In 1882 the board of administration of the Sanjak of Beirut decided to build a new administrative building and put up the Emir Assaf Saray for auction. The saray was sold in April 1882 to Mohammad Ayyas and then to members of the Sursock and Tueini families. The old saray was destroyed and replaced by the Sursock souks while work was underway on the construction of the new saray which will become known as the "Petit Serail" to differentiate it from the Kışla-i Humayun (the Ottoman barracks) which is better known as the Grand Serail.[1]