Çeşnigir Bridge is a medieval bridge across the

Kızılırmak River The Kızılırmak (, Turkish language, Turkish for "Red River"), once known as the Halys River () and Alis River, is the longest river flowing entirely within Turkey. It is a source of hydroelectric power and is not used for navigation. Geogra ...

between the towns of

Karakeçili Karakeçili is a town in Kırıkkale Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. It is the seat of Karakeçili District Karakeçili District is a district of the Kırıkkale Province of Turkey. Its seat is the town of Karakeçili.

and

Köprüköy Köprüköy, () is a municipality and district of Erzurum Province, Turkey. Its area is 777 km2, and its population is 14,204 (2022). The mayor is Nevzat Karasu ( AKP). Composition There are 42 neighbourhoods in Köprüköy District: ...

Kırıkkale Province Kırıkkale Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province of Turkey. It is located on the crossroads of major highways east of Ankara leading east to the Black Sea region. Its area is 4,791 km2, and its population is 277,046 (2022). With its ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. It was built during the period of the Seljuk

Sultanate of Rum The Sultanate of Rum was a culturally Turco-Persian Sunni Muslim state, established over conquered Byzantine territories and peoples (Rum) of Anatolia by the Seljuk Turks following their entry into Anatolia after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. ...

History

There is no precise record of when the bridge was built, but it has been dated to the 13th century based on architectural and historical sources. Tradition says that the army of

Timur Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeat ...

passed over the bridge on their way to the

Battle of Ankara The Battle of Ankara or Angora () was fought on 28 July 1402, at the Çubuk plain near Ankara, between the forces of the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I and the emir of the Timurid Empire, Timur. The battle was a major victory for Timur, and it led to ...

in 1402. The architect

Mimar Sinan Mimar Sinan (; , ; – 17 July 1588) also known as Koca Mi'mâr Sinân Âğâ, ("Sinan Agha (title), Agha the Grand Architect" or "Grand Sinan") was the chief Ottoman Empire, Ottoman architect, engineer and mathematician for sultans Suleiman ...

supervised reconstruction of the bridge as part of preparations for the Egyptian Expedition of Yavuz Sultan Selim. There were further repairs during the 20th century. The bridge was open to vehicle traffic until 1989, when it was closed due to the rise in water level after the construction of the Kapulukaya Dam. Although the bridge is now only open to pedestrians, restoration work in 2010 was carried out by the 4th Region Highways Directorate.

Construction

The bridge was built of cut stone and is and wide. It has a total of 12 arches, nine primary ones and three others to reduce the weight of the abutments. The bridge is a noted example of Seljuk architecture.

References

Sources

{{Bridges in Turkey Bridges completed in the 13th century Deck arch bridges Seljuk bridges in Turkey Buildings and structures in Kırıkkale Province Stone bridges in Turkey Tourist attractions in Kırıkkale Province Buildings and structures completed in the 13th century Arch bridges in Turkey Bridges over the Kızılırmak