Kandemir Han

LOCATION
The han is situated 44 km (30 miles) from Konya along the Konya-Beyşehir Road. It is one of the series of 4 hans originally along this stretch of road: Altinapa (now submerged by the waters behind the Altinapa Dam), Kizilören, Kandemir/Kuruçeşme, and Yunus (no longer standing). It is 10 miles west of the Kizilören Han, and lies parallel to the road, with the door facing Beyşehir (for caravans en route east to Konya).

OTHER NAMES
Kizilviran, Emir Kandemir, or Yazı Han.
The han is also referred to in several sources as the Kuruceşme han, meaning the "Han of the Dry Fountain", a possible reference to a now dried-up water source. A photo taken in 1907 by Gertrude Bell shows the water well in front of the han. It is generally known by the locals as the Emir Kandemir Han. There is a certain confusion as to the name of this han in the academic literature, as it is often confused with the Kizilören han further east.

DATE
1205-6 (dated by inscription)
The inscription plaque over the covered section door reads: "Built in the reign of Keykhosrow ibn Kilic Arslan, master of the Arabs and Persians, by his servant Emir in the year 602". This makes this han the earliest dated Seljuk han. This inscription plaque, which was photographed in 1941 and translated by I. Hakki Konyali, is now unfortunately lost.

Giyaseddin Keyhüsrev I

PATRON
An emir of Keyhüsrev, son of Kiliç Arslan, probably the Emir Qayamokh Bey, known as Kutluğ ibn Mehmed.

Covered with open courtyard (COC)
Covered section smaller than the courtyard
Covered section with 1 central aisle and 1 aisle on each side running perpendicular to the back wall
6 bays of vaults in the central aisle; 3 in the side aisles

DESCRIPTION
The han "complex" comprises the han, an outer gatehouse structure and an adjacent building, probably an additional han or service building. It is a relatively large han.

This han is the first example of the most frequent type of plan, that of a hall with a wider courtyard. This han and the han of Altinapa, both along the Konya-Beyşehir road, are the earliest examples of this type of the courtyard and covered section plan. This han is also regarded as one of the first experiments in placing of the mosque room above the entrance porch, reached by steps leading upwards.

The facade of the han is flanked by octagonal towers at each corner. The han portal is framed by a distinctive white stone arch.

Upon entering the main portal (3.24m wide), there is a large 2-story atrium-like structure. It contains a deep cell on each side and probably served as a guard house. The cell to the south on the ground floor is closed off from the exterior and is reached by the courtyard, and probably served as the treasury. There were 3 rooms in total on the upper floor over the entry, with the one to the north serving as a mosque. It has an elaborate stone mihrab with a conque shell cupola and side panels of carved stones in a palmette decoration. The upper floor rooms are reached by a pair of stairs located on the courtyard side.

The courtyard is 2.6m wider than the covered section and has 4 open arcades resembling iwans on each side, and which are 6.3m deep.

The portal leading to the covered section is 2.5 meters wide and has a niche 1.2m deep. The covered section has 3 aisles, with the central aisle twice as wide as the side aisles. The covered section is flanked by two rectangular cells on the western side, which are accessible through the courtyard arcades. They probably served as storage areas and were thought to be added at a later date.

There is a separate adjacent building 400 m to the south-east. It measures 15 X 21m and has 2 vaults in its roof. It has two aisles and two floors. This building is often considered as a second han, built at approximately the same time. As it contains a mihrab, it probably served as a mosque at a later point in time. Erdmann believes the mihrab was added at a later date to turn the building into a mosque for locals. Due to the fact that there was a mosque on the second floor of the main han, Bektaş believes that it was not a mosque originally, but rather an additional storage area or a guard house. Professor Aysil Tukel Yavuz believes that the building was a relay stage for the postal system.

There is a Seljuk Bridge over the Sari Su about 6 km further west.

There does not appear to be an immediate water source nearby.

It is curious that there were so many hans along this relatively short stretch of road, each at a short distance from the other. This bears witness to the heavy commercial use of this road, leading to the capital city of Konya.

DECORATION

There is very little decoration in this han, except for the carved mihrab on the second floor. The separate mosque building portal has a strong and attractive triple row of arches.

DIMENSIONS
Total area: 1,200m2
Area of hall: 430 m2
Area of courtyard: 655 m2

STATE OF CONSERVATION, CURRENT USAGE
This han has stood in lonely isolation for many years, and was used by locals as holding pens for sheep and goats. However, its days of obscurity are now over. In June, 2008, The Turkish Vakif Directorate announced that the han would undergo a $1.6 million restoration project. Work began in April, 2008 and contined for 1 year. As of June, 2009, a restaurant serving the famous Konya tandir and tepsi kebabs has opened in the han.

Altun, p. 200
Bektaş, p. 79-81
The Gertrude Bell Archives. Internet web document. www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk/, folder G, photos G019-020. (refers to it as the Kizilviran Han)

The plan of the han, the second story atrium group of 3 rooms, and the adjacent mosque building

front view (pre-2008 restoration)

Interior courtyard cells and entrance portal to covered section, now collapsed

Interior courtyard cells, looking from the courtyard towards main entrance. The traces of the stairs leading to the second floor can be seen on the right

Click below for more photos taken in July, 2008 during the recent restoration project and August 2009 after completion of the project