Caravan (travellers)

For other uses, see Caravan.
Edwin Lord Weeks, Arrival of a Caravan Outside the City of Morocco
A trade caravan passing the Isle of Graia in the Gulf of Akabah, Arabia Petraea,1839 lithograph by Louis Haghe from an original by David Roberts
Camel caravan in Morocco, November 2013

A caravan (from Persian کاروان kârvân) or cafila (from Arabic ‏قَافِلَة‎ qāfila listenⓘ) is a group of people traveling together, often on a trade expedition.[1] Caravans were used mainly in desert areas and throughout the Silk Road, where traveling in groups aided in defense against bandits as well as helped to improve economies of scale in trade.[1]

  1. ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Caravan" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.