Haseki Sultan Imaret in the Old City of Jerusalem is considered a safe haven for the poor and visitors of al-Aqsa Mosque since it offers hot meals throughout the year and especially in the holy month of Ramadan where the demand increases.
Haseki Sultan is a title given to the wife of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent Roxelana who visited Jerusalem in 1552 AD and ordered the establishment of a large charitable complex when she witnessed the huge number of visitors and worshipers coming to al-Aqsa Mosque.
Director-general of the Islamic Waqf (endowment) in Occupied Jerusalem Azzam al-Khatib said that Haseki Sultan Imaret is the first in Palestine that still exists until the present time.
Khatib told the PIC reporter that the Imaret was usually overseen by the highest-ranked person in Jerusalem like the Sultan or the governor.
He underlined that as Palestine had gone through many eras of occupation the Imaret’s income started to decrease so it was forced to rely on the Islamic Waqf and donations.
He pointed out that Haseki Sultan Imaret usually provides daily meals of the finest food for about 600 people and the number gets doubled in Ramadan.
Khatib affirmed that such project preserves the dignity of the poor amid the bad economic conditions.
The Imaret is not only aimed at feeding the poor and the al-Aqsa Mosque visitors but also at strengthening the steadfastness of the Jerusalemite people in view of the deteriorating economic conditions and the high rate of poverty and unemployment Khatib added.
The Imaret which is overseen by the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf constitutes an outlet for the Jerusalemites as 80% of them live below the poverty line.
