A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of

trade route A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. The term can also be used to refer to trade over bodies of water. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a sing ...

s covering Asia,

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and Southeast Europe, most notably the

Silk Road The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and rel ...

. Often located along rural roads in the countryside, urban versions of caravanserais were also historically common in cities throughout the Islamic world, and were often called other names such as ''khan'', ''wikala'', or ''funduq''. Izadkhvast Caravanserai 01

Terms and etymology

Caravanserai

Caravanserai ( fa, کاروانسرای, ''kārvānsarāy''), is the Persian compound word variant combining ''kārvān'' "

caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals *Convoy, a group of veh ...

" with ''-sarāy'' "palace", "building with enclosed courts". Here "caravan" means a group of traders, pilgrims or other travellers, engaged in long-distance travel. The word is also rendered as ''caravansary'', ''caravansaray'', ''caravanseray'', ''caravansara'', and ''caravansarai''. In scholarly sources, it is often used as an umbrella term for multiple related types of commercial buildings similar to inns or hostels, whereas the actual instances of such buildings had a variety of names depending on the region and the local language. However, the term was typically preferred for rural inns built along roads outside of city walls. Khan As'ad Pasha Panorama

Khan

The word ''khan'' () derives from Middle Persian ''hʾn (''xān'', "house"). It could refer to an "urban caravanserai" built within a town or a city, or generally to any caravanserai, including those built in the countryside and along desert routes. In Turkish the word is rendered as ''han''. The same word was used in Bosnian and Bulgarian, having arrived through Ottoman conquest. In addition to Turkish and Persian, the term was widely used in Arabic as well, and examples of such buildings are found throughout the Middle East from as early as the

Ummayyad The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...

period. The term ''han'' is also used i
Romanian
being adopted from Ottoman Turkish.

Funduq

The term ''funduq'' ( ar, فندق, lit=; sometimes spelled ''foundouk'' or ''fondouk'' from the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

transliteration) is frequently used for historic inns in Morocco and around western North Africa. The word comes from Greek ''pandocheion'', lit.: "welcoming all", thus meaning 'inn', led to '' funduq'' in Arabic (), ''pundak'' in Hebrew (), '' fundaco'' in Venice, '' fondaco'' in Genoa and '' alhóndiga'' or ''fonda'' in Spanish (''funduq'' is the origin of Spanish term ''fonda''). In the cities of this region such buildings were also frequently used as housing for artisan workshops.

Wikala

The Arabic word ''wikala'' (), sometimes spelled ''wakala'' or ''wekala'', is a term found frequently in historic Cairo for an urban caravanserai which housed merchants and their goods and served as a center for trade, storage, transactions and other commercial activity. The word ''wikala'' means roughly "agency" in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

, in this case a commercial agency, which may also have been a reference to the

customs Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

offices that could be located here to deal with imported goods. The term ''khan'' was also frequently used for this type of building in Egypt.

History

Caravanserais were a common feature not only along the Silk Road, but also along the

Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Based in Western Asia, it was contemporarily the largest em ...

's Royal Road, a ancient highway that stretched from Sardis to

Susa Susa ( ; Middle elx, 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗, translit=Šušen; Middle and Neo- elx, 𒋢𒋢𒌦, translit=Šušun; Neo- Elamite and Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭, translit=Šušán; Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼, translit=Šušá; fa, شوش ...

according to

Herodotus Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria (Italy). He is known fo ...

: "Now the true account of the road in question is the following: Royal stations exist along its whole length, and excellent caravanserais; and throughout, it traverses an inhabited tract, and is free from danger." Other significant urban caravanserais were built along the Grand Trunk Road in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, In ...

, especially in the region of Mughal

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

and Bengal Subah. Throughout most of the

Islamic period Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or ''Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the main ...

(7th century and after), caravanserais were a common type of structure both in the rural countryside and in dense urban centers across the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

, and Ottoman Europe. A number of 12th to 13th-century caravanserais or ''han''s were built throughout the

Seljuk Empire The Great Seljuk Empire, or the Seljuk Empire was a high medieval, culturally Turko-Persian, Sunni Muslim empire, founded and ruled by the Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. It spanned a total area of from Anatolia and the Levant in the west to ...

, many examples of which have survived across

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

today (e.g. the large Sultan Han in

Aksaray Province Aksaray Province ( tr, ) is a province in central Turkey. Its adjacent provinces are Konya along the west and south, Niğde to the southeast, Nevşehir to the east, and Kırşehir to the north. It covers an area of . The provincial capital is ...

) as well as in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

(e.g. the Ribat-i Sharaf in

Khorasan Khorasan may refer to: * Greater Khorasan, a historical region which lies mostly in modern-day northern/northwestern Afghanistan, northeastern Iran, southern Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan * Khorasan Province, a pre-2004 province of Ira ...

). Urban versions of caravanserais also became important centers of economic activity in cities across these different regions of the Muslim world, often concentrated near the main '' souq'' areas, with many examples still standing in the historic areas of

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

, Fes, etc.

Ibn Battuta Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Battutah (, ; 24 February 13041368/1369),; fully: ; Arabic: commonly known as Ibn Battuta, was a Berber Maghrebi scholar and explorer who travelled extensively in the lands of Afro-Eurasia, largely in the Muslim ...

, a 14th-century Muslim traveler, described the function of a caravenserai in the region of China: In many parts of the Muslim world, caravanserais also provided revenues that were used to fund charitable or religious functions or buildings. These revenues and functions were managed through a ''

waqf A waqf ( ar, وَقْف; ), also known as hubous () or '' mortmain'' property is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitab ...

'', a protected agreement which gave certain buildings and revenues the status of

mortmain Mortmain () is the perpetual, inalienable ownership of real estate by a corporation or legal institution; the term is usually used in the context of its prohibition. Historically, the land owner usually would be the religious office of a church ...

endowments guaranteed under Islamic law.Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. 2007. ''Cairo of the Mamluks: A History of Architecture and its Culture''. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press. Many major religious complexes in the Ottoman and

Mamluk Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...

empires, for example, either included a caravanserai building (like in the '' külliye'' of the

Süleymaniye Mosque The Süleymaniye Mosque ( tr, Süleymaniye Camii, ) is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. The mosque was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent and designed by the imperial architect Mimar Sinan. An ...

in Istanbul) or drew revenues from one in the area (such as the Wikala al-Ghuri in Cairo, which was built to contribute revenues for the nearby complex of Sultan al-Ghuri).

Caravanserai in Arab literature

Al-Muqaddasi Shams al-Dīn Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Abī Bakr al-Maqdisī ( ar, شَمْس ٱلدِّيْن أَبُو عَبْد ٱلله مُحَمَّد ابْن أَحْمَد ابْن أَبِي بَكْر ٱلْمَقْدِسِي), ...

the Arab geographer wrote in 985 CE about the hostelries, or wayfarers' inns, in the Province of Palestine, a province at that time listed under the topography of Syria, saying: "Taxes are not heavy in Syria, with the exception of those levied on the Caravanserais (''Fanduk''); Here, however, the duties are oppressive..." The reference here being to the imposts and duties charged by government officials on the importation of goods and merchandise, the importers of which and their beasts of burden usually stopping to take rest in these places. Guards were stationed at every gate to ensure that taxes for these goods be paid in full, with the revenues going to the Fatimid kingdom of Egypt.

Architecture

Most typically a caravanserai was a building with a square or rectangular walled exterior, with a single portal wide enough to permit large or heavily laden beasts such as

camel A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. ...

s to enter. The courtyard was almost always open to the sky, and the inside walls of the enclosure were outfitted with a number of identical animal stalls, bays, niches or chambers to accommodate merchants and their servants, animals, and merchandise. Caravanserais provided water for human and animal consumption, washing and ritual purification such as ''

wudu Wuḍūʾ ( ar, الوضوء ' ) is the Islamic procedure for cleansing parts of the body, a type of ritual purification, or ablution. The 4 Fardh (Mandatory) acts of ''Wudu'' consists of washing the face, arms, then wiping the head and the fe ...

'' and '' ghusl''. Sometimes they had elaborate public baths ( hammams), or other attached amenities such as a fountain or a sabil/sebil. They kept

fodder Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food given to the animals (includ ...

for animals and had shops for travellers where they could acquire new supplies. Some shops bought goods from the travelling merchants. Many caravanserais were equipped with small mosques, such as the elevated examples in the Seljuk and Ottoman caravanserais in Turkey. In Cairo, starting in the Burji Mamluk period, ''wikala''s (urban caravanserais) were frequently several stories tall and often included a ''rab, a low-income rental apartment complex, which was situated on the upper floors while the merchant accommodations occupied the lower floors. While making the best use of limited space in a crowded city, this provided the building with two sources of revenue which were managed through the ''

'' system.

Notable caravanserais

Alphabetically, not taking article (al-, el-, etc.) into consideration. *

Abbasi Hotel The Abbasi Hotel ( fa, هتل عباسی, formerly known as the "Shah Abbas Hotel", Persian: ) is a hotel located in Isfahan, Iran. The whole complex was built at the time of king Sultan Husayn of Safavid about 400 years ago. Formerly known as ...

Isfahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Region, Isfahan Province, Iran. It is lo ...

, Iran * Ağzıkara Han, Ağzıkarahan (Aksaray Province), Turkey *

Akbari Sarai The Akbari Sarai ( ur, ) is a large caravan inn (''"sarai"''), located in Shahdara Bagh in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Dating from 1637, the ''sarai'' was originally built for travelers, as well as for caretakers of the Tomb of Jahangir. The ''sa ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

, Pakistan * Büyük Han, Nicosia, Cyprus * Büyük Valide Han, Istanbul, Turkey * Büyük Yeni Han, Istanbul, Turkey *

Caravanserai of Sa'd al-Saltaneh The Sa'd al-Saltaneh Caravanserai (سعد السلطنه) is a large Caravanserai located in the city of Qazvin in Qazvin Province of Iran. Built during the Qajar era, the caravanserai is one of Iran's best preserved urban caravanserais. The bui ...

, Qazvin, Iran *

Caravanserai of Zor The Caravanserai of Zor ( hy, Զորի քարավանատուն; tr, Iğdır Kervansarayı) is a 13th-century Armenian caravanserai located 35 kilometers southwest of modern-day Iğdır. Built during the period of Zakarid Armenia, it was commiss ...

, Iğdır, Turkey *

Corral del Carbón The Corral del Carbón, originally al-Funduq al-Jadida, is a 14th-century historic building in the Spanish city of Granada (Andalusia). It is the only Nasrid ''alhóndiga'' or '' funduq'' (a commercial warehouse or inn) preserved in the Iberia ...

, Granada, Spain *

Elbasan Han Elbasan Inn is a historic inn in Korçë, Albania. It is said to be several centuries old and the oldest hotel in the city. It is built in the Ottoman architectural style. The inn used to serve the merchants and tradesmen who sold their wares in ...

, Korçë, Albania * Funduq Nejjarine, Fes, Morocco *

Funduq Sagha Funduq Sagha () (also spelled ''Fondouk Sagha'') is a historic ''funduq'' (a caravanserai or traditional inn) in Fes el Bali, the old medina quarter in the city of Fez, Morocco. History The funduq was built in 1711 CE (1123 AH) during the re ...

, Fes, Morocco * Funduq Shamma'in, Fes, Morocco *

Funduq Staouniyyin The Funduq Staouniyyin (pronounced ''foon-dook sta-woo-nee-yeen'') or Funduq al-Tetwaniyyin (also spelled Foundouk Staouniyine, Fondouk Stawniyin, or Foundouk Tetouaniyine) is a historic ''funduq'' (caravanserai) in Fes el-Bali, the old city of F ...

, Fes, Morocco *

Garghabazar Caravanserai Garghabazar caravanserai ( az, Qarğabazar karvansarayı) is a historic monument of XVII century. It is located in Garghabazar village, of Fuzuli District, in Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerb ...

, Kharabakh, Azerbaijan *

Kapan Han Kapan Han ( mk, Капан ан, ) is a han (caravanserai) in the Old Bazaar of Skopje, North Macedonia. It was built in the mid-15th century by Bosnian general Isa-Beg Isaković, ruler of Skopsko Krajište, in order to provide a regular sour ...

, Skopje, North Macedonia * Khan As'ad Pasha, Damascus, Syria * Khan Jaqmaq, Damascus, Syria *

Khan el-Khalili Khan el-Khalili ( ar, خان الخليلي) is a famous bazaar and souq (or ''souk'') in the historic center of Cairo, Egypt. Established as a center of trade in the Mamluk era and named for one of its several historic caravanserais, the ...

, Cairo, Egypt * Khan Sulayman Pasha, Damascus, Syria * Khan al-Tujjar, Mount Tabor, Israel * Khan al-Tujjar, Nablus, West Bank *

Khan Tuman Khan Tuman ( ar, خان طومان) is a village in northern Syria, administratively part of the Mount Simeon District of Aleppo Governorate, located southwest of Aleppo. Nearby localities include Urum al-Kubrah, Urum al-Sughrah, al-Shaykh Ali ...

, Damascus, Syria * Khan al-Umdan, Acre, Israel * Koza Han, Bursa, Turkey * Kürkçü Han, Istanbul, Turkey *

Kuršumli An Kursumli An ( mk, Куршумли ан, , tr, Kurşunlu han) is an Ottoman caravanserai located in the Old Town of Skopje. It is in the area of Museum of Macedonia The Museum of the Republic of North Macedonia ( mk, Музеј на Репу� ...

, Skopje, North Macedonia *

Manuc's Inn Manuc's Inn ( ro, Hanul lui Manuc, ) is the oldest operating hotel building in Bucharest, Romania. It also houses a popular restaurant, several bars, a coffee-house, and (facing the street) several stores and an extensive bar. Its massive, mult ...

, Bucharest, Romania *

Morića Han Morića Han is a han (a roadside inn) originally built in 1551 in Sarajevo, Ottoman Empire (now Bosnia and Herzegovina). After a fire in 1697 it was reconstructed in its current form. Morića Han is one of the buildings which were financed by and b ...

, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina *

Multani Caravanserai The Multani Caravanserai is a caravanserai located in Baku, Azerbaijan. It was established in the 14th century and is located opposite to the Bukhara Caravanserai. The caravanserai was built to house merchants from the medieval city of Mult ...

, Baku, Azerbaijan *

Mughal Sarai, Surat The Mughal Sarai is a caravanserai located in Surat, Gujarat, India. History The sarai was built in 1644 CE. It was briefly used to detain political prisoners during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The clock tower was also added by the Briti ...

, Gujarat, India * Nampally Sarai, Nampally, Hyderabad, India *

Orbelian's Caravanserai Orbelian's Caravanserai ( hy, Օրբելյանների Քարվանսարա; also known as Sulema Caravanserai and Selim Caravanserai, hy, Սելիմ), is a caravanserai in the Vayots Dzor Province of Armenia. It was built along the Vardenyats ...

, Armenia *

Rabati Malik Rabati Malik, also called Ribat-i Malik, is a caravanserai ruin located on the M37 road from Samarkand to Bukhara about a kilometer west of the edge of Malik, Navoiy Province, Uzbekistan. It was constructed along the Silk Road according to the o ...

, Uzbekistan *

Shaki Caravanserai Caravanserai – is a historical monument in Sheki, a part of which is used as a hotel. Historical information Swift development of trade in the Middle Ages enhanced importance of caravanserai existing in the territory of Azerbaijan at that tim ...

, Shaki,

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

* Stari Han, Kremna, Užice, Serbia *

Suli An The Suli An ( mk, Сули ан, ) is a han in the Old Bazaar of Skopje, North Macedonia. It was built in the mid-15th century by Isa-Beg Isaković. Etymology The name of the han is derived from the Turkish ''Sulu Han'', with ''su'' which ...

, Skopje, North Macedonia * Sultan Han, Sultanhanı (Aksaray Province), Turkey * Sultan Han, Sultanhanı (Kayseri Province), Turkey * Wikala al-Ghuri, Cairo, Egypt * Wikala Qaytbay (at al-Azhar), Cairo, Egypt * Wikala Qaytbay (at Bab al-Nasr), Cairo, Egypt *

Zeinodin Caravanserai The Ribat of Zein-o-din or Zein-o-Din Caravanserai is located in Zein-o-din, Yazd, Iran. The Ribat dates to the 16th century and is situated on the ancient Silk Road. It is one of 999 such inns that were built during the reign of Shah Abbas I to ...

, Zein-o-din, Yazd, Iran

Gallery

File:Main_Entrance_of_Akbari_Sarai.jpg, 16th century

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

File:Fallujah 1914.jpg,

Fallujah Fallujah ( ar, ٱلْفَلُّوجَة, al-Fallūjah, Iraqi pronunciation: ) is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Je ...

's Caravanserai in use, ca. 1914,

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

File:Fair at Khan al-Tujjar.jpg, An 1850 drawing of Khan al-Tujjar, near Mount Tabor, Israel File:Akko BW 13.JPG, Khan al-Umdan in

Acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

File:Khan al-Wazir Alp.JPG, Khan al-Wazir,

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

, Syria File:Selim Caravanserai3.jpg, Inside the

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...

File:Sadolsaltaneh caravanserai.jpg, The interior of the

Qazvin Qazvin (; fa, قزوین, , also Romanized as ''Qazvīn'', ''Qazwin'', ''Kazvin'', ''Kasvin'', ''Caspin'', ''Casbin'', ''Casbeen'', or ''Ghazvin'') is the largest city and capital of the Province of Qazvin in Iran. Qazvin was a capital of the ...

File:Hotel Shah Abbas Sahn.jpg, The caravanserai of Shah Abbas, now

, in

, Iran. View is from the courtyard (sahn). File:Neyestanak Caravanserai Inner Courtyard 2007-01-01.jpg, An abandoned caravanserai in Neyestānak, Iran File:Bursa, Turkey (4505709750).jpg, The courtyard of the Koza Han (1490-91) of

Bursa ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...

; the domed building is a small mosque (''mescit'') File:Caravanserai-Sheki.jpg, 18th-centuryVladimir Braginskiy. Tourist Attractions in the USSR: A Guide. Raduga Publishers, 1982. 254 pages. Page 104.

The whole of the centre of Sheki has been proclaimed a reserve protected by the state. To take you back to the time of the caravans, two large eighteenth-century caravanserais have been preserved with spacious courtyards where the camels used to rest, cellars where goods were stored, and rooms for travellers.

caravanserai in Sheki,

File:Multani karvansarayı.JPG,

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world an ...

File:Katra Mosque - Murshidabad.jpg, The Caravenserai Mosque in

Murshidabad Murshidabad fa, مرشد آباد (, or ) is a historical city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi River, a distributary of the Ganges. It forms part of the Murshidabad district. Durin ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

; built by

Nawab Nawab ( Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب; bn, নবাব/নওয়াব; hi, नवाब; Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ; Persian, Punjabi , Sindhi, Urdu: ), also spelled Nawaab, Navaab, Navab, Nowab, Nabob, Nawaabshah, Nawabshah or Nobab, ...

Murshid Quli Khan of

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

File:Charles D'Oyly04.jpg, An 1823 etching of Bara Katra, or Great Caravanserai, in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...

; built by the Mughal Prince Shah Shuja File:The Small Kuttra with its enclosed Mosque, Dhaka (1817).jpg, An 1817 sketch of the

Choto Katra Chhota Katra ( bn, ছোট কাটারা; ''Small Katra'') is one of two Katras built during Mughal's regime in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was constructed in 1663 by Subahdar Shaista Khan. It is on Hakim Habibur Rahman lane on the bank of the B ...

caravanserai in Dhaka, Bangladesh; built by the Mughal viceroy Shaista Khan File:Anderkilla Shahi Jame Mosque (02).jpg, Anderkilla in

Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in ...

, Bangladesh File:Wikala-sabil-kuttab of Qaitbay 03.jpg, The entrance portal of the

Wikala of Sultan Qaytbay The Wikala of Sultan Qaytbay or Wakala of Sultan Qaytbay (among other variations) is an urban caravanserai (''wikala'' or ''wakala'') and ''rab'' (apartment complex) built by Sultan al-Ashraf Abu al-Nasr Qaitbay in 1481 CE in Islamic Cairo, the ...

, dating from 1477, south of

Al-Azhar Mosque Al-Azhar Mosque ( ar, الجامع الأزهر, al-Jāmiʿ al-ʾAzhar, lit=The Resplendent Congregational Mosque, arz, جامع الأزهر, Gāmiʿ el-ʾazhar), known in Egypt simply as al-Azhar, is a mosque in Cairo, Egypt in the historic ...

File:Granada Corral del Carbón 16-03-2011 17-29-46 16-03-2011 17-29-46.JPG,

, a former caravanserai in

Granada Granada (,, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the c ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

File:Tash Rabat.JPG, The ruins of a

caravanserai in

Tash Rabat Tash Rabat is a well-preserved 15th-century stone caravanserai in At-Bashy District, Naryn Province, Kyrgyzstan, located at an altitude of . Geography Tash Rabat is located somewhat east of the main north-south highway. To the south are Lake ...

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...

File:تی تی کاروان سرا.jpg,

Titi Caravanserai The Titi Caravanserai (Persian and Gilaki: تی تی کاروانسرا) Is a Caravanserai in Siahkal County, Iran. Dating back to Safavid era The Safavid dynasty (; fa, دودمان صفوی, Dudmâne Safavi, ) was one of Iran's most sign ...

File:تصویر سراسرنما از بام کاروانسرای دیرگچین استان قم، معماری برجای مانده از دوره ساسانی.jpg, Panoramic view of the roof of Dirgchin Caravanserai in Qom Province, surviving architecture from the Sassanid period

References

External links

Shah Abbasi Caravanserai, Tishineh

Caravansara Pictures

Consideratcaravanserai.net
Texts and photos on research on caravanserais and travel journeys in Middle East and Central Asia.

The Seljuk Han in Anatolia

Persian Caravanserai
UNESCO application {{Authority control Hotel types Islamic architecture Architecture in Iran Silk Road Persian words and phrases