Koza Han
Koza Han is a working Ottoman caravanserai from the early 16th century that still does exactly what it was built to do: trade silk. Bursa was the western terminus of the Silk Road into the Ottoman Empire, and this two-story courtyard building, with its arcaded galleries wrapped around a small mosque and pool, has functioned as the city's raw silk cocoon exchange for five centuries. Today the ground-floor arcades and upper galleries are lined with shops selling silk scarves, fabrics, and Turkish delight, while the courtyard itself is a genuinely pleasant place to sit with a tea and watch the building's daily rhythm. It's one of the best surviving examples of Ottoman commercial architecture anywhere, and unlike many historic sites, it hasn't been frozen into a museum — it's a living, working market that happens to be five hundred years old. Come in autumn if you want to catch the cocoon auctions that still occasionally take place here.
Koza Han FAQs
Yes, in a reduced form — it remains the traditional center of Bursa's silk trade, and cocoon auctions still occasionally take place in the courtyard in season, though most visitors mainly encounter it as a shopping and sightseeing venue now.
Silk scarves and fabrics are the local specialty, alongside Bursa's famous candied chestnuts (kestane şekeri) and Turkish delight sold at surrounding shops.
No, it's a free, open commercial building; you only pay if you buy something.
Yes, the courtyard has cafés where you can sit under the trees near the small mosque and pool, a popular local pastime.
It reflects Bursa's role as the Ottoman Empire's key silk trading hub, built in the early 1490s-1500s to house merchants and goods coming through the city on Silk Road trade routes.
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