Archnet

Explore caravanserais on Archnet

Summer is well underway in the Northern Hemisphere, and many people around the world are taking advantage of the school holidays to get away from home for vacation. This summer, the Archnet homepage focuses on the theme of travel in the history of Muslim civilizations and the challenges architects, planners, and government officials are grappling with in our time. We also highlight a handful of cities celebrated for their architectural heritage. So poke around and explore.

MP4

Are you traveling this summer? Did you know that your can get directions to innovative architectural and cultural heritage sites using Archnet in conjunction with the mapping application on your mobile device

Formerly the capital of the Byzantine and the Ottoman Empires, the city of Istanbul straddles two continents and, though no longer the capital, is still the larges city in modern Turkey. See four AKAA recipient sites and some of the most stunning works of Ottoman architecture

On the banks of the Nile River, the capital of modern day Egypt has been a major urban center since the days of the Pharoahs. With major historic monuments from the Abbasid, Fatimid, Mamluk, and Ottoman eras, as well as Modern and contemporary architecture

Tanger, Morocco

This station is the central stop for the city of Tangier, near the norther end of Africa's first high-speed train station that connects Tangier and its ports to Rabat, the nations capital, and Casablanca, the country's economic capital

2009

A 285 page guide to historic architecture in Hyderabad that includes maps of the city, photographs, a glossary of Persian and Urdu words, and a bibliography.

Samarkand was an enormously important city on the Silk Road from Asia to the Mediterranean. Famed for its public squares surrounded by towering minarets and elaborately decorate iwans many of which date back to Timurid rule (14-15th centuries)

One of Morocco's "Imperial Cities," Marrakech is at the foot of the was established in the early 11th c. by the Almoravids to serve as their capital. It was also an Almohad capital and has been an important trade center for centuries.

2008

A concise yet thorough, illustrated guide to this World Heritage site

Isfahan rose to prominence under the Safavid dynasty in the 16th-17th centuries. Its central square, Naqsh-e Jahan, is considered a masterpiece of Islamic urban planning

2023

A pedagogical tool that takes uses projects documented in the archives of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture as a pedagogical tool to explore how sustainable tourism and the design of recreational facilities can benefit communities in the area at a grassroots level

Though "La Giralda," the bell tower converted from the minaret of the mosque, itself now a cathedral, is the most prominent architectural monument of the city, walls, towers, palaces and other sites built during Islamic rule still remain

al-'Ula, Saudi Arabia

This station, near the end of the Hejaz Railway that the Ottomans built to connect Damascus to Medina, was operational between 1900 and 1920

2013

This 250-page booklet proposes a route through Malaga in Spain, and Tangier, Larache, Asilah, Tetouan, Chefchaouen, Al Hoceima, and Nador in northern Morocco that focuses on architecture

Blimbingsari, Indonesia

Shunning the standardized international style of most airports, this airport embraces a context-conscious design approach, minimizing the effects of the hot climate through a large-scale, contemporary interpretation of vernacular passive design principles, and a design that integrates into the surroundings, maximizing airflow and bringing plant life inside the building

Hormuz Island, Iran

The Majara Complex and Community Redevelopment project is a bottom-up regeneration plan involving a series of architectural projects that engage the local community and preserve the environment while promoting tourism

Travel and Tourism in History and Our World Today
Shown here, an Abbasid caravanserai at Gaz, Iran. Also known as khans, funduqs, wikalas, and other names depending on the region, they provided lodging to caravans, pilgrims, and other travelers in throughout Islamic history

Travel and Tourism in History and Our World Today
Shown here, an Abbasid caravanserai at Gaz, Iran. Also known as khans, funduqs, wikalas, and other names depending on the region, they provided lodging to caravans, pilgrims, and other travelers in throughout Islamic history

Travel and Tourism in History and Our World TodayShown here, an Abbasid caravanserai at Gaz, Iran. Also known as khans, funduqs, wikalas, and other names depending on the region, they provided lodging to caravans, pilgrims, and other travelers in throughout Islamic history

Travel and Tourism in History and Our World TodayShown here, an Abbasid caravanserai at Gaz, Iran. Also known as khans, funduqs, wikalas, and other names depending on the region, they provided lodging to caravans, pilgrims, and other travelers in throughout Islamic history

Travel and Tourism in History and Our World Today
Shown here, an Abbasid caravanserai at Gaz, Iran. Also known as khans, funduqs, wikalas, and other names depending on the region, they provided lodging to caravans, pilgrims, and other travelers in throughout Islamic history

Travel and Tourism in History and Our World Today
Shown here, an Abbasid caravanserai at Gaz, Iran. Also known as khans, funduqs, wikalas, and other names depending on the region, they provided lodging to caravans, pilgrims, and other travelers in throughout Islamic history