Delījān

Delijan lies in the uplands between Qom and Isfahan, where roads cross the central Iranian plateau. Nearby Dudehak preserves a caravanserai of the Safavid period, built to shelter travellers and their animals along the route. Its enclosed courtyard and strong walls reflect the practical needs of journeys between towns across dry and mountainous country. The building belongs to a wider network of roadside inns developed under the Safavids, when movement through the plateau linked the capital with other regions of Iran.