Anatolian caravanserais

Timeline

1. 1200–1300Konya–Sivas trade route · AnatoliaRulers such as Sultan Alaaddin Kayqubad I of the Sultanate of Rum built caravanserais roughly every 30–40 kilometers along the central Anatolian trunk routes, such as Sultan Han. The buildings featured high walls, towers, a central courtyard, stables and prayer rooms, forming a standardized relay station system that supported east–west trade.
2. 1300–1330Central Anatolian trade routes · AnatoliaAfter the decline of Seljuk power, beyliks such as Karaman, Ottoman and Aydın took over toll collection and relay station management on key routes, continuing to use and partially repairing existing caravanserais. Some beyliks built smaller rural inns (kervansaray) on frontier trade routes, maintaining caravan security and tax revenue.
3. 1331–1340Trade route hub north of the Taurus Mountains · AnatoliaOver this decade silk, spices, leather and metal goods were transshipped through Anatolian caravanserais, linking the Black Sea port of Trabzon, Syrian trade routes and Aegean ports. Caravanserais provided nighttime gated defense, water and fodder supplies, reducing the risks of long-distance overland transport; they were the core node type of the 14th-century Anatolian transport system.