RUZBE INN

Ruzbe Inn is located within the borders of the Selçuklu district and on the Konya-Ankara highway; it is currently used as a tourist facility.

The Inn occupies a rectangular area running from northwest to southeast. Its outer walls, excluding the main facade, are reinforced with four polygonal or semi-circular buttresses on the sides and two square buttresses at the rear. At the corners where the rear wall meets the side walls, there is a polygonal corner tower that extends up to the roofline.

The southeast facade features a projecting portal that rises above the roofline, forming a pointed arch. This arch is supported by round colonnettes, and the niche is adorned with simple profiled moldings and borders along its sides and top.

Above the doorway's arch, there is an empty inscription plaque.

The low-arched entrance leads into the covered area, which is divided into five longitudinal aisles separated by square piers connected by pointed arches. The entire space is covered with a pointed barrel vault, with the central aisle being slightly taller. In the middle of this central aisle, there is a brick dome concealed beneath a double-tiered octagonal drum that is capped with an octagonal pyramidal roof.

During excavation and restoration efforts carried out in the 1970s, the foundations of the courtyard walls were unearthed. The Inn was constructed using finely dressed stones, and you can find stonemason's marks in the form of graffiti on piers, arches, and walls in the covered section. Although lacking an official inscription, it is widely believed that Emir Asad al-Din Ruzbe, who served as the Jamadar (courtier in charge of the sultan's attire) for Sultan Giyath al-Din Kay Husraw II and the atabey of Sultan Izz alDin Kay Qawus II, commissioned the construction of this Inn between the years 1246 and 1249.