The Persian Caravanserai | World Heritage Explorer

World Heritage Identification Number: 1668

World Heritage since: 2023

Category: Cultural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇮🇷 Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Continent: Asia

UNESCO World Region: Asia and the Pacific

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The Persian Caravanserai: A Network of Ancient Roadside Inns

The Persian Caravanserai, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023, represents a significant chapter in the history of travel and trade in Iran. Comprising 54 distinct caravanserais, this extensive network of roadside inns offers a unique glimpse into the past, revealing the ingenuity, adaptability, and cultural richness that characterized the region's architecture, economy, and society.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Caravanserais were roadside inns, providing shelter, food and water for caravans, pilgrims and other travellers. The routes and the locations of the caravanserais were determined by the presence of water, geographical conditions and security concerns. The fifty-four caravanserais of the property are only a small percentage of the numerous caravanserais built along the ancient roads of Iran. They are considered to be the most influential and valuable examples of the caravanserais of Iran, revealing a wide range of architectural styles, adaptation to climatic conditions, and construction materials, spread across thousands of kilometres and built over many centuries. Together, they showcase the evolution and network of caravanserais in Iran, in different historical stages.

Encyclopedia Record: The Persian Caravanserai

The Persian Caravanserai is a UNESCO World Heritage site composed of 54 different caravanserais. It was inscribed in 2023. Caravanserais were roadside inns, which would provide shelter to travelers.

Additional Site Details

Area: 30.34 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (ii) — Significant interchange of human values
(iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition

Coordinates: 35.0583527778 , 51.4201361111

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

Trans-Iranian Railway
67 km — Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Golestan Palace
69 km — Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Hegmataneh
266 km — Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Masjed-e Jāmé of Isfahan
267 km — Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Meidan Emam, Esfahan
268 km — Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Country Information: Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Official Name: Islamic Republic of Iran

Capital: Tehran

Continent: Asia

Population (2024): 91,567,738

Population (2023): 90,608,707

Population (2022): 89,524,246

Land Area: 1,622,500 sq km

Currency: Iranian rial (IRR)

Country Data Sources

Links

UNESCO World Heritage Centre: The Persian Caravanserai
Wikipedia: The Persian Caravanserai

Portions of the page The Persian Caravanserai are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article The Persian Caravanserai, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.