Koza Han

Particularly in the 14th to 16th centuries, a large number of commercial structures such as hans (caravanserais), bazaars (covered markets), and a bedesten were built in the city center, forming a major zone of economic activity.

[1]) It is here, next to the old Orhan Gazi Mosque, that Sultan Bayezid II ordered the construction of the Koza Han in February or March of 1490.

[4][2] As a caravanserai, the han provided lodging for foreign merchants, storage for their animals and goods, housing for the workshops of craftsmen, and/or offices for conducting business.

[2] At the center of the courtyard is a small octagonal stone mosque or prayer room (mescit) which is raised above the ground on 8 pillars and reached by a marble staircase.

The portal is decorated with a spiral moulding along its edges, as well as with geometric patterns made of inset coloured tile on the spandrels above the archway.

The entrance portal of the han
The vaulted corridor around the courtyard of the han