Jaljulia is located next to the historic “Sea Road,”The Khan was built by Sayf al-Din Tankiz, the governor of Damascus from 1312 to 1340. It is situated on the western side of Jaljulia, along what was once the main road between Egypt and Syria. Many significant buildings were constructed along this road, and some of their remains can still be seen today.

The Jaljulia Council aims to revive this historic route. The restoration of the Mamluk Khan, and a project to revive the courtyard of the Abu Al-Awn Mosque, located on the other side of the road, is about to begin.

 The building is roughly square, centered around an open courtyard. Today, much of the Khan is in ruins, with only parts of the western and eastern sections remaining, while larger portions of the northern and southern sides are still present.The rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the Khan, historically a caravanserai, aims to preserve its historical value while repurposing it for modern use. The central courtyard, which once served as a hub for travelers and a place for the exchange of goods, ideas, and culture, will be revitalized.

The goal is to maintain this historically valuable site and adapt it for contemporary uses such as handcrafts, tourism, and cultural services.Maintaining our identity in this land has always been a battle and of great urgency, especially in these times where both historical and current buildings are being destroyed. Protecting what remains of our heritage is a matter of duty and not of choice. Our historical heritage (Palestinian) is not a priority, and has never been, for the local authority. This lack of interest is reflected in the limited budget allocated to such projects, especially when compared to the high construction costs in Israel.

The modest and straightforward design of the historical Khan, combined with its limited budget, necessitated a simple intervention. This approach resulted in a clear and low-cost construction plan.

The proposed planning is divided into two phases, according to the agreements between the municipality and the Israel Antiquities Authority:Phase A:

• The yard will be used as an open market,Operate the market and build an economic mechanism to raise funds for the Khan’s restoration.
• Focus on preserving the remains to prevent harm and stop the deterioration of the structure until funding is secured for the Khan’s preservation and development.Phase B:
• The Khan’s remains will be preserved, restored, and adapted for use according to the planning principles.

Currently, the Khan functions as a public space for cultural and festive events, while preparations are made for it to also start functioning as a market.

The intervention aims to restore the historical and symbolic significance of the Khan, making it a central part of the community once again. By transforming it into a central square, the project seeks to reconnect the people with their heritage and provide a vibrant space for communal activities.

The  East side of the Khan

the project seeks to recover the east side which connects the street to the original level of the khan’s patio, which has been completely destroyed, this side contains the khan’s main entrance, an elevated platform contains a ramp on one side and tiered seating for public events on the other that can accommodate up to 80 people, a part of exposition for the history of Jaljulia and the Khan .The project aims to recover the completely destroyed east side of the Khan. An elevated platform made of local stone features a ramp on one side and tiered seating for public events on the other. The iron structure, made of a more massive and thicker section than the one added in the patio, highlights the different roles of the two structures: one completes the missing part, while the other is a new addition.

An arch-shaped pergola, designed as a structural skeleton resembling a modern ruin, attempts to reconstruct the destroyed historical form. Planned vegetation will climb up the pergola and connect with the greenery that grows spontaneously on the roof of the Khan’s ruins.

The Square Platform

A new square-shaped central structure has been added at the heart of the patio, which will be used as an open market.

The 367 square meter of this structure can accommodate 90 square meters of exhibition stalls, and many more stalls in the open space around it.

A new square-shaped central structure has been added at the heart of the patio, intended for use as an open market. This square platform, which has its own patio, is based on a simple construction system using an abstract grid of columns (3m x 3m), a module recovered from the Khan’s original design. This new structure interprets the colonnaded courtyards of Arab mosques.

The iron structure, initially left to rust on the construction site, was later painted with protective material. The patio floor was treated for soil stabilization and features a stone floor in the central square. All design decisions were adapted to fit the project’s low budget.

The Khan has been abandoned for a very long time, and now finally the local people have returned to appropriate and belong to it. Architecturally, the project has tried to be as humble as possible in front of these ruins and the fabric of this modest village, while at the same time interpreting Arab architecture with the typology of the patio.