Khan al-Wazir is a caravanserai located in the old city of Aleppo between the Citadel and the Great Mosque. The Ottoman governor of Aleppo, Qara Muhammad Paşa, commissioned the building between 1678 and 1682/1083 AH.
This khan is one of the largest ones in Aleppo. It follows a traditional plan consisting of a large central courtyard surrounded by a two story block of buildings. The perimeter of the caravanserai is not fully rectangular but rather angled on the north and east sides to accommodate the direction of the city's streets, and the courtyard's perimeter reflects this irregularity. Merchant's storage areas and stores occupied the first story of the cells surrounding the courtyard, and sleeping quarters for travelers occupied the second. The entrance to the khan is on its west side through a large and handsome gatehouse decorated with black and white ablaq masonry surmounted by an ornate window.
Portions of the north side of the caravanserai were demolished during the French Mandate to make way for the large arterial street running along its north side.
Sources:
Gaube, Heins, and Eugin Wirth. Aleppo: Historische Und Geographische Beiträge Zur Baulichen Gestaltung, Zur Sozialen Organisation Und Zur Wirtschaftlichen Dynamik Einer Vorderasiatischen Fernhandelsmetropole, No. 180 (p. 366). Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert, 1984.Hadjar, Abdallah.
Historical Monuments of Aleppo, 35. Aleppo: Automobile and Touring Club of Syria (ATCS), 2000.
Rihawi, Abdul Qader.
Arabic Islamic Architecture in Syria, 232. Damascus: Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, 1979.
Sauvaget, Jean. “Inventaire Des Monuments Musulmans de La Ville d’Alep.” Revue Des Études Islamiques 5 (1931): 59–114, no. 71.
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