Sultanhani is located in the village Sultanhan about 40 km (25 mi) west of Aksaray. This fortified structure was built in 1229 (dated by inscription), during the reign of the Seljuk sultan Kayqubad I, by the Syrian architect Mohammed Bin Havlan El Dimaski along the trade route from Konya to Aksaray, leading to Persia. After it was partially destroyed by a fire, it was restored and extended in 1278 by the governor Seraceddin Ahmed Kerimeddin bin El Hasan during the reign of the sultan Kaykhusraw III. This monumental caravanserai then became the largest in Turkey. It is one of the best examples of Anatolian Seljuk architecture.
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One enters the Sultanhani in the east through a monumental 13 m high marble gate (pishtaq) projecting from the fifty-meters wide front wall. The gate is enclosed by a pointed arch decorated with muqarnas corbels and a plaiting with elegant geometric patterns. The open courtyard (44 x 58 m) was used in the summer, while the covered ones (iwans) on both side were used during the winter. In the middle of the open courtyard stands a square stoned kiosk-mosque (kösk mesçidi), the oldest example in Turkey. The mosque on the second floor sits on a construction of four carved barrel-vaulted arches. The arcades on both sides of the inner courtyard served as stables and has accommodations above.