The Hasan Pasha Han () is a historic building and former

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...

Diyarbakır Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province. Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, it is ...

, Turkey. It is located near the center of the Sur district (the old walled city), across from the

Great Mosque of Diyarbakır The Great Mosque of Diyarbakır ( or ; )Great Mosque of Diyarbakır
, '' ...

. It was built in the 16th century during the Ottoman period of the city. Along with the nearby Delliler Han to the south, it is one of the best preserved Ottoman caravanserais in eastern Turkey. Today the building hosts cafés and shops.

History

The caravanserai (''han'' in Turkish) was built from 1573 to 1575. Its construction was commissioned by Hasan Pasha, the oldest son of

Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Sokollu Mehmed Pasha (; ; ; 1505 – 11 October 1579) was an Ottoman statesman of Serb origin most notable for being the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. Born in Ottoman Herzegovina into an Orthodox Christian family, Mehmed was recruited as ...

, the Ottoman

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 ...

. The building was likely designed primarily to host shops and store goods, but historical sources attested that it also served as an

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accomm ...

that hosted travelers who were staying in the city overnight and that it could stable horses. In 1613, it hosted the Polish traveler Simeon, who described the building and claimed it could house some 500 horses. Following restoration work that began in 2006, the caravanserai now serves as a social meeting place that contains breakfast cafés, restaurants, and shops.

Architecture

The walls of the building are built in alternating layers of light-coloured limestone and dark basalt in the local style. The building has an imposing street façade, especially on its west side, overlooking the main street. The façade design appears to be more sophisticated when compared with the older Delliler Han to the south, along the same street. The central entrances to the east and west are set inside deep recessed

iwan An iwan (, , also as ''ivan'' or ''ivān''/''īvān'', , ) 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 projecting ...

s. The outer corners of the entrance iwans are colonettes. The colonettes of the eastern portal are framed by ''

muqarnas Muqarnas (), also known in Iberian architecture as Mocárabe (from ), is a form of three-dimensional decoration in Islamic architecture in which rows or tiers of niche-like elements are projected over others below. It is an archetypal form of I ...

'' cornices that run vertically before turning inward above them, while the side walls of the iwan are marked by decorative ''muqarnas'' niches. Above the iwan on the west side is a decorative stonework panel as well as two windows inside recesses crowned by sharply-cut ''muqarnas'' and flanked by colonnettes. The style of these windows is reminiscent of monumental caravanserais in

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

and

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

. Six windows pierce the façade on either side of the entrance, corresponding to the rooms inside. File:Hasan Pasha Han DSCF8329.jpg, Western street façade File:Diyarbakir - Hasan Pasha Hani (Gate Detail).jpg, Detail of the decoration above the

of the western entrance File:Hasan Pasha Han DSCF8111.jpg, Inside the iwan (vaulted recess) of the western entrance File:Hasan Pasha Han DSCF8343.jpg, Decorative colonette and muqarnas around the eastern entrance portal File:Hasan Pasha Han DSCF8341.jpg, Muqarnas decoration inside the eastern entrance iwan The building's interior is arranged around a large rectangular courtyard. In the center of this is a ''

shadirvan A shadirvan (, , ) is a type of fountain that is usually built in the courtyard or near the entrance of mosques, caravanserais, khanqahs, and madrasas, with the main purpose of providing water for drinking or ritual ablutions to several peop ...

'' with a dome resting on an octagonal configuration of eight columns. Around the edges of the courtyard runs a two-story gallery of broad arches supported by pillars. Behind the galleries are a series of rooms covered by domes or vaults. Both levels are now occupied by shops and cafés. File:Hasan Pasha Han DSCF9315.jpg, Interior courtyard, with the domed ''

'' in the center File:Diyarbakır Hasan Paşa Han after restoration 7906.jpg, View of the upper floor gallery File:Hasan Pasha Han DSCF8684.jpg, View of vaulted sub-level

References

{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Diyarbakır Caravanserais in Turkey Ottoman architecture in Turkey