Khan al-Umdan: An Ottoman Caravanserai in Acre
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.3
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Israel
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- Eras represented
- Early Modern, Modern
- Civilizations
- Ottoman
- Site type
- Economic
- Remains
- Caravanserai
On this page7 sections
History
Khan al-Umdan is an Ottoman caravanserai in Acre, Israel, built in 1784 under the rule of Ahmed Jezzar Pasha on the site of the former Royal Customs House of the medieval Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. A caravanserai was a commercial complex where traveling merchants could store goods, conduct business, and find lodging. Jezzar Pasha, the Ottoman governor and military administrator of Acre, is associated with the building’s design.
A Port-Side Commercial Center
The khan’s position beside Acre’s port made it an important center for commerce. Merchants traded and stored goods on the ground floor, while the upper floor provided accommodation. Camel caravans carried produce and grain from villages in Galilee to Acre’s markets and port, linking rural production with the city’s maritime trade.
During the nineteenth century, Acre’s port declined in importance compared with Haifa’s port, and Khan al-Umdan declined with it. The lower floor was later used for storage, reflecting the building’s changing economic role.
Religious and Civic Associations
In 1868, Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, used the khan to receive guests. The building later housed a Bahá’í school and became known in the Bahá’í context as Khán-i-‘Avámid, meaning “Khan of the Columns.”
At the beginning of the twentieth century, a clock tower was added above or beside the main entrance to commemorate the silver jubilee, or twenty-fifth year, of Sultan Abd al-Hamid II’s reign. Abd al-Hamid II was the Ottoman sultan from 1876 to 1909. Khan al-Umdan and the Old City of Acre were inscribed together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001 under criteria ii, iii, and v.
Modern Recognition and Conservation
The khan appeared on an Israeli postage stamp in 2004, while its clock tower had appeared on an Israeli stamp in 1961. Basic conservation measures have taken place over the years, alongside reported deterioration including crumbling walls, graffiti, and uncontrolled vegetation. Plans to convert Khan al-Umdan and the adjacent Khan al-Shuna into a boutique hotel led to the property’s sale to English developers in 2008. In 2018, the Nakash brothers won a tender to establish a hotel on the site.
Khan al-Umdan was used as a filming location in 1991 for Not Without My Daughter, standing in for a school in Tehran. In the present day, the building is also used for events, including performances associated with the Acre Festival.
Remains
Khan al-Umdan is a two-story Ottoman-style caravanserai organized around a large courtyard. Two levels of arcades enclose the open center, while covered areas behind them have barrel-vaulted ceilings on both floors. The forty arcade columns gave the building its name, Khan al-Umdan, meaning “Caravanserai of the Pillars” or “Inn of the Columns.” Its position immediately beside Acre’s port forms part of its physical and commercial setting.
Courtyard and Arcades
The columns are made from granite brought from Caesarea and Atlit, together with stone taken from demolished Crusader monuments in Acre and reused in the khan. A marble pool occupies the center of the courtyard and was supplied with water through the Acre aqueduct. The combination of the enclosed courtyard, surrounding arcades, vaulted storage areas, and upper lodging spaces expresses the caravanserai’s practical arrangement for commerce and travel.
Entrance and Clock Tower
The principal entrance lies on the northern side. Its five-story clock tower is built of kurkar, a local sandstone widely used in the historic architecture of the eastern Mediterranean. A clock faces each of the tower’s four sides, with a crescent and star above them. The clocks were replaced in 2001, and each face uses a different system: ordinary numerals, Latin numerals, Arabic numerals, or Hebrew letters.
