4.611/13 Civil Architecture in Islamic History (HASS)
Instructor: Nasser Rabbat

8- Caravanserais: The Hostels of the Great Trading Routes:
Caravanserai or Khan (Turkish Han): Initially the term designated the travelers' inn on the road. By the fifteenth century it started to replace all the other terms to mean at the same time the urban inn, the guarded storehouse, and the trading installation for wholesale, retail, and export.

Major Influences on Trade Architecture in the Islamic World:
1: Technological: The Replacement of wheeled transportation by camel caravans after the
development of camel’s harness and camel’s double-load.
2: Historical: The milieu in which Islam grew was mercantile, and the Prophet himself,
along with most of his companions, was a merchant from Mecca.
3: Liturgical: Every Muslim is required to perform the Hajj, pilgrimage, at least once in
his/her lifetime, if they can. Besides, the development of a science of hadith, prophetic
sayings and deeds, necessitated the travel of many scholars in search of authentic traditions.
Later, seeking knowledge in famous madrasas, or traveling to learn from a famous shaykh,
saw many travelers on the road.

The Requirements
Rest houses at one-day intervals for the caravans: The Caravanserai
Water cisterns and wells for the caravans.
Road markers and watch towers.
Bridges over rivers and ravines

Examples:
The Small Enclosure at Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi (ca. 727): Ushers the transformation of the Roman castrum type into a caravanserai
The Ribat at Soussa, Tunisia (completed 821): Blurs the differences between the architecture of the frontiers and that of travel.

Bridges:
Al-Abassi Bridge, Zako, Iraq, Seljuk (11th c.)
Pahlavi Dej Bridge, Iran, Seljuk (11th c.)
Batman Suyu Bridge, Hisn Keyfa, Turkey, Artuqid (12th.c)
Medieval Watch Towers;
The Minaret of Jam , Afghanistan : Built by Ghiyath al-Din Ghuri (1163-1203)
Seljuk Khans in Eastern Anatolia:
Sultan Khan in Aksaray (1229) built by Ala’ al-Din Kaykubad
Sultan Khan in Kayseri (1232-36) built by Ala’ al-Din Kaykubad
Seljuk Khans in Iran
Ribat-I-Sharaf (1114-15) on the Nishapur-Merv Road, Iran
Qanat (Subterranean Water Chanel), near Nishapur
Urban Khans:
Khan Murjan, Baghdad (14th Century)