# Caravanserai

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Type of roadside inn

This article is about the roadside inns. For the album by Santana, see [Caravanserai (album)](/source/Caravanserai_(album)). For the tour by Santana, see [Caravanserai Tour](/source/Caravanserai_Tour).

"Funduq" redirects here. For the Palestinian village, see [al-Funduq](/source/Al-Funduq).

The [Izadkhast caravanserai](/source/Izadkhast_Caravanserai) (early 17th century), [Fars province](/source/Fars_province), Iran

A **caravanserai** (or **caravansary**; [/kærəˈvænsəˌraɪ/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English))[1] was an [inn](/source/Inn) that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and [caravans](/source/Caravan_(travellers)).[2] They were present throughout much of the [Islamic world](/source/Islamic_world). Depending on the region and period, they were called by a variety of names including *khan*, *funduq* and *wikala.[2][3]*[4] Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information, and people across the network of [trade routes](/source/Trade_route) covering Asia, [North Africa](/source/North_Africa) and [Southeast Europe](/source/Southeast_Europe), most notably the [Silk Road](/source/Silk_Road).[5][6] In the countryside, they were typically built at intervals equivalent to a day's journey along important roads, where they served as a kind of [staging post](/source/Stage_station). Urban versions of caravanserais were historically common in cities, where they could serve as inns, depots, and venues for conducting business.[2]

The buildings were most commonly rectangular structures with one protected entrance. Inside, a central courtyard was surrounded by an array of rooms on one or more levels.*[2]* In addition to lodgings for people, they often included space to accommodate horses, camels, and other [pack animals](/source/Pack_animal), as well as storage rooms for merchandise.[7]

## Terms and etymology

The [Ganjali Khan Caravanserai](/source/Ganjali_Khan_Complex) (1598), in [Kerman](/source/Kerman), Iran

### Caravanserai

Caravanserai ([Persian](/source/Persian_language): کاروانسرای, [romanized](/source/Romanization_of_Persian): **kārvānsarāy**), is the Persian compound word variant combining *kārvān* "[caravan](/source/Caravan_(travellers))" with *-sarāy* "palace", "building with enclosed courts".[8] Here "caravan" means a group of traders, pilgrims, and travelers, engaged in long-distance travel. The word is also rendered as *caravansary*, *caravansaray*, *caravanseray*, *caravansara*, and *caravansarai*.[6] In scholarly sources, it is often used as an umbrella term for multiple related types of commercial buildings similar to inns or hostels, whereas the actual instances of such buildings had a variety of names depending on the region and the local language.[2] However, the term was typically preferred for rural inns built along roads outside of city walls.[9]

### Khan

[Khan As'ad Pasha](/source/Khan_As'ad_Pasha), a caravanserai built in 1752 in [Damascus](/source/Damascus), Syria

The word *khan* (خان) derives from a clipping of [Middle Persian](/source/Middle_Persian_language): 𐭡𐭩𐭲𐭠, romanized: *xānag*, [lit.](/source/Literal_translation) 'house'.[10][2] It could refer to an urban caravanserai built within a town or a city[2][11] or to any caravanserai in general, including those built in the countryside and along desert routes.[12] It came into more common usage under the [Mamluk Sultanate](/source/Mamluk_Sultanate) and the [Ottoman Empire](/source/Ottoman_Empire).[2]

From Persian, the word passed into common usage in Arabic (Arabic: خان) and Turkish (Turkish: *han*).[2] Examples of such buildings are found throughout the Middle East from as early as the [Umayyad Caliphate](/source/Umayyad_Caliphate).[2][11] The same word was used in [Bosnian](/source/Bosnian_language), [Albanian](/source/Albanian_language), [Romanian](/source/Romanian_language) and [Bulgarian](/source/Bulgarian_language), having arrived through the Ottoman conquest.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

### Funduq

[Funduq al-Najjarin](/source/Funduq_al-Najjarin) in [Fes](/source/Fez%2C_Morocco), [Morocco](/source/Morocco)

The term *funduq* ([Arabic](/source/Arabic_language): فندق; sometimes spelled *foundouk* or *fondouk* from the [French](/source/French_language) transliteration) is frequently used for historic inns around the [Maghreb](/source/Maghreb), particularly those in the cities.[2][13][14]: 116

The word comes from [Koine Greek](/source/Koine_Greek_language): πανδοκεῖον, romanized: *welcoming all; an inn*;[15][2] it appears as, *fundaco* in [Venice](/source/Venice), *fondaco* in [Genoa](/source/Genoa) and *[alhóndiga](/source/Alh%C3%B3ndiga_(building))*[16] or *fonda* in Spanish. In the cities of this region such buildings were also frequently used as housing for artisan workshops.[17][13][18]: 318 The word became the common Arabic word for Hotel.

### Wikala

The [Wikala of Sultan al-Ghuri](/source/Wikala_of_Al-Ghuri) (1504–05), one of the best-preserved examples in [Cairo](/source/Cairo)

The Arabic word *wikala* (وكالة), sometimes spelled *wakala* or *wekala*, is a term used in Egypt for an urban caravanserai which housed merchants and their goods and served as a center for trade, storage, transactions and other commercial activity.[19][2] The word *wikala* means roughly "agency" in [Arabic](/source/Arabic), in this case a commercial agency,[19] which may also have been a reference to the [customs](/source/Customs) offices that could be located here to deal with imported goods.[20] The term *khan* was also frequently used for this type of building in Egypt.[2]

#### Okelle

The term *okelle* or *okalle*, the [Italianized](/source/Italian_language) rendering of the Arabic word *wikala*, is used for a type of large urban buildings in 19th century Egypt, specifically in [Alexandria](/source/Alexandria). Here, the older Egyptian *wikala* was reinterpreted in an [Italianate](/source/Italianate_architecture) style by the Italian architect [Francesco Mancini](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Francesco_Mancini_(architect)&action=edit&redlink=1). Directed by [Muhammad Ali](/source/Muhammad_Ali_of_Egypt), he designed and built a number of *okelle*s delineating the [*Place des Consuls*](/source/Tahrir_Square%2C_Alexandria) (the main square of Alexandria's European quarter), which served as consular mansions, a European-style hotel, and a stock exchange, among other functions.[21]

### Katra

[Kāṭrā](/source/Katra_(Dhaka)) ([Bengali](/source/Bengali_language): কাটরা) is the name given to the caravanserais built by the [Mughal Empire](/source/Mughal_Empire) in [Bengal](/source/Bengal). The [Bara Katra](/source/Bara_Katra) (Bengali: বড় কাটরা, romanized: *Baṛa Kāṭrā*, lit. 'Great Caravanserai') and [Chhota Katra](/source/Chhota_Katra) (Bengali: ছোট কাটরা, romanized: *Chōṭa kāṭrā*, lit. 'Small Caravanserai') refers to two magnificent [Mughal](/source/Mughal_Empire) katras in [Dhaka](/source/Dhaka), [Bangladesh](/source/Bangladesh).[22][23][24][25][26]

## History

The origin of rural caravanserais are ancient. One early antecedent has been found in the remains of an [Urartian](/source/Urartu) site from the 8th or 9th century BCE uncovered in western Iran, near the mountain pass between [Urmia](/source/Urmia) and [Oshnavieh](/source/Oshnavieh).[27] The [Achaemenid Empire](/source/Achaemenid_Empire) (6th to 4th centuries BCE) built [staging posts](/source/Stage_station) or relay stations for communications along its major roads.[2][3] Herodotus reports that they existed along the Achaemenid Empire's [Royal Road](/source/Royal_Road), a 2,500-kilometre-long (1,600 mi) ancient highway that stretched from [Sardis](/source/Sardis) to [Susa](/source/Susa).[3] He writes: "Now the true account of the road in question is the following: Royal stations exist along its whole length, and excellent caravanserais; and throughout, it traverses an inhabited tract, and is free from danger."[28] The later [Byzantine Empire](/source/Byzantine_Empire) also maintained staging posts along its major roads.[2][3] None of these ancient caravanserais have been preserved and therefore not much is known of their appearance.[3]

[Ribat-i Sharaf](/source/Ribat_of_Sharaf) in Iran, built by the [Great Seljuks](/source/Great_Seljuks) in the 12th century[29]

In the [Islamic period](/source/History_of_Islam) (seventh century and after), the use of caravanserais intensified.[3] Their development at this time is linked to the shift from wheeled vehicles to camels and caravans for long-distance travel.[2] Caravanserais were a common type of structure both in the rural countryside and in dense urban centers across the [Middle East](/source/Middle_East), [North Africa](/source/North_Africa), and [Ottoman](/source/Ottoman_Empire) Europe.[2] The oldest identified example of an Islamic caravanserai is a courtyard structure at [Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi](/source/Qasr_al-Hayr_al-Sharqi), an [Umayyad](/source/Umayyad_Caliphate) complex from the early 8th century located in the middle of the desert in present-day Syria.[3][2]

[Sultan Han](/source/Sultan_Han), built by the [Anatolian Seljuks](/source/Anatolian_Seljuks) in the 13th century near [Aksaray](/source/Aksaray), Turkey

A number of 12th to 13th-century rural caravanserais were built throughout the [Seljuk Empire](/source/Seljuk_Empire) and its offshoots, many examples of which have survived across Iran (e.g. the [Ribat-i Sharaf](/source/Ribat_of_Sharaf) in [Khorasan province](/source/Khorasan_province)), Central Asia (e.g. [Ribat-i Malik](/source/Ribat-i_Malik) in Uzbekistan) and Turkey (e.g. the large [Sultan Han](/source/Sultan_Han) in [Aksaray Province](/source/Aksaray_Province)).[2][30] They continued to be built under successor dynasties, although few notable examples have survived from the [Ayyubid](/source/Ayyubid_dynasty) and [Mamluk](/source/Mamluk_Sultanate) periods in the Middle East.[2] Under the later [Safavids](/source/Safavids) in Iran, as the economy of the region improved, their construction increased to encourage international trade, particularly on the trade routes to India. [Shah Abbas I](/source/Abbas_the_Great) (r. 1587–1629), in particular, built them as part of his improvements to communications and commercial infrastructure.[2][3]

[Khan al-Mirjan](/source/Khan_al-Mirjan) in Baghdad, dated to 1359, the oldest surviving urban caravanserai[2]

Urban versions of caravanserais also became important centers of economic activity in cities across the Muslim world, often concentrated near the main [bazaar](/source/Bazaar) areas, with many examples still standing in the historic areas of [Damascus](/source/Damascus), [Aleppo](/source/Aleppo), [Cairo](/source/Cairo), [Istanbul](/source/Istanbul), [Fes](/source/Fez%2C_Morocco), etc.[31][32][33][34][18] The oldest urban caravanserai to have survived to the present day is the [Khan al-Mirjan](/source/Khan_al-Mirjan) in Baghdad, which dates from 1359.[2] The commercial prosperity of the [Levant](/source/Levant) during the late Middle Ages led to the proliferation of numerous caravanserais in the heart of major Syrian cities and of Cairo in Egypt. Other caravanserais were also built in the center of major cities in Safavid Iran and in the Ottoman Empire.[2]

In the [Indian subcontinent](/source/Indian_subcontinent), caravanserais are found along the historic trade route known as the [Grand Trunk Road](/source/Grand_Trunk_Road). The oldest clear mention of a caravanserai in historical documents is the one commissioned by [Muhammad ibn Tughluq](/source/Muhammad_bin_Tughluq), the [Sultan of Delhi](/source/Delhi_Sultanate) (r. 1324–1351), which was built between [Delhi](/source/Delhi) and [Daulatabad](/source/Daulatabad_Fort).[35] They grew in number during the rule of [Sher Shah Suri](/source/Sher_Shah_Suri) (r. 1486–1545). Under the [Mughals](/source/Mughal_Empire), the sultans commissioned the construction of further caravanserais and encouraged their entourage to do the same, mainly from the 16th to late 18th centuries. Their concept and designs were adapted from Iranian examples.[35]

## Function

[Fallujah](/source/Fallujah)'s Caravanserai in use, ca. 1914, [Iraq](/source/Iraq)

Caravanserais served a variety of functions supporting trade and commerce. Rural caravanserais were built at intervals along major roads. They served as way stations where merchants and travelers could safely stop and rest along the way. The distance between them was intended to be equivalent to a day's journey.[2] In Iran, this typically amounted to a distance of 30 to 40 kilometres (19 to 25 mi) in open landscapes (like deserts and plains) or about 10 kilometres (6 mi) or less in more difficult mountainous terrain.[27]

Urban versions of caravanserais were commonly built in the hearts of major cities. They provided lodging for merchants, in particular for foreign merchants who needed a place to stay when doing business in the city. They also served as depots for their merchandise and as venues for conducting transactions.[2] In addition to accommodation and storage, caravanserais could include other amenities such as a [hammam](/source/Hammam) (bathhouse) and a prayer room or mosque.[2]

[Ibn Battuta](/source/Ibn_Battuta), a 14th-century Muslim traveler, described the function of a caravanserai in the region of China:

China is the safest and best country for the traveller. A man travels for nine months alone with great wealth and has nothing to fear. What is responsible for this is that in every post station in their country is *funduq* which has a director living there with a company of horse and foot. After sunset or nightfall the director comes to the *funduq* with his secretary and writes down the names of all the travellers who will pass the night there, seals it and locks the door of the *funduq*. In the morning he and his secretary come and call everybody by name and write down a record. He sends someone with the travellers to conduct them to the next post station and he brings back a certificate from the director of the *funduq* confirming that they have all arrived. If he does not do this he is answerable for them. This is the procedure in every post station in their country from Sin al-Sin to Khan Baliq. In them is everything the traveller needs by way of provisions, especially hens and geese. Sheep are rare among them.[36]

— [Ibn Battuta](/source/Ibn_Battuta)

In many parts of the Muslim world, caravanserais also provided revenues that were used to fund charitable or religious functions or buildings. This was characteristic of urban caravanserais.[2] These revenues and functions were managed through a *[waqf](/source/Waqf)*, a protected agreement which gave certain buildings and revenues the status of [mortmain](/source/Mortmain) endowments guaranteed under [Islamic law](/source/Sharia).[37][38] Many major religious complexes in the [Ottoman](/source/Ottoman_Empire) and [Mamluk](/source/Mamluk) empires, for example, either included a caravanserai building (like in the *[külliye](/source/K%C3%BClliye)* of the [Süleymaniye Mosque](/source/S%C3%BCleymaniye_Mosque) in Istanbul) or drew revenues from one in the area (such as the [Wikala al-Ghuri](/source/Wikala_of_Al-Ghuri) in Cairo, which was built to contribute revenues for the nearby [complex of Sultan al-Ghuri](/source/Sultan_Al-Ghuri_Complex)).[34][33][39]

## Architecture

### General

A sample [floor plan](/source/Floor_plan) of a [Safavid Empire](/source/Safavid_Empire)-era caravanserai in Karaj, Iran

Typically, a caravanserai was a building with a square or rectangular floor plan, with a single entrance wide enough to permit large or heavily laden beasts such as [camels](/source/Camel) to enter. It had a central courtyard, almost always open to the sky, which was surrounded by a number of identical [animal stalls](/source/Animal_stall), bays, and chambers to accommodate merchants and their servants, animals, and merchandise.[40]

Caravanserais provided water for human and animal consumption as well as for washing and [ritual purification](/source/Ritual_purification) (*[wudu](/source/Wudu)* and *[ghusl](/source/Ghusl)*), provided by a fountain or well in the courtyard and sometimes by attached public baths ([hammams](/source/Hammam)).[2] They kept [fodder](/source/Fodder) for animals and had shops for travellers where they could acquire new supplies. Some shops bought goods from the travelling merchants.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] Many caravanserais were equipped with small mosques, such as the elevated prayer rooms in the center of [Seljuk](/source/Anatolian_Seljuk_architecture) and [Ottoman](/source/Ottoman_architecture) caravanserais in Turkey.[34][41][33]

View of a typical courtyard layout in the Shah-Abbasi caravansarai in [Karaj](/source/Karaj), Iran

### Variations

Building techniques and decoration varied depending on the region and period. Rural caravanserais of the [Seljuk period](/source/Seljuk_Empire) in Iran and Central Asia, such as the [Ribat-i Sharaf](/source/Ribat-i_Sharaf) and [Ribat-i Malik](/source/Ribat-i_Malik), were built in brick and are known for their monumental exterior façades with decorative brickwork.[2] The rural caravanserais of [Seljuk Anatolia](/source/Sultanate_of_Rum) could include, in addition to (or sometimes instead of) a courtyard, a roofed section consisting of a vaulted hall with side chambers. Built of stone rather than brick, Anatolian caravanserais are also notable for their tall and elaborately carved entrance portals.[2]

The urban caravanserais of the Levant, from the late Middle Ages onward, were of typical layout but built with local decoration such as *[ablaq](/source/Ablaq)* masonry and carved stone details. Their street façades often had alcoves for hosting shops. Some were quite large and formed part of a larger complex of amenities, as in the [Khan al-Jumruk](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Khan_al-Jumruk&action=edit&redlink=1) in Aleppo.[2] In Cairo, starting in the [Burji Mamluk](/source/Burji_dynasty) period, *wikala*s were frequently several stories tall and often included a *rab'*, a low-income rental apartment complex, that was situated on the upper floors while the merchant accommodations occupied the lower floors.[42][32] This made the best use of limited space in a crowded city and provided the building with two sources of revenue that were managed through the *[waqf](/source/Waqf)* system.[38][43]

The later Ottomans continued to build caravanserais but their patronage was focused on urban centres, where they were built alongside other commercial structures such as *arasta*s (market streets) and [*bedesten*s](/source/Bedesten) (central market halls) in the middle of the city. The caravanserais themselves consist of courtyards surrounded by two or more levels of domed rooms fronted by [arcaded](/source/Arcaded) galleries.[44]

In [Safavid Iran](/source/Safavid_Iran), caravanserais had a standard layout for the most part: a rectangular courtyard surrounded by a gallery of vaulted openings ([iwans](/source/Iwan)) and rooms on one or two levels. At the middle of each of side was a larger central iwan, repeating the [four-iwan plan](/source/Four-iwan_plan) common in [Iranian architecture](/source/Iranian_architecture). Rural caravanserais often had rounded towers at their corners and an imposing entrance portal. In the later Safavid period (17th century), more complex layouts appeared, such as those with an octagonal floor plan instead of rectangular.[2] In the Indian subcontinent, caravanserais were drawn from Iranian designs but adapted to local needs. They usually had a symmetrical floor plan with two major gateways. A mosque, often consisting of a three-domed hall, was commonly built into the west side of the building.[35]

In the far west of the Islamic world, comprising present-day Morocco and Spain, urban caravanserais were multi-story buildings with a central courtyard. Though they could have elaborate entrance portals and ornate wooden ceilings in their vestibules, the interior could be relatively austere.[2]

	- Examples of caravanserai architecture

		- Gateway of [Ribat-i Malik](/source/Ribat-i_Malik) in Uzbekistan (c. 1068–1080, Great Seljuk period) [45]

		- Roofed hall attached to the [Sultan Han](/source/Sultan_Han) near Aksaray, Turkey (13th century), a feature of some Anatolian Seljuk caravanserais[2]

		- Entrance of [Orbelian's Caravanserai](/source/Orbelian's_Caravanserai) in Armenia (1332)[46]

		- Entrance of the [Corral del Carbón](/source/Corral_del_Carb%C3%B3n), a former urban caravanserai in [Granada](/source/Granada), Spain (14th century, [Nasrid](/source/Emirate_of_Granada) period)

		- Entrance of the [Wikala of Sultan Qaytbay](/source/Sabil-Kuttab-Wakala_of_Sultan_Qa'it_Bay) in [Cairo](/source/Cairo), Egypt (1477, [Mamluk](/source/Mamluk_Sultanate) period)[47]

		- Courtyard of the [Koza Han](/source/Koza_Han) in [Bursa](/source/Bursa), Turkey (1491, [Ottoman](/source/Ottoman_Empire) period) ; the domed building is a small mosque[48]

		- [Tash Rabat](/source/Tash_Rabat) caravanserai in Kyrgyzstan

		- Interior façade of a gate from the courtyard of [Khan al-Jumruk](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Khan_al-Jumruk&action=edit&redlink=1) in [Aleppo](/source/Aleppo), Syria (1574)[2]

		- Gateway of [Akbari Sarai](/source/Akbari_Sarai) in [Lahore](/source/Lahore), Pakistan (16th century, with later additions)[49]

		- Caravanserai of [Aminabad](/source/Aminabad%2C_Shahreza), with an octagonal layout (17th century, Safavid period)[2]

		- The [Caravanserai Mosque](/source/Katra_Masjid) in [Murshidabad](/source/Murshidabad), India, built by [Murshid Quli Khan](/source/Murshid_Quli_Khan) of [Bengal](/source/Bengal) (early 18th century)

		- Interior of a large Safavid caravanserai in [Isfahan](/source/Isfahan), Iran (early 18th century, now the [Abbasi Hotel](/source/Abbasi_Hotel))[2]

		- [Khan al-Umdan](/source/Khan_al-Umdan) in [Acre](/source/Akko), Israel (18th century, with clock tower added in 1906)[50]

		- [Shaki Caravanserai](/source/Shaki_Caravanserai) in Azerbaijan (19th century)

## See also

- [List of caravanserais](/source/List_of_caravanserais)

- [Ribat](/source/Ribat), early Muslim frontier fort, later caravanserai or Sufi retreat

- [Jumeirah Archaeological Site](/source/Jumeirah_Archaeological_Site) has the foundations of a 10th century example

- [Caravan city](/source/Caravan_city)

- [Coaching inn](/source/Coaching_inn)

- [Hotels portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Hotels)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Dictionary.com – caravansary"](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/caravanserai?s=t). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20191212010159/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/caravanserai?s=t) from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2016.)

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-9) [***k***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-10) [***l***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-11) [***m***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-12) [***n***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-13) [***o***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-14) [***p***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-15) [***q***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-16) [***r***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-17) [***s***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-18) [***t***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-19) [***u***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-20) [***v***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-21) [***w***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-22) [***x***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-23) [***y***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-24) [***z***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-25) [***aa***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-26) [***ab***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-27) [***ac***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-28) [***ad***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-29) [***ae***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-30) [***af***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-31) [***ag***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-32) [***ah***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-33) [***ai***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-34) [***aj***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-35) [***ak***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-36) [***al***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-37) [***am***](#cite_ref-Grove_2-38) Bloom, Jonathan M.; Blair, Sheila S., eds. (2009). ["Caravanserai"](https://books.google.com/books?id=un4WcfEASZwC&pg=PA353). *The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture*. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. pp. 353–355. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-530991-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-530991-1).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:0_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:0_3-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-:0_3-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-:0_3-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-:0_3-7) Elisséeff, N. (1978). ["K̲h̲ān"](https://referenceworks.brill.com/search?q=K%CC%B2h%CC%B2%C4%81n&source=%2Fdb%2Feieo). In [van Donzel, E.](/source/Emeri_Johannes_van_Donzel); [Lewis, B.](/source/Bernard_Lewis); [Pellat, Ch.](/source/Charles_Pellat) & [Bosworth, C. E.](/source/C._E._Bosworth) (eds.). *[The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition](/source/The_Encyclopaedia_of_Islam#2nd_edition,_EI2).*Volume IV:*Iran–Kha*. Leiden: E. J. Brill. p. 1010–1017. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-90-04-05745-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-90-04-05745-6). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [758278456](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/758278456).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Le Tourneau, Roger (1965). ["Funduḳ"](https://referenceworks.brill.com/search?q=Fundu%E1%B8%B3&source=%2Fdb%2Feieo). In [Lewis, B.](/source/Bernard_Lewis); [Pellat, Ch.](/source/Charles_Pellat) & [Schacht, J.](/source/Joseph_Schacht) (eds.). *[The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition](/source/The_Encyclopaedia_of_Islam#2nd_edition,_EI2).*Volume II:*C–G*. Leiden: E. J. Brill. p. 945. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [495469475](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/495469475).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Silk_5-0)** ["Caravanserais: cross-roads of commerce and culture along the Silk Roads | Silk Roads Programme"](https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/caravanserais-cross-roads-commerce-and-culture-along-silk-roads). *en.unesco.org*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200529041141/https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/caravanserais-cross-roads-commerce-and-culture-along-silk-roads) from the original on 29 May 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-NatGeo_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-NatGeo_6-1) ["Caravanserai"](http://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/caravanserai/). National Geographic Society. 23 July 2019. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200729201134/https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/caravanserai/) from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Sims, Eleanor. 1978. Trade and Travel: Markets and Caravansary.' In: Michell, George. (ed.). 1978. *Architecture of the Islamic World – Its History and Social Meaning.* London: Thames and Hudson Ltd, 101.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["caravanserai | Origin and meaning of caravanserai by Online Etymology Dictionary"](https://www.etymonline.com/word/caravanserai). *www.etymonline.com*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200618083013/https://www.etymonline.com/word/caravanserai) from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Caravansary | building"](https://www.britannica.com/technology/caravansary). *Encyclopedia Britannica*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200727071123/https://www.britannica.com/technology/caravansary) from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** [MacKenzie, D. N.](/source/David_Neil_MacKenzie) (1971), "xān", in *A concise Pahlavi dictionary*, London, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press, p. 93.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-brit_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-brit_11-1) ["Khan | architecture"](https://www.britannica.com/technology/khan-architecture). *Encyclopedia Britannica*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200727071415/https://www.britannica.com/technology/khan-architecture) from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Rout_12-0)** Petersen, Andrew (1996). "khan". *Dictionary of Islamic architecture*. Routledge. pp. 146–147. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781134613663](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781134613663).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Touri_13-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Touri_13-1) Touri, Abdelaziz; Benaboud, Mhammad; Boujibar El-Khatib, Naïma; Lakhdar, Kamal; Mezzine, Mohamed (2010). *Le Maroc andalou : à la découverte d'un art de vivre* (in French) (2 ed.). Ministère des Affaires Culturelles du Royaume du Maroc & Museum With No Frontiers. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-3902782311](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3902782311).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Wilbaux_14-0)** Wilbaux, Quentin (2001). *La médina de Marrakech: Formation des espaces urbains d'une ancienne capitale du Maroc* (in French). Paris: L'Harmattan. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [2747523888](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/2747523888).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** ["Strong's Greek: 3829. πανδοχεῖον (pandocheion) -- an inn"](http://biblehub.com/greek/3829.htm). *biblehub.com*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20141229012507/http://biblehub.com/greek/3829.htm) from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-DRAE_16-0)** ["alhóndiga in the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española"](http://lema.rae.es/drae/?val=alh%C3%B3ndiga). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170806143422/http://lema.rae.es/drae/?val=alh%C3%B3ndiga) from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Parker_17-0)** Parker, Richard (1981). *A practical guide to Islamic Monuments in Morocco*. Charlottesville, VA: The Baraka Press.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Tour_18-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Tour_18-1) Le Tourneau, Roger (1949). *Fès avant le protectorat: étude économique et sociale d'une ville de l'occident musulman* (in French). Casablanca: Société Marocaine de Librairie et d'Édition.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Hathaway_19-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Hathaway_19-1) Hathaway, Jane (2008). *The Arab Lands under Ottoman Rule: 1516-1800*. Routledge. p. 141. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780582418998](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780582418998).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** AlSayyad, Nezar (2011). [*Cairo: Histories of a City*](https://archive.org/details/cairohistoriesof0000alsa/page/143). Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. pp. [143](https://archive.org/details/cairohistoriesof0000alsa/page/143). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-674-04786-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-674-04786-0).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Pallini_21-0)** Pallini, Cristina (2006). "Italian Architects and Modern Egypt". [*Studies in Architecture, History & Culture: Articles by the 2003-2004 AKPIA@MIT Visiting Post-Doctoral Fellows*](https://web.mit.edu/akpia/www/articlepallini.pdf) (PDF). Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at MIT. pp. 39–50.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** Mamun, Muntasir. *Dhaka: Smriti Bismritir Nagari* ঢাকা: স্মৃতি বিস্মৃতির নগরী [*Dhaka: City of Memories and Oblivion*] (in Bengali) (3rd ed.). pp. 201–206. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [984-412-104-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/984-412-104-3).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** Rahman, Mahbubur. *City of an Architect*. Dhaka: Delvistaa Foundation. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-984-33-2451-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-984-33-2451-1).{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: publisher location ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_publisher_location))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** Ahmed, Nazimuddin (1980). *Islamic Heritage of Bangladesh*. Dacca: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. pp. 50–51. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [8476199](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/8476199).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** Asher, Catherine B (1984). *Inventory of Key Monuments. Art and Archaeology Research Papers: The Islamic Heritage of Bengal*. Paris: [UNESCO](/source/UNESCO).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-26)** Hasan, S. Mahmudul (1980). *Muslim Monuments of Bangladesh*. Dhaka: [Islamic Foundation](/source/Islamic_Foundation_Bangladesh).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0522_27-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0522_27-1) Kleiss, Wolfram (2012). "Caravanserai, Iranian". In Fleet, Kate; Krämer, Gudrun; Matringe, Denis; Nawas, John; Rowson, Everett (eds.). *Encyclopaedia of Islam, Three*. Brill. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9789004161658](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9789004161658).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-28)** "The History – Herodotus" – [http://classics.mit.edu/Herodotus/history.mb.txt](http://classics.mit.edu/Herodotus/history.mb.txt) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110629060743/http://classics.mit.edu/Herodotus/history.mb.txt) 29 June 2011 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-29)** Ettinghausen, Richard; Grabar, Oleg; Jenkins-Madina, Marilyn (2001). [*Islamic Art and Architecture: 650–1250*](https://books.google.com/books?id=l1uWZAzN_VcC&pg=PA154) (2nd ed.). Yale University Press. p. 154. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780300088670](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780300088670).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-30)** ["Seljuk Caravanserais"](https://archnet.org/sites/4147). *Archnet*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200618052540/https://archnet.org/sites/4147) from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-31)** ["Khans of Damascus"](https://archnet.org/sites/3521). *Archnet*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200618203225/https://archnet.org/sites/3521) from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Club_32-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Club_32-1) Williams, Caroline (2018). *Islamic Monuments in Cairo: The Practical Guide* (7th ed.). Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Kuban_33-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Kuban_33-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Kuban_33-2) Kuban, Doğan (2010). *Ottoman Architecture*. Antique Collectors' Club.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Sumner_34-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Sumner_34-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Sumner_34-2) Sumner-Boyd, Hilary; Freely, John (2010). *Strolling Through Istanbul: The Classic Guide to the City*. Tauris Parke Paperbacks.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_35-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_35-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:1_35-2) Joshi, Harsha (2022). ["Caravanserais: A synthesis of Indo-Iranian architecture"](https://books.google.com/books?id=gKZMEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT63). In Khan, Nasir Raza (ed.). *Art and Architectural Traditions of India and Iran: Commonality and Diversity*. Routledge. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-000-47757-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-000-47757-3).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGibb2010894_36-0)** [Gibb 2010](#CITEREFGibb2010), p. 894.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-37)** "Waḳf". *Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition*. Brill. 2012.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Seif_38-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Seif_38-1) Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. 2007. *Cairo of the Mamluks: A History of Architecture and its Culture*. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Qansuh_39-0)** ["Wakala Qansuh al-Ghawri"](https://archnet.org/sites/4258). *ArchNet*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180103073020/https://archnet.org/sites/4258) from the original on 3 January 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-40)** Sims, Eleanor. 1978. Trade and Travel: Markets and Caravansary.' In: Michell, George. (ed.). 1978. *Architecture of the Islamic World – Its History and Social Meaning.* London: Thames and Hudson Ltd, 101.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-41)** Freely, John (2008). *Storm on Horseback: The Seljuk Warriors of Turkey*. I. B. Tauris.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Yeo_42-0)** Yeomans, Richard (2006). [*The Art and Architecture of Islamic Cairo*](https://archive.org/details/artarchitectureo0000yeom/page/230). Reading: Garnet. pp. [230-231](https://archive.org/details/artarchitectureo0000yeom/page/230). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-85964-154-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-85964-154-5).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Caire_43-0)** Denoix, Sylvie; Depaule, Jean-Charles; Tuchscherer, Michel, eds. (1999). *Le Khan al-Khalili et ses environs: Un centre commercial et artisanal au Caire du XIIIe au XXe siècle* (in French). Cairo: Institut français d'archéologie orientale.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Grove2_44-0)** Bloom, Jonathan M.; Blair, Sheila S., eds. (2009). ["Architecture"](https://books.google.com/books?id=un4WcfEASZwC&pg=PA353). *The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture*. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. p. 146. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-530991-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-530991-1).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-45)** Ettinghausen, Richard; Grabar, Oleg; Jenkins-Madina, Marilyn (2001). [*Islamic Art and Architecture: 650–1250*](https://books.google.com/books?id=l1uWZAzN_VcC&pg=PA154) (2nd ed.). Yale University Press. p. 154. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780300088670](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780300088670).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-46)** Blessing, Patricia (2020). ["Armenian inscriptions in the Ikhanid empire: Mren, Selim Caravanserai"](https://books.google.com/books?id=46MxEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA141). In Canby, Sheila (ed.). *Seljuqs and Their Successors: Art, Culture and History*. United Kingdom: [Edinburgh University Press](/source/Edinburgh_University_Press). pp. 139–142. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781474450379](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781474450379).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-47)** Williams, Caroline (2018). *Islamic Monuments in Cairo: The Practical Guide* (7th ed.). Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press. pp. 206–207.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:02_48-0)** Demiralp, Yekta. ["Koza Han"](http://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;isl;tr;mon01;15;en). *Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers*. Retrieved 29 January 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-49)** Elisseeff, Vadime (2000). [*The Silk Roads: Highways of Culture and Commerce*](https://books.google.com/books?id=nVVoRKSZxagC&pg=PA161). Berghahn Books. pp. 161 and after. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-57181-221-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-57181-221-6).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-50)** ["Khan al-'Umdan"](https://www.archnet.org/sites/3490). *ArchNet*. Retrieved 29 January 2025.

## Further reading

- Branning, Katharine. 2018. [turkishhan.org](http://turkishhan.org/homebase.htm), The Seljuk Han in Anatolia. New York, USA.

- Cytryn-Silverman, Katia. 2010. *The Road Inns (Khans) in Bilad al-Sham*. BAR ([British Archaeological Reports](/source/British_Archaeological_Reports)), Oxford. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781407306711](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781407306711)

- Kīānī, Moḥammad-Yūsuf; Kleiss, Wolfram (1990). ["Caravansary"](http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/caravansary). *Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. IV, Fasc. 7*. pp. 798–802.

- Erdmann, Kurt, Erdmann, Hanna. 1961. *Das anatolische Karavansaray des 13. Jahrhunderts*, 3 vols. Berlin: Mann, 1976, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [3-7861-2241-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/3-7861-2241-5)

- Gibb, H.A.R. (2010), *The Travels of Ibn Battuta, AD 1325-1354, Volume IV*

- Hillenbrand, Robert. 1994. *Islamic Architecture: Form, function and meaning*. New York: Columbia University Press. (see Chapter VI for an in depth overview of the caravanserai).

- Kiani, Mohammad Yusef. 1976. [Caravansaries in Khorasan Road.](https://www.caroun.com/Architecture/Caravansary/00-Khorasan.html) Reprinted from: *Traditions Architecturales en Iran*, Tehran, No. 2 & 3, 1976.

- Schutyser, Tom. 2012. *Caravanserai: Traces, Places, Dialogue in the Middle East*. Milan: 5 Continents Editions, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-88-7439-604-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-88-7439-604-7)

- Yavuz, Aysil Tükel. 1997. *The Concepts that Shape Anatolian Seljuq Caravansara.* In: Gülru Necipoglu (ed). 1997. *Muqarnas XIV: An Annual on the Visual Culture of the Islamic World.* Leiden: E. J. Brill, 80–95. [archnet.org/library/pubdownloader/pdf/8967/doc/DPC1304.pdf Available online as a PDF document, 1.98 MB]

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Caravanserais](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Caravanserais).

Look up ***[caravanserai](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Special:Search/caravanserai)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

- [Shah Abbasi Caravanserai, Tishineh](https://web.archive.org/web/20190501093539/https://www.tishineh.com/touritem/732-13/carvansarai)

- [Caravansara Pictures](https://web.archive.org/web/20110714163125/http://www.qom-photos.ir/post-112.aspx)

- [Consideratcaravanserai.net](https://web.archive.org/web/20191227150900/http://www.consideratcaravanserai.net/), Texts and photos on research on caravanserais and travel journeys in Middle East and Central Asia.

- [Caravanserais (Kervansaray) in Turkey](https://web.archive.org/web/20150227192419/http://www.bedesten.net/kervansaraylar.html)

- [The Seljuk Han in Anatolia](https://web.archive.org/web/20050128114115/http://turkishhan.org/)

- [Persian Caravanserai](https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6197/), UNESCO application

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Caravanserai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravanserai) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravanserai?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.