Wakala al-Sharaybi
Cairo, Egypt
Muhammad al-Dada al-Sharaybi (d. 1725/1137 AH), one of the most prominent coffee traders of the eighteenth century, built this wakala near the Khan al-Hamzawi and adjacent to his bathhouse. It was frequented by Moroccan coffee and cloth merchants. The facade is with decorated with stone bosses and carved double-headed axe motifs. The gate opened into a courtyard that had 14 shops on the ground floor and living quarters above. A third floor has disappeared. The courtyard's original stone perimeter appears to have been added to, with additional stone piers and wooden columns supporting an extended gallery on the first-floor level. The structure is still occupied by a variety of trades, and the living quarters are still occupied despite their dilapidated condition.

Sources:

Meinecke, Michael. Islamic Cairo: architectural conservation and urban development of the historic centre : proceedings of a seminar, 40. London: Art and Archaeology Research Papers, 1980.

Raymond, André. Cairo, 255-256. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000.

Seton-Williams, M. J., and Peter Stocks. Egypt, 267. London: A & C Black, 1988.

Warner, Nicholas. The monuments of historic Cairo: a map and descriptive catalogue, 159. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2005.
Location
Cairo, Egypt
Images & Videos
Associated Names
Events
18th century/12th century AH
Style Periods
1299-1922
Variant Names
Wikalat al-Sharaybi
Variant
Wikala al-Sharaybi
Variant
Building Usages
commercial