Detail shows exterior façade of the crumbling Aliabad Caravanserai near a village of the same name in Qom province, central Iran, September 8, 2017.

The lengthy deserted roadside inn is widely believed to date from the Seljuk era (1037–1194) and partially served as a stronghold during the wartimes.  

Dotted along major old routes across the country, such massive mudbrick structures have largely lost their original usage as shelters for merchants, travelers and their livestock.

(Farzaneh Piri/IRNA)