The Büyük Valide Han () is the largest historic ''han'' (
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 coverin ...
) in
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
.
It was founded in 1651 by
Kösem Valide Sultan, the mother of the
Ottoman sultans
Murat IV
Murad IV ( ota, مراد رابع, ''Murād-ı Rābiʿ''; tr, IV. Murad, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods. Murad IV was born in Con ...
and
Ibrahim.
History

The ''han'' is located in the central historic market district that extends from the
Grand Bazaar to the
Eminönü
Eminönü is a predominantly commercial waterfront area of Istanbul within the Fatih district near the confluence of the Golden Horn with the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait and the Sea of Marmara. It is connected to Karaköy (historic G ...
neighbourhood on the shore of the
Golden Horn
The Golden Horn ( tr, Altın Boynuz or ''Haliç''; grc, Χρυσόκερας, ''Chrysókeras''; la, Sinus Ceratinus) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with t ...
.
Since the founding of the first ''
bedesten
A bedesten (variants: bezistan, bezisten, bedestan) is a type of covered market or market hall which was historically found in the cities of the Ottoman Empire. It was typically the central building of the commercial district of an Ottoman town or ...
'' by
Mehmet II
Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...
in the mid-15th century, the Grand Bazaar developed into the city's main hub of international trade, spawning entire districts of shops, warehouses, and merchant lodgings.
A ''han'', a type of urban
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 coverin ...
, was a common type of commercial structure in
Ottoman architecture
Ottoman architecture is the architectural style that developed under the Ottoman Empire. It first emerged in northwestern Anatolia in the late 13th century and developed from earlier Seljuk Turkish architecture, with influences from Byzantine a ...
(and more broadly in
Islamic-world architecture) which served a number of functions including lodging for foreign merchants, storage for goods or merchandise, housing for artisan workshops, and offices from which to conduct dealings.
A number of ''han''s were built over the centuries in and around the Grand Bazaar district.
Before the construction of the Büyük Valide Han, the site was occupied by the 16th-century palace of
Cerrah Mehmed Pasha
Cerrah Mehmed Pasha ( ota, جراح محمد پاشا; died January 1604, Istanbul) was an Ottoman statesman. He was grand vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1598 to 1599.Uzunçarşılı, İsmail Hakkı, (1954) ''Osmanlı Tarihi III. Cilt, 2. Kı ...
.
It was in this palace that one of the first
printing presses
A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the c ...
in the city was set up, in 1567, by Apkar of
Sivas
Sivas (Latin and Greek: ''Sebastia'', ''Sebastea'', Σεβάστεια, Σεβαστή, ) is a city in central Turkey and the seat of Sivas Province.
The city, which lies at an elevation of in the broad valley of the Kızılırmak river, is ...
.
The ''han'' was founded in 1651 by
Kösem Mahpeyker Valide Sultan #REDIRECT Valide sultan
{{redirect category shell, {{R from move{{R from miscapitalization{{R unprintworthy ...
, the powerful mother of the
Ottoman sultans
Murat IV
Murad IV ( ota, مراد رابع, ''Murād-ı Rābiʿ''; tr, IV. Murad, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods. Murad IV was born in Con ...
and
Ibrahim.
Its revenues were used to finance the upkeep of the
Çinili Mosque she had founded earlier in
Üsküdar
Üsküdar () is a large and densely populated district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered to the north by Beykoz, to the east by Ümraniye, to the southeast by Ataşehir and to the south by Kadıköy ...
, the Asian district of Istanbul, through the use of the usual ''
waqf
A waqf ( ar, وَقْف; ), also known as hubous () or ''mortmain'' property is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitabl ...
'' system.
In the 19th century the building was inhabited by, and associated with, the
Iranian
Iranian may refer to:
* Iran, a sovereign state
* Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran
* Iranian lan ...
merchant community.
An Iranian presence in the city had long existed thanks to Istanbul's position in the
Silk Road and due to invasions and political upheaval which had displaced migrants from Iran. By the beginning of the 19th century, most of the Iranian merchant community was established in a small caravanserai called Hoca Han in the
Eyüp
Eyüp () or Eyüpsultan is a district of the city of Istanbul, Turkey. The district extends from the Golden Horn all the way to the shore of the Black Sea. Eyüp is also the name of a prominent neighborhood and former village in the district, lo ...
neighbourhood.
However the community grew in number and importance during the 19th century following the
Treaties of Erzurum
The Treaties of Erzurum were two treaties of 1823 and 1847 that settled boundary disputes between the Ottoman Empire and Persia.
First Treaty
Although the Treaty of Zuhab in 1639 had established the boundary between Ottoman Empire and Persia, t ...
(1823-1847) which allowed for the resumption of trade and diplomatic relations between the Ottoman Empire and
Qajar Iran
Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م� ...
.
In order to accommodate this growth, they began to move into the larger and more centrally-located Valide Han.
By the late 19th century, many rich Iranian merchant families held their offices here. Iranian
Shi'a
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...
rituals such as celebrations of '
Ashura
Ashura (, , ) is a day of commemoration in Islam. It occurs annually on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Among Shia Muslims, Ashura is observed through large demonstrations of high-scale mourning as it marks t ...
were also able to take place in the main courtyard of the ''han'', where a private mosque also served the community.
Thanks to the preeminence of the trade route between
Tabriz
Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quru River valley in Iran's historic Azerbaijan region between long ridges of vo ...
and Istanbul in particular,
Iranian Azerbaijanis
Iranian Azerbaijanis (; az, ایران آذربایجانلیلاری, italics=no ), also known as Iranian Azeris, Iranian Turks, Persian Turks or Persian Azerbaijanis, are Iranians of Azerbaijani ethnicity who may speak the Azerbaijani langu ...
made up the majority of the community and were specialized in
import trades such as
carpets
A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyester hav ...
and
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...
.
Today the ''han'' is severely dilapidated but still partly occupied by offices and businesses, though the occupants are all Turkish rather than of Iranian origin.
The Iranian mosque in the middle of the main courtyard still continues to serve as a Shi'a mosque connected to the Iranian community, but it is only open for certain occasions.
In recent years the ''han'' was also visited by tourists enjoying the views of the city available from its rooftop.
The interior of the ''han'' also made a brief appearance during a motorcycle chase scene in the 2012
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 19 ...
movie ''
Skyfall
''Skyfall'' is a 2012 spy film and the twenty-third in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. The film is the third to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond and features Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the vill ...
''.
Architecture
The ''han'' covers a large area centered around a vast central square courtyard, measuring 55 meters per side, and two other lesser courtyards.
While traditional caravanserais typically featured only one central courtyard, the ''han''s of Istanbul grew in complexity over time and sometimes demonstrated irregular floor plans in order to adapt to limited space in the densely built-up city.
The Büyük Valide Han's irregular layout was an example of this trend and it may have been the first example to have as many as three courtyards.
The first courtyard, as one enters the building, is of an irregular but roughly triangular shape, with one side of the structure aligned with the street outside. To the north is the main central courtyard, and north of this is a smaller, rectangular courtyard which is sometimes referred to as the ''Küçük Valide Han'' (the "Small" Valide Han).
The main building has two stories; the ground floor was originally dedicated to housing camels and horses, while the upper floor was used as lodging for merchants and wholesale offices.
These are accessed via a two-story
gallery
Gallery or The Gallery may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Art gallery
** Contemporary art gallery
Music
* Gallery (band), an American soft rock band of the 1970s
Albums
* ''Gallery'' (Elaiza album), 2014 album
* ''Gallery'' (G ...
with
vaulted corridors which surrounds the courtyards.
In the middle of the main courtyard is a small mosque, which was first built for the Shi'a Iranian community in the 19th century but burned down in 1947 and was rebuilt in 1951.
Although the ''han'' remains representative of the commercial architecture of its time, it has been modified frequently over the centuries in order to expand and adapt it to evolving needs. By the end of the 18th century, it had grown to hold 366 rooms.
Since then, many small structures and new rooms have been continuously added onto the fabric of the old building.
The northeastern corner of the building notably incorporates the substantial remains of a large
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...
stone tower, though there is still some dispute as to its origin.
Known as the Tower of Eirene, it originally stood 27 meters tall and is the only such tower still standing in the city today.
In the ''han''s older days the tower's upper chamber was used as a mosque and its lower chamber was used as a weaving mill, but today it is largely disused.
File:Buyuk valide han DSCF1397.jpg, One of the domes over on the upper floor gallery
Gallery or The Gallery may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Art gallery
** Contemporary art gallery
Music
* Gallery (band), an American soft rock band of the 1970s
Albums
* ''Gallery'' (Elaiza album), 2014 album
* ''Gallery'' (G ...
around the main courtyard
File:Buyuk valide han DSCF1576.jpg, View of the corridor on the upper floor gallery
File:Buyuk valide han DSCF1418.jpg, View of the smaller courtyard to the north; also visible is a stone tower thought to date from the Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...
era (Tower of Eirene)
File:Next to Grand Bazaar, Istanbul - panoramio.jpg, Inside the smaller northern courtyard
Surrounding area and other nearby ''han''s

As the neighbourhood of the Büyük Valide Han is at the heart of the city's historic merchant district, the area is filled with a number of other historic Ottoman commercial buildings. The Valide Han is located just east of ''Uzun Çarşı Caddesi'' (Uzun Çarşı Street) and its entrance opens onto ''Mercan Caddesi'' (Mercan Street). A number of other historic ''han''s also adjoin this street within the same vicinity, in varying states of preservation. The most notable examples include: the
Büyük Yeni Han
The Büyük Yeni Han () is a large historic ''han'' (caravanserai) in Istanbul, Turkey. It was founded by Sultan Mustafa III and completed in 1764 CE (1177 AH). It is the second largest historic caravanserai in the city.
History
The ''han ...
(completed in 1764 and the second-largest ''han'' in the city after the Valide Han), the Küçük Yeni Han (built at the same time), and the
Kürkçü Han (the oldest surviving ''han'' in the city, completed in 1467).
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buyuk Valide Han
Buildings and structures in Istanbul
Ottoman architecture in Istanbul
Buildings and structures of the Ottoman Empire
Tourist attractions in Istanbul
Caravanserais in Turkey