Varjanauli Bridge
ვარჯანაულის ხიდი
Varjanauli Bridge
41°47′19″N 41°57′41″E / 41.788500°N 41.961250°E / 41.788500; 41.961250 (Varjanauli)[1]
LocationKobuleti Municipality, Adjara, Georgia
TypeArch bridge

The Varjanauli Bridge (Georgian: ვარჯანაულის ხიდი, romanized: varjanaulis khidi) is a late medieval arch bridge in Georgia. It is located at the village of Varjanauli, some 20 km east of Kobuleti, in the forested Kintrishi river valley, in Georgia's southwestern Autonomous Republic of Adjara. The bridge is quite large and wide, with prominent semi-circular outline. It is built of hewn stone blocks, rough stones, and mortar. The bridge is inscribed on the list of the Immovable Cultural Monuments of National Significance of Georgia.[2]

The exact date when the Varjanauli bridge was constructed is not known. According to a local tradition, it was commissioned by the local Muslim Georgian nobleman Tamaz-Oghli (Tamazashvili) in the 17th century.[3] Voussoirs at both sides of the bridge are made of hewn stone and lime mortar. They are arranged in a vertical mode. The arch and the sides of the bridge are covered with a series of neatly hewn stone blocks. The bridge rests on abutments cut into the rock on both banks. The stones used for the lower face of the arch are packed symmetrically with the voussoirs, so that the arch looks like a monolith. The horizontal length of the bridge between the abutments is 14.6 m, while the roadway measures 28.1 m; width at the middle part is 2.6 m and near the abutments 3.5 m; height from the water level to the arch is 7.9 m and to the top of the arch 8.6m. Size of the holes for the arch-form are: 0.36 x 42 m and 0.38 x 0.32 m. The bridge underwent the government-funded conservation works in 2008.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "The Medieval Stone Bridges of Ajara". Georgia About. 22 August 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  2. ↑ ეროვნული მნიშვნელობის კატეგორიის კულტურის უძრავი ძეგლები [List of Immovable Cultural Monuments] (PDF) (in Georgian). National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  3. ↑ "ვარჯანაული [Varjanauli]". საქართველო: ენციკლოპედია: ტ.III [Encyclopaedia Georgia, vol. 3] (in Georgian). Tbilisi. 2014. p. 190.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ↑ Kakhidze, Amiran; Mamuladze, Shota (2016). Archaeological Monuments in Ajara. Tbilisi. p. 199. ISBN 978-9941-0-9714-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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