Wekalet El-Ghouri in Cairo
Wekalet El-Ghouri in Cairo
This site is a historically significant structure and cultural site located in Cairo. It presently functions as a bustling center of culture, showcasing a variety of events like dance and music concerts, art shows, and shows of traditional crafts. This facility provides visitors with a unique experience that combines Egypt's historical allure with contemporary cultural energy.
Wékalet Al-Ghouri is one of the most famous caravanserais in Cairo. It is a commercial building that hosted, in the Middle Ages, passing merchants. It was built not far from the Al-Azhar mosque by the Mamluk sultan Al-Achraf Qonsowa Al-Ghouri between 1504 and 1505.
It is located on the Qasaba, an important artery of medieval Cairo, where other Mamluk monuments such as the mosque of Sultan Qalaoun were already standing. This caravanserai is organized around a rectangular courtyard, accessible from a monumental entrance.
The first two floors served as warehouses for goods, while merchants stayed on the last three levels of the building, which were accessible from another door overlooking the street. Wékalet Al-Ghouri was part of the religious donation (waqf) of the eponymous sultan. Thus, the maintenance of his tomb, within a mosque, kottab (elementary school) and sabil (public fountain) he had founded, was financed by the income generated by caravanserai.
