The Ribat-i Sharaf (or Robat-e Sharaf) is a caravanserai, or rest place for travellers, that is located in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran between Merv and Nishapur. Built in the 12th century (circa 1114), the building looks like a fortified rectangle from the exterior. The courtyard and four Iwan floorplan is that of the traditional Standard Iranian Mosque. The walls and the pishtaq, the entrance way inside an iwan, are decorated with vegetal and geometric patterning that function to provide a good example of the "Textile Metaphor" seen in Middle Eastern architecture of this era. The caravanserai is consisted of two inter-related four Iwan planned courtyards, famous for owning some of the most diverse and beautiful brick decorations in Iranian architecture.