Dataset on Caravanserais and Qanat Networks in Khorasan, Iran

This dataset comprises 280 caravanserais and over 750 associated qanat irrigation systems in Iran's Khorasan region. Caravanserais were roadside structures that provided shelter and services to travellers, while qanats are subterranean channels designed to transport water from underground aquifers across long distances. Together, these infrastructural systems played a critical role in shaping trade, agriculture, and settlement patterns across the Iranian Plateau since ancient times. Compiled by the EAMENA project at the University of Oxford, the dataset enables analysis of the spatial relationship between caravan routes and qanat networks, as well as the preservation status of these sites and the threats they face. It covers sites across the three Khorasan provinces and Semnan, which, although now administratively separate, historically formed part of key caravan corridors.本数据集涵盖伊朗呼罗珊地区的280处商队驿站（caravanserais）与750余处相关联的坎儿井灌溉系统（qanat）。商队驿站是为旅行者提供休憩与配套服务的路边建筑；坎儿井则是旨在将地下水从含水层长距离输送的地下输水渠道。自古以来，这两类基础设施对伊朗高原的贸易、农业与聚落格局的塑造发挥了至关重要的作用。 本数据集由牛津大学中东与北非濒危考古项目（EAMENA）编纂，可用于分析商路与坎儿井网络的空间关联，同时支持开展上述遗址的保存现状及面临威胁的相关研究。数据集覆盖了现今三个呼罗珊省与塞姆南省的相关遗址——尽管这些区域如今行政划分各自独立，但历史上均属于核心商队通行廊道。