Mozaffarid Caravanserai, Pasargadae

🕰️When was it built?

The building is attributed to the Mozaffarid dynasty and an order of Shah Shoja in the 8th century AH (14th century). The stones were brought here from the older palaces of Pasargadae, so Achaemenid materials do not mean the building itself is as old as those palaces.

🏛️What was it built for?

Its original use is not certain. Some researchers see it as a caravanserai, while others suggest a school or a religious centre beside the Tomb of Cyrus. The plan of the central courtyard and the rooms around it is a key part of working out what it was for.

👀What you will see

• The central courtyard covers about 208 square metres and is not a perfectly regular shape.
• White stones taken from the palaces of Pasargadae are the main material of the surviving stone parts.
• In some places the stones are set in gypsum mortar; in others they sit side by side with no mortar at all.
• The entrance faced east, and behind the iwan, small and large rooms stood between irregular piers.

💡Something interesting

When the archaeologist Ali Sami was working at Pasargadae, part of the building was repaired and turned into his technical office. This late use has nothing to do with its first construction, but it shows the building was in use for a while in modern times too.

🎒Good to know before you go

• As you look at the surviving walls, notice the difference between stones joined with mortar and stones laid without it.