Öküz Mehmet Pasha Complex (), alternatively known as Öküz Mehmet Pasha Caravanserai, is a

külliye A külliye () is a complex of buildings associated with Turkish architecture centered on a mosque and managed within a single institution, often based on a waqf (charitable foundation) and composed of a madrasa, a Dar al-Shifa (clinic), kitchens ...

(building complex) in Ulukışla,

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. According to Ulukışla municipality page the name Ulukışla refers to the complex. In the past a part of the complex was used as military barracks () and the Ulukışla citizens called the complex Ulukışla ("Great barracks") which eventually became the name of the settlement.

Location

The complex is situated in the center of Ulukışla district of

Niğde Province Niğde Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province in the southern part of Central Anatolia, Turkey. Its area is 7,234 km2, and its population is 365,419 (2022) of which 170,511 live in the city of Niğde. The population was 348,081 in 200 ...

about north of the main state highway D750.

History

The commissioner of the complex was Öküz Mehmet Pasha (died in 1619), a

grand vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. (There is another caravanserai bearing his name in

Kuşadası Kuşadası () is a municipality and district of Aydın Province, Turkey. Its area is 265 km2, and its population is 130,835 (2022). It is a large resort town on the Aegean coast. Kuşadası is south of İzmir, and about west of Aydın. T ...

) During his campaign to

Safavid dynasty The Safavid dynasty (; , ) was one of Iran's most significant ruling dynasties reigning from Safavid Iran, 1501 to 1736. Their rule is often considered the beginning of History of Iran, modern Iranian history, as well as one of the gunpowder em ...

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

(modern Iran) in 1615, he decided to spend the winter in Ulukışla. But he was unable to find adequate barracks for his soldiers and he had to distribute the troops to nearby towns. To solve the problem for the future campaigns he had the complex built in 1616. According to another theory about the origin of the complex, Ulukışla was the birth place of Öküz Mehmet Pasha and he tried to rebuild his home town. The complex underwent a renovation in 1753. In 2011 it was restored by the Directorate of Foundations.Online news agency
/ref> Presently the complex is used as a market place . Both the governorship and the municipality have offices in the building.

The complex

The complex is situated on a gentle slope from the north. The main building is a rectangular arasta (Ottoman

bazaar A bazaar or souk is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, Central Asia, North Africa and South Asia. They are traditionally located in vaulted or covered streets th ...

) situated in west to east direction. North of the bazaar, there is a square-plan courtyard with

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

. The dormitories encircle the courtyard.Niğde Tourism Directory
/ref> South of the bazaar there is a hamam (

Turkish bath A hammam (), also often called a Turkish bath by Westerners, is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited from the model ...

) and a mosque. Originally there was a golden

finial A finial () or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a dome, spire, tower, roo ...

in the bath. But it was later stolen. The heated water in the hamam was used to heat the complex. The complex had a sewage system. The total ground area of the complex is .Ulukışa page
/ref>

In literature

''Han Duvarları'' ("Walls of Caravansarai") is a well-known poem of the renowned Turkish poet

Faruk Nafiz Çamlıbel Faruk Nafiz Çamlıbel (18 May 1898 – 8 November 1973) was a leading Turkish people, Turkish poet, author and later politician. He is one of the Five Syllabists. Together with Behçet Kemal Çağlar, he wrote the lyrics of the Tenth Anniver ...

(1898–1973). Çamlıbel wrote this poem in 1925 after his travel from Ulukışla to another city. It is claimed that Çamlıbel was inspired by Öküz Mehmet Pasha Complex.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okuz Mehmet Pasha Complex Buildings and structures in Niğde Province Ulukışla District Buildings and structures completed in 1616 Caravanserais in Turkey Buildings and structures of the Ottoman Empire Ottoman caravanserais Commercial buildings completed in the 17th century 1616 establishments in the Ottoman Empire