MUSLIM VILLA - QURAN ONLY

Category 8 => Writing Room => Topic started by: Ruhi_Rose on October 19, 2011, 08:33:08 pm



Title: Khan Murjan (خان مرجان) ‎- the oldest Baghdad landmark
Post by: Ruhi_Rose on October 19, 2011, 08:33:08 pm
It was built by Aminuddin Murjan in 1358, that is, a century after the end of the Abbasids. "Khan" in Arabic means a traveller's hotel or inn.  Originally designed as an inn and a dwelling place for travelling merchants, scholars and university students, it's the oldest inn in Baghdad.  It was particularly visited and used for housing the students of Murjaneyya School, now known as the Murjan Mosque built a year earlier in 1357.  Khan Murjan or the Murjan inn has a central hall more than 45 feet high. The khan contains a large number of rooms distributed across two stories around a closed paved courtyard. To reach the upper rooms there is an elevated path built on brick-ornamented arches. The crenellated arches of brick and perforated windows make this a fascinating piece of architecture.  Unfortunately it hadn't been well maintained during the centuries that followed.  It was damaged most of all by a flood from the River Tigris when many of the rooms were under waist high water.  It was renovated and reconstructed in the 1930s and made into a museum of Arab antiquities.  But it didn't remain a museum for too long.  Later it was changed into a posh Iraqi restaurant.  It remains a restaurant to date where Iraqi food is served and live folklore music performed in the evenings.

(http://i.imgur.com/Jy41NvZ.jpg)
Khan Murjan - 14th century dining room for students

(http://i.imgur.com/o2rO7tY.jpg)
An old picture of Khan Murjan entrance, early 20th century

(http://i.imgur.com/OCDjmi8.jpg)
Khan Murjan mid 20th century

(http://i.imgur.com/q9yfIBE.jpg)
Murjaneyya School which later became Murjan Mosque, but probably it's no longer a Mosque either .. just a landmark closed for visitors


To really get good look of this wonderful piece of ancient architecture from inside, take the brief virtual video tour of Khan Murjan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2XUARjE8es


Interested in Iraqi history and watching its old pictures?   Visit the following link and enjoy the an exquisite black & white photo gallery of old Iraqi pics:
http://www.iraqwho.com/photo/detail.asp?iPic=528&iType=37

Beautiful color pics of Iraqi history and heritage:  Since a lot of this is now destroyed by the murderous hooliganism of the Americans and their al-Qaeda friends, you might as well see it here.
http://www.atlastours.net/gallery/iraq/baghdad.html


Title: Re: Khan Murjan (خان مرجان) ‎- the oldest Baghdad landmark
Post by: Heba E. Husseyn on October 19, 2011, 09:51:25 pm
Oh!  khan Murjaan, yeah I recall I had read quite a bit of this in my history books at school. Gorgeous architecture.  In Dubai they have tried to make a replica of it in the shape of a souq with the usual UAE dazzling splendor but it looks just like any ultra modern construction, no way near as appealing & historically exotic as this one.  I hope the renovations of Khan Murjaan Baghdad haven't taken away that medieval touch from it.  If it still looks as shown in the video, that means they have preserved its historical layout.

Those links of Iraqi history are awesome.  Unfortunatley as u said, most of these places are in shambles after the war  :(


Title: Re: Khan Murjan (خان مرجان) ‎- the oldest Baghdad landmark
Post by: Zainab_M on October 19, 2011, 10:31:52 pm
So nice.  enjoyed going thru them. travelling down the memory lane :)  History is wonderful.