Alay Han

Alay Han is an Anatolian Seljuk caravanserai about 34 km from Aksaray, near the Aksaray–Nevşehir road, built on sloping ground over an area of about 2,000 m².

Sources say it was commissioned by Kılıç Arslan II and describe it as the first caravanserai built in Anatolia. Known in Seljuk times as the Pervane Ribatı, it probably took the name Alay Han later from a nearby village.

History

Kılıç Arslan II (1155–1192) was the sultan who rebuilt the ruined city of Aksaray, surrounded it with walls and made it one of the Seljuks’ secondary capitals. Alay Han was built in his reign to secure the caravan road leading east from the city; some sources give 1192 as its date.

Long left in ruins, the inn was restored from 2008 and is now used for tourism.

Architecture and what to see

The restored covered hall and the muqarnas portal are the most striking features. Set on sloping ground against the steppe, it is also a rewarding photo stop.

Getting there from Neva Apart

Neva Apart is in Aksaray city centre, a few minutes’ walk from the Zinciriye Madrasa and the Grand Mosque; the distances below are measured from our aparthotel.

Alay Han is about 34 km from Neva Apart, a 30–35-minute drive. Together with Ağzıkarahan and Öresin Han it makes a half-day “caravanserai route”.

Tips for your visit

As it is run for tourism, opening hours may vary; check before you go.

Opening hours and admission fees change seasonally; please check the official sources of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism (muze.gov.tr, kulturportali.gov.tr) before you set off.

Other places nearby

• Öresin Han (Tepesi Delik Han) – A small, austere Seljuk caravanserai on the Aksaray–Nevşehir road, with no courtyard, nicknamed “Tepesi Delik Han” — the inn with a hole in its top.
• Ağzıkarahan Caravanserai – Built in 1231–1240 for Mes’ud son of Abdullah, with a richly carved portal and a kiosk mosque on four piers — a Seljuk inn on UNESCO’s tentative list.
• Saratlı Kırkgöz Underground City – Beneath the town of Saratlı in Gülağaç, an underground settlement of galleries, rooms and narrow passages carved into Cappadocian tuff.
• Aşıklı Höyük – Central Anatolia’s first known village, lived in by 30–35 generations between 8200 and 7400 BC: early farming, terraced mud-brick houses and the earliest known brain surgery.

Image credits

• The Alay Han caravanserai seen from the south-west – Ingeborg Simon, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
• The restored covered hall of the Alay Han with its muqarnas portal – Calistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons