Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Caravanserai
| Sokollu Mehmet Pasha caravanserai | |
|---|---|
Sokollu Mehmet Paşa kervansarayı | |
Sokollu Mehmet Pasha |
Sokollu Mehmet Pasha caravanserai is a 16th-century caravanserai in Payas, Turkey.
Location
The caravanserai is in Payas town, İskenderun ilçe (district) of Hatay Province. It is easily accessible from Turkish state highway D.817 which connects İskenderun to North. There is also a castle to the west of the caravanserai.
History
Payas is a seaside town on the
The building
The purpose of the caravanserai was to provide accommodation for merchants traveling to nearby Aleppo, and for the pilgrims on the wat to Mecca. The caravanserai is a rectangular plan building about 13,000 m2 (140,000 sq ft).[2] In addition to trade section, it has many units such as a mosque, a hammam, a madrasa etc. Thus, some sources call it a külliye, a building complex. (For the plan of the caravanserai see Plan).
Present usage
The caravanserai was restored by the Payas municipality (now a branch of İskenderun municipality) between 2011 and 2013. The municipality won for this project the ÇEKÜL (Protection and Promotion of the Environment and Cultural Heritage) award.[3] After the restoration, the caravanserai was put into use. The western part of the complex is dedicated to the shops just like the traditional usage while the eastern part is now used by the municipality offices.
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