caravanseray

A caravanserai, also spelled caravanserai or caravanseray, is a roadside inn historically built to house travelers and their caravans along long-distance trade routes, especially the Silk Road. The term derives from Persian, combining karwan (caravan) and sarā (house or palace). In Turkish and Arabic, similar terms such as han or khan reference comparable facilities.

Architecturally, caravanserais were typically large, walled complexes centered on a spacious courtyard. A single monumental entrance opened into a covered avenue or portico, leading to stables or storage rooms on the outer blocks and guest rooms or halls around the central courtyard. Facilities commonly included cisterns or wells, kitchens, baths, and sometimes shops or a market area. The design aimed to provide security, shelter from harsh climates, and accommodation for both people and pack animals, often accommodating dozens or hundreds of camels and traders.

Historically, caravanserais played a crucial role in trade and cultural exchange by offering reliable shelter and protection for merchants traveling through vast deserts and plains. They facilitated the movement of goods such as silk, spices, textiles, metals, and precious stones, and helped sustain networks of merchants, artisans, and travelers across regions now parts of Iran, Turkey, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and North Africa.

With changes in transport and commerce, many caravanserais declined from use as inns in the modern era. Some have been preserved as historical monuments, museums, or converted into hotels and guesthouses, particularly in Iran and parts of Central Asia and Anatolia. Today, they are valued for their architectural character and their role in the history of trade and travel.