Murad Basha Khan is a large caravanserai located near the center of Ma'arrat al-Nu'man. An inscription above the entrance portal attributes the building to the patronage of Murad
Çelebi, the chief financial officer (daftardar) of the Ottoman Empire (d. 1573-1574/981 AH). With an area of 7 dunam (an Ottoman measurement equivalent to ca. 7,000 square meters), it is the largest caravanserai in Syria. The site was restored in 1985 and converted to a museum.
The building is large square with a central courtyard and an appendage on its western side. Its main entrance is on the south side through a large portal in the form of an iwan. Entering the portal, one emerges onto the southern portico of the courtyard, which is surrounded on all sides by arcaded porticoes one aisle deep. A rectangular building that houses a mosque occupies the center of the courtyard. Off the porticoes along the perimeter of the square building are rooms for guests.
Murad Basha Khan was damaged in the Syrian conflict of 2015, and some 30 artifacts were stolen from the museum.1
Notes:
- Syrian Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums. Interactive Map of Conflicted Sites. http://www.dgam.gov.sy [Accessed 14 February 2018].
Sources:
Burns, Ross. Monuments of Syria, 147. London: I. B. Tauris, 1992.
Elisséeff, Nikita. "Ma'arrat al-Nu'man," Encyclopedia of Islam, Second Edition, 2012.
[Accessed 13 February 2018].
7 dunams (ca. 7,000 square meters) (area)
