Khan al-Umdan
Largest and best preserved caravanserai in Acre, Israel.
Khan al-Umdan, also known as the Caravanserai of the Pillars or Inn of the Columns, is the largest and best preserved caravanserai in Acre, Israel. Located in the Old City of Acre, it was built in 1784 during the rule of Ahmed Jezzar Pasha under the Ottoman era and has served as a major trading hub due to its proximity to the port.
- location
- Old City of Acre, Israel
- built
- 1784
- period
- Ottoman era
- patron
- Ahmed Jezzar Pasha
- also known as
- Khán-i-'Avámid
- world heritage site
- 2001 (with Old City of Acre)
Lore & Background
Khan al-Umdan was built in 1784 on the site of the Royal Customs house of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Its name derives from its many columns, forty of which are made of granite taken from Caesarea, Atlit, and Crusader ruins in Acre itself. A clock tower was added in 1906 to commemorate the silver jubilee of Ottoman sultan Abd al-Hamid II, similar to the Jaffa Clock Tower and over a hundred others across the empire.
Reader's Guide
Khan al-Umdan's significance lies in its role as a central trading and hostel facility for merchants arriving at Acre's port, with camel caravans bringing produce and grain from Galilean villages. It later gained importance to the Baháʼí Faith as the site where Baha'ullah received guests and later housed a Baháʼí school. In 2001, it was designated a World Heritage Site as part of Acre's old city, and in 2004 it appeared on an Israeli stamp. Today it is a major tourist attraction, open all hours and used as an open-air stage during festivals such as Acre's theater festival in October.
Did You Know?
- Khan al-Umdan was built in 1784 on the site of the Royal Customs house of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
- Its forty granite columns were taken from Caesarea, Atlit, and Crusader ruins in Acre.
- A clock tower was added in 1906 to commemorate the silver jubilee of Ottoman sultan Abd al-Hamid II.
- It was the site where Baha'ullah received guests and later housed a Baháʼí school.
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