The roofed hall
Huge brick arches.
Mustafa Waad Saeed — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Omar oda — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Helge Høifødt — CC BY-SA 4.0
Khan Murjan is a 14th-century building in the old souk of Baghdad, built by Amin al-Din Mirjan as an inn for merchants and their caravans. Its central hall is roofed by huge brick arches, unlike most khans with their open courtyards. It is among the finest examples of the architecture of its time in the city. It was built between 1356 and 1358 by Amin al-Din Mirjan, the Jalayirid governor of Baghdad, who also built the nearby Mirjan Mosque. It sheltered merchants, their goods and their animals. It later suffered long neglect, with water from the Tigris reaching the hall at times. By the mid-1980s it had been restored and was in use as a restaurant. You enter through a gate decorated with brick and calligraphy into a hall 13 m high, where brick arches cross overhead and light enters through perforated windows. Two floors of rooms surround the hall, 22 below and 23 above, along an iron railing. The arches look their best from the middle of the hall. It is about 200 m in a straight line from the Mustansiriya Madrasa and about 400 m from Al-Mutanabbi Street. We could not confirm its current use or hours, so ask in the souk before relying on it in your plans. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all but essential travel to this area, so check official guidance before planning.
Huge brick arches.
Brick and calligraphy.
An iron railing around the hall.
Old Baghdad souk, near Al-Rashid Street, Baghdad, Iraq
Mustansiriya MadrasaThe Mustansiriya Madrasa is an Abbasid seat of learning on the east bank of the 3 minutes walk
Al-Mutanabbi StreetAl-Mutanabbi Street is a narrow pedestrian street at the heart of old Baghdad ne5 minutes walk
Abbasid PalaceThe Abbasid Palace is a late Abbasid brick complex near the east bank of the Tig12 minutes walk
The Iraq MuseumThe Iraq Museum is the national museum of Iraq, on the Karkh side of Baghdad, wi17 minutes walkIt became one after restoration, but we could not confirm its current status, so ask in the souk.
Its hall roofed by brick arches, as most khans have open courtyards.