The Selim Caravanserai

The shortest route from Goris to Lake Sevan winds over the Selim Pass, also known as Vardenyats—a serpentine mountain road that rises to about 2,500 meters above sea level. The climb is steep, the turns sharp, and altitude sickness is not uncommon for the unprepared. But the views are staggering: vast mountain landscapes, windswept ridges, and a silence only the highlands can carry.

Open to travelers from May to November, the pass is impassable the rest of the year due to deep snow and the occasional rescue operation for stranded vehicles. Yet beyond its dramatic beauty, Selim Pass holds historical weight: this route once belonged to the vast network of the Silk Road, and along it still stands one of Armenia’s most significant medieval caravanserais.

The Selim Caravanserai is one of the best-preserved examples of roadside inns that once served caravans moving between East and West. It offered rest and shelter for traders, their animals, and their cargo as they crossed Armenia on their way to Europe or Asia. Contrary to the popular notion of a single Silk Road, there were in fact numerous land and sea routes connecting civilizations, and Armenia, with its river valleys and mountain passes, served as a critical corridor. Caravanserais such as this one were vital—nodes of commerce, security, and brief respite.

The Selim Caravanserai was commissioned in the early 14th century by Prince Chesar Orbelian and his brothers, members of a noble dynasty influential in this region. Two heraldic reliefs carved into the building’s façade—one of a lion under attack by a serpent and the other of a bull—mark it as an Orbelian monument. An inscription above the entrance records the names of the patrons and the date: 1332. Though the foundation began in 1326–27, it was completed under the reign of Abu Sa’id Khan, the Mongol ruler then controlling the region.

The text carved into stone reads:

“In the name of Almighty God, in the year 1332, during the reign of the ruler of the world Abu Sa’id Khan, I, Chesar, son of Prince of Princes Liparit, with my mother Anna, my grandson Ivane, and my lion-hearted brothers Burtel, Smbat, and Elikum of the Orbelian house, and my wife Khorisha, daughter of Vardan from the Serikaryan family, have built this spiritual home at our own expense for the salvation of our souls, of our parents and of our Christian brothers, and for the wellbeing of our living kin—my sons Sargis, Priest Hovhannes, Kurd, and Vardan. Travelers, we ask you to remember us in Christ. The work began during the service of Esayi and was completed through his prayers in the year 1332.”

Constructed from solid basalt, the caravanserai is topped with a gabled stone roof that has endured centuries of snow and wind. The interior is a single hall divided into three naves, 13 by 26 meters, used to shelter pack animals. Rows of stone mangers separate the aisles. Two rooms at the rear served as sleeping quarters for the travelers. A vaulted chapel—now partially buried—stands just east of the structure.

The entrance is notable for its stalactite-style ornamentation, a refined touch in an otherwise utilitarian building. A vestibule precedes the hall, its ceiling supported by arches resting on polygonal pillars. Arabic inscriptions and decorative high-reliefs add solemnity to this rugged stopover in the mountains.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the caravanserai fell into disrepair. It remained abandoned until restoration work in the 1950s brought it back from ruin. Today it is considered the finest surviving caravanserai in Armenia—a relic not only of medieval architecture, but of the region’s former status as a crossroads of empires.

Even in summer, the wind atop Selim Pass bites hard. Bring warm clothes and windbreakers. And as you take in the stark, unforgiving beauty of the highland road, spare a thought for the Orbelian princes who, nearly seven centuries ago, built a haven here for strangers passing through.