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Silk Road Caravanserai Network

Type Object Region Central Asia Time 301–1501

Silk Road caravanserais were roadside inns providing lodging, fodder, security, and trade space for camel caravans, greatly expanded and institutiona…

Timeline

  1. 301–700Central Asia · Central AsiaSasanian Persia and early Islamic regimes set up caravanserais along the Silk Road, providing basic lodging and animal rest for long-distance merchants, forming an early relay network.
  2. 1240–1300Central Asia and West Asia · West AsiaBy the 1240s the Mongol Empire controlled vast trade routes from Central Asia to West Asia, and the relay (yam/örtege) and caravanserai networks were institutionalized: merchants traveled safely with passports (paiza), stations provided horse changes and supplies, and caravanserais hosted caravan lodging and trade.
  3. 1251–1401Iran and Anatolia · West AsiaCaravanserais abounded in the Ilkhanate and Chagatai Khanate; merchants traveled between Persia, Syria, and East Asia, and caravanserais served storage, tariff collection, and social functions, some surviving to this day.

Sources