During the centuries of Ottoman control, Bela Palanka was the site of a major caravanserai (or "han") along the Tsarigrad Road. Ottoman authorities ordered the first such caravanserai be built in the settlement (then named "Izvor") from wood in 1598-99, during the Long Turkish War, largely due to persistent attacks on travelers by hajduks. This structure deteriorated after a few decades and was replaced by a larger and more durable caravanserai made of stone, commissioned by the local governor, Musa Pasha. This han differed from others in the region because of its large size and because it had separate large rooms for harems of dignitaries. The interior of the han was painted by an artist brought from Buda. To honor its patron, the name of the settlement was then changed to Musa-paša Palanka, from which the town's current name was derived.