Dayr-e Gachin

Deir-e Gachin Caravansarai
کاروانسرای دِیر گچین
Map
Alternative namesDeyr-e Gachin
General information
LocationQom
CountryIran
Year(s) built224–651
GroundbreakingSasanian Empire

Deir-e Gachin Caravansarai is a historic caravansarai in Iran, located in the center of Kavir National Park.[1] Due to its historical significance and unique features, it is sometimes called the "Mother of Iranian Caravanserais."[2] Situated in the Central District of Qom County, it lies 80 kilometers northeast of Qom (60 kilometers along the Garmsar Freeway) and 35 kilometers southwest of Varamin. This monument was added to Iran's National Heritage List on September 23, 2003.[3]

Originally built during the Sasanian era,[4][5] the caravanserai underwent restorations and reconstructions during the Seljuk,[6][7] Safavid,[4][8] and Qajar[4][9] periods. Its current form dates back to the Safavid era.[8] Deir-e Gachin Caravanserai is located on the ancient route from Ray to Isfahan.[10]

The structure of this caravanserai follows the Seljuk four-iwan design and spans an area of 12,000 square meters. The interior spaces include dedicated areas for people, livestock, services, convenience, and security. The caravanserai features four circular towers at each corner and two half-oval towers on either side of the main gate, which is located at the center of the southern wall. Inside, there are 44 rooms or chambers, four large halls (stables), a mosque, a private shabestan, a fodder barn, a gristmill, and bathroom facilities.

The materials used in constructing Deir-e Gachin include brick, lime, adobe, and plaster. The mosque of the caravanserai likely occupies the site of a former Sasanian fire temple, and it has no decorative elements. Surrounding the caravanserai are various structures, including two ab anbars (water reservoirs) near the bathroom on the western side, a brick furnace, a dam, and a graveyard to the southwest with graves covered in bricks, dating back to the Islamic era.

Additionally, there is a brick-and-clay fort-like structure approximately 500 meters east of the caravanserai, featuring a single entrance gate, and dating back to the Qajar era.

  1. ^ "کاروانسرای دیرگچین قم مادر کاروانسراهای ایران - اخبار تسنیم - Tasnim". خبرگزاری تسنیم - Tasnim (in Persian). Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  2. ^ "قم؛ زادگاه مادر کاروانسراهای ایران". خبرگزاری مهر | اخبار ایران و جهان | Mehr News Agency (in Persian). March 22, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  3. ^ "Asar-e Sabti (Up to 26666) (Version 90 08 29)". April 6, 2015. Archived from the original (xlsx) on April 6, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c World of Islam. Vol. 18.
  5. ^ Jafarinejad, Abolfazl (2006). "Caravansarais: A Display of Iranian-Islamic Architecture". Naame Anjoman. 24.
  6. ^ Naraghi, Hasan (1973). "The Traces of Achaemenid Civilization in the Works of Safavid Era". Art & People. 127.
  7. ^ Sarafrazi, Abbas (2015). "The Role of Shiite Ministers in the Seljuk Period of Iran and Iraq". History of Islam & Iran. 25.
  8. ^ a b Rafifar, Jalaleddin; Lorafshar, Ehsan (2003). "Anthropological Study of Safavid Era Caravansaries". Anthropology. 4.
  9. ^ Riyazi, Mohammadreza (1992). "Deir-e Gachin Caravansarai". Asar. 21.
  10. ^ Shokuhi, Mehrdad. "Dayr-E Gačīn". www.iranicaonline.org. Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved March 21, 2018.