The Seljuk Han of Anatolia

ERTOKUS HAN 

Main portal

overview of courtyard and covered hall entry

kitabesi, detail

courtyard western portico

outer west wall with triangular side towers

Photograph (F253) of the han taken by Gertrude Bell in April, 1907

DISTRICT (IL)
32 ISPARTA

LOCATION
The han is located on today's Eğridir-Gelendost-Akşehir Road, on the eastern side of Lake Eğridir. It is located in the village of Yeşilköy, north of the village of Mahmatlar, approximately 30 miles northeast of Eğridir, 110 yards from the lakeshore, between the lake and the road.
[map]

[driving instructions]

OTHER NAMES
Gelendost Han, Selçuk Han, Kudret Han

DATE
1223-1224

The han is dated by an intact inscription over the covered section, in 4 lines of nakshi script. The simple inscription states that the han was built for the Sultan in the year 620 (1223) by the Emir Mübarizeddin Ertokuş.

REIGN OF

Alaeddin Keykubad I
 

PATRON
The han was built by the statesman Mübarizeddin Ertokuş, Atabeg of Isparta, a well-known dignitary at the court of Alaeddin Keykubad I. He also built in 1223 a medrese and a turbe in Atabey, a nearby village northwest of Eğridir.  He may also have built the Pinarbaşı Han (no longer extant).  He appears to have been a slave manumitted by Izzeddin Keykavus I, who then became the commander of armies of the southern territories for more than 20 years after 1207.  He was instrumental in the campaign of Alaeddin Keykubad I to capture Alanya in 1221, and was one of the Sultan's most important emirs.  Later, he became the tutor and head military commander of Giyaseddin Keyhüsrev II in Erzincan after the annexation of the city in 1228.
 

BUILDING TYPE

Covered with open courtyard  (COC)
Covered section is smaller than the courtyard
Covered section with a central aisle and 1 aisle on each side

5 bays of vaults in the covered section

4 bays of vaults in the courtyard
 

DESCRIPTION
The han lies parallel to the road, with the door facing south to Eğridir.  It is on the old Antalya-Afyon trade route.
There is a group of 3 rooms on each side of the courtyard door which served probably as the bath, changing room, kitchen and mosque, although no trace of a mihrab can be found. The easternmost room is covered by a dome.

In addition there are two open iwans on each side of the courtyard before the arcades of vaults, which could have served as guard rooms or for general movement activities.

The two arcades of 4 vaults on either side of the courtyard are covered with barrel vaults.

The covered section is slightly smaller than the courtyard in width, and comprises three aisles, with the center aisle being twice as wide as the two side aisles (6.5 m). There are 2 slit windows at the second and fourth bays on each side of the hall, and one in the rear wall.

There are four triangular towers on the outer walls of the covered section.  The exterior walls are made of large square cut stones.
Its solid construction, satisfying proportions, and impressive inscription plaque are noteworthy.

DECORATION

This is a very plain building, and apart from the impressive inscription plaque, there is no decoration on the interior or exterior walls. The inscription plaque is set back about 80 cm under a slightly broken arch.

DIMENSIONS
Total area is 1,030 m2
Area of hall: 340m2 14.5 x 21 m)
Area of courtyard: 495m2 (18 x 26m)
 

STATE OF CONSERVATION, CURRENT USAGE
The portal and the courtyard walls are standing but in poor condition; the rest is in need of repair. It is in considerably worse shape than as depicted in the photographs of Erdmann taken in the 1950's. The intact portal can be viewed in the photographs taken by Gertrude Bell in 1907, who camped at the han during her trip across Turkey.  The han is currently boarded up and can be visited only on the outside, but a view onto the courtyard and the covered section portal with the inscription is possible.  A renovation of the han was started in 2007 and is ongoing.

A visit to this han, lost among the apple orchards in a poetic setting at a spot where the mountains meet the sweet blue waters of Lake Eğirdir, is a most memorable one.
 

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES

Acun, p. 121-139 (includes extensive bibliography in Turkish);  496

Bektaş, p. 58-59

The Gertrude Bell Archives.  Internet web document. www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk/, folder F, photos F250, 251, 253-254.

Erdmann, p. 51-54, no. 11
Hillenbrand, fig. 6.49, p. 552
Karpuz, Kuş, Dıvarcı and Şimşek (2008), vol. 1, p. 376.

Rice, p. 206

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