The entrance gate, Miyan Dasht caravanserai, Semnan Province. Safavid period (1502-1722). This is a large and impressive example of a Saravid period caravanserai. It stands beside the Tehran road, about 110km east of Shahrud. It is a massive stone and brick structure with a four-iwan (a covered or vaulted hall open at one end) courtyard arrangement that is also utilized in other large Islamic buildings such as mosques, madrassahs and palaces. All along this highway are the scattered ruins of caravanserai, built to provide sanctuary for the merchants and pligrims who were making their way to or from Masshad.