TEHRAN ––The Safavid era (1501-1736) Shah Abbasi caravanserai in the city of Karaj, the capital of Alborz province, is planned to turn into a handicrafts center, the deputy provincial tourism chief has said.

The historical inn has been abandoned for a while, but it has the potential to become a center for handicrafts, ISNA quoted Shahram Alimohammadi as saying on Sunday.

Last year, provincial tourism chief Fereydoun Mohammadi announced that Karaj eyes to be named a national city of handicrafts.

Due to Alborz’s status as the capital of tribes and the presence of various ethnic groups living in this region, the handicrafts in this region are of great variety, he said.

Being recognized as a hub for handicrafts gives several craftspeople, who are practicing different fields of handicrafts in workshops scattered across the province, the opportunity of promoting their works as well as helping tourism development in the region, the official added.

Various forgotten and neglected handicrafts fields are also planned to be revived in the province, he explained.

Alborz province is surrounded by Mazandaran, Tehran, Markazi, and Qazvin provinces. Its name is driven by the Alborz Mountains. A significant part of the mountains is located in the northern part of the province. Historical resources and documents as well as archeological studies indicate that Alborz has a rich culture dating back to prehistoric times.

With 14 entries, Iran ranks first globally for the number of cities and villages registered by the World Crafts Council, as China with seven entries, Chile with four, and India with three ones come next.

In January 2020, the cities of Shiraz, Malayer, and Zanjan and the village of Qassemabad were designated by the WCC- Asia Pacific Region, putting Iran’s number of world crafts cities and villages from ten to 14.

Caravanserai is a compound word combining “caravan” with “serai”; 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.

Iran’s earliest caravanserais 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.

For many travelers to Iran, staying in or even visiting a centuries-old caravanserai can be a wide experience; they have an opportunity to feel the past, a time travel back to a forgotten age.

Such roadside inns were once constructed along ancient caravan routes in the Muslim world to shelter people, their goods and animals. The former Silk Road may be the most famous example dotted by caravanserais.

Cozy chambers that are meticulously laid out around a vast courtyard may easily evoke spirits of the past. It’s not hard to fancy the hustle and bustle of merchants bargaining on prices, recounting their arduous journeys to one another while their camels chewing hay! You can also conceive the idea of local architectural style and material in its heyday.

It’s not hard to fancy the hustle and bustle of merchants bargaining on prices, recounting their arduous journeys to one another while their camels chewing hay!

Passing major roads in the country, one may see crumbling caravanserais, many of which were abandoned for ages. In the Information Age, such guest houses have largely lost their actual usage.

However, a couple of years ago, the Iran tourism ministry introduced a scheme to keep them alive and profitable; tens of caravanserais are ceded to private investors for better maintenance. Now, some are exclusively renovated and repurposed into boutique hotels and tourist lodgings.

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.

ABU/AM