The Aruch Caravanserai dates back to the 13th century. It is centrally located on this area's portion of the silk road that connected the historic Armenian cities of Dvin and Ani! A caravanserai was a rest stop accommodating travelers and their animals as they traveled along the Silk road. This building is an excellent example of Armenian secular (non-religious) architecture in the Middle Ages. The most important example of a Caravanserai in Armenia is the Orbelian (Selim) Caravanserai. The Aruch Caravanserai which we look at now, dates to the 13th century. It is centrally located on this area's portion of the silk road. Head west and you enter the Byzantine empire. North, and you reach the kingdom of Georgia. To the South, was the Persian empire, and east was the Caspian sea and the rest of Asia! The building itself has a large single entrance from the south. This entrance opens up into a long central hall. This large area is probably where the travelers stored their animals. There are two narrower aisles separated by arches. The travelers would stay on either side. In between the arches were troughs that the animals could drink and eat from. Judging from the reconstruction, the three aisles each had their own vaulted ceiling and all were underneath a single gabled roof. In addition, there seem to be short towers in each corner except for in the southwest. It seems like they had only a decorative purpose. Finally, directly to the west of the main entrance, there is a small square room. Maybe for the caretaker of the caravanserai or for storage$28