Left to Right: Kent, Chris, Mike, Jeff, me, and Doc. We had to take this photo pretty quickly, as we were being shooed out by a local authority. Apparently, just because there was a hole in the fence didn't mean we were actually allowed to go through it. Bah, technicalities, I say. This is one of several caravanserai (from a Persian word meaning an inn that caters to passing caravans) along the railway. Both the old caravan trail and the Hejaz railway follow pretty much the same route, and served the same purpose: bringing pilgrims from Damascus to Madinah and Makkah. Hence, it is no surprise that the caravanserai have a Syrian influence in their design, although the exact date of origin for these qaal'ats is unknown; it could be anywhere from the 7th century all the way up to the 16th century.