Abacıoğlu Hanı

About Abacıoğlu Hanı

Abacıoğlu Hanı is a restored Ottoman caravanserai tucked away off Anafartalar Caddesi in the Kemeraltı bazaar, between streets 919 and 920 on the stretch running from the Başdurak Mosque towards the Arasta. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism describes it as little known and easy to miss amid the bustle of the bazaar, yet calm and atmospheric once you step through its gate. It is thought to have been built in the early 18th century by Hacı Mustafa Ağa, from cut stone, rough stone and brick, with two-storey shops around an asymmetric central courtyard. In the early years of the Republic it served as a fruit and vegetable market and as a departure point for motor vehicles carrying passengers and goods to nearby towns. Only the northeast and southwest wings survive, with seven shops on one side of the courtyard and eight on the other. Restored under Konak Municipality facade projects, it won a local Respect for History award in 2007 and in 2011 was among the 30 best buildings in the Philippe Rotthier European Architecture Prize. Today the han serves as a tourist stop with a restaurant, café, silversmith, carpet and leather shops and a tea garden, and makes a pleasant break during a walk through Kemeraltı.