| Wikala of Sultan al-Ghuri | |
|---|---|
وكالة الغوري | |
 Wikala of al-Ghuri, central courtyard. | |
 | |
| Alternative names | Wikalat al-Ghuri |
| General information | |
| Type | Caravanserai, apartment complex |
| Architectural style | Mamluk |
| Location | Cairo,Egypt |
| Address | Haret al-Souk - Sooq al-Tablitiah,ad-Darb al-Ahmar, Cairo Governorate, Egypt |
| Coordinates | 30°02′44.6″N31°15′39.2″E / 30.045722°N 31.260889°E /30.045722; 31.260889 |
| Completed | 1505 |
| Renovated | 2004 |
| Client | Sultan Qansuh al-Ghuri |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 5 |
| Floor area | 1,500 square metres (16,000 sq ft) |
TheWikala of Sultan Qansuh al-Ghuri (orWikalat al-Ghuri, among other variations) is acaravanserai inmedieval Cairo, Egypt. It was built in 1504–1505 and is considered today one of the most impressive and best-preserved examples of this type of building in Cairo.
Thewikala (Arabic:وكالة; sometimeswakala orwekala) is a term for an urbancaravanserai, a building which housed merchants and their goods and served as a center for trade, storage, transactions and other commercial activity.[1] Merchants could thus base themselves here to do business in the city. The wordwikala means roughly "agency" in Arabic; in this case, a commercial agency,[1] which may also have been a reference to thecustoms offices that could be located here to deal with imported goods.[2] Other examples of this sort are the nearbyWikala and Sabil-Kuttab of Sultan Qaytbay and the separateWikala of Sultan Qaytbay in the north end of the city, both only partially preserved, as well as the well-preservedWikala al-Bazar'a.
The Wikala of al-Ghuri was built by Sultanal-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghuri in 1504-1505 (CE) as part of a large construction project involving the creation of amausoleum and religious complex that included akhanqah (Sufi lodge), asabil-kuttab (water dispensary plus elementary school), and amosque-madrasa. This religious and civic complex was located just west of the wikala and its revenues were intended to help finance its operations.[3]
The wikala building also included arabʿ, a low-income apartment complex for permanent residence, above the wikala itself, combining two functions that yielded revenues.[4] All these functions were established through awaqf, a protected agreement which gave certain buildings and revenues the status of charitable endowments guaranteed undersharia.
The building was most recently restored in 2004. Today it houses workshops and studios for artisans, local offices, and serves as a venue for cultural shows includingSufi whirling, generally aimed at tourists.[3]
The building has five stories centered around a large rectangular courtyard. The first two stories are built in stone and distinguished by a portico of tall arches around the courtyard, while the three upper floors are made of brick and marked by regular rows of windows and (on the highest floor)mashrabiyas.[3] Animals (pack animals or livestock) and merchandise would be kept on the ground floor, while the second floor housed the merchants (and possibly some merchandise as well).[5] The three upper floors, above the portico, were part of therab' (a complex of low-income apartments for rent). Each apartment was arranged vertically across three floors, with the first floor usually featuring a reception room and latrines and the upper floors containing sleeping quarters and other private spaces.[4] In the middle of the main courtyard is a fountain decorated in marble mosaics.
The building's only external facade faces the street to the north, and is distinguished by its regular rows of windows and mashrabiyas just like its interior courtyard facade. The entrance is marked by a monumental portal that is ornately decorated with a trilobedgroin vault, stone-carvedmuqarnas, marble mosaics, andalternating colored stone. Such monumentality was not typical of most wikalas, but it was a notable characteristic of both religious and commercial structures built by al-Ghuri and his predecessorSultan Qaitbay (who built two other major wikalas as mentioned above).
