The Western Caravanserai “Khān al-Wakalāh (Visiting time is open, free entry)

Several caravanserais were built in Nablus in order to support trade in and out of the city. They also facilitated to a large extend the dealings and accommodation for visiting merchants. The first floor was designed to be used for dwelling. The ground floor in it includes stables for camels and horses. The Western Caravanserai (known as al- Yūsr Arafat caravanserai), is one of the most important historical buildings within the boundaries of the old city. It is located at the western end of the blacksmiths market.

During the incursion into the old city of Nablus in April 2002, the Israeli Occupation Forces destroyed most of this building. Nablus municipality restored it with the support of the European Union (EU). Nowadays, it is being used as a hotel with 12 rooms. The central yard in it is being used as a restaurant that has a nice traditional sitting area.

Historical Section
The building's proportion: The building's proportion was established by a foundational stone inscription.
History: The stone inscription, which was located above the northern entrance, states that a number of righteous princes built it in 1285 AH/1868 AD, and called it the Yusr Agency, but it has recently become known as the Western Agency because it is located west of the city.
Al-Nimr said that the reason for its construction was due to the attacks of Turkish soldiers on the residents' homes in the city, where they filed a complaint to the Ottoman Sultan who allowed them to build homes to stop the attacks. However, Al-Nimr did not clarify his source, and the use of the word righteous weakens what Al-Nimr mentioned, especially since the use of the word Yusr suggests that they hoped that building it would alleviate the city's residents' hardship and make their affairs easier, and not for the purpose of trade.
The founder and the residents: The agency was founded and established by a group of princes of the city of Nablus in 1285 AH/1868 AD.
Later history (modern): In 1927 AD, Nablus was struck by a devastating earthquake, which destroyed part of the building, and consequently it ceased its commercial function. Part of it was used as rented places for craftsmen, and consequently it was neglected and remained in this state, although its northern external shops remained as they were in their function as part of the blacksmiths’ market. In 2002 AD, during the Israeli invasion of the city of Nablus, the southeastern section of it was demolished, as was its large northern entrance. However, since 2004 AD, the Nablus Municipality decided to rebuild the demolished sections and restore the rest and use them for various touristic and heritage purposes. Discussions were held with the European Union, which financed these works, and in coordination with UNESCO. After the necessary things were available, the Nablus Antiquities Department conducted an archaeological excavation in the eastern section of the agency’s land in 2006 AD, under the supervision of the writer of these lines, where basement rooms with vaults underneath them were discovered. In the south, the historical pottery channels of the agency during the Ottoman era were discovered. In the middle of the upper southern section of the agency, a section of a colored mosaic floor dating back to the fifth century AD was discovered, extending to the bottom of the adjacent Al-Ataba House to the south of the agency, which led to the belief that a religious building or a small Byzantine church was located in the place of the inn during the Byzantine era, to which this mosaic floor dates back. Recently, after the completion of excavation, restoration and renovation works, the agency was reopened as a tourist and heritage center, halls for cultural seminars, bedrooms and a private restaurant. Today, it is in good condition.

Architectural Description
1. Northern Facade: The agency overlooks the northern main street (blacksmiths market) with a northern facade, rising to the height of the two floors of the building, and below it is a row of small commercial stores, and above it are the windows of the small rooms of the second floor. In the middle of this facade is a large, high northern entrance set back from the facade, topped by a large arch, in which there is an entrance opening (3 m and 2 m wide) topped by a semi-circular stone arch followed by small stone rows with a stone inscription in the middle (mentioned above). On both sides of the entrance opening are two small stone pilasters, but this entrance was demolished in 2002 and was rebuilt in 2006, in a manner similar to the old entrance but smaller in size and without pilasters (Figure (1)). The entrance opening leads to a corridor facing south, with two shallow, circular arched niches on its eastern and western sides, rising about a metre above the ground of the corridor. The corridor is covered by a roof of a semi-barrel vault.

Figure (1): Rehabilitation of the northern entrance to Al-Yusr Agency

2. The open courtyard: It is reached through the entrance passage of the agency, and it is in the middle of the building, and both floors of the building overlook it, and in the middle of the eastern section there is a pond, its floor is paved with large and medium-sized stone tiles.
3. The first floor: It was allocated for storing commercial goods, and consists of three rows of rooms, a northern row (15 rooms), a southern row, and an eastern row (6 rooms). The rooms on the southern side, the stable, and the rooms on the first floor to the west were demolished and rebuilt. The warehouse of each of these rows consists of a small area of ​​3-4 m, covered by a semi-barrel vault, and is reached by a small entrance with a semi-circular arch. In the northeastern section of the courtyard, next to the agency entrance, there is a stone staircase leading to the second floor.
3. The second floor: It contains the accommodation rooms for merchants and visitors, and is reached through the two stone stairs that are located on either side of the northern entrance from inside the inn, Plate (6.56.3). The rows of rooms on the upper floor are preceded by an upper corridor covered by a vault of a local style, 2 m wide, supported by small stone supports. As for the rooms, they are small and have an entrance arched with a semicircular arch and covered by a vault of a local style that rises 1.80 m above the ground. All the rooms and corridors of the agency building are paved with medium and small stone tiles.