Old Aleppo is full of old khans and caravan sarays from the days when Aleppo was the last port of call on the Silk Road, where the trading route met Mediterranean merchants. They are still there and in function, often as wholesale warehouses specialising in certain goods. The merchants elect an experienced and respected man among them to mediate in their trade disputes. Here are interiors from two of the larger ones, the Khan el-Jumruk and the Khan el-Wazir (the khans of the customs and of the minister).
Architecturally, these are typical examples of sarays, with courtyards (often a mosque in the middle) and stables and warehouses in the surrounding building. Then, upstairs, more warehouses, behind a pretty row of vaults and arches.
Often, a khan or saray was part of a foundation including also a mosque and some charitable or educational institutions (hospital, soup kitchen, school, library or similar functions) where the proceeds from the trade financed the other activities.
No comments:
Post a Comment