Çengel Han, Ottoman caravanserai at Ulus district, Ankara, Turkey
Çengel Han is a two-story stone structure from the Ottoman period featuring a central courtyard surrounded by rooms, shops, and traditional architectural details. Today a glass roof covers the courtyard, and the building houses the Rahmi M. Koç Museum displaying industrial and technological collections.
Built between 1522 and 1523 by Damat Rustem Pasha, husband of Mihrimah Sultan, this structure functioned as a commercial hub on the Silk Road. A 2005 restoration by Koç Holding preserved its original architecture while transforming it into a museum.
This structure served as a gathering place where merchants stored goods like mohair and rice while conducting their trade. The rooms and shops arranged around the courtyard still show how commerce operated during Ottoman times.
Plan to explore the glass-covered courtyard and exhibition rooms, which are straightforward to navigate. Wear comfortable shoes since you will walk through multiple levels of the building and its connected spaces.
The structure features Khorasan walls made from special stones renowned for their durability, having endured for centuries. This distinctive building material exemplifies Ottoman construction techniques of its era.
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