Issız Han

Ishiz Han, located near the village of Seyran in the district of Karacabey, Bursa, is a historic building constructed at the end of the 14th century, featuring architectural characteristics of the Seljuk period.

In the years 1394-1395, during the reign of Ottoman sultan Bayezid I (Yıldırım Bayezid), it was built as a caravanserai by the great emir Celaleddin Eyne Bey, and today it is used as a boutique hotel. Historically one of the resting and lodging stations for river transport, the building, located near Bursa—a major trade center in the 14th century—and on a busy route from İzmir to Istanbul, has been visited by travelers since ancient times and mentioned in their travelogues.

Location

It is situated about 65 km west of Bursa, on the northern shore of Lake Uluabat. Historically it lies at an important point on the river transport route Istanbul–Susurluk River–Lake Uluabat.

History

Ishiz Han is one of the caravanserais built along the trade routes in Anatolia that have survived to the present day. According to the inscription above the entrance gate, it was commissioned by “Celâleddin Eyne Bey b. Felek Meliküddin” for “good deeds and the pleasure of God.” The patron of the building, Celaleddin Eyne Bey, served as the subaşı (district governor) of Balıkesir‑Karesi in the Ottoman Empire and was one of the commanders at the First Battle of Kosovo.

The building provided free services to travelers on the Istanbul‑Susurluk River‑Lake Uluadar route. It became a structure that travelers visited and mentioned in their works. In issue 116 of the journal *Sâvâti‑i Fünûn*, published in 1893, it was noted that the inn still stood on the shore of Lake Avolyon and a photograph was included.

After being abandoned for a long time and left in a state of disrepair, the building was restored in 2008 through a build‑operate‑transfer scheme and began operating as a 9‑room hotel and restaurant.

Architectural features

It is a rectangular‑plan building oriented north‑south. Although it is an early Ottoman structure, it retains the architectural features of Seljuk caravanserais. Its dimensions are 42.30 × 21.30 m.

The sentence gate is in the narrow façade to the south; it is located inside a high and deep eyvan with a pointed arch. On both sides of the gate there are rectangular‑plan spaces covered with cradle vaults, each opening to the main space by a door. The main space has a three‑aisle basilical plan. The aisles are separated by two rows of five piers made of ashlar stone. Their tops are covered with longitudinal brick cradle vaults. The floor of the central aisle is higher than the others and this height is also reflected in the covering system.

In the central aisle, on four short granite columns, there are two chimneys placed on flat stone arches. The brick‑woven chimneys narrow stepwise toward the ceiling.