tash rabat caravanserai - why remote location?

[mazeno]

it is located about 15 km from the main valley (karasu), used as the main track of the caravans in this part of kirgistan in the past (and of course nowadays, too). it is clear that caravans did not cross the hard, rocky and steep passages of at bashi range from the chatyrkul lake along the upper tash rabat stream valley, as they had very convenient and comfortable road across the wide torugart pass and then along karasu river. so they had to detour from karasu valley to the tash rabat serai through the narrow gorge of the tash rabat stream. and these 15 km was extra long half of the day, even a full day for a big caravan. one way.
moreover:
the pastures in the wide karasu valley are large and spacious and could feed thousands of animals. the jailoos near the caravanserai are limited by steep slopes and are not comfortable for animals like camels. the microclimate of the tash rabat valley is much colder than in the karasu valley - including the afternoon winds pushing the cold air from the mountain ridges along the valleys (and the serai is located almost on the crossing of two valleys starting on the main at bashi ridge - the cold air stream doubles there). the sun is operating not so long as in the main valley, so the snow lasts longer, even several weeks longer during a year - the medium annual temperature is expressly lower.
more:
the serai was set almost on the valley floor, which could have been easily attacked by surprise by highwaymen and robbers from the slopes - in the opposite the holders in the main valley could observe the remote horizon and prepare for the possible attack. the 15km-long narrow tash rabat gorge is another 'supportive' factor in the case of attack and futhermore - danger of avalanches and 'syl' (sudden mudslide during rapid storm).

i don't see any rational reason for the location - much better place to set up the serai you can find near the entry to the tash rabat valley on the karasu riverbank - large and spatial pastures protected from the afternoon cold mountain winds by the northwestern slopes (the direction of the sidevalleys- windmakers is NS) of the at bashi range and long exposed to the sun.

so - why this location?
why so remote off the main track?
any reasonable idea?

[Christian77]

One reasonable suggestion by an academic is that the new construction in the 15th century (on top of the old Nestorian and then Buddhist monastery) was by the new military authorities in the region, and that it was built as a seasonal shelter for a small military detachment (I suppose good for keeping an eye on the obscure secondary passes): https://www.informer.kg/ru/tash_rabat/histiry/8528.html Another academic argued that it also (later?) was used as a diplomatic facility for ties between the Timurids and China (which may explain why it is built in imitation mini-Samarkand style).

Soviet academic sources don't seem to agree with the tourist literature that its main function was as a caravanserai.

[mazeno]

huh, the reconstruction of the previously existing building to a military post (or sthg similar) seems to be really reasonable. especially, that there is not too much place for the animals inside. thanks for the link.