Caravanserai

Taken from Samantha Childress' Substack: A caravanserai (pronounced “care-uh-VAN-sur-eye”) is a type of roadside inn, historically found along the Silk Road in its heyday. Caravanserais served as respites where trade caravans and other travelers could stop to rest overnight, away from the dangers of the road. While the outer walls of a caravanserai would resemble a fortress, the inside would be much cozier, with small guest rooms, stables, and sometimes even prayer rooms and bath houses. As travelers from all over Eurasia flocked to caravanserais, they became hubs for the exchange of culture, goods, food, religion, art, and, of course, stories. When you read this newsletter, I want you to feel as though you are stepping into a caravanserai—a haven where you can listen to fellow travelers’ stories from the road and sample bits of far away places. The content of this renamed newsletter will remain largely the same as it transitions from The Cairo Dispatch to Caravanserai, but it will be more focused on personal stories and intimate explorations of world cultures than ever before