TEHRAN—Ruins of a centuries-old brick building have currently been discovered after unauthorized excavators dug trenches in the Germi region of Ardabil province, northwest Iran.

Initial assessment suggests the ruins belong to a public bathhouse of caravanserai, which date to a time from Parthian to Ilkhanid eras, IRIB quoted a local official as saying on Tuesday. 

“In the initial investigations, it was determined that the discovered brick building was a caravanserai or a bathhouse, which was built in a time from the Parthian to Ilkhanid period…. More details need further investigation,” the official explained.

The Parthian Empire, also known as the Arsacid Empire, was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 CE. The Ilkhanid dynasty, also called Il-Khanid, was a Mongol dynasty that ruled Iran from 1256 to 1335. Il-Khan is Persian for “subordinate khan”.

There are many historical monuments and buildings in the Garmi county that are still buried under the soil and hills, the official said.

The crumbling structure was found by illegal excavators who have been detained to face trial and further investigation, the official added.

In the past time, bathhouses or ‘hammams’ in Iran were not only places for bathing and cleaning up. They had a social concept for people who gathered at these places weekly. It was a place where people talked with each other about their daily life, and shared humors and news. There are still bathhouses in Iranian cities but they do not have their social function anymore since most people have bathrooms in their homes due to a modern lifestyle. Bathhouses were also known as a gathering place for women, to meet with each other and chat for long hours.

Caravanserai or caravansary is a compound word combining “caravan” with “sara”; the former stands for a group of travelers and the latter means the building. They often had massive portals supported by elevated load-bearing walls. Guest rooms were constructed around the courtyard and stables behind them, with doors in the corners of the yard. The earliest caravanserais in Iran were built during the Achaemenid era (550 - 330 BC). Centuries later, when Shah Abbas I assumed power from 1588 to 1629, he ordered the construction of a network of caravanserais across the country.

AFM