摘要: Description　　The Caravanserais are one of the most important form of Persian Architecture that emerged and created cause of routes development and needs related to the travel’s demands and requirement

Description

　　The Caravanserais are one of the most important form of Persian Architecture that emerged and created cause of routes development and needs related to the travel’s demands and requirements.  

　　In this file, there are 25 Caravanserais, from all over Iran under the name of Persian Caravanserais which are selected from hundreds of Caravanserais.

　　The name of these Caravanserais are:

　　Robat Sharaf, Robat Mahi, Sharif Abad, Robat Sang, Fakhre- Davood, Ghadamgah, Neyshaboor, Sange Kalil, zaferanyeh, Mehr, Mazinan, Myandasht, Myamey, Deh Molla, Ahovan, Qushe, Lasgerd, Dehnamak, Deyre Gachin, Eynol Rashid,  Parand, Sado Saltaneh, Zeynol Din, Khamoshi, Farasfag, Bisooton, Izadkhast, Khan khoreh,  Taj Abad, GHasre shirin, GHelli, Robat Eshgh.

　　As Iran historically is located between the main ancient civilizations, the historical roads are playing a critical role in Persian civilization. From the beginning of the history to the current time, the role of Iran as a bridge has encouraged the rulers and people to always care about roads and related structures as one of the main financial income resources. For example, Silk Roads is one of this long lasting corridors which played an important role in Persian Empire during the history. One of the famous Persian ancient road which known as Royal Road, during and after Achamenied period, which was connecting the main cities of Persian empire, there were several characteristic network of routes across the Iran that historically are well-known.  The Silk Roads have connected civilizations and brought peoples and cultures into contact with each other from across the world for thousands of years, permitting not only an exchange of goods but an interaction of ideas and cultures that have shaped our world today. The historical roads have had several elements related to their functions. Bridges, Caravanserais, checkpoints, castles Bazaars and specifically caravanserais as a main element of historical road in Iran, were not only a simple place for travelers to rest and keeping safe their belongs, also were a meeting point for travelers, merchants, scientists, and many other scholars who wanted to exchange knowledge and ideas, as well as discover new civilizations.

　　The historic routes mostly were a network of trade routes across land and sea that spanned much of the globe from prehistoric times until the present day, along which people of many different cultures, religions and languages met, exchanged ideas and influenced each other.

　　One of the first historical documents that tells us about the geographical direction as well as the stations that caravans and merchants use was a book called Parthian Stations by Isidore of Charax (1th BC), which describes the road from the western border of Iran to the eastern part of Iran in detail[1]. By reading this book we can find the location of the first caravanserais and the geographical locations of the roads which connected western to eastern Iran.  It is also the first conclusive evidence of caravanserais existing and operating along the one of the most ancient roads in Iran.

　　The numbers of historical roads that is now called the Silk Road, Royal Roads, Khorasan Road and two pilgrimage roads in Iran, are hosting hundreds of caravanserais.

　　Today, many historic buildings and monuments still stand, marking the passage of the ancient Roads through caravanserais, ports and cities. However, the long-standing and ongoing legacy of this remarkable network is reflected in the many distinct but interconnected cultures, languages, customs and religions that have developed and spread over millennia along these routes. The passage of merchants and travelers of many different nationalities resulted not only in commercial exchange, but in a continuous and widespread process of cultural interaction. As such, from their early, exploratory origins, the Silk Roads developed to become a driving force in the formation of diverse societies across Eurasia and far beyond.

　　Caravanseray, Karavansaray, Robaat, Chapaar Khaneh,, are the several names of a building that first time emerged in Persian’s architectural history. This term goes from Persian to other languages across the world. In Persian its included two words: Caravan (group of travelers) + Seray (House and place to stay). It means (House for group of travelers). So the Persian culture donated this word to the world civilizations. According to the studies, the first types of Persian Caravanserais were the buildings which was built by Acheamenied rulers 2500 years ago across the main road of empire for safeguarding of the road and for supporting the governmental express messengers which called Chapar. Later on, during the next empires such as Sasanied and Ashkanied periods, Caravanserais became an extractable part of Iranian roads. Almost across all the main roads between Persian cities, hundreds of Caravanserais was built by both people and governments. Particularly after Islam, when the kings and wealthy individuals in Iran tried to restore the old Caravanserais and build the new ones where it was needed, specially across the pilgrimage routes like the roads towards holy shrines like Mashhad and Karbala.

　　Caravanserais are usually a place that provides safety for Caravans and travelers against natural risks like rain, snow, storms and floods, or from danger of robbers in the roads. That’s why the structure of Caravanserais is like a castle and good fortified.  From a simple enclosure building at the first prototypes, to the highly decorated   ones at the middle centuries or the very fortified types of it, are the evidence of progress, improvement and evolution of this kind of buildings.

　　The type and other characteristics of different Caravanserais also indirectly representing the safety of roads, wealth of people and the trade boom or the authority of government in the time of construction.

　　For example, the numbers of new Caravanserais constructions or restoration, reorganization and extending of old Caravanserais within the seljuq or Ilkhanied period shows the wealth and power of central government   and same changes in Safavied period shows how the Safavied rulers at the same time were the wealth and powerful kings and also the pilgrimage destination were very important for them.

　　There are hundreds of Caravanserais in Iran which are protected under the national low as a national inventory, most of them are located beside the new and old roads. From 100m2 to 8000m2. The materials and construction technics are included the very wide ranges from mud brick to stone with several decorations styles.   Some of them are unique in type and architectural- artistic point of view and some others important because of geographical location or the stories behind their constructions. All Caravanserais have some similarity at the basic aspects like function, materials and plan but there are several aspects of those that make each one of those different from the other one. Most of Caravanserais have similar spaces and elements like, inner courtyard, hall, cells, stable, well, Ivan, and staffs space. Some other have other services and spaces such as bath, mill, store, pray room, water cistern, and the security infrastructures from outstanding universal values point of view, there are 25 Caravanserais which are selected for nomination. Most of the Caravanserais are out of the cities and villages, but there are some Caravanserais that built inside the cities or beside the cities. The Caravanserais inside the cities are usually use to be outside but when the cities were developed, they joined to the cities. Type of Caravanserais that there are located beside the bazaars are mostly called Serays.  

　　The intactness, uniqueness and also the well adaptation with the environment using the vernacular material and technics, choosing the locations are the most significance of selected Caravanserais. From very simple one to the most luxury ones, Caravanserais are built for servicing to travelers and constructed in the middle of roads and far from any settlements. Although large numbers of the Caravanserais now a day are located in the cities and villages, but according to the studies, they were the start point of these settlements, cities and villages. it means that emerging of some cities and settlements beside the roads are because of Caravanserais.

　　The most characteristic element of Persian Caravanserai is the central courtyard, this design is    very functional and it’s the result of evolution.  The central court allows the best form of fortification and provides four rows of rooms around the yard. On the back of rooms there are four halls for animals and stores.

　　There are three main periods that strongly affected to this architecture, the first period was the 10^th century, when the very decorated Caravanserais emerged to being, second rush was around 14^th century, when the Ilkhanied empire was ruling from far east to the middle of Europe and the third attempt was during the Safavied period at 16^th century, when the   safafied empire built a lot of Caravanserais and renewed large numbers of old Caravanserais from capital Isfahan to two pilgrimage destinations.

　　Over the centuries, the architecture of Caravanserais have gradually developed and evolved due to the economic, political, military and religious reasons.

　　The variety of Caravanserais in case of shapes and forms are depended to the limitations and environmental situations and conditions. From the very simple plans with foursquare form and central yard to the circle plan with covered yard with dome and from arched roof to the pillars and beams structure are the combination of architect plus the limitation of resources and force of nature.

　　Carvanserais are from unique examples of Iranian Architecture that in each historical period and in different parts of the Iran, significant examples have remained which can be considered as architectural masterpieces.

　　[1]Schoff, W. H. 1914, Parthian Stations by Isidore of Charax, An account of the overland trade route between the Levant and India in the first century B.C, The Royal Asiatic Society,  London