- 3
- 16
- 1
- 64
- 8
- 8
- 2
- 8
- 3
- 7
- 3
- 7
- 8
- 7
- 7
- 7
- 5
- 6
- 3
- 155
- 4
- 4
- 3
- 5
- 5
- 5
- 1
- 2
- 1
- 5
- 5
- 5
- 1
- 2
- 5
- 0
- 8
- 59
- 8
- 53
- 18
- 5
- 2
- 1
- 1
- 7
- 1
- 29
- 18
- 3
- 2
- 4
- 2
- 3
- 13
- 17
- 43
- 1
- 4
- 11
- 1
- 1
- 155
Karatayhan Caravanserai: A Historic Stop on the Silk Road
East of Kayseri, the Karatayhan Caravanserai stood as a vital stop along the Silk Road during the 12th and 13th centuries. This ancient trade route linked Persia and China with Europe, fostering the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultures.
With vast wealth passing through these routes, sultans and nobles had a vested interest in promoting and protecting trade. To support merchants, they constructed Kervansarays—meaning “caravan palaces”—every 30 kilometers, ensuring safe passage along the roads.
These Kervansarays provided essential shelter and amenities for traders and their animals, which often exceeded 400 in number, including camels, horses, and donkeys. Many featured accommodations, stables, fresh water, markets, kitchens, baths, blacksmith workshops, and infirmaries to care for both travelers and their livestock.
The Karatayhan Caravanserai, like others along the Silk Road, remains a testament to the thriving trade networks that once connected East and West.