Investigating and identifying of Bandar Abbas to Lar historical route and the caravanserais along the way

The historical route of Bandar Abbas to Lar is a complex consisting of components and elements that has been working in an integrated and interconnected manner. Investigating this route and associated buildings (caravanserais, water reservoirs, etc.) from the historical periods of Safavid and Qajar to the present time, as well as studying various travelogues in this field, shows the importance and position of this route throughout history and especially the Safavid time. In addition to its economic importance, it has also had special political, cultural and social significance. Many tourists have provided detailed descriptions and explanations on this route and its features, as well as the caravanserais and accommodations along the route in their travelogues. This route was also one of the most important routes in Iran (the spice route) that connected ports and islands of the south to the center, especially Isfahan which was the capital in that time. The current route from Bandar-Abbas to Lar is 161 km long, located in the west of Hormozgan province. Approximately 70% of this route is located in Bandar Khamir city and the rest is located in Fars province. This main and inter-provincial route is located on the same historical route with a slight change. According to the current situation a list composed of caravanserais along this route, with their old names, has been prepared, in order of location from Bandar Abbas to Lar. This list is prepared on the basis of Sadid al-Saltanah-Kababi-Bandar-Abbasi’s travelogue, a native writer of the late Qajar period. All caravanserais and related water reservoirs are carefully identified through field and library methods, in terms of their location in relative to the route and other caravanserais, registration status in the list of national monuments, adaptation with the items mentioned in the studies conducted during previous years, and comparative comparison with the other caravanserais located in the province. Despite the large number of caravanserais on this route, only two types of plans can be seen, one type as a central courtyard with rooms around; and the second type of caravanserais with smaller dimensions in form of a cross plan without stables, docks and fences with low facilities. The main purpose of this research is to investigate and identify the historical route of Bandar Abbas to Lar and its related elements as well as caravanserais, their location in relation to the current route and typology according to the architectural features. In the current situation, the intended caravanserais are in similar conditions in terms of being located along the new Bandar Abbas to Lar route, physical condition, use and the damage level. The caravanserais, which are located outside the urban and rural areas, have been completely abandoned and destroyed. Out of 16 caravanserais along the intended historical route, which are given in the categories, only 7 caravanserais have been registered on the list of national monuments.