Jusuf Pasha Mašković

The mighty Kapudan Pasha (commander of the Ottoman army) and the Sultan's favourite Jusuf Mašković, one of the most powerful people of the Ottoman Empire, was born in Vrana in 1606. Thanks to his natural agility and talent this young man from the remote province rose to the top ranks of the Empire. He lead the Ottoman army in the early stage of the Candian War against the Republic of Venice and in 1645 under his command the Turks took Crete. He was recorded in history as a noble military leader, because he treated the defeated enemy with honour and allowed them to leave the island. However, this act of mercy wasn't approved by the Sultan and Mašković was executed in Istanbul. He had just begun building a luxurious residence in his native Vrana.

Entrance

Info

  • Gojko Pintur, Mile Mesić: Katastar kulturno-povijesne baštine u parku prirode Vransko jezero

Facade

State

The han, which is a kind of a hostel or inn typical for Turkish architecture, is situated on the road that goes through the village of Vrana and connects Benkovac with Biograd. The road from Benkovac leads through Miranje, with an interesting Romanesque church of Archangel Michael, then just before descending towards Lake Vransko offers a magnificent view of the entire plain with the lake, the sea behind it and the village of Vrana with Mašković Han and the ruins of the medieval castle. The building and the surrounding area are not in the state that this monument deserves by its importance. It should be properly restored and opened to the public.

Windows

History

Mašković had the han built in 1644 in his native village of Vrana, which had at the time been under the Ottoman rule for over a century. He intended it as a palace for his retirement years. However, due to his untimely death in 1645, the han was never completed in the form it had been conceived in. It went through some significant alterations and sustained a lot of damage over the centuries. Nonetheless, it remains the most important monument of Islamic secular architecture in Croatia.

Facade

Description

The outer perimeter of the edifice has been preserved to a considerable degree. A lot of building material can still be seen scattered in the field around the residence. The main building has also been preserved, as well as the sections on the east and west sides. Some walled-in windows with pointed arches typical of Oriental architecture can still be seen on the west wall.