Caravanserai

Caravanserai
Building information
Introduced in	The Asian Dynasties
Type	Military
Civilization	Indians
Age	Colonial Age
Use	Trains and upgrades Indian cavalry
Construction
Wood	200
Max. builders	8
Construction time	30 seconds
Statistics
Hit points	2,500
Line of Sight	14
XP build bounty	20
XP bounty	40

“	Trains and upgrades hand and ranged cavalry.	”
—In-game description

The Caravanserai is a military building in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties that is unique to the Indians and becomes available once the Colonial Age is reached. It fulfills a similar role to the Stable, but trains camel and elephant cavalry instead.

Units

Age	Unit	Cost	Pop.
	Sowar	80 food, 80 coin	2
	Zamburak	60 food, 60 coin	1
	Mahout Lancer	400 food, 250 wood	7
	Howdah	250 food, 350 coin	6

Further statistics

As Caravanserai are unique to the Indians, only technologies that they have access to are shown in the following table:

Building strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Nothing
Weak vs.	Everything
Improvements
Hit points	Flying Buttress (+20%)
Construction cost	Cree Textile Craftsmanship (-25% wood) Tupi Forest Burning (-20% wood)

Home City Cards

As Caravanserai are unique to the Indians, only their cards and other civilizations' TEAM cards are shown in the following tables:

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Caravanserai

Green: TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team Germans Card Description Age HC level TEAM Cheap Stables Stables, Corrals and Caravanserai cost -50%; Nobles' Huts and War Academies cost -25% to -30% 1 Indians Card Description Age HC level TEAM Improved Buildings Buildings get +25% hit points 10 Mughal Architecture Buildings except wonders cost -20% wood and build time -50% +1 Villager 40

History

“

A caravanserai was a quadrangular building frequented by merchants along routes in the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeastern Europe. It was designed specifically to accommodate the needs of travelers and their pack animals. The central courtyard featured a fountain and was opened to the sky. The caravanserai was surrounded by a series of arcades and stalls large enough to keep 300 to 400 camels comfortably. A typical caravanserai offered refreshment for humans and animals, space for religious worship, lodging, and a small market where those passing through could purchase new goods for the road ahead. Some of the more elaborate caravanserai even offered luxurious private baths. The word “caravanserai” is derived from the Persian “karwan,” which signifies a company (or “caravan”) of travelers in a large inn or “serai.” Early Muslim rulers often built and maintained these inns on well-worn travel routes to encourage political solidarity, trade safety, and economic growth of their kingdoms.

”

Gallery

A Caravanserai in-game

A Caravanserai after the Industrial Age