Devegeçidi Bridge

Devegeçidi Köprüsü
Coordinates38°03′12″N 40°04′09.3″E / 38.05333°N 40.069250°E / 38.05333; 40.069250 (Devegeçidi Bridge)
CrossesDevegeçidi stream
LocaleDiyarbakır Province, Southeastern Anatolia Region, Turkey
Other name(s)Kurdish: Pira Neqeba Deveyan
Characteristics
DesignArch bridge
MaterialStone masonry and rubble
Total length119.17 m (391.0 ft)[1]
Width6.40 m (21.0 ft)[1]
Longest span13.70 m (44.9 ft)[1]
No. of spans7
Piers in water3
History
Construction end1218
Location

Devegeçidi Bridge, also known as Palu Bridge,[2] Kara Köprü and Sultan Murad IV Köprüsü is a disused stone bridge of seven arches across the Devegeçidi stream 20 km (12 mi) north of Diyarbakır, in southeast Turkey, on the road to Ergani.[1][3][lower-alpha 1] There is a separate bridge across the same stream that is often also called the Devegeçidi Bridge 13.5 km (8.4 mi) to the east, near the stream's confluence with the Tigris river.[3]

There are three inscriptions on the southern portion of the bridge, one of which indicates that it was built in 1218 by the Artuqid ruler Melik Salih Nâsıreddin Mahmud.[1] The bridge is made entirely of basalt blocks, some finely dressed others less so and has seven pointed arches, of which the southern two are the broadest.[1] Deve Geçidi Bridge was last repaired in 1972.[1]

The bridge became notorious as an execution site during the Armenian genocide; it is estimated at least 10,000 Armenians from Erzurum Vilayet were executed nearby.[2]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Sinclair noted only six arches during his visit to the site. Possibly the smallest, northern arch was concealed at that time.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bridges: Municipality.
  2. 1 2 Kévorkian, Raymond (2011). The Armenian Genocide: A Complete History. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 307, 371. ISBN 978-0-85771-930-0.
  3. 1 2 Sinclair 1989, p. 285.

Sources

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