Selim Caravanserai
Encyclopedia
The Selim Caravanserai (Armenian
: Սելիմ; also referred to as the Sulema Caravanserai) was built along the Selim Pass (2410 m) in 1332, by Prince Chesar Orbelianis. The purpose was to accommodate weary travelers and their animals as they crossed from, or into, the Selim (Sulema) Mountains. Located at the south side of the Selim Pass, in the Vayots Dzor
provence of Armenia
, this is the best preserved caravanserai in the entire country. Ruins of a small chapel may still be seen adjacent to the vestibule, across the road from a spring.
The only entrance to the caravanserai is at the rectangular vestibule adjacent to the main hall of the structure. It has a gabled stone shingle roof that rests on three arches. On the eastern side, these arches rest upon the edges of the windows. The southern wall of the vestibule and the entry wall façade are the few locations in the caravanserai where there is any ornamentation. The entry has decorations around the half-rounded lintel, with high-reliefs of a winged animal to the left, and a bull to the right, above the lintel. The only other decorations may be found on each of the oculi in the hall, which each have a unique design.
There are two inscriptions found on the vestibule, one is written in Arabic
and the other is written in Armenian
. The Arabic inscription written upon the half-rounded lintel of the entrance has nearly been effaced by vandals, but the Armenian inscription found at the eastern wall opposite of the entrance headed to the wall reads:
The caravanserai is constructed of blocks of basalt
. It has one hall divided into three naves, with seven pairs of polyhedral pillars. Animals rested in the narrow aisles to the left, and the right, of the main hall. Between the pillars were stone troughs for the animals, and in the corner of one of the halls was a pool of water. Travelers slept in a separate room built at the end of the narrow aisles on the western side of the caravanserai. The roof above the three-aisled hall had three parallel vaults with an oculus in each. The vaults were supported by arches that stretched from pillar to pillar along the aisles, and went over the aisles from the pillars to the walls. Oculi placed in the middle of each of the vaults served the purpose of letting in light and air, while also letting out smoke. As mentioned earlier, these are the only other areas of the caravanserai that have ornamentation besides the decoration found at the entry vestibule.
The caravanserai was restored during the years 1956-1959.
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
: Սելիմ; also referred to as the Sulema Caravanserai) was built along the Selim Pass (2410 m) in 1332, by Prince Chesar Orbelianis. The purpose was to accommodate weary travelers and their animals as they crossed from, or into, the Selim (Sulema) Mountains. Located at the south side of the Selim Pass, in the Vayots Dzor
Vayots Dzor
Vayots Dzor is a province of Armenia. It lies in the south-east of the country, bordering the Nakhichevan exclave of Azerbaijan in the west and the Azerbaijan in the east. It covers an area of 2,308 km². With a population of only 53,230 , it is the most sparsely populated province in the country...
provence of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, this is the best preserved caravanserai in the entire country. Ruins of a small chapel may still be seen adjacent to the vestibule, across the road from a spring.
The only entrance to the caravanserai is at the rectangular vestibule adjacent to the main hall of the structure. It has a gabled stone shingle roof that rests on three arches. On the eastern side, these arches rest upon the edges of the windows. The southern wall of the vestibule and the entry wall façade are the few locations in the caravanserai where there is any ornamentation. The entry has decorations around the half-rounded lintel, with high-reliefs of a winged animal to the left, and a bull to the right, above the lintel. The only other decorations may be found on each of the oculi in the hall, which each have a unique design.
There are two inscriptions found on the vestibule, one is written in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and the other is written in Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
. The Arabic inscription written upon the half-rounded lintel of the entrance has nearly been effaced by vandals, but the Armenian inscription found at the eastern wall opposite of the entrance headed to the wall reads:
The caravanserai is constructed of blocks of basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
. It has one hall divided into three naves, with seven pairs of polyhedral pillars. Animals rested in the narrow aisles to the left, and the right, of the main hall. Between the pillars were stone troughs for the animals, and in the corner of one of the halls was a pool of water. Travelers slept in a separate room built at the end of the narrow aisles on the western side of the caravanserai. The roof above the three-aisled hall had three parallel vaults with an oculus in each. The vaults were supported by arches that stretched from pillar to pillar along the aisles, and went over the aisles from the pillars to the walls. Oculi placed in the middle of each of the vaults served the purpose of letting in light and air, while also letting out smoke. As mentioned earlier, these are the only other areas of the caravanserai that have ornamentation besides the decoration found at the entry vestibule.
The caravanserai was restored during the years 1956-1959.