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Description
Location: Sheki Azerbaijan

The Yukhary Caravanserai in the town of Sheki is the largest caravanserai in the Trans-Caucuses region. A major stop on the Ancient Silk Route.

A “caravanserai”, is a roadside inn built to shelter men, goods and animals along ancient caravan routes in the Muslim world. It is especially known to be linked with the trade routes along the former Silk Roads. But more than that, there was an extensive network of caravanserais built along the whole network of trade routes in the Middle East and Central Asia. This network of caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information, pilgrimage and people across the trade routes throughout the history of the different and extended Muslim empires covering Asia, India, North Africa, and South-Eastern Europe from the 9th till the 19th century.

The word caravanserai is a Westernization of the Persian word, which combines “caravan” with “sarayi” or “serai” meaning dwelling, palace, or enclosed courts (in Turkish: kervansaray). It is also rendered as caravansarai and caravansary. “Caravan” itself has come to have a similar meaning in English, where it refers to a group or convoy of soldiers, traders, pilgrims, or other travelers engaged in long distance travel.

Most typically it was a building with a square or rectangular walled exterior, with a single portal wide enough to permit large or heavily laden beasts such as camels to enter. The courtyard was almost always open to the sky, and the inside walls of the enclosure were outfitted with a number of identical stalls, bays, niches, or chambers to accommodate merchants and their servants, animals, and merchandise. The courtyard could contain herds of up to hundreds of camels, horses, and mules. Caravanserais provided water for human and animal consumption, washing, and ritual ablutions. Sometimes they even had elaborate baths. They also kept fodder for animals and had shops for travelers where they could acquire new supplies. In addition, there could be shops where merchants could dispose some of their goods. Usually caravanserais were built along the trade routes every 30-40 km, one day's distance for journeys with pack animals.

Description
Location: Sheki Azerbaijan

The Yukhary Caravanserai in the town of Sheki is the largest caravanserai in the Trans-Caucuses region. A major stop on the Ancient Silk Route.

A “caravanserai”, is a roadside inn built to shelter men, goods and animals along ancient caravan routes in the Muslim world. It is especially known to be linked with the trade routes along the former Silk Roads. But more than that, there was an extensive network of caravanserais built along the whole network of trade routes in the Middle East and Central Asia. This network of caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information, pilgrimage and people across the trade routes throughout the history of the different and extended Muslim empires covering Asia, India, North Africa, and South-Eastern Europe from the 9th till the 19th century.

The word caravanserai is a Westernization of the Persian word, which combines “caravan” with “sarayi” or “serai” meaning dwelling, palace, or enclosed courts (in Turkish: kervansaray). It is also rendered as caravansarai and caravansary. “Caravan” itself has come to have a similar meaning in English, where it refers to a group or convoy of soldiers, traders, pilgrims, or other travelers engaged in long distance travel.

Most typically it was a building with a square or rectangular walled exterior, with a single portal wide enough to permit large or heavily laden beasts such as camels to enter. The courtyard was almost always open to the sky, and the inside walls of the enclosure were outfitted with a number of identical stalls, bays, niches, or chambers to accommodate merchants and their servants, animals, and merchandise. The courtyard could contain herds of up to hundreds of camels, horses, and mules. Caravanserais provided water for human and animal consumption, washing, and ritual ablutions. Sometimes they even had elaborate baths. They also kept fodder for animals and had shops for travelers where they could acquire new supplies. In addition, there could be shops where merchants could dispose some of their goods. Usually caravanserais were built along the trade routes every 30-40 km, one day's distance for journeys with pack animals.