Rustem Pasha Caravanserai

The Rustem Pasha Caravanserai in Edirne was built by Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha in 1561, when it was of great value to traders as they journeyed through the Ottoman roads to the Balkans.

The caravanserai was built on rectangular laid out plan, with a courtyard inside that offered the first floor of shops, and on the second floor, rooms for the merchants traveling through the area, which in this building also served as a stop to rest while on there journey.

Today the building is used as a cultural and commercial facility that has craft shops, local goods and at times art exhibits.

The building embodies the tradition of Ottoman civic architecture but readily reveals Edirne's unique position as a key junction in regards to empire and trade.