TEHRAN – One of the once-thriving Shah-Abbasi caravanserais, which is located in the ancient town of Meybod in Yazd province, has undergone some rehabilitation works, Meybod tourism chief announced on Saturday. 

The project is aimed to have the historical caravanserai ready for an inspection scheduled to be conducted by a UNESCO-affiliated assessment team, CHTN quoted Mehrdad Zolfaqari as saying.

For possible inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list, the assessors are scheduled to evaluate the caravanserai in the near future, the official added. 

The project involves strengthening the rooftop, walls, rooms using cob materials as well as repairing wooden doors, flooring, gutters, and electricity system, he explained. 

The monument is still a lively bustling place being used for the production and marketing of local handicrafts, he mentioned. 

The Safavid-era (1501-1736) inn has four porches (iwans), a central courtyard, traditional ice storage (yakhchal), cistern, and some 100 rooms for travelers. 

It has been inscribed on the national heritage list. 

Shah Abbasi caravanserai of Meybod is one of nine caravanserais from Yazd province being considered for possible inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list of Iranian historical caravanserais.

Saryazd, Zeineddin, Qaleh Khargushi, and Kermanshahan are among the selected caravanserais, scattered across the province, each characterizing a distinctive feature. 

According to UNESCO, Meybod is a remarkable example of the viability and transmission of human being’s collective thoughts from different generations to the present one. “What is significant in the city of Meybod is the regularity in city planning. The anatomy and spatial structure of the city show original plans which conform with the old Iranian city planning.”

ABU/AFM