TEHRAN –A small caravanserai in the city of Seyyedabad, northeastern Khorasan Razavi is planned to undergo some rehabilitation works, the deputy provincial tourism chief has said. 

The project will be carried out in close collaboration with the city’s municipality and city council, Ehsan Zohrevandi explained on Friday.

Caravanserai is a compound word combining “caravan” with “serai” (or “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 Iranian caravanserais date back to the Achaemenid era (550 - 330 BC). Centuries later, when Shah Abbas I assumed power from 1588–to 1629, the mighty Safavid monarch ordered the construction of a network of caravanserais across the country.

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.

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.

The majority of Iranian caravanserais have massive portals supported by elevated load-bearing walls. Arched guest rooms are constructed around the courtyard and stables behind them with doors in the corners of the yard.

ABU/AM