Büyük Valide Han
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The Büyük Valide Han () is the largest historic ''han'' (
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 ...
) in
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
,
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. It was founded in 1651 by Kösem Valide Sultan, the mother of the Ottoman sultans
Murat IV Murad IV (, ''Murād-ı Rābiʿ''; , was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods. Murad IV was born in Constantinople, the son of Sul ...
and Ibrahim.


History

The ''han'' is located in the central historic market district that extends from the Grand Bazaar to the
Eminönü Eminönü, historically known as Pérama, is a predominantly commercial waterfront area of Istanbul within the Fatih district near the confluence of the Golden Horn with the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait and the Sea of Marmara. It is l ...
neighbourhood on the shore of the
Golden Horn The Golden Horn ( or ) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with the Bosphorus Strait at the point where the strait meets the Sea of Marmara, the waters of the ...
. Since the founding of the first ''
bedesten A bedesten (variants: bezistan, bezisten, bedestan) is a type of covered market or market hall which was historically found in the cities of the Ottoman Empire. It was typically the central building of the commercial district of an Ottoman town o ...
'' by
Mehmet II Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, ...
in the mid-15th century, the Grand Bazaar developed into the city's main hub of international trade, spawning entire districts of shops, warehouses, and merchant lodgings. A ''han'', a type of urban
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 ...
, was a common type of commercial structure 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 ...
(and more broadly in Islamic-world architecture) which served a number of functions including lodging for foreign merchants, storage for goods or merchandise, housing for artisan workshops, and offices from which to conduct dealings. A number of ''han''s were built over the centuries in and around the Grand Bazaar district. Before the construction of the Büyük Valide Han, the site was occupied by the 16th-century palace of
Cerrah Mehmed Pasha Cerrah Mehmed Pasha (; died January 1604, Istanbul) was an Ottoman statesman. He was grand vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1598 to 1599.Uzunçarşılı, İsmail Hakkı, (1954) ''Osmanlı Tarihi III. Cilt, 2. Kısım, XVI. Yüzyıl Ortalarında ...
. It was in this palace that one of the first
printing presses A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the ...
in the city was set up, in 1567, by Apkar of
Sivas Sivas is a city in central Turkey. It is the seat of Sivas Province and Sivas District.İl Beledi ...
. The ''han'' was founded in 1651 by Kösem Mahpeyker
Valide Sultan Valide Sultan (, lit. "Sultana mother") was the title held by the mother of a ruling sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans first formally used the title in the 16th century as an epithet of Hafsa Sultan (died 1534), mother of Sultan Suleima ...
, the powerful mother of the Ottoman sultans
Murat IV Murad IV (, ''Murād-ı Rābiʿ''; , was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods. Murad IV was born in Constantinople, the son of Sul ...
and Ibrahim. Its revenues were used to finance the upkeep of the
Çinili Mosque The Çinili Mosque () is a 17th-century Ottoman mosque in the Üsküdar district of Istanbul, Turkey. The small mosque is best known for its extensive tile decoration, which earned it its name. Historical background The mosque was commission ...
she had founded earlier in
Üsküdar Üsküdar () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 35 km2, and its population is 524,452 (2022). It is a large and densely populated district on the Anatolian (Asian) shore of the Bosphorus. It is border ...
, the Asian district of Istanbul, through the use of the usual ''
waqf A (; , plural ), also called a (, plural or ), or ''mortmain'' property, is an Alienation (property law), inalienable charitable financial endowment, endowment under Sharia, Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot ...
'' system. In the 19th century the building was inhabited by, and associated with, the
Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...
merchant community. An Iranian presence in the city had long existed thanks to Istanbul's position in the
Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...
and due to invasions and political upheaval which had displaced migrants from Iran. By the beginning of the 19th century, most of the Iranian merchant community was established in a small caravanserai called Hoca Han in the Eyüp neighbourhood. However the community grew in number and importance during the 19th century following the
Treaties of Erzurum The Treaties of Erzurum were two treaties that were ratified in 1823 and 1847 which settled boundary disputes between the Ottoman Empire and Persia. First Treaty of 1823 Throughout history, there has been a constant primary concern of establish ...
(1823-1847) which allowed for the resumption of trade and diplomatic relations between the Ottoman Empire and
Qajar Iran The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic peoples, Turkic origin,Cyrus G ...
. In order to accommodate this growth, they began to move into the larger and more centrally located Valide Han. By the late 19th century, many rich Iranian merchant families held their offices here. Iranian
Shi'a Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor ( caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community ( imam). However, his right is understoo ...
rituals such as celebrations of '
Ashura Ashura (, , ) is a day of commemoration in Islam. It occurs annually on the tenth of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. For Sunni Muslims, Ashura marks the parting of the Red Sea by Moses and the salvation of the Israelites ...
were also able to take place in the main courtyard of the ''han'', where a private mosque also served the community. Thanks to the preeminence of the trade route between
Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...
and Istanbul in particular,
Iranian Azerbaijanis Iranian Azerbaijanis (; ) are the largest ethnic minority of Iran. They are primarily found in and are native to the Iranian Azerbaijan region including provinces of (East Azerbaijan, Ardabil Province, Ardabil, Zanjan Province, Zanjan, West ...
made up the majority of the community and were specialized in
import An importer is the receiving country in an export from the sending country. Importation and exportation are the defining financial transactions of international trade. Import is part of the International Trade which involves buying and receivin ...
trades such as
carpets A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of Pile (textile), pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fiber, synthetic fibres such as polyprop ...
and
silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
. Today the ''han'' is severely dilapidated but still partly occupied by offices and businesses, though the occupants are all Turkish rather than of Iranian origin. The Iranian mosque in the middle of the main courtyard still continues to serve as a Shi'a mosque connected to the Iranian community, but it is only open for certain occasions. In recent years the ''han'' was also visited by tourists enjoying the views of the city available from its rooftop. The interior of the ''han'' also made a brief appearance during a motorcycle chase scene in the 2012
James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
movie ''
Skyfall ''Skyfall'' is a 2012 spy thriller film and the twenty-third in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. The film is the third to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond and features Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, ...
''.


Architecture

The ''han'' covers a large area centered around a vast central square courtyard, measuring 55 meters per side, and two other lesser courtyards. While traditional caravanserais typically featured only one central courtyard, the ''han''s of Istanbul grew in complexity over time and sometimes demonstrated irregular floor plans in order to adapt to limited space in the densely built-up city. The Büyük Valide Han's irregular layout was an example of this trend and it may have been the first example to have as many as three courtyards. The first courtyard, as one enters the building, is of an irregular but roughly triangular shape, with one side of the structure aligned with the street outside. To the north is the main central courtyard, and north of this is a smaller, rectangular courtyard which is sometimes referred to as the ''Küçük Valide Han'' (the "Small" Valide Han). The main building has two stories; the ground floor was originally dedicated to housing camels and horses, while the upper floor was used as lodging for merchants and wholesale offices. These are accessed via a two-story gallery with
vaulted In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while ring ...
corridors which surrounds the courtyards. In the middle of the main courtyard is a small mosque, which was first built for the Shi'a Iranian community in the 19th century but burned down in 1947 and was rebuilt in 1951. Although the ''han'' remains representative of the commercial architecture of its time, it has been modified frequently over the centuries in order to expand and adapt it to evolving needs. By the end of the 18th century, it had grown to hold 366 rooms. Since then, many small structures and new rooms have been continuously added onto the fabric of the old building. The northeastern corner of the building notably incorporates the substantial remains of a large
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
stone tower, though there is still some dispute as to its origin. Known as the Tower of Eirene, it originally stood 27 meters tall and is the only such tower still standing in the city today. In the ''han''s older days the tower's upper chamber was used as a mosque and its lower chamber was used as a weaving mill, but today it is largely disused. File:Buyuk valide han DSCF1383.jpg, Exterior view, with the ''han'' and its entrance on the left File:Büyük Valide Han interior in 2014 9025.jpg, View of the corridor on the upper floor gallery File:Buyuk valide han DSCF1397.jpg, One of the domes over on the upper floor gallery around the main courtyard File:Buyuk valide han DSCF1418.jpg, View of the smaller courtyard to the north; also visible is a stone tower thought to date from the
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
era (Tower of Eirene) File:Next to Grand Bazaar, Istanbul - panoramio.jpg, Inside the smaller northern courtyard


Surrounding area and other nearby ''han''s

As the neighbourhood of the Büyük Valide Han is at the heart of the city's historic merchant district, the area is filled with a number of other historic Ottoman commercial buildings. The Valide Han is located just east of ''Uzun Çarşı Caddesi'' (Uzun Çarşı Street) and its entrance opens onto ''Mercan Caddesi'' (Mercan Street). A number of other historic ''han''s also adjoin this street within the same vicinity, in varying states of preservation. The most notable examples include: the
Büyük Yeni Han The Büyük Yeni Han () is a large historic Caravanserai, ''han'' (caravanserai) in Istanbul, Turkey. It was founded by Sultan Mustafa III and completed in 1764 Common Era, CE (1177 Hijri year, AH). It is the second largest historic caravanserai ...
(completed in 1764 and the second-largest ''han'' in the city after the Valide Han), the Küçük Yeni Han (built at the same time), and the
Kürkçü Han The Kürkçü Han () is a large historic ''han'' (caravanserai) in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mahmud Pasha Angelović, Mahmud Pasha, the grand vizier of Mehmed the Conqueror, Mehmet II, it was completed in 1467 and is the oldest surviving carava ...
(the oldest surviving ''han'' in the city, completed in 1467).


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Buyuk Valide Han Tourist attractions in Istanbul Caravanserais in Istanbul