A caravanserai was a roadside inn that sheltered Silk Road caravans and their animals.
Caravanserais were usually enclosed compounds with a central courtyard. Rooms or arcades surrounded the courtyard, while wells, cisterns, storerooms, kitchens, and stables served travelers and pack animals. Their walls could also provide protection from raiders and harsh weather.
Rulers, wealthy patrons, religious foundations, and local communities built caravanserais along important routes. Some stood close to cities, while others were spaced at practical intervals across deserts and mountain approaches. Their services helped merchants travel longer distances with greater predictability.
A caravanserai was not simply a marketplace. Trade certainly occurred there, but its primary purpose was lodging and logistical support. The word combines Persian elements associated with a caravan and a dwelling or stopping place, and related buildings survived across Iran, Central Asia, Anatolia, and the Arab world.