Royal Caravanserais in Achaemenid Era

The expansion of the newly formed Achaemenid Empire was an outcome of the great conquests of Cyrus the great, a man who, through his wisdom, could bring half of the world population in his time together and rule upon them in peace, without the horrifying bloodshed associated commonly with that era. The importance of these conquests becomes even more noticeable knowing that the conquering king based his achievements on solid grounds and after his death a capable successor continued to protect the security of the conquered lands. From numerous factors that benefited the protection of the security of the Empire, one is the construction of the caravan roads under the name of the Royal’s Road, which connected the vast territory of the Achaemenid Empire. The construction of the Royal’s Road not only led to more control over the conquered and dominion lands, it was also a means to facilitate commerce and bring various communities and nations closer together. Along the Royal’s Road, there were stops and resorts. These resorts no longer exist and the only reliable evidence for their existence is from a document collection found in Persepolis and Pasargad treasury. Along this road, resorts were built which in this article are referred to as the Achaemenid Caravanserai. We are trying to find whether the Caravanserais that were mentioned by historians and geographers such as Estakhri, Ibn Hoghal, Ibn Balkhi and other were the same ones that existed during the Achaemenid time. Are the roads the same roads and the Caravanserai were the same too?