Caravanserai (Silk Road)

Timeline

1. c. 750–1000Khurasan trade routes · KhurasanDuring the Abbasid and Samanid periods, rabat and simple inns appeared along trade routes for travelers' overnight stays, establishing the functional model for later standardized caravanserais.
2. c. 1053–1060Persia–Anatolia trunk route · Silk RoadIn the mid-11th century the Seljuk regime built additional inns along major trade routes, providing stables, warehouses, and guards in a courtyard layout; this node intersects the 1051–1060 window.
3. c. 1070–1150Anatolia · AnatoliaThe Seljuk Anatolian branch popularized the khan form with an arched entrance hall, central courtyard, and corner towers, which became the typical architectural paradigm of Silk Road caravanserais.
4. c. 1400Silk Road routes in Central Asia · Silk RoadWith the rise of sea routes, overland caravan traffic declined; many inns were converted into local markets or fell into ruin, but their architecture and the concept of fixed-interval stations still influenced later transport facilities.