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Ulukışla Öküz Mehmet Paşa Külliyesi
Ulukışla Öküz Mehmet Paşa Külliyesi
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ULUKIŞLA ÖKÜZ MEHMET PAŞA sa, Hospital, Inn, Turkish Bath, Caravanserai,
COMPLEX Fountain, Soup Kitchen, Monumental Tomb,
Library, Public Facilities, Private Cemetery
and Trade Shops. One of the aims, and in
one respect, the most important aim of the
construction of külliye by the Ottoman state
was to fulfil the state’s need for a housing
and development policy.
The main consideration in the building of
the Ulukışla Öküz Mehmet Paşa Külliye was
as a Post House. It is located on the highway
from Ankara to Adana in what is known as
the ‘marketplace’ of the centre of Ulukışla.
The complex of buildings is known locally,
The formation and development of cities variously, as Paşa Hanı, Kışla or Ulukışla Ca-
and the formation of an overall sense of ravanserai. The name of the district today is
identity with its own particular architectural derived from Caravanserai. Research shows
characteristics that present a sense of the that commercial travellers were right along-
whole is important with respect to the image side what was used as the barracks of soldi-
of any particular city. An analysis of Ottoman ers going on campaign. One of the indicati-
town planning shows that much importance ons that Öküz Mehmet Paşa, the man who
and status was given to buildings with social the külliye built, was originally from Ulukışla
and religious functions. The tradition of külli- is the very existence of the building. There
ye and the value accorded them is one of the are a good many accounts and appraisals
most important pieces and tangible aspects of the building. The inspiration for the poem
of this. A short explanation, if necessary, of called “Han Duvarları” (“Walls of the Inn”) by,
what a Külliye is: a complex of buildings bro- a well known poet in Turkish Literature, Fa-
ught into being with the aim of being open to ruk Nafiz Çamlıbel, was this külliye. Having
the public and offering services to the pub- being in charge of the retreat that started in
lic. Within were sheltered various buildings the 17th C. in the Ottoman State and in put-
with religious and social functions. Around ting down the Jelali rebellion that came af-
the mosque were buildings such as: Madra- ter, which resulted in campaigns to the east,
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Öküz Mehmet Paşa, having seen this place ned ‘last assembly’ place to the north and
while using it as a barracks en route to the a minaret where the western wall joins the
Iran Campaign of 1615, after the campaign north end. The walls are faced in smooth cut
came back here and had the külliye built stone. During the last restoration the dome
The külliye is built on land which slopes was reinforced in concrete. On the inside it
from north to south. The focal point of the is finished in plaster, on the outside, as are
complex, which from the east-west perspec- the domes of the ‘last assembly’ place, it is
tive has a roughly rectangular plan, is the lined in lead. The dome sits on an octagonal
arasta (trade shops). The arasta is a cove- drum. There is a round and plaster ringed
red street that allows circulation. The nort- window in every face of the drum. At diffe-
hern side of the arasta is adjacent to the co- rent heights on the sides, extending all aro-
urtyard of the Inn. The courtyard, which is an und the building, equally spaced, there are
almost square rectangle in shape, has the three lines of red-coloured cut stone which
arasta at its southern edge, with arcades to divide the face of the building into four. On
the east and west; whilst to the north the- the east and west sides there are correspon-
re were special sleeping quarters made of ding window arrangements, with on both si-
chambers and three-sided vaults. des, 3 in the bottom row and one on the top
row. In the middle of the north wall there is
MOSQUE a window to each side of the entrance. The
Situated in the southeast corner of the kül- crown door boasts a rectangular frame of
liye. It is known to the locals as Kışla Mos- concave piped moulding. Also found in the
que. According to what is found in the Evliya mosque is the Mahfil (screened loge) which
Çelebi mosque: “..the most famous mosque is immediately above the entrance in the
is the Koca Mehmet Paşa Mosque, with its form of a small balcony supported by stone
domed minaret, and its courtyard paved brackets. The present appearance of the
with marble, it is a charming mosque”. The mosque is somewhat plain.
building was re-built and renovated in 1969,
1970 and 1977 by Vakıflar General Directo- CARAVANSERAI
rate. The current condition of the building is Courtyard and North Stable: the land on
of a single domed mosque with an almost which the Courtyard and North Stable stand
square rectangular plan with dimensions nowadays slopes from north to south. The
of 12.20m x 14.00m. There is three sectio- rectangular, almost square, courtyard is lo-
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cated to the south border of the arasta. To are covered with a slightly pointed cradle
the east and west there are arcades whilst vault. In the middle of the north side of the
to the north are residence made up of cham- courtyard there is situated an open vault
bers and three-sided vaults. Looking from entrance to the north Stable. This stable,
the courtyard these quarters are horizon- arranged on an east-west axis, is split into
tally adjacent to the North Stable. The North two equal sections each supported by six
Stable was used between 1953 and 1978 for columns. There is no ornamentation at all in
grain storage and between the years 1991 the Courtyard and North Stable.
and 1996 as a carpet workshop. South Stable: between the mosque and
The east side of the stable is crowned with the bath-house, on flat land. One of the nar-
a triangular pediment. At the highest point in row sides adjoins the south side of the aras-
the middle of the wall there was an embra- ta. The walls of the building are completely
sure window. Where the North Stable joins covered, inside and out, with cut stone. The
the quarters at the north of the courtyards open areas that run north to south are cove-
is somewhat in ruins. The completely blind red with pointed arch cradle vaulting. The
north side of the North Stable is buttressed east and west sides of the South Stable re-
by a wall with dimensions of 0.60m x 1.40m. semble each other in their arrangement. On
The west side, just like the east side, is crow- each of the two sides there are four suppor-
ned with a triangular pediment. There is ting walls. In between each of the supporting
also an embrasure window at the top which walls there is a small embrasure window.
is symmetrical to that of the east side. The The South Stable has dimensions of 1.50m x
doors to be found on the east and west si- 1.85m on an almost-square rectangular plan
des, right in the middle of where North Stab- divided from north to south into 2 squares by
le and the arcades of the courtyard meet, four supports.
must have only been for travellers. There
is an entrance opening onto a second unit ARASTA (TRADE SHOPS)
via a pointed arch at the south of the west Located at the centre of the complex it
arcade. The arcades on the east and west has the arcaded courtyard to its north and
are symmetrical. On the north side of the the hamam and South Stable to its south.
central courtyard, adjoining the south wall of The arasta design is roughly rectangular
the stable, are rows of rooms. These rooms on an east-west axis and had dimensions
all on a north-south axis and all symmetrical, of 79.35m x 20.00m. The arasta is cove-
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red from end to end with a ridged vault of south edges of the changing rooms poin-
rectangular stones that sit over the wide ted arches have been added and to the
corridors. Because of its situation at the north side a pointed arch three-sided open
heart of the külliye the arasta has a wide vault, approximately 4.00m high, has been
covered corridor which allows circulation. added. The space enclosed by the arches
On the sides of the corridor there were 23 on the east and west sides along with stone
shops in rows. There are entrances at each bases that rise up from the ground level of
end of the corridor in the middle of the east the open vault on the north support a dome
and west sides. Along with the shops on an that covers the central space. In the middle
east-west axis there is, on the south side, a of the south wall there is an opening, via a
stable and a hamam. The east-west corridor rounded arch, to the warm room. The warm
is brick-built and covered by a pointed arch area is on a rectangular plan that runs east
vault. There is no decoration on the outsi- to west and is covered by a panelled monas-
de of the building. Above the main entrance tery vault. From here the hot area is reached
that opens onto the courtyard and above by way of a pointed arch. The hot area is a
the entrances to the east and west there are square room in the centre with private rooms
triangular frontals. on the perimeter covered by domes. High on
the south wall of the cubicle in the southwest
HAMAM (TURKISH BATH) corner there is a pointed arch window that
The building adjoins the west part of the opens into the water tank. The water tank is
south wing of the arasta. It is set out on a rectangular. The section that housed the fur-
rectangular plan that runs north to south. At nace and the hot pipes is completely destro-
the north end of the west side there is low- yed. There are no elements of decoration in
arched entrance, with two pointed arch win- the hamam.
dows above, which opens into the changing
rooms. The exterior walls are made up of
an alternating pattern that consists of a row
of flat cut stone then two rows of brick. The
east and west side walls are higher than
those where the changing rooms are found.
The hamam is reached via an entrance that
opens into the arasta. To the east, west and
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