|Area 4 Khan/Caravansarei (Arabic, hotel)|
An Ayyubid Period khan/caravansarei (Arabic, hotel) was built during the Ayyubid Period in the southeast corner of the lower city.
Attached to the khan was a mesjed (Arabic, small place of worship), stables, and shops.
The building was equipped with a heavy double door. The southeast corner of the building was damaged in such
a way as to suggest undermining by attackers. Artifacts such as an ornately enamelled and gilded glass beaker
would found inside the khan indicated that affluent merchants used the Area 4 khan. The burial
inside the khan and the adjacent mesjed suggest that an honored pilgrim may have died in the
khan and the mesjed also functioned as a weli (Arabic, honored grave site a person of
honor within the community.
The age of the building was determined by the associated coins and specific varieties of decorated pottery.
Webpage created 1 August 2001
Webpage migrated 2 April 2008
Webpage updated 28 December 2008