Çınçınlı Sultan Hanı

Çınçınlı Sultan Hanı is a structure belonging to the caravanserai architecture of the Anatolian Seljuk period, located within the boundaries of Saray Mahallesi, Saraykent district, Yozgat province, Türkiye. The building was commissioned by Valide Sultan Melike Mahperi Hatun, wife of Sultan I. Alaaddin Keykubat and mother of Sultan II. Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev, in the years 1240–1241. Historical documents refer to the han by various names, and it is situated along one of the major caravan routes in northern central Anatolia.

Çınçınlı Sultan Hanı (Türkiye Culture Portal)

History and Inscription

The Çınçınlı Sultan Hanı appears in historical sources under various names including “Çimcimli Sultan Han”, “Cimcimli Han”, “Çinçinli Sultan Han”, “Çınçınlı Han”, and “Sarayköyü-Sarayözü Han”. These names are believed to have originated from a nearby thermal spring that once served a bath function. The term “Çimcimli” derives from the folk verb “çimmek” and gradually evolved into the form “Çınçınlı” over time.

Information confirming that the building was commissioned by Mahperi Hatun is supported by an inscription on the eastern face of the minaret of the Karamağara Camii in Saraykent. The Turkish translation of the inscription reads:

“May Allah, the All-Knowing, the Just, the Sustainer of religion and the world, accept and perpetuate the good deed carried out by Mahperi Hatun, the sultan among mothers who bestows blessings, for the sake of His pleasure, in the year 637 (1239–1240).”

Architectural Structure and Plan Features

Çınçınlı Sultan Hanı is a rectangular structure oriented east-west. It was constructed using rubble stone and Horasan mortar. The walls were built using the fishbone masonry technique and reinforced with cut stone cladding on both interior and exterior surfaces. Today, the western wall of the han has largely collapsed, while the cladding on the other side walls has been removed, reducing wall thickness. Remains of various ancillary structures are present in the southwest corner of the building.

According to K. Erdmann’s plan sketch, the structure belongs to the “caravanserais with courtyard and covered section” typology of Anatolian Seljuk caravanserais. The courtyard is rectangular, oriented north-south, measuring approximately 34 by 27 metres. The covered section, aligned east-west, measures approximately 23 by 27 metres and is narrower than the courtyard. Near the northern and southern edges of the courtyard are four nearly square rooms.

Within the covered section, four bays are arranged in an east-west line, forming three narrower central aisles. These aisles connect to a five-aisle arrangement oriented north-south, with each aisle separated by two bays on either side. This plan type resembles that of the Sarıçakıl Han, built between 1238 and 1240 along the Ereğli-Aksaray route, and partially echoes the design of the 1249 Avanos Sarıhan, which features domed sections in its covered area.

Current Condition

The structure is today largely in ruins, with its interior filled with rubble stone. The roofing system has been completely destroyed. Among the remaining fragments, portions of the southern side wall and traces of ancillary structures to the north, south and southwest can still be identified. It is currently impossible to determine how the vaulted ceilings of the interior spaces were originally arranged or whether there was an open area between the courtyard and the enclosed section.

Location and Transportation Network

Çınçınlı Sultan Hanı is located 16 kilometres north of Saraykent district in Yozgat, along the Anatolian Seljuk caravan route connecting Kırşehir, Yozgat, Zile and Tokat. This location indicates that the building served as an important transit point, both commercially and militarily.

Çınçınlı Sultan Hanı (Türkiye Culture Portal)