Nazar Research Center Journal of Art and Civilization of the Orient 2345-6612 14 51 2026 03 21 Typology of Safavid Era Accommodation Buildings Based on Non-Iranian Travelogues Typology of Safavid Era Accommodation Buildings Based on Non-Iranian Travelogues 64 75 236860 10.22034/jaco.2025.543727.1493 FA Nima Deimary Department of Architecture, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran 0000-0001-7998-0395 Aida Maleki Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran 0000-0003-3490-3251 Farhad Akhoundi Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran 0000-0002-3067-5178 Ahad Nejad Ebrahimi Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran 0000-0001-6025-1942 Journal Article 2025 08 30 The Safavid era is often referred to as the “golden age of caravanserai construction”, with Šāh Abbās referred to as “father of caravanserai construction” in Iran. During this period, the prosperity of trade on the one hand and consolidation of relations between Iran and Europe on the other, the construction of roads and roadside facilities flourished greatly. Many travelers took advantage of these accommodation buildings, traversing the roads of Iran. European travelers described these facilities in considerable detail and introduced lesser-known types of accommodation buildings. However, no independent research has yet been conducted based solely on travelers’ reports regarding these facilities. The main objective of this study is to identify and classify the types of Safavid-era accommodation buildings from the perspective of non-Iranian travel writers. This fundamental qualitative research employed a mixed-method approach. Data were collected from 20 travelogues from the Safavid period, and the resulting information was analyzed through an analytical-comparative method to produce the final typology. The accommodation buildings that travel writers spoke of and described in detail included Sābāt and Langar, Rebāt, Xān and Xāneqāh, Karbāt and Caravanserai, Mehmān-xāne and Urban Caravanserai, Bridges and Qahve-xāne, Royal Residences and Daskare, Residential Villages and Private Houses, Religious Sites, Tents and Mobile Structures, and Temporary Stations. The Safavid era is often referred to as the “golden age of caravanserai construction”, with Šāh Abbās referred to as “father of caravanserai construction” in Iran. During this period, the prosperity of trade on the one hand and consolidation of relations between Iran and Europe on the other, the construction of roads and roadside facilities flourished greatly. Many travelers took advantage of these accommodation buildings, traversing the roads of Iran. European travelers described these facilities in considerable detail and introduced lesser-known types of accommodation buildings. However, no independent research has yet been conducted based solely on travelers’ reports regarding these facilities. The main objective of this study is to identify and classify the types of Safavid-era accommodation buildings from the perspective of non-Iranian travel writers. This fundamental qualitative research employed a mixed-method approach. Data were collected from 20 travelogues from the Safavid period, and the resulting information was analyzed through an analytical-comparative method to produce the final typology. The accommodation buildings that travel writers spoke of and described in detail included Sābāt and Langar, Rebāt, Xān and Xāneqāh, Karbāt and Caravanserai, Mehmān-xāne and Urban Caravanserai, Bridges and Qahve-xāne, Royal Residences and Daskare, Residential Villages and Private Houses, Religious Sites, Tents and Mobile Structures, and Temporary Stations. http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_236860_70c6339af1eb8d34c2eecacfe3477200.pdf