{"id":740,"date":"2015-11-25T16:24:40","date_gmt":"2015-11-25T16:24:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vuelveaviajar.com\/?p=740"},"modified":"2025-06-18T11:41:40","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T11:41:40","slug":"buyuk-valide-han-istanbul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vuelveaviajar.com\/en\/buyuk-valide-han-istanbul\/","title":{"rendered":"B\u00fcy\u00fck Valide Han: the best view of Istanbul"},"content":{"rendered":"

B\u00fcy\u00fck Valide Han is a hidden gem\u00a0in Istanbul. The big han of the Sultan’s Mother is a historical inn where you can see the past, the present, and the best view of Istanbul. Let me take you there!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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\"Buyuk<\/a><\/p>\n

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If\u00a0you visit me in Istanbul<\/a>, I won’t take you to the Blue Mosque or to Hagia Sophia. Of course, you should visit those places too. But now that I call this city home, I would prefer to show you its secrets, and take you off the beaten path. I will show you the corners of Istanbul that you won’t find in the travel guides<\/a>. I will take you to the spots that only a few tourists get to discover and even most locals don’t know about. We will go to places\u00a0that, in order to find, first we will have to get lost. Today, I am taking you to one of those places, one of my favorite spots in Istanbul<\/a>. This is a gem, a majestic old building\u00a0from which you will be able to see into the past, the present, and one of the most breathtaking views of Istanbul<\/strong>. Welcome to the B\u00fcy\u00fck Valide Han, the big han of the Sultan’s Mother.<\/p>\n

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Istanbul Hans<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

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Located all over Istanbul, the so-called “hans” or “caravanserais” are buildings that once upon a time offered accommodation to the traveling merchants and their animals. They also stored the Oriental and European wares from the ships that arrived in the Golden Horn.<\/p>\n

\"B\u00fcy\u00fck<\/a>

B\u00fcy\u00fck Valide Han entrance, near Grand Bazaar.<\/p><\/div>\n

The oldest, biggest and probably most impressive of the Istanbul hans is B\u00fcy\u00fck Valide Han<\/strong>. Built in 1651 by Sultan Murad IV\u2019s mother,\u00a0this Ottoman building accommodated thousands of traveling merchants and their animals for more than 350 years.<\/p>\n

Most\u00a0of the old hans in Istanbul have been abandoned. However in the B\u00fcy\u00fck Valide Han, is still possible to find some craftsmen that seem reluctant to leave the building and keep working as they have done for centuries.<\/p>\n

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How to Get to the\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>B\u00fcy\u00fck Valide Han<\/strong><\/span>?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

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The B\u00fcy\u00fck Valide Han is located in Fatih<\/a>, the district that encompasses the historical peninsula of Istanbul (Constantinople). More s<\/span>pecifically, the han is located in \u00c7akmak\u00e7\u0131lar Yoku\u015fu, one of the bustling backstreets of Mercan, the neighborhood between the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar.<\/span><\/p>\n

To get there, your best bet is taking the tram to Emin\u00f6n\u00fc, locate the Spice Bazaar\u00a0and keep walking North towards the Grand Bazaar through the labyrinthine alleys that connect both bazaars. <\/span>If you have a GPS, look for Valide Han in \u00c7akmak\u00e7\u0131lar Yoku\u015fu. Here is a map I have found for you:<\/span><\/p>\n

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