Built in 1504 A.D. by Sultan Qunsuwah Al Ghouri, late during the
reign of Mamelukes, Wakalat El-Ghouri was originally designed as an
inn for accommodating traders coming from all parts of the globe as
well as a marketplace for trading goods and a venue for making trade
deals.
Before the discovery of the Route of Good Hope, Egypt had been
the hub of overland trade caravans from east and west.
The external stone facade is impressive, with
its uniformity of windows. There are a few small windows on the
first floor, but the upper stories of the building have three rows
of groupings of three windows of varying design. The last row is
covered by mashrabiya panels, each panel being three windows wide.
The entrance to the courtyard is via a great door mounted in a
trilobite arch. Inside, the building is very regular, with the
exception of the first floor, which has wide arcades intersected by
a gallery.
The building is made up of four floors, each comprising 28
rooms with domed ceilings, overlooking a rectangular-shaped
courtyard with a mosaic fountain in the middle. As such, Wakalat El-Ghouri
still stands out as one of the loftiest and most time-enduring
Islamic monuments remaining. It rightly reflects an apex of harmony
and symmetry in terms of both Islamic architecture and practical
functionality. |
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