Multani caravanserai to be restored in Icherisheher

By Laman Ismayilova

Restoration works are carried out in the Icherisheher State Historical and Architectural Reserve in Baku with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. 

The 14th-century Multani caravanserai is being restored in the Old City, Azertag reported.

The caravanserai has a square shape and the constructions of the building and is in an ancient style. There are a lot of balconies around the courtyard. The Austrian company Atelier Erich Pummer, with which the Icherisheher Reserve management has been cooperating since 2010, is now engaged in the restoration of the monument.

The restoration works at the Multani caravanserai are expected to be completed by the end of 2022.

Multani caravanserai served as a stopping point for merchants and fire worshipers from India. The caravanserai has a square shape. The construction of the building is in an ancient style. There are a lot of balconies around the courtyard. There are also separate rooms-cells, designed for individual housing.

The City of Winds offers an endless delight for travelers including a rich history and incredible caravanserais.

Bukhara caravanserai was erected at the end of the 15th century on the trade highway that passed through the Shamakhi Gate of the fortress. The caravanserai was a small one-story, rectangular building. It has 18 vaulted rooms and a courtyard with a pond in the center.

Surrounded by beautiful balconies, it served as an excellent resting place for merchants and travelers after daily trading deals. The bulk of the architectural composition has been formed by a variety of arches situated around the inner courtyard.

In 1964, the Bukhara caravanserai was restored and as a result, the caravanserai building was separated from its annexes built earlier.

Located opposite the Bukhara caravanserai, Multani caravanserai is a monument of national importance. 

A caravanserai known as a small or "Khan caravanserai" was built in the 12th century.

Square building has a large quadrangle with truncated corners. It is surrounded by a balcony, behind which there are living rooms. The northern and southern entrances of the caravanserai are in the form of a portal.

In the Middle Ages, the main entrance portal of caravanserai was from the sea-side while its southern facade was two-storey and had the shape of a defensive structure.

Before functioning as a caravanserai, there was a Muslim educational institution in this building which comprised Juma Mosque and its medrese.

Currently, the Art Garden operates on the territory of this ancient monument. Art Garden combines the Art Gallery, several artisan workshops and a restaurant of national and European cuisine. Each of the caravanserai cells is now decorated by various Azerbaijani artists.

Curious travelers can also enjoy countless caravanserais in the country's regions.

If you're interested in exploring the history of Azerbaijan through its landmarks, Upper and Lower Caravanserais in Sheki are worth seeing.

The caravanserais were built in the 18th century. The cellars were used for storing goods, the first floor was for trading, and the second floor was where travelers and merchants would stay. The caravanserais are rather big: the Upper Caravanserai is 6,000 square meters, and the Lower one is 8,000 square meters.

The lower caravanserai has 242 rooms. There are entrance gates on four sides of the building. The main facade of the building faces the bank of the river. At the same time, the arch of the main courtyard entrance is located in the corner of the building, at the level of the third floor, which is caused by a large slope of the relief along the river.

All the premises in the building of the caravanserai are of equal size and have a vaulted overlap. Now it functions as a hotel complex called Shaki Saray Hotel. Ancient massive doors with bells attract the interest of the hotel guests.

Azerbaijan's second largest city, Ganja also surprises with majestic caravanserais.

Shah Abbas caravanserai was built in the beginning of the 17th century in Ganja by the order of the then ruler Shah Abbas. The caravanserai is part of the historical architectural ensemble created by the architect Shaykh Bahauddin, which also includes the Juma mosque (Shah Abbas mosque) and Chekyak-Hamam (medieval bathhouse).

The two-story caravanserai was built in the oriental style and includes 15 halls and 54 cells. There are places for pack animals in the yard. Servants, cooks and musicians worked in the caravanserai to serve the guests.

Until recently, the building of the medieval caravanserai played the role of the Abode of Knowledge - at the end of the 20th century Ganja Humanitarian College was located here. The museum of the poetess Mashati Ganjavi was also housed in the caravanserai. After the restoration, the caravanserai acts as a museum.

Ugurlu Khan caravanserai was built in the early the 17th century by architect Sheikh Bahaddin Mohammed Amil.

Some mistakenly believe that the caravanserai bears the name of the son of the last ruler of the Ganja Khanate of Javad Khan, Ugurlu Khan.

The construction of the caravanserai dates back to the 17th century, while Javad Khan lived in the18th-19th centuries. It's highly probable that the caravanserai was built with funds from Ugurlu Khan I, the nephew of Ganja Baylarbayi (1663-64) Murtuzaguluhana Ziyadoglu and bears his name.

After the capture of Ganja by Russian troops in 1804, Ugurlu Khan caravanserai like all khan's property was confiscated. Afterwards, one of the caravanserai halls was rented by Sherbatlars-manufacturers of silk kerchievs, after which the people named the caravanserai "Sherbatchi".

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