The Selim Caravanserai

We started our trip in Turkey visiting two Caravanserai on the plain near Konya. It seems fitting, as we end our journey, to visit another in Armenia. It is quite quite different. Indeed, from our lofty campsite, it looks like 2 nondescript low prefabricated farm buildings. As we near, the roof is made of huge basalt stone blocks. The inside is dark and arched. The only light from beautifully carved skylights in the centre of the roof.

The single entrance, wide enough to allow heavily burdened animals to enter, and limited windows in the roof are because the caravanserai needed to protect merchants from robbers. This one was built in 1332 and is much simpler and smaller than those we saw in Turkey. Perhaps reflecting the much more serious terrain next to the pass - at over 2300m it would have been snow covered much of the year.Read more