TEHRAN- The first round of a restoration project will be commenced on the Safavid-era (1501-1736) Shah-Abbasi caravanserai in the ancient city of Qasr-e Shirin, the western province of Kermanshah, IRNA reported.  

The caravanserai, which suffered damages during powerful earthquakes that jolted the province in 2017 and 2018, is planned to undergo some rehabilitation works to gain its former glory, the city’s governor Morad-Ali Tartar said on Wednesday.

Located 20 kilometers from the Iran-Iraq border, the historical structure is named after Shah Abbas the Great (r. 1588 – 1629), who ordered the construction of such roadside inns across the country.

The caravanserai is built of mud-brick and stones with an area of 3,600 square meters.

A budget of five billion rials (some $120,000) has been allocated to the first phase of the project, which aims at removing the damaged parts, renovating the outer wall, and repairing the rooftop.

Iran’s earliest caravanserais were built during the Achaemenid era (550 -330 BC). Centuries later, when Shah Abbas I assumed power form 1588 – to 1629, he ordered the construction of network caravanserais across the country.

For many travelers to Iran, staying in or even visiting a centuries-old caravanserai can be a wide experience as they have an opportunity to feel the past, a time travel back into a forgotten age.

ABU/MG