Balkapanı Han

Balkapanı Han is a two-story stone and brick structure in Eminönü that served as a primary collection and distribution center for honey during the Ottoman Empire. Its name derives from the Ottoman administrative term kapan, referring to official weighing and control centers where specific goods were taxed and processed before entering the local market. While the upper floors provided space for merchants and wholesale trade, the building rests upon a vast network of vaulted brick cellars that date back to the Byzantine period.