Kandemir Han

Kandemir Han

View looking east at the west entrance to the han.  Note the arched door way and the two octagonal towers at its corners.  Above the entrance are several rooms including a mosque.  There seems to be some confusion as to the name of the han for it is also called the Kizilören Han.  This name means the "Red Ruins"—after the color of the stones that were used in its construction whereas "Kandemir" refers to the Emir Kandemir who was its patron.

This large Han/Khan is located on the road from Konya to Yunuslar— 30 mi. [44 km.] west of Konya.  The Khan dates to the thirteenth century A.D.—to the Seljuk period and provided a protected overnight resting place for travelers.  An inscription over the door (now missing) dates the han to 1205/6.  Restoration of it was completed in June of 2009.

The road that the han is on followed the path of the 1,000 year older Via Sebastia that the apostle Paul travelled on four times (twice on his First Journey [heading east and then returning west], and on his Second and Third Journeys—both times heading west).