Rüstem Pasha Caravanserai (Erzurum)
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| Rüstem Pasha Caravanserai | |
|---|---|
Rüstem Paşa Kervansarayı | |
 A view of the Rüstem Pasha Caravansera (Taşhan). | |
  Location within Turkey | |
| Alternative names | Taşhan |
| General information | |
| Type | Caravanserai |
| Architectural style | Ottoman architecture |
| Location | Yakutiye, Erzurum Province, Turkey, Menderes St., Fevziye neighborhood |
| Coordinates | 39°54′32″N 41°16′26″E / 39.90889°N 41.27389°E |
| Completed | 1561 |
| Renovated | 1965 |
| Design and construction | |
| Main contractor | Rüstem Pasha |
Rüstem Pasha Caravanserai (Turkish: Rüstem Paşa Kervansarayı), also known as Taşhan, is a caravanserai located in Yakutiye district of Erzurum, eastern Turkey, built by Ottoman statesman and grand vizier Rüstem Pasha in 1561.[1]
History
The caravanserai was commissioned by Rüstem Pasha (c. 1500–1561), Ottoman statesman and grand vizier of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (reigned 1520–1566).[3] Completed in 1561,[3] it served the travelers and met all their needs day and night. It contained a hospice, a small mosque, resting places, shops, stables for keeping camels, donkeys, oxen, buffaloes and horses. Not all of the original building parts survived. The inscription over the entrance gate reads as "This is a border post" (Ottoman Turkish: ribat) due to the position of Erzurum as a border city at that time. 40 to 50 men strong raider troops were stationed at the border posts, or outposts.[2] After the eastern borders of the Ottoman Empire territory were extended out to Tbilisi and Caspian Sea, the mansions, shelters, barns and shops were added to the caravanserai.[1]
