It was built by the Jalayirid governor of Baghdad, Amin al-Din Murjan in the 14th century originally as a caravanserai, an inn for traveling merchants, with a large center hall that was 13 metres (43 ft) high.

[2] The building was reputedly in a state of disrepair for over two centuries, with waist-high flood water from the Tigris standing in the famous hallway.

[9] By the mid-1980s, under the leadership of Saddam Hussein, the building was turned into a tourist restaurant in which it materialized an authentic Baghdadi atmosphere with Iraqi Maqam being played inside.

In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the Khan Murjan Souk at WAFI Mall is a popular tourist destination.

The mall spectacle has four quarters that are set in a 14th-century souk with decorations and architecture influenced by historic Egypt, Syria, Morocco, and Turkey.