Abstract
During the Qajar dynasty, many caravanserais were built following the architectural model of the Safavid caravanserais. One such caravanserai was constructed in Borazjan by Mushir al-Mulk, a wealthy dignitary of Fars, and designed by Haj Mohammad Rahim. This stone caravanserai functioned as a rest stop for caravans and travelers until the final years of the Qajar period. However, in the late Qajar Period and throughout the Pahlavi period, its function gradually changed: first it became a military fortress and ammunition depot, and after the 1953 coup d’état, it was converted into a prison. The main research question of this study is to investigate the causes, nature, and process of this transformation. Specifically, which elements of the caravanserai were altered, and which architectural features remained unchanged? Originally, the caravanserai served two main needs: providing shelter for travelers and their pack animals. Accordingly, its structure included guest rooms and stables for camels. But in the process of adaptation into a prison, the requirements of permanent inmates were prioritized. Thus, facilities such as bathrooms, a clinic, a barbershop, several courtyards, and a mosque were added. Meanwhile, camel stables were redesigned into corridors, solitary confinement cells, and offices for prison staff and administrators.
Keywords: Caravanserai, Borazjan, Prison, Qajar, Pahlavi.
Introduction
The stone caravanserai of Borazjan was built during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah to accommodate caravans and travelers along the Bushehr–Shiraz route, providing them with a short rest stop. In line with its original purpose, the building was divided into two main parts: rooms for travelers and stables (known as shotor-khans) for camels and other pack animals. However, in the late Qajar period and under the Pahlavi dynasty, the caravanserai underwent new adaptations. Initially, it was used as a military site, and after the 1953 coup, with modifications to its inner space, it was transformed into a prison. The central issue of this research is to examine both the reasons behind this conversion and the architectural process by which caravanserais were repurposed into prisons. The political motives of the state in making such a decision are of particular importance. Indeed, the establishment of Borazjan Prison in one of the hottest regions of Iran may have been intended as a means of intensifying punishment for high-risk political prisoners.
 
Materials & Methods
The research method in the current article is descriptive and comparative method. First, we need to describe two structures and buildings in two different periods; One is the Borazjan Caravanserai and what components and sections this structure had. Another thing is that this same building was converted into a prison during the Pahlavi period, and the authors' intention is to provide a description of Borazjan Prison and its internal structure. Continuing with the above descriptions, we can examine a comparison of these two structures, which are essentially the same building with some modifications.
 
Discussion and Results
The caravanserai was a place to keep both travelers and pack animals, and its structure had two main sections: rooms for travelers to rest and camel stables for keeping camels. But during the late Qajar and Pahlavi periods, this caravanserai was used for other purposes. Initially, this structure was converted into a military facility, and after the coup, it was converted into a prison with changes to its interior space. The main issue of the research is as follows: investigating the causes of this change in use and how this change occurred in the structure of caravansers. The government's political goals and intentions behind this decision are important. In fact, the establishment of Borazjan Prison in one of the hottest regions of Iran was intended to intensify the punishment of high-risk political prisoners, such as members of the Tudeh Party's officer organization. In addition to the above factor, it seems that reducing the cost of building new prisons was effective in converting the Moshir-ol-Molk Caravanserai into a prison. When the plan to convert this building into a prison was approved, changes were made to the internal situation.
 
Conclusion
It appears that, in addition to the factor of intensifying the punishment of dangerous political prisoners, economic considerations—namely reducing the costs of building new prisons—also played a role in the conversion of Mushir al-Mulk’s caravanserai into a prison. Once the plan for its transformation was approved, changes were made to the stables and the main courtyard. The large central courtyard was divided into several smaller courtyards. Since the building was no longer to host travelers and wayfarers but permanent inmates (both political and ordinary), new facilities such as an infirmary, bathhouse, barbershop, meeting room, and various cell blocks were added. Moreover, for security reasons, the underground tunnels that connected the caravanserai’s courtyard wells to the outside were blocked and destroyed during reconstruction.