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It was in about 1229 that Sultan Alaeddin
Keykubad (I) had this huge caravanserai built
on the Silk route between the capital Konya
and the trade and administrative center of Kayseri
to the east. The 121m/132yds long fortified
complex, strengthened by its  24
marble towers, covers an area of 4,866sq.m/52,377sq.ft.
In 1254 the caravanserai was badly damaged by
fire, being restored between 1276 and 1278 by
Keyhusrev III, then a puppet of the Mongol governor
(Perwâne). More repairs were needed in
the early 14th century during the reign of the
Seljuk Sultan Ma'sud of Rum.
 The
complex is entered through an impressive marble
gateway, 13m/43ft high and 11m/36ft wide,
richly decorated with ornate designs (tendrils,
whicker, rosettes, stalactites and arabesques).
An inscription above the gate warns those
who enter that "Allah is almighty".
The thick walls filled with layers of mortar
and rubble are typical of Early Seljuk ashlar
building. The summer court, in the center
of which stands a pavilion mosque with twin
staircases, measures 51m/167ft x 24m/79ft,
not including the surrounding living quarters
and arcades. The nine-bay winter hall with
its magnificent, highly ornate portal and
open octagonal drum with tent-roof over the
central bay, measures 55m/180ft x 37m/121ft.
 The
reason for building this was that, once away
from areas of settlement, the wealthy merchants
and their caravans, on the long distance trade
route, ran the risk of predatory nomads. The
caravanserai was mostly bastion like fortresses
and was equipped with a strong entrance that
could be firmly secured. 
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