Zein-o-Din Caravanserai

Zein-o-Din Caravanserai is the only circular caravanserai in Iran, dating back to the Safavid dynasty.

Age and architecture of Zein-o-Din Caravanserai

Zein-o-Din Caravanserai is a caravanserai along the Yazd - Kerman highway, which is 60 km away from Yazd and it was first considered as the environs of Kerman. The monument of Zein-o-Din Caravanserai is remarkable in terms of its strength and its design is incredibly awesome. It is a building completely made up of brick with walls with a height of eight meters. The building has five towers that the distance between outer part of the towers and walls is eighteen feet and the distance between the two towers is seventeen feet. The entrance of the caravanserai is located on southern part.
When we arrive at Zein-o-Din Caravanserai , first we go to the vestibule and then into a 12-sided scene where the rooms are built around it.
Ahmad Ali Khan Vaziri writes in the “Geography of Kerman” about Zein-o-Din Caravanserai :
“ Zein-o-Din , Ganjali Khan Zig, the ruler of Kerman has built a brick caravanserai under the direction of late Shah Abbas ... and except for a few gunmen, guards, and mailmen, no one else is there”.
Zein-o-Din Caravanserai was registered in Iran National Monuments with registration No. 926.

Caravanserais and their traces in Marco Polo`s travelogue

Since ancient times, the need for shelter and resort has been considered not only in residence but also in travel. In Iran, there are a lot of works and demonstrations from such shelters and road resorts from the past.
The word caravanserai is a combination of the caravan (caraban) meaning a group of passengers who travel and the sarai, meaning home and place. Both words are derived from the Sassanid Pahlavi.
Historical sources state that the founders of these mentioned constructions were Achaemenids. We can read in Marco Polo's travelogue, when he travels along the Yazd-Kerman route, "Yazd is a great city ... its inhabitants are Muslims. If they want to leave the city, they have to pass through a desert for eight days, in which three places ( caravanserais ) have made for the passengers.”

Zein-o-Din Caravanserai Hotel

Zein-o-Din caravanserai is also used as a traditional hotel, making the stay a memorable one for tourists. Click here for the hotel services and reservation.

For more information about Zein-o-Din Caravanserai, please contact Raadina Support.