ibn Hamza al-Izzi built it in 723 AH, or 1323. On its wall is the only trace of the madrasa he added four years later, in 727 AH: its foundation inscription. The madrasa itself is gone. The Sufi Shaykh Alwan al-Hamawi was born in this quarter in 1468.

Timing

Be outside Khan As’ad Pasha at 09:00; if the restoration crew is there, it is the best moment to ask about the courtyard. Move on to Khan Rustem Pasha at 09:30 and give it half an hour, while the open courtyard is still cool. Reach the Azm Palace around 10:15 and allow an hour. The wooden ceilings need daylight and the opening hours vary, so it is better to be there before noon. Be at the al-Nuri Mosque at 11:30; if you arrive at midday prayer, wait in the courtyard. By 12:15 you are on the bridge, and its arches only show from the bank in good light. Reach the al-Izzi Mosque around 12:45. The state of its door is unknown, so the plan is built around the facade and the inscription.

Take care

Khan As’ad Pasha is under restoration and the al-Izzi Mosque is listed as abandoned in Kültür Envanteri: at both, ask the guards or neighbours before going in. The al-Nuri Mosque is free; cover shoulders and knees and do not enter during prayers. Entry arrangements at Khan Rustem Pasha and the Azm Palace vary, so check at the door. The khans are working places: ask before photographing shopkeepers. When asking the way, the Sharia Faculty building is a useful name for Khan As’ad Pasha, and the bridge next to the al-Nuri Mosque for the Kilaniyya Bridge. The Abu al-Fida Mosque is about 110 metres from the al-Izzi Mosque, and you can end the walk there if time allows. Hama is hot in summer; spring and autumn suit this route better.