After five years of restoration work, Jerusalem’s Al-Quds University officially opened its new education center at Khan Tankiz, the site of an ancient market that dates from the 14th century.

Taking its name from the Mameluk ruler Tankiz, who built both the market and the nearby Bab al-Qattanin (Cotton Merchants Gate), the historical building stands between two ancient bathhouses, Hammam el-Ain and Hammam el-Shifa.

Al-Quds University has been working to restore the three buildings, which are considered central to the Old City’s heritage. As part of a project funded by the European Union and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Hammam el-Shifa was turned into a cultural center and Hammam el-Ain was restored as a public bathhouse (a hammam) — the oldest functioning one in the city.

Ottoman-style public baths are a part of the Palestinians' cultural and educational heritage and are deeply rooted in the social customs of the old cities of Nablus, Hebron and Jerusalem. Hammam el-Ain will serve both men and women and will host special occasions such as weddings and women’s pre-wedding ceremonies.