In the last 15 years, and besides professional activities in Europe, Asia and Africa, I traveled along the Silk Road. Once I ventured North-South from China to Pakistan. Another time I traveled West-East from Iran through Central Asia to China. Fascinating journeys indeed.

In Iran I encountered these old ruined caravanserais and was intrigued.

These inns along famous caravan routes accommodated traders, pilgrims and other travelers for centuries. They are now crumbling ruins, relics of prosperous times in the Middle East and Central Asia. Built as parts of a network of trade routes crossing international boundaries, these caravanserais were a platform for multicultural exchange and trade, at mutual benefit of all parties, surviving numerous political, military, religious and economic calamities.

More recently, we were in Egypt. We stayed in Cairo and made a formidable journey in the Western Desert of Egypt, again a theatre for one of the major trade routes through the Sahara in the heydays of the caravans. In Cairo there were those caravanserais again. Some have even been restored.

Today, with these very tumultuous relations between the Western and Muslim world, I find these caravanserais are like a metaphor for a successful platform of international exchange and communication. Revealing stories and image material about these caravanserais, may give hints and inspiration in a quest for finding such new platforms between the Western and Muslim world.

Image material of the journeys bring magnificent sceneries and stories. Tempting the senses is a first part of this site. Encounter ...

These journeys reveal about the caravanserais. But I also want to dig deeper and research history, about those trade routes in Muslim and pre-Muslim world, how different regions from East to West were connected, and how these caravanserais came to be. The interest to know more about the caravanserai, is the second part of this site. Caravanserai ...

Making the link with today and with the very tumultuous relations between the Western and Muslim world is the third part of this site. It is an essay and proposes the caravanserai as a metaphor for a successful platform of international exchange and communication between the Western and Muslim world. Consider ...

The fourth part is the blog in this website. This blog wants to generate discussion and alternative proposals. It invites for building a platform for international exchange and communication. It is a start. It is another journey. When you have your thoughts, join the blog and send your comments. Blog ...

As you watch the images, remind its history and ponder today’s reality.

You may feign sleep, though without slumber. Majnun ...