Caravansary

Caravansary or Caravanserai, also called a caravan inn, a large building, generally surrounding a court, where a caravan (a group of travelers journeying together) may rest at night. These relay stations were constructed along the well-maintained carriage roads of the Persian Empire as early as 500 BC. Such structures were found throughout the Muslim lands of the Near and Middle East and North Africa. They were located along main trade routes at intervals of a day's journey, generally 32 km (20 mi) for a camel caravan. Many were in desolate surroundings but others were at the gates of towns or within the towns. These structures offered facilities for the essential needs of the people and the animals of a caravan: a well for water, a place for the animals to rest, a sheltered area for the unloaded baggage, rooms for sleeping, and a kitchen.

The caravansaries were normally rectangular, with covered areas of one or more stories around the sides of a very large open court. The bare exterior walls, built of brick or stone, were pierced by a single gateway, so that the structure offered considerable protection against infiltration by bands of thieves.

Thousands of such caravansaries were built from the 10th century almost to the present day, but most have fallen into ruin as freight is carried by more modern means. Kings were often responsible for erecting caravansaries. Shah Abbas of Persia (now Iran) is said to have ordered the construction of 999 of them in the early 17th century. They were also built by local governors, by pious Muslims who provided funds for their upkeep, or by the innkeepers themselves. The Muslim caravansaries displayed regional variations in form and constructional materials. In Turkey, dressed stone was the usual material, and because of the comparatively severe climate, the court area was sometimes vaulted over. In Iran, most of the caravansaries were made of brick.

The term 'khan' was often applied to the caravansaries in Turkey, Syria, and Egypt, but in these countries the khan was also a structure erected in the towns. The town version was similar to the caravansary in plan, but was used either as a wholesale warehouse or as a food market.