Old Akko has four large khans (caravanserais) whose courtyards – surrounded by colonnaded storerooms and, upstairs, sleeping quarters – once served camel caravans bringing grain from, and imported goods to, the hinterland. The grandest is the 18th-century Khan al-Umdan , easily recognisable thanks to its square Ottoman clock tower, which is next to the marina . The pillars that give the khan its name were appropriated from Caesarea.
Plans to convert the complex into a hotel are stalled, so the site is in limbo, but visits may be possible from the nearby entrance to the Templars' Tunnel.
The other khans are easier to visit. Khan ash-Shawarda , just south of Salah ad-Din St, was recently spruced up and now shelters a number of restaurants. The courtyards of Khan al-Faranj , a few blocks southwest, and Khan ash-Shune , a few steps west of the eastern entrance to the Templars' Tunnel, are accessible through open archways.
