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Photo: Allan Mustard, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
One of the finest and most valuable examples of a caravanserai in Central Asia. Nowadays a ruin, the caravanserai was probably built as a fortress in the 9th century and transformed into a caravanserai during the 11th and 12th centuries and used into the 16th century. The mastery in brickwork of Seljuk architects can still be admired.
Daýahatyn, also spelled Dayakhatun, is a medieval caravanserai, sitting on the left bank of the Amu Darya. It is around 170 kilometres (110 mi) to the northwest of Turkmenabat, near the Turkmenistan–Uzbekistan border. Daýahatyn is a fortified square enclosure with sides 53 metres (174 ft) long. It is believed to have been originally a fortress built by Tahir ibn Husayn in the 9th century. In the 11th century, it was transformed into a caravanserai with fascinating brick-structures, providing shelter for not only caravans but also elites during their long journeys. The integrity of Daýahatyn is a typical example of the mastery of Seljuk architects in brickwork during the 11th and 12th centuries. Because of its artistic excellence, Daýahatyn is regarded as one of the most valuable examples, and perhaps the finest example, of a caravanserai extant in Central Asia, aside from that of Ribat of Sharaf.