The Wikala of al-Ghuri (also known as Wikala of Sultan Qansuh al-Ghuri or Wikalat al-Ghuri) is a historic caravanserai located in medieval Cairo, Egypt. It was built between 1504 and 1505 CE (909–910 AH) under the patronage of Sultan al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghuri, one of the last Mamluk sultans, who reigned from 1501 to 1516 CE.
Function and History
The term wikala (Arabic: وكالة) means "agency" in Arabic and refers to an urban caravanserai — a building that housed merchants and their goods while serving as a center for trade, storage, transactions, and other commercial activity. Merchants traveling along caravan routes from North Africa, Arabia, and the East would base themselves here to conduct business in the city.
The wikala was built as part of a larger construction project by Sultan al-Ghuri that included a religious complex (a khanqah, a sabil-kuttab, and a mosque-madrasa) located just west of the wikala. The revenues generated by the wikala were designated as a waqf (charitable endowment) to help finance the operations of this religious complex.
Architecture
The building has five stories centered around a large rectangular courtyard, covering a floor area of approximately 1,500 square meters (16,000 sq ft). The first two stories are built in stone and feature a portico of tall arches around the courtyard. The three upper floors are made of brick, marked by regular rows of windows and mashrabiyas (turned-wood lattice screens) on the highest floor. The wikala is noted for preserving 29 of the finest examples of mashrabiyya work in Cairo.
The ground floor was used for animals (pack animals or livestock) and merchandise, while the second floor housed the merchants. The three upper floors formed a rab' — a low-income apartment complex for permanent residents, with each apartment arranged vertically across three floors.
The only external facade faces the street to the north, distinguished by regular rows of windows and mashrabiyas. The entrance is marked by a monumental portal decorated with a trilobed groin vault, stone-carved muqarnas, marble mosaics, and alternating colored stone — a level of ornamentation unusual for most wikalas but characteristic of structures built by al-Ghuri and his predecessor Sultan Qaitbay.
Present Day
The building underwent a major restoration in 2004. Today, it houses workshops and studios for artisans, local offices, and serves as a venue for cultural shows including Sufi whirling performances aimed at tourists. The upper rooms function as artists' studios, and the former stables have been transformed into craft shops. It is widely regarded as one of the most impressive and best-preserved examples of a caravanserai in Cairo.
