Mesi Bridge ( sq, Ura e Mesit "The bridge in the middle") is a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

in the village of Mes, about (as the crow flies) northeast of

Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Shkod ...

, in northwestern

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. It is a monument of

Postribë Postribë is a former municipality in the Shkodër County, northwestern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Shkodër. The population at the 2011 census was 7,069.Kara Mahmud Bushati Kara Mahmud Pasha ( tr, Kara Mahmud Paşa, Albanian: Mahmud Pashë Bushati, 1749–22 September 1796) was a hereditary Ottoman Albanian governor (''mutasarrıf'') of the Pashalik of Scutari and de jure ruler of Albania, belonging to the Otto ...

, the local Ottoman

pasha Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, gener ...

, and spans the

Kir River The Kir ( sq, Kir or ''Kiri'') is a river in northern Albania that first flows south-southwest and then southwest out of the North Albanian Alps and enters a distributary of the Drin just below Shkodër. In the upper reaches the river cuts t ...

. The building was divided in 2 phases where the first phase was only the middle arc and the arc near it and the second phase included the other 11 arches. The purpose was to connect the city of

with the city of

Drisht Drisht ( sq-definite, Drishti) is a village, former bishopric and Latin titular see with an Ancient and notable medieval history (Latin ''Drivastum,'' Italian ''Drivasto'') in Albania, 6 km from Mes Bridge (Albanian: ''Ura e Mesit''). It is l ...

and other cities of the northern side. It is 108m long, 3.4 meters wide, 12.5 meters high with 13 arches, and is one of the longest examples of an Ottoman bridge in the region. It was built as part of the road that goes up the Kir Valley, eventually to

Pristina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...

. Today the bridge is at risk, having been damaged over time by devastating floods, which have resulted in floodwaters cutting away at the arches on the right side, causing cracking.

Gallery

Puente de Mes, Mes, Albania, 2014-04-18, DD 04.JPG Puente de Mes, Mes, Albania, 2014-04-18, DD 06.JPG Puente de Mes, Mes, Albania, 2014-04-18, DD 07.JPG Puente de Mes, Mes, Albania, 2014-04-18, DD 08.JPG Shkodra – Way to Skreli (W Le Queux).jpg, Mes Bridge, 1906

References

External links

ALBANIA-The Mesi Bridge at Shkodra on the Kir river
Bridges completed in 1770 Ottoman bridges in Albania Buildings and structures in Shkodër Tourist attractions in Shkodër Pedestrian bridges in Albania 1770 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Stone arch bridges {{Albania-bridge-struct-stub