Kurşunlu Han, Ottoman caravanserai near Ankara Castle, Turkey
Kurşunlu Han is a 15th-century caravanserai with a rectangular courtyard surrounded by two stories of rooms that feature rounded brick arches and stone walls. The rooms open toward the court, creating an integrated trading facility that provided storage and lodging for merchants.
Construction began in 1471 under Grand Vizier Rum Mehmed Pasha during Sultan Mehmet II's reign. This facility became one of the key trading stations where merchants conducting business across Anatolia found shelter and storage for their goods.
The name comes from the lead roofs that once covered the structure. You can still sense how this trading court functioned as a hub where merchants gathered and conducted business across the courtyards and covered passages.
The building sits near Ankara Castle in the historic center of town. Morning visits work best since the grounds tend to be less crowded, allowing you to walk through the rooms and courtyards at your own pace.
Coins uncovered during 1946 repairs came from the era of Sultan Murad II. This discovery suggests the site had activity going back to the early 1400s, before the main structure was built.
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