Istanbul's Büyük Yeni Han was built to fund charities
Commissioned by Sultan Mustafa III in 1763, this massive stone trade center originally generated revenue for religious and social welfare foundations.
In the mid-eighteenth century, Sultan Mustafa III commissioned the construction of the Büyük Yeni Han, or the Great New Inn, in Istanbul. Completed in 1763, the structure was not intended as a royal residence but as a strategic economic engine. Its primary purpose was to generate consistent rental income for the Sultan's charitable foundations, which supported various social and religious services across the Ottoman Empire.
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