The Kanuni Sultan Suleiman bridge ( tr, Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Köprüsü), also known as Büyükçekmece Bridge, is a stone arch bridge located in

Büyükçekmece Büyükçekmece is a district and municipality in the suburbs of Istanbul, Turkey on the Sea of Marmara coast of the European side, west of the city. It is largely an industrial area with a population of 380,000. The mayor is Hasan Akgün ( CHP). ...

, west of the center of

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

, Turkey, on the

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an side of the

Bosphorus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...

. The bridge was built during the

Ottoman period 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) ...

by chief architect

Mimar Sinan Mimar Sinan ( ota, معمار سينان, translit=Mi'mâr Sinân, , ) ( 1488–1490 – 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 Empir ...

(c. 1488/1490–1588), across the mouth of the large but shallow inlet known as

Lake Büyükçekmece Lake Büyükçekmece ( tr, Büyükçekmece Gölü) is a Liman (landform), liman formed at the point where the river Karasudere flows into the Marmara Sea. The lake is located south of the Çatalca district, west of Istanbul, Turkey. It is used as ...

. Construction started in 1566 and the bridge opened in 1567. During construction it is reported that the water was pumped out of

, and of stones were set in place. The bridge comprises 28 spans and is divided into four sections by the presence of three shallow islets along its length. Its role serving large volumes of traffic as a communications artery has been taken over by a wide modern road bridge on its seaward side, but the sixteenth-century bridge is promoted for its symbolic and historic resonances. Between 1986 and 1989 it was restored at considerable cost.

References

Arch bridges in Turkey Stone bridges in Turkey Mimar Sinan buildings Bridges completed in 1567 Ottoman bridges in Turkey Buildings and structures in Istanbul Province Former road bridges in Turkey Pedestrian bridges in Turkey Büyükçekmece {{Turkey-bridge-struct-stub