Koyunbaba Bridge ( tr, Koyunbaba Köprüsü) is a

stone arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ( ...

crossing the Kızılırmak River in

Çorum Province Çorum ( tr, ) is a province in the Black Sea Region of Turkey, but lying inland and having more characteristics of Central Anatolia than the Black Sea coast. Its provincial capital is the city of Çorum, the traffic code is 19. History Excav ...

, Turkey. It was built between 1484 and 1489 and is the longest stone arch bridge built in

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

during Ottoman rule.

History

Koyunbaba Bridge is located at the center of Osmancık district in

, northern Turkey. It was built between 1484 and 1489 during the reign of

Ottoman Sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı padişahları), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its hei ...

Bayezid II Bayezid II ( ota, بايزيد ثانى, Bāyezīd-i s̱ānī, 3 December 1447 – 26 May 1512, Turkish: ''II. Bayezid'') was the eldest son and successor of Mehmed II, ruling as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512. During his reign, ...

(r. 1481–1512). The -long and -wide bridge was constructed in

ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...

. It spans the Kızılırmak River with 19 pointed arches, of which today only 15 arches are visible due to sedimentation on the river bank. It is the longest stone arch bridge built in

during the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

era. The bridge is named after the 15th-century local Turkish saint

Koyunbaba Koyunbaba (or Seyit Ali) was a saint who lived in the city of Osmancık in Çorum Province, Turkey, in the 15th century. Koyunbaba (whose epithet means "sheep father") was a shepherd in Bursa in northwestern Turkey. The guitar suite ''Koyunbaba' ...

. An inscription in

Ottoman Turkish alphabet The Ottoman Turkish alphabet ( ota, الفبا, ') is a version of the Arabic script used to write Ottoman Turkish until 1928, when it was replaced by the Latin-based modern Turkish alphabet. Though Ottoman Turkish was primarily written in thi ...

gives the beginning and completion dates of the construction in

Hijri year The Hijri year ( ar, سَنة هِجْريّة) or era ( ''at-taqwīm al-hijrī'') is the era used in the Islamic lunar calendar. It begins its count from the Islamic New Year in which Muhammad and his followers migrated from Mecca to Yathrib ...

as 889 and 894 without naming the architect.

Restorations

The bridge saw many restorations. In the 1960s, the original ashlar pavement was replaced with -thick concrete and covered with asphalt. In the 1980s, the facades of the bridge were plastered with compounded mortar and slurry was used in the mortar joints. Over time, the mortar on the facades crumbled. The latest restoration work aiming to reinstate its original state began in July 2014, and continued until 2017. After removal of the mortar on the facades in the first instance, the bridge was closed to motor traffic and pedestrians for further restoration work in November 2015.

References

{{Bridges in Turkey Arch bridges in Turkey Stone bridges in Turkey Bridges completed in 1489 Ottoman bridges in Turkey Buildings and structures in Çorum Province Road bridges in Turkey Bridges over the Kızılırmak