A Cultural Overview of The Tourısm Potential of Icherı Sheher Caravansaraıes In Commercıal Relatıons

Abstract

Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, has an important role in world trade for centuries. Being surrounded by the Caspian Sea has a positive effect on the functioning of the port city of Baku. Thus, Baku has had very strong trade relations with China, Dagestan, Russia, Iran and other countries for many years. It is very important to have a caravanserai for travelers and merchants who come to the city in commercial relations. In ancient times, caravanserais were used as accommodation centers for merchants from distant lands for commercial purposes. Therefore, there were many caravanserais in Icheri Sheher in the center of Baku. From the earliest period until the 1920s was widespread commercial use of the caravanserai in Icheri Sheher. In general, the caravanserai as a cultural place is one of the main monuments of tourism. Among the caravansaries of Icheri Sheher, monuments such as Bukhara caravanserai, Multani caravanserai, Small caravanserai, Kasim bey caravanserai have survived to the the present day. The article tries to explain the commercial and cultural purpose of the existing caravanserais in Baku fortress from the ancient period to the 1920s. At the same time, the aim of the article is to talk about the current state of the caravanserais in the mentioned years. As a result, starting from all these purposes, the past and present cultural values of the Icheri Sheher caravanserais are compared in the article and their importance in modern Icheri Sheher tourism is researched.