Examining Authenticity in Adaptive Reuse of Iranian Caravanserais for Tourism: Comparative Assessment of Two Cases from Safavid Era

Iran’s wide-spread location and the importance of trading in ancient Iran, along with its location on the Silk Road, led to the increase in value for trading roads and the construction of some resorts that were mostly regarded by their military and business sides. Silk Road had constantly been the most important way for caravanserais, foreign tourists, businessmen and different ambassadors from different countries of East (mostly China and India) towards the Mediterranean and the same way back. Having passed in many years after Islam with the new governments, construction of caravanserais got its attention back and its importance has gradually risen. Safavid era can be regarded as a magnificent time for such a valuable construction type that was highly supported by Kings and Ministers. Since the Qajar period, with adaptive reuse of the heritage caravanserais for tourism purposes that have become as guest houses and hotels, spaces have undergone some changes, causing dimming of authenticity. This study aims to make a comparative assessment of two caravanserais from Safavid Era in terms of continuity of the uniqueness of the heritage buildings during the adaptation process for tourism. This includes the analysis of continuity of architectural elements, spaces, five architectural design principles, authenticity, and intervention levels. This study seeks to answer the main question, “How can we achieve the continuity of uniqueness and authenticity of historical caravanserai buildings and their interiors during the process of adaptation for tourism in Iran?” This research applies the descriptive and evaluation approach to shed light on all special characteristics of Caravanserais in Iran, particularly in the Safavid era. In the First Chapter, the introduction, problem statement, aims and objectives of the study, limitations, methodology and thesis structure are given in details. Chapter Two gives general information about the theory of caravanserai architecture as pioneers of tourism architecture. Chapter Three provides theoretical discussions on adaptive reuse of heritage buildings as Caravanserai buildings converted for tourism purposes by discussing architectural conservation, authenticity and cultural significance supported by examples from the World. Chapter Four classifies the case studies of caravanserai buildings from Iran which are converted into tourism-related functions according to the categories explained in Chapter Two; examines two case studies amongst them through a comparative approach according to the studies in Chapter Three and the international charters for conservation. In Conclusion Chapter, the general findings are discussed and further studies are proposed. Keywords: Cultural sustainability, interior architecture, adaptive reuse, heritage buildings, caravanserai architecture, cultural tourism