Selçuklu ve Osmanlı Dönemi Kervansaraylarında Yönetim ve Hizmet Yapısı (Management and Servıce Structure in Seljuk and Ottoman Period Caravanserais)

Abstract

Caravanserais, which are considered the first examples of today's modern accommodation establishments, where many services, especially accommodation and food and beverage, are offered together, took on a structure unique to the Turks during the Seljuk and Ottoman periods, although their history dates back much further.  During this period, the caravanserai reached its peak in terms of both its architectural features and management and service structures. It is known that some of the caravanserais in Anatolia are still used efficiently for touristic purposes today. In this study, it is aimed to examine the management, organization and service structures of caravanserais, in other words, the caravanserai employees and the human element in caravanserais. In this descriptive study, secondary data was used. Although there is an extensive literature on the architectural structures of caravanserais, it has been observed that studies on caravanserais, especially in the tourism literature, generally focus on the subject of bringing them into tourism. This study is a first in the Turkish literature in terms of examining human and employee factors in caravanserais. As a result of the study, it was revealed that caravanserais had an effective hierarchical structure, caravanserai officials were experts in their fields, and had versatile functions such as hospital, place of worship, care center, pharmacy, as well as accommodation and food and beverage functions. It has also been understood that all necessary services are provided for draft animals as well as for humans in these facilities.