The Bastak Caravanserai (کاروانسرای بستک), also known as Shahid Ahmad Khan Caravanserai, is located in Hormozgan province and is a significant historical site and a part of the broader Persian Caravanserai which is a UNESCO World Heritage site composed of 54 different caravanserais, inscribed in 2023. Bastak has been famous as a caravanserai city due to being placed in the route of passengers and caravans since ancient times, as well as being the birthplace of great regional celebrities in the west of Hormozgan. It currently serves its original purpose as lodging for visitors in addition to being a tourist attraction.
The Bastak Caravanserai was built during the Safavid era and received further use during the Qajar and Pahlavi dynasties. Since 1890, along with the widespread migration of Iranian Bastak merchants to Dubai, a neighborhood with a specific texture for their residence was built by Bastak architects and named Albastkieh. The caravanserai is located on the commercial route connecting Lar, Lengeh Port and Bandar Abbas and is currently east of Holy Defense Square. It contains a central courtyard stretching 912 square meters and is surrounded by stables and residential chambers. The caravanserai is a stone structure combined with plaster and stucco.
The caravanserai has two entrances on its northern and southern sides with each one having its own vestibule. Above the northern entrance there seems to have been a room that acted as residence of the inn keeper although it is currently in ruins. The residential chambers are on both sides of each entrance with 3 on either side for a total of 12. The chambers open towards the main courtyard and all are in a crescent shape, however, the main entrances and vestibule doors are different. Two long stables are located on the eastern and western sides with each having two entrances in the corners. Within the stables are hitching posts and troughs.
One of the main historical sources describing the Bastak Caravanserai is Gemelli Careri’s ravel accounts. Careri started his world trip in 1693, with a visit to Egypt, Constantinople, and the Holy Land. At the time, this Middle Eastern route was already becoming a standard route for an excursion into foreign lands. He stayed in a number of caravanserais (including Bastak) while passing through Persia. Of this particular segment of his voyage he wrote that he spent a Saturday at Bastak Caravanserai, the Sunday at Koohkherd, and that at Bandar Abbas the traveler should pick up "dates, wine, spirits, and all the fruits of Persia, which one carries to India either dried or pickled in vinegar, on which one makes a good profit".
The Bastak Caravanserai is registered as a National Heritage Site with registration No. 2233 and was subsequently added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List (along with 53 Iranian roadside inns) in 2023.
