Karaj

Karaj stood on the road between Rey and Qazvin, where travellers had to cross the river descending from the Alborz. A bridge already existed before the Safavid period, and Safavid reconstruction renewed this crossing. Known by several names, including Pol Dokhtar and Shah Abbasi Bridge, it joined stone supports to a brick superstructure. Openings through its central pier reduced the pressure of floodwater, while halls and stairways formed part of the structure.

A caravanserai also linked Karaj to the Safavid world of overland travel. The Shah Abbasi caravanserai is generally attributed to the reign of Suleiman I, although its patronage is not certain. Bridge and roadside accommodation served different parts of a traveller's journey: passage across the river and a place to halt along the road. Together they gave this settlement a role in the movement between the plains around Rey and the routes leading west toward Qazvin.