Kurşunlu Han: An Ottoman Commercial Inn in Manisa
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.5
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Turkey
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Ottoman
- Site type
- Economic
- Remains
- Caravanserai
On this page4 sections
History
Kurşunlu Han is an Ottoman commercial inn in Manisa, Türkiye, commissioned in 1488 in the Empire style by Hüsnüşah Hatun, the wife of Sultan Bayezid II. It formed part of the Hatuniye Mosque complex, a külliye, meaning a group of religious, charitable, and commercial buildings organized around a foundation.
The building was damaged in the earthquake of 1611. Repairs followed in 1643 and 1677, preserving the inn through successive periods of Ottoman use. The seventeenth-century traveller and writer Evliya Çelebi described it as the lead-covered Grain Market Inn, a castle-like great inn with forty domes where Arab and Persian merchants stayed. He also recorded Hatuniye Han as another name for the building.
Kurşunlu Han underwent restoration between 2016 and 2018 and now serves as a cultural and arts centre. Ownership remains with the General Directorate of Foundations.
Remains
Courtyard building and masonry
The surviving han is a two-storey building arranged around a central courtyard. It was constructed from stone and brick, with the walls formed by alternating masonry consisting of one row of stone followed by two rows of brick. On the west façade, the principal entrance is marked by a monumental portal built from two-coloured stones.
Rooms, roofs, and adjoining shops
The building contains 74 rooms, including 36 on the ground floor and 38 on the upper floor. Ground-floor rooms have vaulted ceilings, while the upper-floor rooms are covered by domes. The foundation deed mentions 21 shops adjoining the han, and nine of these shops remain along the west façade.
