Caravanserais were roadside inns that were built along the Silk Road in areas including China, North Africa and the Middle East. They were typically  1  outside the walls of a city or village and were usually funded by local governments or   2  .

The word 'caravanserai is a  3  of the Persian words 'karvan',which means a group of travellers or a caravan: and 'saray’, a palace or enclosed building The term caravar was used to  4  groups of people who travelled together across the ancient network for safety reasons,  5  merchants, travellers or pilgrims.

From the 10th century onwards, as merchant and travel routes became more developed,the  6  of caravanserais increased and they served as a safe place for people to rest at night. Travellers on the Silk Road  7  the possibility of being attacked by thieves or being  8  to extreme weather conditions. For this reason, caravanserais were strategically placed  9  they could be reached in a day's travel time.

Caravanserais served as an informal  10  point for the various people who travelled the Silk Road. 1l ,these structures became  12  and interaction with travellers important centres for cultural sharing their cultures, ideas and beliefs,  13  taking knowledge with them, greatly  14  the development of several civilisations.

Caravanserais were also an important marketplace for commodities  15  in the trade of goods along the Silk Road.  16  , it was and frequently the first stop for merchants locking to sell their wares and  17  supplies for their own journeys.It is  18  that around 12000 to 15000caravanserais were built along the Silk Road,  19  only about 3000 are known to remain today,many of which are in  20  .