Koza Han is the most atmospheric of Bursa's Ottoman market halls, a silk-traders' caravanserai commissioned by Sultan Bayezid II and completed in 1491. Its name means cocoon hall, because for centuries this was where silkworm cocoons were brought in from the surrounding villages and auctioned each spring, feeding Bursa's famous silk industry along the old road from the East. The two-storey arcaded courtyard still hums with commerce: dozens of shops sell silk scarves, shawls, fabrics and textiles, and traders in the galleries above once lodged where merchants now keep stock. In the centre of the courtyard stands a delicate little octagonal prayer room raised on pillars over a fountain, shaded by mature trees, with tea tables spread beneath it. Even if you buy nothing, it is one of the loveliest places in the city simply to sit with a glass of tea and watch the market go about its day. It connects directly to the surrounding covered bazaar.
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