Kürkçü Han

Founded by Mahmud Pasha, the grand vizier of Mehmet II, it was completed in 1467 and is the oldest surviving caravanserai in the city, although it has been modified, partly ruined, and renovated over the centuries.

The han is located in the central historic market district that extends from the Grand Bazaar to the Eminönü neighbourhood on the shore of the Golden Horn.

[1] Since the founding of the first bedesten by Mehmet II between 1456 and 1461, the Grand Bazaar developed into the city's main hub of international trade, spawning entire districts of shops, warehouses, and merchant lodgings.

[2] The Kürkçü Han was part of a religious and charitable complex, a külliye, that was founded by Mahmud Pasha, the grand vizier of Sultan Mehmet II Fatih "the Conqueror".

The building contributed to the revenues of the mosque's waqf foundation by collecting rent from the shops and offices which occupied its rooms.