Persian Caravanserai

Understand

Just as there are motels and truck stops along today's highways around the world, the ancient Silk Road had caravanserai, roadside inns where voyagers could eat and sleep. Many are still standing and some are still in business. Many caravanserai were in Persia, today's Iran. In 2023, 54 especially important, well preserved and/or architecturally interesting ones were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site; those are the subject of this article. A typical caravanserai has several buildings, including stables for the caravans' horses and camels, grouped around a central courtyard. Some are quite large, able to accommodate several caravans. Some are in towns; the more rural ones are often fortified against the local bandits.