The Wikala of Sultan Qansuh al-Ghuri (or Wikalat al-Ghuri, among other variations) is a caravanserai in the medieval center of Cairo, Egypt. It was built in 1504–1505 CE and is considered today one of the most impressive and best-preserved examples of this type of building in Cairo. History and function The wikala (; sometimes wakala or wekala) is a term for an urban caravanserai, a building which housed merchants and their goods and served as a center for trade, storage, transactions and other commercial activity. Merchants could thus base themselves here to do business in the city. The word wikala means roughly "agency" in Arabic, in this case a commercial agency, which may also have been a reference to the customs offices that could be located here to deal with imported goods. Other examples of this sort are the nearby Wikala and Sabil-Kuttab of Qaytbay and another Wikala of Sultan Qaytbay in the north end of the city (both only partially preserved), as well as the well-preserved Wikala al-Bazar'a. The Wikala of al-Ghuri was built by Sultan Qansuh al-Ghuri in 1504-1505 (CE) as part of a large construction project involving the creation of his own mausoleum and religious complex that included a khanqah (Sufi lodge), a sabil-kuttab (water dispensary plus elementary school), and a mosque-madrasa. This religious and civic complex was located just west of the wikala, and the revenues of the wikala were intended to help finance its operations. The wikala building also included a rab''', a low-income apartment complex for permanent residence, above the wikala itself, combining two functions that yielded revenues. All these functions were established through a waqf, a protected agreement which gave certain buildings and revenues the status of charitable endowments guaranteed under Islamic law. The building was most recently restored in 2004. Today it houses workshops and studios for artisans, local offices, and serves as a venue for cultural shows including Sufi ceremonies, generally aimed at tourists. Description The building has five stories centered around a large rectangular courtyard. The first two stories are built in stone and distinguished by a portico of tall arches around the courtyard, while the three upper floors are made of brick and marked by regular rows of windows and (on the highest floor) mashrabiyas. Animals (pack animals or livestock) and merchandise would be kept on the ground floor, while the second floor housed the merchants (and possibly some