Rüstem Pasha Caravanserai (), also known as Taşhan, is a

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 ...

located in

Yakutiye Yakutiye is a municipality and district of Erzurum Province, Turkey. Its area is 945 km2, and its population is 190,373 (2022). It covers the central and northern part of the urban area of Erzurum. The district was created from part of the fo ...

district of

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...

, eastern Turkey, built by Ottoman statesman and

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 ...

Rüstem Pasha Rüstem Pasha (; ; 1505 – 10 July 1561) was an Ottoman statesman who served as Grand Vizier to Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. Rüstem Pasha is also known as Damat Rüstem Pasha (the epithet ''damat'' meaning 'son-in-law') as a result of ...

in 1561.

Location

Rüstem Pasha Caravanserai is located on Menderes Street at Fevziye neighborhood in

district of

, eastern Turkey.

History

The caravanserai was commissioned by

(c. 1500–1561), Ottoman statesman and

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I (; , ; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the Western world and as Suleiman the Lawgiver () in his own realm, was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman sultan between 1520 a ...

(reigned 1520–1566). Completed in 1561, it served the travelers and met all their needs day and night. It contained a hospice, a small mosque, resting places, shops, stables for keeping camels, donkeys, oxen, buffaloes and horses. Not all of the original building parts survived. The inscription over the entrance gate reads as "This is a

border post A border checkpoint is a location on an international border where travelers or goods are inspected and allowed (or denied) passage through. Authorization often is required to enter a country through its borders. Access-controlled borders of ...

" () due to the position of Erzurum as a border city at that time. 40 to 50 men strong raider troops were stationed at the border posts, or outposts. After the eastern borders of the Ottoman Empire territory were extended out to

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

and

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

, the mansions, shelters, barns and shops were added to the caravanserai.

Architecture

Rüstem Pasha Caravanserai is an important example of a caravanserai in

Ottoman architecture Ottoman architecture is an architectural style or tradition that developed under the Ottoman Empire over a long period, undergoing some significant changes during its history. It first emerged in northwestern Anatolia in the late 13th century an ...

. The two-story ashlar building surrounds a rectangular courtyard. The courtyard has an entrance in the west and the east. The gates hare pointed arched and vaulted. The building has 32 rooms, which are situated behind verandas looking to the courtyard. The upper rooms are flat vaulted. The ornaments found here were added in a later time. The caravanserai underwent a major restoration in 1965. A slight supercumbent was added to the western facade of the building that created an office room for the caravanserai manager over the barrel vaulted entrance, which became a bit longer.

Today

The caravanserai, locally known as "Taşhan" for "stoney commercial building", today houses around hundred workshops and souvenir shops. Many of which sell prayer beads,

ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

s and

necklace A necklace is an article of jewellery that is worn around the neck. Necklaces may have been one of the earliest types of adornment worn by humans. They often serve ceremonial, religious, magical, or funerary purposes and are also used as sy ...

s, made of local

Oltu stone Oltu stone () is a kind of jet (lignite), jet found in the region around Oltu town within Erzurum Province, eastern Turkey. The organic substance is used as semi-precious gemstone in manufacturing jewellery. Location and extraction Oltu stone, s ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rustem Pasha Caravanserai Buildings and structures completed in 1561 Commercial buildings completed in the 16th century Buildings and structures in Erzurum Province Buildings and structures of the Ottoman Empire Caravanserais in Turkey Ottoman caravanserais 1561 establishments in the Ottoman Empire