A cube-shaped stone structure built above the ground on four arched pillars
The small elevated mosque in the courtyard
A large stone gate with stone-carved decoration
Entrance portal of the caravanserai's winter hall

Sultan Han is a historic Seljuk-era caravanserai in Turkey, located 47 km northeast of Kayseri on the road to Sivas, in an area also known as Tuzhisar.[1][2][3] It was built between 1232 and 1237 CE by Sultan Ala ad-Din Kayqubad I.[4][2][1]

Description

The caravanserai covers an area of 3,900 square meters, making it the second-largest medieval caravanserai in Turkey after the other Sultan Han near Aksaray.[4][2] Like other Seljuk caravanserais, it served as a stop for travelers and merchants along the major trade routes of the region, providing lodging and other basic services.[4]

It shares a similar layout to the other Sultan Han. Its exterior has a fortified appearance and the entrance is marked by a monumental portal with rich stone-carved decoration including a vaulted canopy of muqarnas. This entrance leads to a large interior courtyard surrounded by arcades, at the middle of which is a small square stone chamber elevated on four pillars, which served as a small mosque. Opposite the entrance, at the other end of the courtyard, is another portal which leads to the "winter hall": a main vaulted nave with a central dome (marked by a conical roof on the outside), from which other vaulted chambers open on either side.[2][4][1] The building also contains notable examples of Seljuk stone-carved animal motifs, including drain spouts resembling lion heads and serpentine dragon motifs along the lower arches of the elevated mosque in the courtyard.[2][4]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sultan Han (Kayseri).
  1. 1 2 3 "Sultanhanı Kervansarayı". www.kayseri.gov.tr. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Sultan Han Kayseri". www.turkishhan.org. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  3. ↑ Municipality, Selcuklu. "SULTAN HAN, TUZHİSAR". www.selcuklumirasi.com. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Sultan Han". Archnet. Retrieved 2020-07-04.

38°58′22.5″N 35°53′43″E / 38.972917°N 35.89528°E / 38.972917; 35.89528

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