Sultan Han is a large 13th-century Seljuk

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering ...

located in the town of Sultanhanı,

Aksaray Province Aksaray Province ( tr, ) is a province in central Turkey. Its adjacent provinces are Konya along the west and south, Niğde to the southeast, Nevşehir to the east, and Kırşehir to the north. It covers an area of . The provincial capital is th ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. It is one of the three monumental

s in the neighbourhood of

Aksaray Aksaray (, Koine Greek: Ἀρχελαΐς ''Arhelays'', Medieval Greek: Κολώνεια ''Koloneya'', Ancient Greek: Γαρσάουρα ''Garsaura'') is a city in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Aksaray Province. In 20 ...

and is located about west of Aksaray on the road to

Konya Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it ...

History

This fortified structure was built in 1229 (dated by inscription), during the reign of the Seljuk sultan

Kayqubad I Alā ad-Dīn Kayqubād ibn Kaykhusraw ( fa, علاء الدين كيقباد بن كيخسرو; tr, I. Alâeddin Keykûbad, 1190–1237), also known as Kayqubad I, was the Seljuq Sultan of Rûm who reigned from 1220 to 1237. He expanded the ...

(r. 1220-1237), by the Syrian architect Muhammad ibn Khalwan al-Dimashqi (Dimashqi meaning from

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

) along the ''Uzun Yolu'' (lit. long road) trade route leading from Konya to Aksaray and continuing into Persia. After it was partially destroyed by a fire, it was restored and extended in 1278 by the governor Seraceddin Ahmed Kerimeddin bin El Hasan during the reign of the sultan Kaykhusraw III.

Description

The caravanserai is considered one of the best examples of Seljuk architecture in Turkey. Covering an area of 4,900 square meters, it is the largest medieval caravanserai in Turkey. The khan is entered at the east, through a '' pishtaq'', a 13-m-high gate made from marble, which projects from the front wall (itself 50 m wide). The pointed arch enclosing the gate is decorated with

muqarnas Muqarnas ( ar, مقرنص; fa, مقرنس), also known in Iranian architecture as Ahoopāy ( fa, آهوپای) and in Iberian architecture as Mocárabe, is a form of ornamented vaulting in Islamic architecture. It is the archetypal form of ...

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the st ...

s and a geometrically patterned plaiting. This main gate leads into a 44 x 58 m open courtyard that was used in the summer. A similarly decorated archway on the far side of the open courtyard, with a muqarnas niche, joggled

voussoir A voussoir () is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault. Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. Th ...

s and interlocking geometric designs, leads to a covered courtyard (''

iwan An iwan ( fa, ایوان , ar, إيوان , also spelled ivan) is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called , a Persian term for a portal projectin ...

''), which was for winter use. The central aisle of the covered hall has a barrel-vaulted ceiling with transverse ribs, with a short dome-capped tower over the center of the vault. The dome has an oculus to provide air and light to the hall. A square stone kiosk-mosque (''köşk mescidi''), the oldest example in Turkey, is located in the middle of the open courtyard. A construction of four carved barrel-vaulted arches supports the mosque on the second floor. The small prayer hall of the mosque contains a richly decorated mehrab (Qibla direction marker), and is lit by two windows. Stables with accommodation above were located in the arcades on both sides of the inner courtyard.

Gallery

File:Sultanhanı Kervansaray. Sultanhanı.jpg, Main entrance portal File:Sultanhani - Portal außen 2 Muquarnas.jpg,

Muqarnas Muqarnas ( ar, مقرنص; fa, مقرنس), also known in Iranian architecture as Ahoopāy ( fa, آهوپای) and in Iberian architecture as Mocárabe, is a form of ornamented vaulting in Islamic architecture. It is the archetypal form of ...

vaulting of the main portal File:Turkey-2213 (2217019896).jpg, Decorative niche in the main portal File:Sultanhani Caravanserai, Turkey (23944555856).jpg, Main interior courtyard File:Turkey-2207 (2217019142) (2).jpg, Square stone kiosk-mosque of Sultan Han File:Sultanhani - Gebetshaus 4 Ornament.jpg, Detail of ornamental stonework on kiosk mosque File:Sultani - Gebetshaus 6 Innenraum.jpg, Interior of the mosque, including the ''

mihrab Mihrab ( ar, محراب, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "qibla w ...

'' File:20180110 Sultanhani 4488 (39381795284).jpg, Entrance portal of the interior (winter) chambers File:Turkey-2200 (2216225741).jpg, Vaults and dome in the interior (winter) chambers

References

External links

Sultan Han Aksaray
{{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in the 13th century Buildings and structures in Aksaray Province Buildings and structures of the Sultanate of Rum Caravanserais in Turkey History of Aksaray Province Seljuk architecture

History

Description

Gallery

See also

References

External links