Lazareti in Dubrovnik are a long and narrow building that consists of 10 naves separated by five courtyards, all surrounded by high walls. Completed in 1647, the building would be used as a quarantine station in response to an outbreak of the plague and cholera – a dark past indeed. Located next to the Ploce Gate, Lazareti was built between 1627 until 1647. Its location is significant – situated in front of the main entrance to the Town, from where, at the times, all caravans from the Ottoman territories were arriving in the City as well as right next to the Old Port, the main city harbour. Right outside the city, it was an ideal location for such an institution – merchants, sailors and travelers went through mandatory isolation before being allowed to enter the City (40 days in quarantine).