Devegeçidi Bridge

Devegeçidi Bridge, also known as 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][2][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.[2]

Devegeçidi Bridge Devegeçidi Köprüsü
Coordinates	38°03′12″N 40°04′09.3″E
Crosses	Devegeçidi stream
Locale	Diyarbakır Province, Southeastern Anatolia Region, Turkey
Other name(s)	Kurdish: Pira Neqeba Deveyan‎
Characteristics
Design	Arch bridge
Material	Stone masonry and rubble
Total length	119.17 m (391.0 ft)[1]
Width	6.40 m (21.0 ft)[1]
Longest span	13.70 m (44.9 ft)[1]
No. of spans	7
Piers in water	3
History
Construction end	1218
Location

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]

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. Bridges: Municipality. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBridges:_Municipality (help)
2. Sinclair 1979, p. 285. sfn error: no target: CITEREFSinclair1979 (help)

Sources

• Sinclair, T.A. (1989), Eastern Turkey: An Architectural and Archaeological Survey, 3, Pindar Press, ISBN 0907132340
• "Bridges". Diyarbakır Büyükşehir Belediyesi. Retrieved 16 August 2017.