The khan (caravanserai), which housed merchants and their pack animals, was built at the order of the Mameluke sultan Barkuk in 1386. The site was probably chosen because of its proximity to the markets of Jerusalem. The khan had two stories: the pack animals were stabled on the ground floor, while the merchants lodged on the upper floor. The inscription over the khan's entrance (no longer in situ) read: "Our lord the sultan Barkuk el-Malik el-Zahir Abu Sa'id Barkuk renewed this blessed khan and made it for the Waqf of the Noble Sanctuary of Jerusalem. May Allah perpetuate his rule...". The income from the khan was intended for the holy sites on the Temple Mount ("the Noble Sanctuary"). The historian Mujir ed-Din (1495) described it thus: "...From there to the gate of the Jewish Quarter is known as the Street of the Wakla. The Wakla is a large khan which was constructed for the maintenance of the el-Aqsa Mosque. It is famous because it brings in a sum of four hundred dinars every year. All sorts of merchandise are sold there." |
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