stackyFACTSThe 17th-century equivalent of a five-star hotel chain was deployed as a weapon of statecraft to dominate global commerce.
The 17th-century equivalent of a five-star hotel chain was deployed as a weapon of statecraft to dominate global commerce. Safavid ruler Shah Abbas I realized that wealthy merchants hated getting robbed in the desert. He constructed a massive, highly militarized network of opulent caravanserais across Persia, offering free lodging and elite security to essentially bribe Silk Road traders into choosing his routes over Ottoman territory.
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