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Khanmohammadi B. (2026). The Caravanserais on Sub Axis of the Silk Road in West Azerbaijan, New Archaeological Findings. Athar. 46(111), 29-52. doi:10.61882/Athar.2005.2377.2
URL: http://athar.richt.ir/article-2-2005-en.html

Abstract
The Silk Road, which was the most important route between the Mediterranean and China in the ancient world, connected the nations of the East and West for several thousand years and, in addition to exchanging goods, especially silk, it was also a way to exchange ideas and religions. The caravans of this ancient trade route had to pass through the land of Iran, and it was possible for the three continents of Asia, Europe and Africa to be connected. One of the secondary axes of this important road in the northwest of Iran, which was used intermittently, started from Maragheh and after passing through the southern cities of West Azerbaijan province and the route of Miandoab, Mahabad and Urmia, it extended towards the north of West Azerbaijan province and from the cities of Salmas and Khoy it joined another main axis along the Tabriz-Khoy route and extended towards Constantinople. In this article, the geographical location of this route in the northwest of the country and the West Azerbaijan province, known as the “B2” axis, is studied, and then, based on the current situation and field studies, we will examine the architectural features of the identified Caravanserais of this sub-axis in the West Azerbaijan province. Including the recently identified Caravanserais, so far there are twelve Caravanserais on this axis, namely Simon Mahabad, Oil Company Caravanserais, Serv Road Caravanserais, Jamal Abad Caravanserais of Urmia, Agh Ziarat and Kozeh Rash Salmas Caravanserais, Khan, Mir Hashem and Chitsazan Khoy Caravanserais, Qordik Caravanserais, Khan and Qatour Caravanserais outside the city, which are divided into two-porch Caravanserais, miscellaneous Caravanserais, and covered Caravanserais in mountainous areas in terms of plan form.
Keywords: Silk Road, Caravanserais, West Azerbaijan, Architecture.

Introduction
Due to its location on the East-West trade highway and the vastness of the land, Iran has long paid special attention to the creation of trade and military routes, as well as the construction of numerous bridges and the security of caravans and caravans. Among these, West Azerbaijan province, due to its proximity to Turkey, Iraq and Azerbaijan, has always been one of the busiest points in the region throughout history and has been considered the gateway to Europe. This is why Louis Vandenberg rightly called this province a crossroads for the passage of nations and trade. Accordingly, the main questions are: 1- What archaeological evidence exists in the field of ancient communication routes, especially the Silk Road, in this region? 2- What is the place of historical Caravanserais in the recognition of this road? 3- What are the architectural features and materials used in the construction of Caravanserais in this region? 4- What form does the architectural plan of these Caravanserais follow and with which architectural style can it be compared? The main objective of this article is to identify the Silk Road west of Lake Urmia using archaeological evidence from historical Caravanserais in this area. The research method in this study is to first examine and collect architectural and archaeological evidence. In the second step, historical texts, including travelogues of travelers who have passed through this area, are examined for possible correspondence with existing archaeological evidence, and finally, the map and its location are analyzed and compared in relation to the identified Caravanserais, and the possible routes are presented in the west of Lake Urmia.

Discussion
So far, two routes “A” and “B” have been identified on the Silk Road in northwest Iran (Shojadel 1385: 61). Route A, which branches off from the main Silk Road route in Rey and, after passing through Qazvin, Soltaniyeh and Zanjan in today’s East Azarbaijan province, begins in the city of Mianeh and after passing through Bostan Abad, Tabriz and Marand, itself divides into two branches. Route “B” branched off from the main Silk Road route from Ekbatan and in northwest Iran, after passing through Maragheh, either went to Tabriz and Marand via route “B1” or via route “B2”, “via Urmia, Salmas and Khoy to Nashui (Nakhchivan) and then to Debil, the capital of today’s Armenia” (Pirnia 1370:105).
In their book List of Iranian Caravanserai, Kiani and Kleiss mentioned only two Caravanserais identified in the northwest of Lake Urmia, including the Khan and Qatur Caravanserais, in the category of Caravanserais with miscellaneous plans (Kiani and Kleiss 1983: 228-229). Ms. Shojadel, who in an article in 2006 extensively examined the Caravanserais of the Silk Road in the northwest, did not mention the Caravanserais of the B2 sub-axis. She writes in this regard: “The above route flourished in the early Islamic centuries, and for this reason, nothing has survived from the Caravanserais of this route except the remains of the Qordik Khoy Caravanserais {Shah Abbasid?}” (Shojadel 1986: 61). The Urmia Oil Company Caravanserai (Khanmohammadi and Sadraei 1392), the Jamal Abad Caravanserai of Urmia (Khanmohammadi and Sadraei 1401), and the remains of the Agh Ziarat Salmas Caravanserai (Khanmohammadi 1402) are among the caravanserai that have recently been identified, studied, and researched in the west of Lake Urmia. The summary of these studies so far, from the south to the north of the province, has led to the location of ten Caravanserais on the secondary axis B2, including one Caravanserais in Mahabad (Simon), five Caravanserais on the Urmia-Salmas axis (Oil Company Caravanserais, 24-kilometer Sarv Road Caravanserais, Jamal Abad Caravanserais, Agh Ziarat Caravanserais, and Kozehresh Caravanserais in Salmas), and three inner-city Caravanserais in Khoy, including Khan, Haji Mirhashem, and Chitsazan, and one outer-city Caravanserais in Qordik Khoy. If we add them to the two existing Caravanserais on the Khoy-Qatour route, namely Shah Abbasi Caravanserais and Qatour, in total, we can say that twelve Caravanserais have been investigated and identified so far, providing services to travelers. No doubt, further investigations in the coming years will identify more Caravanserais on this route.

Conclusion
Generally, Iranian Caravanserais are divided into three categories: covered Caravanserais in mountainous areas, Caravanserais in the Persian Gulf, and courtyard Caravanserais. The latter category can be classified into several categories: 1) circular Caravanserais, 2) polygonal Caravanserais with courtyards, 3) double-porch Caravanserais, 4) Caravanserais with columned halls, 5) four-porch Caravanserais, and 6) Caravanserais with miscellaneous plans. (Kiani and Kleiss 1983: 10-15). Most of the Caravanserais in northwestern Iran can be classified into the two-porch, four-porch, and miscellaneous plan Caravanserais categories. However, most of the Caravanserais west of Lake Urmia, due to the climatic and geographical conditions of the region, are classified into the covered Caravanserais in mountainous areas. Most of the Caravanserais in this region, having such a functional feature, welcomed travelers and guests in peacetime and were considered a suitable place to defend and protect the Caravanserais and their property in wartime. The existence of watchtowers and defense towers in the corners of the fence, and around some of the Caravanserais in this region confirms the correctness of the above theory. In terms of materials, given the mountainous location of the region and the abundance of stone, most of the suburban Caravanserais in the region were built with slate and rubble stone. However, most of the materials of the inner-city Caravanserais are brick and adobe.
One of the reasons why this route is less prosperous and important than other routes is that it is not located on the route of important cities. During historical periods, important cities of Azerbaijan such as Maragheh and Tabriz were located to the east of the lake, and the cities on the western edge were relatively less important and prestigious. Consequently, access routes and important communication routes were generally created to the east of the lake. In particular, the security prevailing in the region, along with the cities of Maragheh and Tabriz being the capitals during the Ilkhanid and Safavid periods, has turned this route into a main highway in the Iranian plateau. Only when traffic on this route was disrupted for some reason, the route west of the lake was used. Another less important reason is the difficulty of crossing this route. Due to its cold and mountainous nature, heavy snow covers this route in most months of the year, making it difficult to cross. However, this secondary route has also been used proportionately as a result of various factors such as different seasons of the year, the security or insecurity of the roads, the difficulty of crossing or the difficulty of navigation. Certainly, the Caravanserais on this route were more than what remains today, but they have been destroyed due to the passage of time and the low resistance of materials and other reasons. Other reasons for the destruction of the Caravanserais on this route include heavy rainfall, neglect and abandonment, change of use, etc. By conducting further studies and research, it is possible to identify other remains of these valuable buildings, which will be very effective in providing a more accurate route of the region’s transportation routes in past times, especially the Silk Road sub-axis west of Lake Urmia.