Layout plan
[Picture source: © 1988 Jean-Claude David] [Picture source: © 1988 Jean-Claude David] Khan al-Jumruk, whose original name in the endowment document was just ‘the Great Khan’ (al-khan al-kabir), was the fillet piece in the central commercial district of Aleppo, the so-called ‘m’dine’ (the ‘city’). The layout follows that traditionally used by khans in Aleppo, though its plan and execution make it a masterpiece of 16th-century Ottoman commercial architecture. Only one entrance leads into the two-storey rectangular structure with a large open courtyard in the center. (fig. 1- 3) Individual small rooms are accessible from the courtyard on the ground floor and from an arcade on the first floor.
Figure 1: Khan al-Jumruk, general plan [Picture source: © Stefan Heidemann] 
Figure 2: Khan al-Jumruk, general view [Picture source: © 1978 Jean-Claude David] 
Figure 3: Khan al-Jumruk, portal [Picture source: © 2009 Bernhard Aign] The khan’s vaulted entrance is marked by a richly decorated façade in a local style recalling late-Mamluk architecture (Khan as-Sabun for example). Other than that, the façade of Khan al-Jumruk is not easily visible in its entirety, being squeezed between the khan and the suq to its north. Despite this fact, the architect clearly chose this impressive façade to attract attention to the khan from the main suq axis.[1]
The northern wing (riwaq) and the northern courtyard façade stand out. Large windows above the entrance are decorated with ablaq, reliefs, columns and muqarnas, also reminiscent of late Mamluk decoration. (fig. 4- 5) An unusual feature for commercial architecture hides behind this façade: we find a row of representative rooms with a large domed hall behind the central windows above the entrance with a four-iwan structure similar to a qaʿa in domestic architecture.
The original use of this space is not clear, but at some time in the late 16th or early 17th century (fig. 6- 7), it housed the French consulate. Initially, it might have been a prestigious space for the use of the endowment’s administrator – we should not forget that the founder was grand vizier of the empire – or, we may speculate, the khan was from the very beginning destined to serve as the residence of the foreign consuls and merchants.[2]
On the southern side, behind the row of small rooms that open to the courtyard, the khan possesses an annex that stretches about two thirds of the length of the southern side. This annex consists of a hall of two naves on the ground floor (called stable ‘istabl’ by Ghazzi)[3] and two rows of small rooms on the first floor (called ‘qasariyya’ by Ghazzi)[4] accessible through a passage from the southern riwaq and a vaulted corridor.
A small mosque occupies the center of the khan’s courtyard, the octagonal prayer room is raised on pillars, making place for a water reservoir and the ablution facilities below.[5]
These facilities provide the khan’s tenants with access to the city’s water supply as well. (fig. 8-10)
The suq to the north of the khan is part of the same endowment and was constructed at the same time. It consists of two rows of shops, in-between a domed alley, the dome in front of the khan’s entrance being particularly singled out and decorated with pendentive muqarnas pendentifs.[6] (fig. 11)
