Okuz Mehmed Pasha Inn, Kusadasi
Commissioned by Grand Vizier Okuz Mehmed Pasha while serving as governor of Ayd谋n, the inn took shape between 1615 and 1618, built to anchor trade and guard the harbor. Its fortress-like character was deliberate鈥攖hick rubble stone walls crowned with battlements left little doubt that it functioned both as a customs post and as a fortified inn where merchants could sleep safely under Ottoman protection.
The man behind the project carried a nickname as memorable as the building itself. 鈥淥kuz,鈥� meaning 鈥淥x,鈥� alluded both to his strength and to his family鈥檚 background鈥攈is father had been a cattle smith. The name stuck, and so too did the inn鈥檚 reputation as a sturdy, dependable stopover on the empire鈥檚 trade routes.
Architecturally, the layout is straightforward but imposing: a two-story rectangle wrapped around a central courtyard. Arcaded porticos line the perimeter, with guest rooms and storage spaces set behind them. Facing the sea, a marble-framed archway welcomes those arriving by ship, while a second gate opens eastward toward the town鈥檚 bustling market. Stone staircases tucked into the corners rise to an upper gallery, and higher still, the battlements preserve their medieval defenses鈥攏arrow walkways and bulwarks once designed for pouring oil on unwelcome visitors.
Time wore the structure down, but a restoration between 1954 and 1966 revived it, sparing it from collapse. In recent decades, the inn has shifted from hotel to cultural landmark and back again, now serving tourists instead of traders. Today, it doubles as both a heritage site and an event venue, where centuries-old stone walls echo with concerts, festivals, and the voices of guests rather than merchants.
The man behind the project carried a nickname as memorable as the building itself. 鈥淥kuz,鈥� meaning 鈥淥x,鈥� alluded both to his strength and to his family鈥檚 background鈥攈is father had been a cattle smith. The name stuck, and so too did the inn鈥檚 reputation as a sturdy, dependable stopover on the empire鈥檚 trade routes.
Architecturally, the layout is straightforward but imposing: a two-story rectangle wrapped around a central courtyard. Arcaded porticos line the perimeter, with guest rooms and storage spaces set behind them. Facing the sea, a marble-framed archway welcomes those arriving by ship, while a second gate opens eastward toward the town鈥檚 bustling market. Stone staircases tucked into the corners rise to an upper gallery, and higher still, the battlements preserve their medieval defenses鈥攏arrow walkways and bulwarks once designed for pouring oil on unwelcome visitors.
Time wore the structure down, but a restoration between 1954 and 1966 revived it, sparing it from collapse. In recent decades, the inn has shifted from hotel to cultural landmark and back again, now serving tourists instead of traders. Today, it doubles as both a heritage site and an event venue, where centuries-old stone walls echo with concerts, festivals, and the voices of guests rather than merchants.
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Okuz Mehmed Pasha Inn on Map
Sight Name: Okuz Mehmed Pasha Inn
Sight Location: Kusadasi, Turkey (See walking tours in Kusadasi)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Kusadasi, Turkey (See walking tours in Kusadasi)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Kusadasi, Turkey
Create Your Own Walk in Kusadasi
Creating your own self-guided walk in Kusadasi is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Kusadasi Introduction Walking Tour
In 1775, English antiquarian Richard Chandler gazed across this bay and described 鈥渉ouses rising one above another, intermixed with minarets, and tall slender cypresses...鈥� That image still captures much of what Ku艧adas谋 is today. Perched on Turkey鈥檚 Aegean coast, the town has a history shaped by the shifting powers of the eastern Mediterranean. Its name comes from the Turkish words ku艧... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles