Karavanserai offers an eclectic mix of vintage, second-hand and antiquarian books, maps and prints; vintage and second-hand jewellery; select vintage textiles and clothing; and, other collectables from our shop within Southern Antiques Centre, Sydney. They were a feature of the Silk Road - that famous trade route between China and the Mediterranean Coast. In volatile times, Karavanserai were oases of peace and prosperity where merchants, missionaries, messengers and other travelers could rest and recover from the day's journey. They supported the flow of commerce, information, and people across the network of trade routes covering Asia, North Africa, and South-Eastern Europe. The word Karavanserai derives from the Persian: كاروانسرا - karvansara. Karavanserai have been described by Herodotus, featured in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and in the music of Carlos Santana. Most typically a Karavanserai was a building with a square or rectangular walled exterior, with a single portal. The courtyard was almost always open to the sky, and the inside walls of the enclosure were outfitted with a number of identical stalls, bays, niches, or chambers to accommodate merchants and their servants, animals, and merchandise. Our Karavanserai is a metaphor for the timeless wonder of travel and discovery; the global fascination with the rare and exotic; and, the joy of surrounding oneself with beautiful items. Our motif derives from a floor plan of a typical Karavanserai (that of Karaj Karvansaray).
