Qazvin Caravanserai - Gate of Alamut

Introduction

By the term “Qazvin Caravanserai”, I mean the “Caravanserai of Sa’ad al Saltaneh”. The pronunciation of the second name which is the real name of this caravanserai can be quite challenging for non-Farsi speakers. That’s the reason I will use the second name, as well.

On September of 2023, due to the caravanserai of Sa’ad al Saltaneh (Pronunciation: /sæ’d æl sæltæne/) (Farsi and Arabic: سعد السلطنه ), Qazvin entered in the UNESCO list for the world heritage.

It was along with the 56 caravanserais in Iran that Qazvin’s was selected, as well.

Foreign tourism in Iran started in about 2010. Even back then, when I took tourists to Sa’ad al Saltaneh, everyone was amazed. They loved it so much and I was expecting such a great incident of getting on the World Heritage list.

Here in this post, I introduce Qazvin Caravanserai – the highlight of my town – the largest inner-city caravanserai in the Middle East.

Meaning of the word “Caravanserai”

Caravanserai (Farsi: کاروانسرای ) is formed of two words. “caravan” means “the group of people traveling (usually) by camels and in long distances”.

“serai” means “house or shelter”. So, the shelter or house where the travelers could stay.

A caravanserai was a roadside inn or guesthouse where travelers could rest and recover from the day’s journey.

Caravanserais were the center of commerce and information as well. They spread all over the trade routes in Asia, North Africa and Southeast Europe.

The Silk Road was one of the main reasons that caravanserais came into real and common practice for people.

Meaning of “Sa’ad al Saltaneh”

“Sa’ad” ( سعد ) means “blessing”. The “al” in “al Saltaneh” is the definitive article in Arabic ( ال ). “Saltaneh” (سلطنه) means “kingdom” and “ruling”. Literally, it means: “The blessing of the kingdom”.

But all of this was not the real reason for the naming of Qazvin caravanserai.

The main reason was the patron of the town who ordered the construction of this caravansary in Qazvin.

His last name was “Sa’ad al Saltaneh”. So, he named this lovely monument after his own last name.

History of the Qazvin Caravanserai

Sa’ad al Saltaneh or Sa’ad ol Saltaneh was built in 1892. 131 years ago, when I am writing this post in 2023.

Bagher Khan Sa’ad al Saltaneh, the patron of Qazvin, ordered the construction of this great saray in Qazvin town. Qazvin is and was the Capital of Qazvin province in northern Iran.

It was during the Qajar era that the whole country started to have kind of better infrastructure.

Naser the 4th king of the Qajar dynasty, ruled for 50 years in Iran. He was the 4th Shah in the history of Persia with the longest reign.

Naser Al-Din (or let’s call him just “Naser”) is quite famous in modern Iran history. He used to wear his big mustache and hence we can call him the mustache king, as well.

Naser chose “Bagher Khan” as the patron of Qazvin because he already got an “A” in constructing the road between Tehran and Qazvin

The Move from the Past into Modernity

With the introduction of motor vehicles i.e. the cars, Qazvin caravanserai changed its role a bit.

There came the time when the camels vanished from the roads and the hostels started to grow.

Then this caravanserai became more of a trade center and it played the role of bazaar in the town.

In the 1990s, this bazaar got into flames and there was a big fire in it. The shops were all ruined and closed until the late 2000s.

The mayor’s started to renovate it including a lot of lighting as well.

Nowadays there are even fewer shops for trading. But there are many shops selling handcrafts, souvenirs, sweets and decorations.

Do not miss the cafés in Qazvin Caravanserai. There are two of them. One is called: “Negar” and the other one “Ersiyeh”. In the evenings you can spend hours in the cafés and enjoy a calm, lovely atmosphere.

Photography in Qazvin Caravanserai

If you are planning to visit Alamut Castle and Alamut Valley, try not to skip Qazvin. Otherwise, you will miss one of the most picturesque monuments and bazaars in the whole country.

During the day, there are fewer people. Better opportunity to take photos of Qazvin caravanserai without any humans.

But if you wait for the night, the lighting is on and together with people you can have life-memory photos.

What Can I do in Sa’ad al’Saltaneh?

You can relax. There are some cafés. Choose one of them that suits your taste with the location. Then order tea or coffee with Qazvin specialty of sweet. We call it “Baqlava”. The same sweet you can find in Turkey and Iraq and also in other regions of Iran like Kashan. I have tried all of the types from the world. But believe me, ours is the best! 😊

You can go shopping. If Qazvin and Alamut Valley are your final destinations before moving to Imam Khomeini Airport for your departure from the country, then do not have second thoughts.

There are nice shops to buy sweets, handicrafts, clothes, decorations, saffron, glasswork, calligraphy work and so on. Speaking of Calligraphy, Qazvin is known as the “Capital of Persian Calligraphy”. You will find workshops there teaching calligraphy to Iranians and foreigners.

Architecture

The architecture of Sa’ad al-Saltaneh is to some extent similar to other caravanserais in Iran. There are five main yards in this serai.

Negar Al Saltaneh
Sa’ad al Saltaneh
Sa’adiyeh
Shotor Khan
Ghorbani

Among all of them, the yard Sa’ad al Saltaneh is the largest and the main one.

There are three main domes in the serai.

The one above the intersection of “Chahar Soogh” is the greatest and the most beautiful one.

“Chahar” in Farsi means “four” and “soogh” which comes originally from Arabic, means “bazaar”. So there are four alleys representing four small bazaars meeting here at the “chahar soogh”.

“Bazaar Vazir” is located at the west edge of the serai, starting from the northwest down to the southwest.

There are two alleys from Bazaar Vazir connecting to the serai via the yard Negar and the Chahar Soogh.

Almost in the whole serai, there are small windows or pathways for sunlight.

Location:

The location of Qazvin Caravanserai is quite easy and accessible. It is located in the commercial and historical heart of Qazvin.

Qazvin city is in the center of Qazvin province. Alamut Valley is in the northern zone of Qazvin.

From the central town of Qazvin which is named ” Sabzeh Meydan (Meaning: green square), you can walk to the west on Imam Khomeini Street.

The palace of the town which dates back to the 16th century is located south of Sabzeh Meydan. The name of this palace is “Chehel Sotoun”.

Within approx. 1 kilometer of distance, on your left, there are 2 gates to the caravanserai on your left.

The first gate enters the main yard of the serai and the second gate is the front door of the main shopping hall. This hall is called “Bazaar Vazir”.

No matter from which gate you enter, if you visit the whole serai, you will pass through the other one, too.

Find your way to the other tourist attractions in Qazvin.

From the southern gate of Bazaar Vazir, you can enter the old bazaar of Qazvin. This is a bazaar similar to the ones in Tehran and Tabriz. It’s a place of trading everything. Clothes, jewelry, vegetables, fruits, meat, tools and etc. From the south, you can also find ways to go to Jame’e mosque (or Atiq Mosque) of Qazvin. From the west, you can continue your way to enter the mosque of Napi (Mosque of the Prophet).

From the entrance gate of Bazaar Vazir, you can pass Imam Khomeini St to the north to enter Obeid Zakani St. Continue walking in this small, narrow street to reach the Qazvin Anthropology Museum. The name is” Hamam Qajar”.

It is a Turkish-style hammam from the 19th century, renovated and turned into a museum.

From Qazvin Caravanserai, you have walking access to Minoo Hotel (30 minutes), Vali Asr Hostel (30 mins) Alborz Hotel (10 minutes), Arghavan Hotel (30 minutes), Nabavi Hotel (20 mins). You can even walk to the Qazvin bus terminal within 40 minutes.