Muslim Quarter

The Muslim Quarter is worth exploring mostly for its architecture, notably that from the Mamluk period (1250-1517). Do not wander through the Muslim Quarter during periods of unrest, however, and do not flaunt your Hebrew here. Several of the tour groups include the Muslim Quarter in their routes. Check at the GTIO for specifics.

The stretch of Bab as-Silsilah Street extending to the Temple Mount is partly founded on the ancient Mamluk causeway which crossed the Tyropoeon Valley, linking the upper city to the temple platform. At the beginning of the street stands the Khan as-Sultan (or Al-Wakala), a remarkably preserved Crusader-period caravansary which provided lodgings for merchants and their donkeys. Just past Misgav Ladakh St. (further down the street on the right) is the Tashtamuriya Building, housing the tomb of its namesake (d. 1384) and formerly an Islamic college.

Continuing down Bab as-Silsilah to its intersection with Western Wall St. (HaKo-tel), you’ll arrive at the Kilaniya Mausoleum, with its characteristic Mamluk stalactite half-dome; the Turba Turkan Khatun (Tomb of Lady Turkan) is at #149. At the end of Bab as-Silsilah, on your right and often surrounded by tour guides in training, is the Tankiziya Building, built by a Mamluk slave who worked his way up to governor of Damascus hi 1312, and then back down to imprisonment and execution in Alexandria 30 years later. This venerated structure, on the site of the original seat of the Sanhedrin, is currently occupied by Israelis due to its proximity to the Western Wall and Temple Mount.