Izadkhast Caravanserai: "Ibn Battuta 1350 A.D is one of the first historians who mentioned this caravanserai in this station and introduces the Robat building as one of the works of Amir Mohammad Shah Inju, the father of Sultan Abu Ishaq, the king of Shiraz." (Nomination file, p. 371)

Lord Curzon mentions some of the caravanserais in his works. He mentions Borazjan caravanserai, for instance, in his book "Iran": "This caravanserai is like a city. When you enter it, it is as if you have entered a city that has everything in it." (Nomination file, p. 475)

The caravanserai of Maranjab houses a hotel and restaurant. (Nomination file, p. 253) – "Kuhpayeh Caravanserai was rehabilitated in 2014 and is currently operating as Kuhpayeh Caravanserai Hotel." (Nomination file, p. 286) – "Bisotun Caravanserai was reconstructed and reused as Laleh Bisotun International Hotel in 2014." (Nomination file, p. 377)

"Increased security during the Seljuk era heralded further construction of caravanserais. Two examples from this era are included in the nominated property: Parand (Ghal'e Sangi) and Robat-e Sharaf." (AB Ev)

"Flat surfaces, curved vaults, Iwans, domes and even minarets were often covered with an uninterrupted decoration of faience mosaic completely hiding the masonry of both the exterior and the interior." (Nomination file, p. 148)

"brick (...) stands out as the main building material" (AB Ev) – "Large Iranian courtyard caravanserais were built mainly of brick." (Nomination file, p. 117) – "Robat-e Sharaf is known as the Museum of Brickwork in Iran for its beautiful and unique brickwork decorations." (Nomination file, p. 215)

There are three types of geometrical forms for caravanserais, one of which is the polygonal, often octagonal form. "Across Iran, the number of polygonal caravanserais is very low (...), they are considered exceptional. The finest specimen of this type is the caravanserai complex of Chahar Abadeh, Khan Khoreh, Dehbid and Amin Abad on Isfahan-Shiraz road. Built in an octagonal form during the reign of the Safavid dynasty, the compound is a showpiece of the Isfahani architectural style. When we consider the location and architectural aspects of these octagonal caravanserais, we can say that the purpose of their erection was military rather that commercial or religious." (Nomination file, p. 113)

Anjireh Sangi: "At present the building is in a ruined state but the restoration operation has started simply following the anastilosis order." (Nomination file, p. 221)

Examples of caravanserais built under Timurid rule are Qelli and Fakhr-e Davud. (Nomination file, p. 189-190) - Fakhr-e Davud: "there are no inscriptions that show the sponsor or construction date in this property, but the style of construction, especially its lofty Iwans, four-cornered towers and artistic brickwork illustrate Timurid architecture." (Nomination file, p. 241)

Zafaraniyeh caravanserai: "On both sides of the north and south porches, there are narrow summer houses with wall arcades and Moqarnas designs." (Nomination file, p. 300) – Muqarnas are also found in Ganjali Khan and Bagh-e Sheikh caravanserais and the Sa'adossaltaneh Caravanserai Complex. (Nomination file, p. 384, 420) (Wikipedia)

"Decoration of the Iranian caravanserais (...) made use of such mediums as (...) tiles and mosaic (Jahan Abad caravanserai). (...) Under the Timurids and Safavids, the use of tile mosaics in architectural decoration reached an unprecedented level of perfection." (Nomination file, p. 147) – "Gabr-Abad caravanserai (...) is also quite creative in form and design and it is among the few caravanserais that have very delicate brick and mosaic decorations in their entrance." (Supplementary information, p. 8)

Some caravanserais have domes, e.g. the Parand, Fakhr-e Davud, Maranjab, Mehr, Zafaraniyeh, Ahovan, Bisotun, Yengeh Emam, Sa'in, Neyestanak, Khan, Anjireh Ajori and Sa'adossaltaneh caravanserais. (Nomination file, p. 205, 248, 295, 298, 319, 374, 388, 405, 426, 437, 457, 493)

Caravanserais of the Central Plateau deserts in the Arid and Warm Climate: "their voluminous body and thick walls made of masonries like mudbricks, dried bricks or stones served as an insulation and optimized the temperature of the interior day and night." – "The outside and inside facades were generally made of bricks but at some caravanserais they were replaced by mudbricks or mudbrick blocks." (Nomination file, p. 111, 118)

"Countless repairs have been done for decades to earthquake-prone caravanserais. Robat-e Sharaf Caravanserai contains traces of earthquake occurring during the past one thousand years." (Nomination file, p. 699)

"Other caravanserais that were listed up until the 1970s – such as Ganjali Khan (1937), Mahyar (1942), Gaz (1951) and Miandasht (1957) – went through early heavy-handed restorations and partial reconstructions involving the use of cement, reinforced concrete and white-washing of walls and ceilings." – "ICOMOS found that some of the caravanserais seem to have been heavily restored in the past and that a significant number have experienced some degree of reconstruction. Since those past interventions were carried out using traditional materials and following traditional building techniques, it is often not possible to distinguish the old and new parts." – "(...) the mission also noted that certain architectural and technical elements have been added to the Bastak caravanserai, which affect its integrity and authenticity." (AB Ev)

"(...) the Bisotun caravanserai is included within the World Heritage property of Bisotun" (AB Ev)

"Some caravanserais like the Deyr-e Gachin caravanserai (...) and Mahyar caravanserai (...) had bakery, butchery, mill, mosque and a shop for buying and selling caravan goods." (Nomination file, p. 127) - Deyr-e Gachin Caravanserai: "The space of the mosque has an area of 237 square meters and there are four columns with square shape, and there is a prayer niche (mihrab) in the south." (Nomination file, p. 194) – "Although there are caravanserais that offer a separate exclusive space to be used as praying room or mosque, some of which include: Deyr-e Gachin (...), Dodahak (...), Neyestanak in Isfahan, Bagh-e Sheikh (...), Robat-e Sharaf (...) and many others. Robat-e Sharaf caravanserai has several mosques and altars." (Nomination file, p. 533)

Robat-e Sharaf: "Not long after its construction, the building suffered destruction at the hands of Bedouins." (Wikipedia)

The Supplementary Information file shows "[t]exts and poems written throughout history on the walls of the caravanserais of Aminabad and Bagh-e Sheikh about the events and happenings during the journey of the travelers who stayed in these caravanserais." (Supplementary information, p. 14)

"Water structures (e.g. qanats, collection points and water cisterns) are essential parts of, or closely related to, caravanserais. Some of the water structures continue to function today, particularly the ones in remote desert locations. Others are kept as historic relics." (AB Ev) – "Qanats were used as one of the main systems of transferring water to the caravanserais (...). Some of the caravanserais were also built along the rivers and springs to solve the problem of water supply for the travelers. In others, such as the Robat-e Sharaf caravanserai, rainwater from the roofs was stored inside storage tanks to supply water. Overall, most of Iran's caravanserais had water storage facilities such as water storage, storage ponds, cisterns, and wells in their central courtyard or adjacent areas." (Nomination file, p. 531)

"ICOMOS notes that the nomination dossier and the additional information provided include many written and graphical references to the historical routes to which the caravanserais were linked – namely the Silk Roads, the Spice Roads, the Khorasan Road, and the Royal Road." (AB Ev) – "the caravanserais examined (...) considered representative of the historical routs such as Silk Road Heritage Corridor and Spice road (of Iran) as a whole." (Nomination file, p. 188)

"Some caravanserais also had bath-houses opened to public." (Nomination file, p. 126) - Deyr-e Gachin and Sa'adossaltaneh Caravanserais have a bath room. (Nomination file, p. 195, 496)

Deyr-e Gachin Caravanserai: "The space of the mosque has an area of 237 square meters and there are four columns with square shape, and there is a prayer niche (mihrab) in the south. this part considered as the oldest part of the building which some believes it is probably a tetrapylon in the past." (Nomination file, p. 194)

Taj Abad caravanserai: "The water needs of this caravanserai was provided from the adjacent aqueduct at the eastern part of the building, which passed under the stables and entered the pond in the courtyard." (Nomination file, p. 449)

"Some of the caravanserais built in marginal plains of the sand desert (kavir) are equipped with windcatchers (badgir in Farsi) which ventilate and cool the hot summer air. Examples are: (...) the Safavid caravanserai of Zeynoddin on Yazd-Kerman road (...)." (Nomination file, p. 111) – A badgir is also present on the Miandasht, Neyestanak, Khan and Rashti caravanserais. (Nomination file, p. 341, 423, 437, 466)

The Sa'adossaltaneh Caravanserai Complex comprises bazaars, which are situated between the caravanserais and sarays and connect the areas together. The bazaars have several parts. "The Qaisariyeh is the intersection of [the] Bazaars with a lofty and decorated dome above it as a roof." The Vazir Bazaar "has (...) an area of 2100 square meters [and] has 43 shops in both side." (Nomination file, p. 499)

Kavir National Park - IUCN Category II (National Park) - "Deyr-e Gachin (...) is located in the center of Kavir National Park." (Nomination file, p. 190) (Link)

Kharanaq Caravanserai appears in several scenes in The Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024) (2025 Oscar Awards Best International Feature Film Nominee, 2025 BAFTA Best Film Not in the English Language Nominee, 2024 Cannes Palme d'Or Nominee, Jury Special Prize, Fipresci Award, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, François Chalais Award Winner, 2025 Golden Globe Best Motion Picture - Non-English Language Nominee)