Kusadasi Caravanserai

The centuries roll back when you step inside Kusadasi’s Caravanserai, rich with Ottoman and Seljuk architectural details.

With its Venetian-style swallow-tail battlements and red stone walls, the Ottoman castle dates back to 1618 and the days of Vizier Öküz Mehmed Pasha. In the Ottoman era, the castle acted as a trading house and meeting place for merchants, and was fortified to protect the valuable goods stored there.

Entering the Caravanserai, you walk through a marble arched gateway into a double-story courtyard filled with lush palm trees, Turkish rugs (for sale), marble pools and fountains.

These days the former stronghold is a welcoming boutique hotel with a well-known restaurant. The hotel combines Ottoman history and modern-day conveniences, with bathrooms and fireplaces providing plenty of 21st-century comforts.

The Kusadasi Caravanserai is a popular entertainment venue. Traditional Turkish cuisine and entertainment fill the courtyard on ‘Turkish Nights’, when folk music and belly dancing are performed under the stars.

Practical Info

The Kusadasi Caravanserai is right in the city center near the port and marina on the Aegean Sea. A gateway leads to the lively bazaar from the castle’s courtyard.