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 Logistics, 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 Good (economics and accounti ...
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 t ...
and
Southeast Europe
Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe (SEE) is a geographical subregion of Europe, consisting primarily of the Balkans. Sovereign states and territories that are included in the region are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia ...
, 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
The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. In ...
, and were often called other names such as ''khan'', ''wikala'', or ''funduq''.
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
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 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 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, custom ...
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 emp ...
's Royal Road
The Royal Road was an ancient highway reorganized and rebuilt by the Persian king Darius the Great (Darius I) of the first (Achaemenid) Persian Empire in the 5th century BC. Darius built the road to facilitate rapid communication on the western ...
, a ancient highway that stretched from Sardis
Sardis () or Sardes (; Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard''; el, Σάρδεις ''Sardeis''; peo, Sparda; hbo, ספרד ''Sfarad'') was an ancient city at the location of modern ''Sart'' (Sartmahmut before 19 October 2005), near Salihli, ...
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 for ...
: "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
The Grand Trunk Road (formerly known as Uttarapath, Sarak-e-Azam, Shah Rah-e-Azam, Badshahi Sarak, and Long Walk) is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For at least 2,500 years it has linked Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. ...
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, Ind ...
, 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
The Bengal Subah ( bn, সুবাহ বাংলা; fa, ), also referred to as Mughal Bengal ( bn, মোগল বাংলা), was the largest subdivision of the Mughal Empire (and later an independent state under the Nawabs of Be ...
.
Throughout most of the Islamic period (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 Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
, 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 t ...
, and Ottoman
Ottoman is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, ‘uthmān). It may refer to:
Governments and dynasties
* Ottoman Caliphate, an Islamic caliphate from 1517 to 1924
* Ottoman Empire, in existence fr ...
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 t ...
, 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 in ...
today (e.g. the large Sultan Han
Sultan Han is a large 13th-century Seljuk caravanserai located in the town of Sultanhanı, Aksaray Province, Turkey. It is one of the three monumental caravanserais in the neighbourhood of Aksaray and is located about west of Aksaray on the r ...
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 th ...
) 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 Tu ...
(e.g. the Ribat-i Sharaf in Khorasan). 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 met ...
, 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_ ...
, Fes
Fez or Fes (; ar, فاس, fās; zgh, ⴼⵉⵣⴰⵣ, fizaz; french: Fès) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fès-Meknès administrative region. It is the second largest city in Morocco, with a population of 1.11 m ...
, 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 w ...
, 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 churc ...
endowments guaranteed under Islamic law
Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the ...
.[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
Ottoman is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, ‘uthmān). It may refer to:
Governments and dynasties
* Ottoman Caliphate, an Islamic caliphate from 1517 to 1924
* Ottoman Empire, in existence fr ...
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 ins ...
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 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. C ...
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 stall
An animal stall is an enclosure housing one or a few animals. Stalls for animals can often be found wherever animals are kept: a horse stable is often a purpose-built and permanent structure. A farmer's barn may be subdivided into animal stalls ...
s, 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
Ritual purification is the ritual prescribed by a religion by which a person is considered to be free of ''uncleanliness'', especially prior to the worship of a deity, and ritual purity is a state of ritual cleanliness. Ritual purification ma ...
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 feet ...
'' and ''ghusl
( ar, غسل ', ) is an Arabic term to the full-body ritual purification mandatory before the performance of various rituals and prayers, for any adult Muslim after sexual intercourse/ejaculation or completion of the menstrual cycle.
The washin ...
''. 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 (in ...
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 '']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 ...
'' 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 th ...
, 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 l ...
, Iran
* Ağzıkara Han, Ağzıkarahan (Aksaray Province), Turkey
* Akbari Sarai, Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
, Pakistan
* Büyük Han, Nicosia, Cyprus
* Büyük Valide Han, Istanbul, Turkey
* Büyük Yeni Han, Istanbul, Turkey
* Caravanserai of Sa'd al-Saltaneh, Qazvin, Iran
* Caravanserai of Zor, Iğdır, Turkey
* Corral del Carbón, Granada, Spain
* Elbasan Han, 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
The Funduq al-Shamma'in or (if using the French transliteration) Foundouk Chemmaïne () is a medieval ''funduq'' (urban caravanserai) in Fes, Morocco. It is also directly adjoined by another funduq structure, the Funduq al-Sbitriyyin; as a resul ...
, 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 Azerba ...
, 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
Khan As'ad Pasha ( ar, خَان أَسْعَد بَاشَا, Khān ʾAsʿad Bāşā) is the largest caravanserai () in the Old City of Damascus, covering an area of . Situated along Al-Buzuriyah Souq, it was built and named after As'ad Pasha al-A ...
, Damascus, Syria
* Khan Jaqmaq, Damascus, Syria
* Khan el-Khalili, Cairo, Egypt
* Khan Sulayman Pasha, Damascus, Syria
* Khan al-Tujjar, Mount Tabor, Israel
* Khan al-Tujjar, Nablus, West Bank
* Khan Tuman, Damascus, Syria
*Khan al-Umdan
Baháʼí name: Khán-i-'Avámid
, image = Akko BW 13.JPG
, caption =
, map_type =
, altitude =
, building_type = Caravanserai
, architectural_style = Ottoman
, structural_system = ...
, Acre, Israel
*Koza Han
The Koza Han () is a historic caravanserai (''han'') in Bursa, Turkey. It is located in the heart of the city's historic market district.
History
Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, was also its center of silk production and tra ...
, Bursa, Turkey
* Kürkçü Han, Istanbul, Turkey
* Kuršumli An, Skopje, North Macedonia
* Manuc's Inn, Bucharest, Romania
* Morića Han, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Multani Caravanserai, Baku, Azerbaijan
* Mughal Sarai, Surat, Gujarat, India
*Nampally Sarai
Nampally Sarai" Tipu Khan sarai" is a heritage resting place (caravanserai) located at Nampally in Hyderabad, India.
The 'Nampally Sarai' or 'Tipu Khan Sarai"' was built by Nawab Tipu Khan Bahadur who was High Ranking Official, Elite Mansabda ...
, 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 ...
, Uzbekistan
* Shaki Caravanserai, Shaki, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country, transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Wester ...
* Stari Han, Kremna, Užice, Serbia
* Suli An, Skopje, North Macedonia
*Sultan Han
Sultan Han is a large 13th-century Seljuk caravanserai located in the town of Sultanhanı, Aksaray Province, Turkey. It is one of the three monumental caravanserais in the neighbourhood of Aksaray and is located about west of Aksaray on the r ...
, Sultanhanı (Aksaray Province), Turkey
*Sultan Han
Sultan Han is a large 13th-century Seljuk caravanserai located in the town of Sultanhanı, Aksaray Province, Turkey. It is one of the three monumental caravanserais in the neighbourhood of Aksaray and is located about west of Aksaray on the r ...
, 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, Zein-o-din, Yazd, Iran
Gallery
File:Main_Entrance_of_Akbari_Sarai.jpg, 16th century Akbari Sarai in Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
, Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-la ...
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 J ...
'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 the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
File:Fair at Khan al-Tujjar.jpg, An 1850 drawing of Khan al-Tujjar, near Mount Tabor
Mount Tabor ( he, הר תבור) (Har Tavor) is located in Lower Galilee, Israel, at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, west of the Sea of Galilee.
In the Hebrew Bible ( Joshua, Judges), Mount Tabor is the site of the Battle of Mount ...
, Israel
File:Akko BW 13.JPG, Khan al-Umdan
Baháʼí name: Khán-i-'Avámid
, image = Akko BW 13.JPG
, caption =
, map_type =
, altitude =
, building_type = Caravanserai
, architectural_style = Ottoman
, structural_system = ...
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 y ...
, 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 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
File:Sadolsaltaneh caravanserai.jpg, The interior of the Caravanserai of Sa'd al-Saltaneh in 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 ...
, 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 Tu ...
File:Hotel Shah Abbas Sahn.jpg, The caravanserai of Shah Abbas, now 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 th ...
, in 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 l ...
, 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
The Koza Han () is a historic caravanserai (''han'') in Bursa, Turkey. It is located in the heart of the city's historic market district.
History
Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, was also its center of silk production and tra ...
(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 ...
, 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 in ...
; the domed building is a small mosque (''mescit'')
File:Caravanserai-Sheki.jpg, 18th-century[Vladimir 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, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country, transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Wester ...
File:Multani karvansarayı.JPG, Multani Caravanserai, 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 ...
, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country, transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Wester ...
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 seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
; 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 Nob ...
Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan ( fa, , bn, মুর্শিদকুলি খান; 1660 – 30 June 1727), also known as Zamin Ali Quli and born as Surya Narayan Mishra, was the first Nawab of Bengal, serving from 1717 to 1727.
Born a Hindu in the De ...
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, predo ...
File:Charles D'Oyly04.jpg, An 1823 etching of Bara Katra, or Great Caravanserai, in Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
, 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 mos ...
; 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 caravanserai in Dhaka, Bangladesh; built by the Mughal viceroy Shaista Khan
Mirza Abu Talib (22 November 1600 – 1694), better known as Shaista Khan, was a general and the subahdar of Mughal Bengal. A maternal uncle to the emperor Aurangzeb, he acted as a key figure during his reign. Shaista Khan initially governed ...
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, 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 histori ...
, 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 met ...
File:Granada Corral del Carbón 16-03-2011 17-29-46 16-03-2011 17-29-46.JPG, Corral del Carbón, 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 ...
, 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 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 ...
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 Lak ...
, 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 east ...
File:تی تی کاروان سرا.jpg, Titi Caravanserai
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
See also
References
Further reading
* Branning, Katharine. 2018
turkishhan.org
The Seljuk Han in Anatolia. New York, USA.
* Cytryn-Silverman, Katia. 2010. ''The Road Inns (Khans) in Bilad al-Sham''. BAR ( British Archaeological Reports), Oxford.
*
* Erdmann, Kurt, Erdmann, Hanna. 1961. ''Das anatolische Karavansaray des 13. Jahrhunderts'', 3 vols. Berlin: Mann, 1976,
*
* Hillenbrand, Robert. 1994. ''Islamic Architecture: Form, function and meaning''. New York: Columbia University Press. (see Chapter VI for an in depth overview of the caravanserai).
* Kiani, Mohammad Yusef. 1976
Caravansaries in Khorasan Road.
Reprinted from: ''Traditions Architecturales en Iran'', Tehran, No. 2 & 3, 1976.
* Schutyser, Tom. 2012. ''Caravanserai: Traces, Places, Dialogue in the Middle East''. Milan: 5 Continents Editions,
* Yavuz, Aysil Tükel. 1997. ''The Concepts that Shape Anatolian Seljuq Caravansara.'' In: Gülru Necipoglu (ed). 1997. ''Muqarnas XIV: An Annual on the Visual Culture of the Islamic World.'' Leiden: E. J. Brill, 80–95. rchnet.org/library/pubdownloader/pdf/8967/doc/DPC1304.pdf Available online as a PDF document, 1.98 MB
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